I Don’t Really Care If GGG And Canelo Never Fight. And You Shouldn’t, Either.

I Don’t Really Care If GGG And Canelo Never Fight. And You Shouldn’t, Either.
By: Sean Crose

I’ve been reading quite a lot of comments from boxing’s new breed of fan lately – you know, those fans who cheer on boxers for their earning potentials and capital rather than their skills in the ring. As far as these new breeds seem to be concerned, Canelo Alvarez is the pound for pound best boxer in the world. Why? Because he’s the A-side against Gennady Golovkin’s B-side in contract negotiations. This simple fact thrills new breeds, as they cheer their man on and mock Golovkin. To new breeds, Canelo’s A-side status makes him Manny Pacquiao to Golovkin’s Ricky Hatton.

Check out the comments section of some publications out there. New breeds appear more into the contract negotiations between teams Canelo and Golovkin than they ever would be an actual fight between the two men. In their minds, Canelo has Golovkin on the ropes at the moment and is pounding the hell out of him. They’re cherishing this moment. To quote Donald Fagan, “the things you think are precious, I can’t understand.” There’s one thing I’m starting to agree with the new breeds on, however, and it’s this:

It might be awesome for team Golovkin to admit there’s no winning and give up on contract negotiations with Canelo.

I know, I know, this may be petty and small of me, but the behavior of Oscar de la Hoya, Canelo’s promoter, has morphed from ring warrior to insufferable businessman to such a degree that I find it off putting. Want to guarantee Golovkin less than he’s worth, Oscar? Then forgive me for smiling if team GGG walks away from negotiations and gets on with life. One doesn’t need Canelo money to be rich, after all, and Golovkin is already doing quite well form himself, thank you very much. It’s been said team Canelo may be entering the realm of Adonis Stevenson, where competition essentially doesn’t matter. I hope not, but maybe it’s true. As the new breeds continuously remind us – this is a business, not a sport.

So be it. I’ll stick with my delusions. Truth be told, I’d rather see GGG rematch Jacobs than I would see him fight Canelo, anyway. I know, I know, less than two hundred thousand pay per view buys, blah, blah, blah. Truth is, I think Jacobs is a better opponent than Canelo is. And while I’ve always through Canelo had a good chance against GGG (and still do), I’m honestly okay with never finding out who the best man is in the ring. When I read recently that Golovkin’s trainer, Abel Sanchez, claimed GGG might just move up to junior middleweight if he can’t get the fights he wants, I was relieved. Enough nonsense.

As for Canelo – hey, the man’s very good and a lot of fun to watch. Again, I give him a good chance against GGG if they meet in September (provided he beats Julio Caesar Chavez Jr. in the spring, which isn’t a foregone conclusion). If he decides against fighting Golovkin in the fall, though, then I don’t see much reason to take him all that seriously anymore. Avoiding, aging out, or bilking opponents doesn’t make you a great fighter. It makes you a fighter worthy of the admiration of the new breeds – and not much else.