Fight fans got excited today, as news broke suggesting strongly how a return fight between middleweight rivals Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez was all but a done deal for May 5 – with just a few minor items to be settled (such as the venue for the bout) before the fight we all want to see (again) would be announced to the world.
But things are seldom simple in the world of boxing, and Canelo’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya has put out a tweet that seems to rain on the parade somewhat.
“@Canelo and vs @GGGBoxing is not done and not close to being done considering reports. I promise all the fans it will get done soon if and when @GGGBoxing agrees to the rematch,” De La Hoya wrote earlier today.
The way De La Hoya writes it, it is Golovkin who is holding things up; yet today’s reports said how the world middleweight champion had agreed to terms for the fight (the venue and those other minor issues to be settled) – with news breaking telling us how there will be no rematch clause in the contract this time round, meaning there will be no third fight unless both guys want a third fight.
But now Oscar puts out this seemingly firm, and confusing, tweet. Is the rematch on or not? If not, is it close to being on? Not according to De La Hoya and he should know of course. If the return fight is to go ahead on May 5 – just under four months from now – it better get signed and sealed soon if the promotion is going to be big, taking in a city tour around the world as is the case for all the big fights.
Not that this rematch needs much hype. Fans everywhere know all they need to know about these two great fighters, what they can do and what they will do in a return match. Let’s hope Oscar is merely being a touch pessimistic, and those earlier reports of the fight being close to a done deal are indeed accurate.
This fight needs to happen, and it needs to happen this year. No later.