Boxing Looks Toward Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin After Mayweather-McGregor Fight

The biggest boxing match of 2017 has come and gone. Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor went 10 rounds on Aug. 26 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Now, it’s time for the best fight of the year. That’ll take place exactly three weeks later on Sept. 16 in the very same arena when Canelo Alvarez and Gennady “GGG” Golovkin unify their middleweight titles.

“People think they saw a fight a couple of weeks ago with McGregor and Mayweather. Let me tell you, they haven’t seen nothing yet,” former world champion boxer and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions Oscar De La Hoya told International Business Times.

Mayweather and McGregor dominated the boxing headlines, and the entire sports world for that matter, during the summer. Fans couldn’t wait to see the UFC’s biggest star fight inside a boxing ring for the first time, looking to upset the best boxer of his generation.

The fight totaled $55.4 million in ticket sales, which is the second-highest mark ever. The final numbers aren’t in, but it might have generated more buys than any pay-per-view in history, likely selling four million PPVs at worst.

“It’s great for the sport,” De La Hoya told IBT, backing away from his previous stance that Mayweather and McGregor were “disrespecting” boxing. “The fight didn’t turn out dull. It didn’t turn out that bad. Obviously, Mayweather being the best boxer of our generation, when he turned it up, he turned it up and stopped McGregor. That’s exactly what happened, and people were entertained. McGregor landed a few shots here and there and he did well for himself.

“I strongly feel that that’s gonna carry over to future fights. I think the eyeballs that saw that event a couple of weeks ago are now interested in the sport of boxing. Even if it’s half of those eyeballs. People know that this is a real fight. People know that you have legitimate boxers who are at their peak right now.”

Maybe Mayweather’s knockout of McGregor will benefit Alvarez and Golovkin, though the title fight would be just fine on its own. It’s a bout that fans have been waiting to see for two years. It wasn’t the drawn out six-year wait that preceded 2015’s super-fight between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, but it was just long enough to build the proper anticipation.

Tickets for the 160-pound fight sold out quickly, while Mayweather-McGregor came 7,000 seats short of a sell out with much higher ticket prices. Golden Boy Promotions claims the live gate will generate $30 million, which would comfortably sit in third place all time.

With Mayweather seemingly retired, Alvarez is boxing’s biggest draw. His fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on May 6 surpassed one million PPV sales, and the upcoming fight should dwarf that number.

“We’re expecting between 1.5 and three million homes,” De La Hoya said regarding PPV buys. “I think the fact the fight sold out in like seven days is a huge indication of how excited people are. I really think that boxing is on the verge of breaking through, once again, and becoming a sport that people are anxious to see.”

Golovkin isn’t the PPV star that Canelo is, though his popularity among boxing fans is evident. He’s come close to selling out fights against relatively unknown boxers. The 35-year-old from Kazakhstan has an indescribable charisma to go along with arguably more punching power than any boxer in the world.

Promising “big drama show” in his broken English before his fights, Golovkin never disappoints.

With a perfect 37-0 record, Golovkin has just four wins by decision. Many of his victims lasted only a few rounds before being sent to the canvas. He had a string of 23 straight knockouts before going the distance with challenger Daniel Jacobs six months ago. That win on March 18 put the champ just two successful title defenses shy of the middleweight record.

Alvarez’s resume is nearly as impressive. He’s 49-1-1 at just 27 years old, and his only loss came at the hands of Mayweather four years ago. The Mexican fighter has scored 34 career knockouts, and he might’ve had the KO of the year in 2016 when he put Amir Khan to sleep in the sixth round of their bout.

“I think it’s gonna last maybe nine, 10 rounds, but it’s gonna be hell. It’s gonna be hell for both guys,” De La Hoya said.

As much hype as there was for Mayweather-McGregor, the outcome was never in doubt. A first-time boxer was never going to defeat arguably the best defensive fighter ever, one who had been a perfect 49-0 in his professional career. The only question was whether or not McGregor could survive 12 rounds.

That won’t be the case on Sept. 16. Golovkin is only a slight betting favorite, and plenty of experts expect Alvarez to stop GGG for the first time.

Having gone undefeated with so many decisive victories, Golovkin might very well be the best fighter in the world. Alvarez continues to get better with each fight, showing that he can win a brawl or go the distance and showcase his technical boxing skills. A win would give him the sole spot atop the middleweight division.

For De La Hoya, Golovkin and others, the winner should be recognized as the No.1 pound-for-pound boxer.

“Absolutely. The best fighter in the world, pound-for-pound,” Golovkin told IBT back in June. “He might be a huge star. Maybe a hero, like Superman.”

Golovkin would be a bigger star if it weren’t for his unimpressive list of opponents. It hasn’t been for a lack of trying, but the knockout artist has had trouble securing fights with big names.

It’s a troubling trend that has plagued boxing over the last few years. Afraid to damage their records and miss out on future PPV paydays, many of the top fighters have played it safe, robbing fans of big fights.

The fact that Alvarez vs. Golovkin is happening is one more sign that boxing is headed in the right direction. It’s the biggest fight in a year that’s seen quite a few marquee matchups.

Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev, recognized by many as two of the best boxers in the world, fought for the light heavyweight title in November and June. Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko faced off in April in one of the best heavyweight fights in years. Vasyl Lomachenko and Guillermo Rigondeaux, two more elite fighters, could meet in the ring by the end of 2017.

“There was a point where fighters just didn’t wanna fight each other,” De La Hoya said. “They were thinking more about the business side of boxing, you know, ‘Well if I don’t fight the best guy, I have another chance to make some more money here.’ It’s like, ‘Man, you go out there and fight the best.’ That’s it. That’s exactly how boxing is gonna keep growing and surviving, if the best fight the best. UFC and Dana White, he matches the best against the best. And if you lose, so be it. You live to see another fight.

“That’s what fighters have to understand. If you fight the best, there is no loser. Everybody wins, including the fans.”