Canelo-Kovalev: Negotiations Ongoing For Fight, 10/19 or 10/26

[Ruthless-RKO]

The Canelo Alvarez-Sergey Kovalev fight is not dead yet.

Multiple sources have informed BS.com that negotiations are ongoing for Alvarez to fight Kovalev on October 19 or October 26 in Las Vegas. Kovalev has a WBO light heavyweight title defense scheduled for August 24 against Anthony Yarde in Chelyabinsk, Russia, Kovalev’s hometown, but that fight would be scrapped if Golden Boy Promotions (Alvarez) and Main Events (Kovalev) can come to an agreement soon.

Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez also is negotiating for Alvarez to face Sergiy Derevyanchenko on either of those same dates. An IBF purse bid for that mandated middleweight title fight was postponed Tuesday so that Golden Boy and Lou DiBella, Derevyanchenko’s promoter, could continue negotiating.

If Alvarez instead moves up two weight classes to challenge Kovalev, the IBF could strip him of its 160-pound championship for not making his mandatory defense versus Derevyanchenko.

An intriguing Kovalev-Alvarez fight appeared as if it would not happen once Alvarez announced July 17 that he would not fight September 14, as planned. Pushing back the Mexican superstar’s return to later this year seemingly meant Kovalev (33-3-1, 28 KOs) would move forward with his fight against England’s Yarde (18-0, 17 KOs).

BS.com has learned, though, that DAZN executive chairman John Skipper still has only approved Kovalev and Gennadiy Golovkin (39-1-1, 35 KOs) as potential opponents for Alvarez’s next fight. Skipper only will allow Alvarez to fight Ukraine’s Derevyanchenko (13-1, 10 KOs) next if Alvarez guarantees that he would face Kazakhstan’s Golovkin a third time if he were to defeat Derevyanchenko.

Alvarez adamantly has refused to fight Golovkin again thus far.

Skipper signed Alvarez and Golovkin to nine-figure contracts in large part because he thought their third fight would help generate a substantial amount of subscription for the fledgling streaming service he runs. DAZN didn’t get Alvarez to agree in writing to fight Golovkin a third time, however, thus he isn’t contractually obliged to do it.

Meanwhile, Kovalev and Yarde have continued to train as if their fight still will take place August 24.

Yarde and his promoter, allegedly, have agreed to take a step-aside fee for allowing Alvarez-Kovalev to happen. The two sides haven’t agreed on how much Yarde will be paid to step aside, which has complicated Alvarez-Kovalev negotiations because Kovalev wants more money.

If Kovalev and Yarde move forward with their fight, Alvarez’s handlers would have to decide soon on whether to face Derevyanchenko according to DAZN’s terms because the IBF won’t afford Golden Boy and DiBella much more time to negotiate.

Derevyanchenko, who’s No. 1 in the IBF’s 160-pound rankings, could fight Golovkin for the vacant IBF title if the New Jersey-based sanctioning organization strips Alvarez. Golovkin is ranked No. 3 by the IBF, but he is the next available contender to fight Derevyanchenko because the No. 2 position in the IBF’s ratings is unoccupied.

The IBF stripped Golovkin of its middleweight championship in June 2018 because he declined to make a mandatory defense against Derevyanchenko. Golovkin instead fought Alvarez in a rematch last September 15 for much more money than the Derevyanchenko bout would’ve paid him.

Alvarez defeated Golovkin by majority decision in their 12-round rematch. Their first fight resulted in a controversial split draw in September 2017.

[Enlightened-One]

The IBF stripped Golovkin of its middleweight championship in June 2018 because he declined to make a mandatory defense against Derevyanchenko. Golovkin instead fought Alvarez in a rematch last September 15 for much more money than the Derevyanchenko bout would’ve paid him.

I posted the same article a few days ago and purposely ommitted this sentence, since it was blatantly incorrect, due to the fact that Golovkin chose to face Vanes Martirosyan instead of Derevyanchenko.

The Canelo-GGG bout was officially announced on the 29th January, 2018, with the Mexican testing positive for banned substances on both the 17th & 20th February.

Golovkin had no intention to abandon the 5th May, 2018 fight-date and made no effort to make the Derevyanchenko fight. Instead Loeffler admitted that Vanes Martirosyan was in line to face GGG on the 4th April, which of course he eventually did.

I hate bad journalism like this.

[Ruthless-RKO]

The IBF stripped Golovkin of its middleweight championship in June 2018 because he declined to make a mandatory defense against Derevyanchenko. Golovkin instead fought Alvarez in a rematch last September 15 for much more money than the Derevyanchenko bout would’ve paid him.

I posted the same article a few days ago and purposely ommitted this sentence, since it was blatantly incorrect, due to the fact that Golovkin chose to face Vanes Martirosyan instead of Derevyanchenko.

The agreement was that GGG had to fight Derev after the Vanes fight or risk being stripped. That was the agreement.

GGG chose the Vanes fight. IBF told him GGG, he can do that, they wouldn't sanction it, but GGG needs to fight Derev next.

GGG had an option when he fought Vanes.. After Vanes, it was fight Derev or be stripped.

So really, GGG chose not to fight Derev and instead fought Canelo. Which is correct.

Althought what you say also makes sense, because it was DiBella, who pushed Derev's mandatory position after Canelo originally pulled out of the May rematch. Had it not been for DiBella, Derev's mandatory may never have been called that year.

[Enlightened-One]

I posted the same article a few days ago and purposely ommitted this sentence, since it was blatantly incorrect, due to the fact that Golovkin chose to face Vanes Martirosyan instead of Derevyanchenko.

The agreement was that GGG had to fight Derev after the Vanes fight or risk being stripped. That was the agreement.

GGG chose the Vanes fight. IBF told him GGG, he can do that, they wouldn't sanction it, but GGG needs to fight Derev next.

GGG had an option when he fought Vanes.. After Vanes, it was fight Derev or be stripped.

So really, GGG chose not to fight Derev and instead fought Canelo. Which is correct.

Althought what you say also makes sense, because it was DiBella, who pushed Derev's mandatory position after Canelo originally pulled out of the May rematch. Had it not been for DiBella, Derev's mandatory may never have been called that year.

Team GGG never attempted to make the Derevyanchenko fight though. Loeffler admitted this.

Sergiy was available to fight on the 5th May and clearly stated so, but Golovkin went with Martirosyan instead.

The IBF stripped GGG due to his participation in "an unsanctioned contest within his weight class under Rule 5.H. is that his IBF middleweight title will be declared vacant." Their words, not mine.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Team GGG never attempted to make the Derevyanchenko fight though. Loeffler admitted this.

Sergiy was available to fight on the 5th May and clearly stated so, but Golovkin went with Martirosyan instead.

The IBF stripped GGG due to his participation in "an unsanctioned contest within his weight class under Rule 5.H. is that his IBF middleweight title will be declared vacant." Their words, not mine.

Only thing there is, they never stripped him before he fought Vanes as he wasn't being 'forced' at the time to fight Derev.

Like you said, their rules, their words. all in the past now.

[Cent0089]

So we will pretend that Anthony Yarde is not an obstacle ?

[Ruthless-RKO]

[boxing_rocks]

So we will pretend that Anthony Yarde is not an obstacle ?

The October dates are ridiculous. It means that Kovalev has to start a new camp right after his fight with Yarde.

That can't be serious.

[Ruthless-RKO]

The negotiations for the Saul Canelo Alvarez vs. Sergey Kovalev fight aren’t looking too good right now due to the prior obligations for the Russian knockout artist. Kovalev’s previously scheduled August 24 fight against Anthony Yarde in Russia is getting in the way of the Canelo-Kovalev fight, according to Mike Coppinger. Kovalev has “obligations” with the organizers of his August 24 fight in Russia. As a result, it now appears that Kovalev will go ahead and face the 27-year-old Yarde next in Russia.

If Kovalev beats Yarde, then he can defend his WBO light heavyweight title against Canelo Alvarez (52-1-2, 35 KOs) later on this year if both fighters are still interested in taking that match. Canelo wants Kovalev’s belt, because it’s the easiest of the four titles for him to win at 175. Kovalev is the perfect opponent for Canelo. With Kovalev’s vulnerabilities in taking body shots, his advanced age and poor stamina, he’s someone that Canelo would have a good chance of beating.

Obviously, Canelo would gain more respect from the hardcore boxing fans if he aimed high and took on IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev, WBA champ Dmitry Bivol or WBC champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk, but those guys are all fighting on a high level right now. They’re not looking old like Kovalev.

Canelo free to defend against Derevyanchenko

In the meantime, Canelo, 29, is free to defend his IBF middleweight title against his mandatory challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko (13-1, 10 KOs) in his next fight, as recently ordered by the International Boxing Federation. If Canelo chooses not to make that fight, then he can either vacate his IBF title or wait for the sanctioning body to strip him of his title.