Canelo Alvarez is a cash cow, meaning he generates a gaudy amount of money for everyone around him. That includes his opponents. So why then is he still without a dance partner for his annual May fight date?
Golden Boy Promotion’s CEO Oscar De La Hoya, Alvarez’s promoter, is stumped as well.
De La Hoya expressed his incredulity in an interview during the DAZN broadcast of the Ryan Garca-Francisco Fonseco card Friday night. Recently, reports have circulated that Billy Joe Saunders and Callum Smith, the presumed front-runners to fight Alvarez on May 2, rejected offers from De La Hoya.
“It’s funny because everybody talks a big game,” De La Hoya said. “I want Canelo. I can beat Canelo. Well that’s BS. Nobody wants to fight Canelo. They’re all afraid of him. He is the superstar in boxing. And if you fight him, you’ll make the most money. What’s the problem? Pull the trigger.”
Saunders and Smith are still engaged in negotiations, according to The Athletic. Presumably, the initial offers fell short of what either fighter wanted to fight Alvarez. Recent Alvarez opponents Daniel Jacobs and Sergey Kovalev earned in the neighborhood of $12 million, a gargantuan purse compared to their typical paydays. It’s not a stretch to think that both Saunders and Smith are angling for a similar financial package.
“I’ve offered B.J. Saunders a fight, and he’s balking at it,” De La Hoya said. “I’ve offered Smith a fight, and he’s balking at it. I have four other guys that I can negotiate with and talk to. If you guys don’t take it, we’re moving on to somebody else. But [Alvarez] will fight in May.”
In the end, the bucks stops with De La Hoya. He knows he is fighting against the clock to consummate a deal for his most important client.
“Time is running out,” he told DAZN. “I have until Sunday … or Monday the latest or I’m moving on.”