The battle for middleweight supremacy will take place in Las Vegas on September 16th between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin. Oscar De La Hoya and the fighters were in NYC Tuesday night to promote the fight and premiere the movie short ‘I Am Boxing’ which details the “golden age” of the sport. While this is billed as possibly the best fight of the year it is being overshadowed by Mayweather v McGregor. De La Hoya went on the offensive and posted a letter criticizing the bout as a spectacle and not good for the sport of boxing. During Monday night’s event De La Hoya repeatedly referred to Canelo v GGG as a “real fight.”
De La Hoya is a promoter, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, he is protecting his interests and the Canelo v GGG fight is a big one for him. It’s also a true boxing match. But, in a sport that struggles to maintain consistent relevance, that doesn’t matter. The world is talking about Mayweather v McGregor, only the diehard pure boxing fans care about Canelo v GGG.
Listen to some of De La Hoya’s comments at yesterday’s event below.
I am on record as saying the Mayweather v McGregor fight will be bad for America. The seedy underbelly of this country as it pertains to race will be on full display. In terms of a pure fight, McGregor has no chance. Floyd is one of the greatest boxers of all time, McGregor is new to this, May is true to it. This will not be a close fight. However it will be a spectacle and the sport of boxing has thrived off of spectacle.
But if you are a boxing fan and you want to share your love of the sport with someone interested in seeing a good fight, Canelo v GGG is the one. Both men are tremendous knockout artists and are champions. During the ‘I Am Boxing’ movie, there was a portion that focused on the “4 Kings.” Four men who in the 80s made boxing exciting, Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran. Watching clips of those champions, it was easy to see the modern day link to Canelo and GGG. It also helped that De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins were on the stage. Some of the greatest pound for pound fighters of all time. This is what boxing and traditional boxing fans love and need.
Flip the page to see Canelo and GGG fans talk about their guy.