If Alvarez’s fractured right hand isn’t ready by then, then the idea is for Canelo to go directly to a May bout at 160 pounds on HBO PPV before facing Golovkin (36-0, 33 knockouts) in September, Gomez said. “That’s the game plan,” Gomez said in a phone interview. “That’s what we’re hoping for.” Alvarez sustained an avulsion fracture in his right hand during his ninth-round knockout of Liam Smith on Sept. 17 to win a junior middleweight strap.
The decision to possibly stay at 154 pounds for another fight may confound fans who were under the impression Canelo (48-1-1, 34 KOs) was ready to jump to 160, but Gomez once again gave assurances that Canelo intends to face GGG in 2017, even if he’s still toiling at a lower weight to begin the year. Gomez listed David Lemieux and middleweight titleholder Billy Joe Saunders as possible opponents for Canelo in May on HBO PPV in his debut at 160.
“If it’s the first quarter, then he likely stays at 154,” Gomez said. “If it’s in May, then the likelihood is that it will be at middleweight. But the plan is Golovkin. There’s no secret. We’ve been in discussions. We’ve been negotiating. I feel that we’re close. That’s his objective. That’s what Oscar (De La Hoya, Golden Boy CEO) wants. That’s what Canelo wants. That’s what we’re trying to make happen.”
Because of the possibility of a defense at 154, Alvarez has no intention to vacate the belt until he learns more about the long-term health of his hand, according to Gomez. “We won’t know until we get the green light that he wants to fight early in next year or if he’s going to wait until May,” Gomez said. “So he’s going to wait a while (to make a decision on the title). He hasn’t decided what he wants to do.”
Of the WBO’s top 15 contenders in their rankings, the only well-known fighters out of the entire bunch are #2 WBO Miguel Cotto, #5 Antonio Margarito and #12 Austin Trout. Canelo has already fought Cotto and Trout in the past. It’s unlikely he’ll fight Trout again, because he looked bad against him in their fight in 2013, and some boxing fans thought he should have lost or been given a draw for that fight.
Margarito is someone that Golden Boy might be interested in matching Canelo against, but it would be a controversial move if they made that fight because has a lot of baggage from the past. He also appears to be over-the-hill at 38. However, Margarito did recently squeak out a 10 round split decision over Canelo’s promoter Ramon Alvarez last August in Tijuana, Mexico. If Canelo wanted to avenge Ramon’s loss by taking on Margarito, then now would be the test time for it. Golden Boy could justify the fight by pointing out that Margarito is ranked #4 in the World Boxing Organization’s rankings, and Canelo is still the WBO 154lb division.