Canelo vs. Golovkin Deal is Close, Says Golden Boy President

By Steve Kim

Two big pay-per-view fights are coming up in the next few months. On March 18th, Gennady Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs) will defend his WBA, WBC, IBF, IBO middleweight titles against Daniel Jacobs at New York's Madison Square Garden. And on May 6th, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (48-1-1, 34 KOs) will move up to a catch-weight of 164.5-pounds to face countryman Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. 

So if both Golovkin and Canelo win their respective fights, are we headed for a collision course between the two in September?

"Yes, that's our hope," said Eric Gomez, the President of Golden Boy Promotions, who handle Canelo. "We're hoping for that, that's what we're working towards. I've kept the dialogue open, I've been talking to [Golovkin's promoter] Tom Loeffler."

Gomez added - "I think we're close, there's a couple of loose ends we have to tie. But that's what we want - we want to make the fight. That's what we're working towards."

What has been discussed frequently is whether or not Golden Boy and Canelo made an offer which is a flat-fee or one that includes a percentage of pay-per-view sales.

On that issue, Gomez states - "People are looking into it too much. I mean, a flat fee - whatever it is - there's no way of knowing what the pay-per-view is going to do. So that flat fee could end up being a higher percentage, we don't know."

With the recent trend of pay-per-view cards struggling in the wake of the disappointment that was Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao in 2015, there is a bit of a cat-and-mouse game in these negotiations.

But Gomez notes - "I think we're close. I don't think that's a factor anymore. There's a couple of other things that we have to work out but that's what we want - to make the fight."

Steve Kim is the news editor for BoxingScene.com.