By Edward Chaykovsky
The critics can rest easy, says Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya - because his company is on a mission to finalize the mega fight between Saul "Canelo' Alvarez and Gennady 'GGG' Golovkin.
There are ongoing discussions to stage that fight on HBO Pay-Per-View next September as part of Mexican Independence Day weekend.
Most fans were expecting to see the fight in 2016. Canelo went in another direction when he vacated the WBC middleweight belt and moved down to 154-pounds, to capture the WBO championship last month with a knockout of Liam Smith.
De La Hoya claims to have offered Golovkin $10 million dollars for the fight.
Golovkin and his handlers have never confirmed De La Hoya's number, but they have complained about receiving a 'flat fee' offer - which shuts Golovkin out from a sizable split of the overall revenue.
De La Hoya will not reveal the latest offer presented to Golovkin (36-0, 33KOs), who plans to defend his WBC/WBA/IBF/IBO middleweight belts in the first quarter of 2017. Canelo (48-1-1, 34KOs) is likely going to fight in May, as part of Cinco De Mayo weekend.
While there is some tension from critics who believe the fight won't happen as planned, De La Hoya feels confident that a deal will eventually be reached and the fight will move forward.
"The latest offer is the latest offer. We're obviously not going to negotiate on camera. I'm not going to talk about anything. Obviously this is a fight that has to be made, that must be made, and will be made. It's just a matter of doing it behind closed doors. That's the way it's going to get done. Anybody else can talk about whatever they want to talk about. But the bottom line is, Golden Boy wants to make this fight for 2017 and I strongly feel it's going to happen," De La Hoya told IFL TV.
