DAZN and Golden Boy trying to smooth over Canelo!
In early September, boxing’s resident cash-cow WBA super world middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KO’s) caused quite a stir when it was announced that he was suing DAZN and Golden Boy promotions.
The impetus of the lawsuit stems from Canelo’s belief that the streaming service and promotional brand were improperly handling his business. As a result, the Mexican phenom felt his career was being stalled. And that was something that he could not allow to go on unchecked! There is a long-known friction between Alvarez and Golden Boy top dog Oscar De Le Hoya. This stopped the announcement from being a complete shock.
The implosion of negotiations with Sergiy “The Technician” Derevyanchenko (13-2, 10 KO’s) adds to that case. The Guadalajara native openly blames De La Hoya for the missed bout. With 2020 rapidly speeding to a close, and having no fight in sight, Alvarez opted to abandon ship.
PLEASE DON’T GO!
Now, as reported by the Athletic, Golden Boy and DAZN staged an emergency 10-hour counseling session in order to retain Canelo. It’s believed that the talented redhead was part of the talks but that remains unconfirmed. If everything goes as planned, then Alvarez would return this year to face either WBO world super middleweight champion “Superb” Billy Joe Saunders (29-0, 14 KO’s) or WBA super world super middleweight champion Callum “Mundo” Smith (27-0, 19 KO’s).
Saunders was the long frontrunner to face Canelo earlier this year until he suddenly abandoned the fight. Whether for personal reasons, or drug violations, Saunders has earned a nasty reputation for killing fights last minute.
Given Alvarez’s complete fatigue when it comes to working with Golden Boy, we will just have to sit tight at see how this wraps up. But it certainly does not look like it will end favorably for DAZN and De La Hoya.
By: Bakari Simpson
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