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Canelo-GGG: Location, Location, Location
By: Sean Crose
Now that the biggest question in boxing, the one about if and when Canelo would face GGG, has been answered, fans and analysts are looking for a new mystery to be solved: Where will the fight be held? This may all seem somewhat ridiculous on the surface of things, but it’s not. They say real estate is essentially about location, location, location, and, although location may not be AS big a deal in boxing as it is in real estate, it certainly is important. The Rumble in the Jungle, The Thrilla in Manilla, Shelby Montana, the list of notable fight locations can be rather extensive.
Remember that the first heavyweight champ, John L Sullivan, would actually fight on a barge, out of reach of authorities. One can only imagine what it must have been like trying to employ effective footwork.
The matter of location, however, has become particularly acute in recent weeks. Why? Because Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitshcko battled for heavyweight supremacy in front of a reported ninety thousand people in London last month. That’s more than the population of some cities. And with that many fans came that much intensity. The atmosphere at Wembley Stadium for Joshua-Klitschko was positively explosive. In fact, it helped accentuate the experience of viewing a terrific top level matchup. The bout, in all its aspects, was just the kind of thing boxing needed, and now fans would love to see the same intensity when GGG steps into the ring to face Canelo in September. Needless to say, a large scale venue for such an anticipated fight would make for terrific optics and atmosphere.
Yet there’s Vegas, always Vegas, in the running. Indeed, Sin City is still THE place for professional boxing. There’s a lot of money to be made in the desert, after all, generally more than there is anywhere else. It’s only logical to put the biggest money fights there. Still, those with vision will want to please fans with at least somewhat affordable seats and plenty of them. They will also recognize that fights placed against epic backdrops tend to draw lots of attention. It will be hard for even the most boxing-indifferent mainstream outlets to ignore Canelo-GGG should the fight go down in front of, say, a sold out AT@T Stadium in Dallas.
Fans will undoubtedly know where this match is occurring soon enough. Here’s hoping it’s someplace as electric as London was a few short weekend’s ago.
