Many were shocked when Canelo Alvarez chose the relatively unknown Liam Smith as his opponent for his September 17th fight but in another shocking turn of events, T-Mobile Arena, “The Home of Canelo Alvarez” according to Oscar De La Hoya, may not host the event.
The Las Vegas Review Journal is reporting rumblings of the fight moving from Vegas to Dallas.
Alvarez was expected to fight Liam Smith at T-Mobile Arena Arena on Sept. 17, but reports have emerged of a change in venue to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Last month, the Nevada Athletic Commission signed off on Golden Boy Promotions’ request to reserve T-Mobile Arena. Bob Bennett, the NAC executive director, told the Review-Journal in June “everything is set in stone” for Alvarez to meet Smith at the new Las Vegas venue. The NAC also had the bout marked on its online calendar.
Bennett said he’s aware of the fight possibly moving to the home of the Dallas Cowboys, but nothing was confirmed. According to multiple reports, Golden Boy Promotions is expected to make the fight location announcement early next week.
Jerry Jones was present at Canelo’s last fight, a huge KO victory over Amir Khan, which may have been the beginning of these negotiations.
These moves by Oscar De La Hoya may lead to the MGM brass looking to lock down other big name stars, such as Keith Thurman & GGG to fill their venues in the future. The days of having just one big boxing star claim a venue, such as Floyd Mayweather, are far behind.
