According to Tom Loeffler, promoter for WBC, WBA, IBO, IBF middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 KOs), there is a serious push coming in from New York's Madison Square Garden to secure his boxer's HBO Pay-Per-View rematch with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.
The fight was officially announced earlier this week, for May 5th, as part of Cinco De Mayo weekend.
While the fight was officially announced, the official venue and location has yet to be revealed.
It's no secret that the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is the frontrunner to secure the fight.
That's where the contest took place last September, when the two boxers fought to a controversial twelve round split draw.
It appears that MSG has submitted a strong proposal that guarantees a more lucrative gate than was made in the first bout, which was about $27 million.
“I don’t know what Vegas is going to offer,” said Loeffler to the New York Post.
“It’ll be a little bit of a back-and-forth. But the Garden is definitely very interested in this fight. They realize this is one the few times they have a legitimate shot of getting a big fight. I don’t think Floyd [Mayweather] or Manny [Pacquiao] or any of those big fights ever considered New York. Gennady likes New York. Either this fight or if Gennady wins maybe a third fight, I think the Garden has a legitimate shot at getting one of these fights.”
“It seems Canelo would prefer Vegas, but it’s going to come down to a financial decision. I’ll sort through it with Golden Boy and see what we can work out. I know the Garden is definitely interested in putting in a bid, but Vegas is going to be hard to beat for the overall package they offer.”
Golovkin has fought six times in New York.
Major fights are usually bound to Las Vegas, which has the edge with numerous casinos and hotels, and more importantly a lack of city and state tax.
After missing out on high profile fights involving Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, MSG is going to fight hard to land Canelo-Golovkin II.
“The Garden is synonymous with the biggest and best events in sports and entertainment and the Golovkin-Alvarez fight certainly fits into this category,” said Joel Fisher, executive vice president, MSG Marquee Events.
2023-10-20 09:57:48
