Las Vegas lands Golovkin - Canelo fight over AT&T Stadium
May 6, 2017; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Canelo Alvarez (right) and Gennady Golovkin (left) are interviewed by Max Kellerman (middle) to promote their September bout at T-Mobile Arena. Alvarez won via unanimous decision. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA … May 6, 2017; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Canelo Alvarez (right) and Gennady Golovkin (left) are interviewed by Max Kellerman (middle) to promote their September bout at T-Mobile Arena. Alvarez won via unanimous decision. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- The much-anticipated Sept. 16 middleweight title fight between Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez will take place on the Las Vegas Strip.
Promoter Oscar De La Hoya said Monday that the T-Mobile Arena on the Strip won out in bidding over AT&T Stadium in Texas. The fight will be televised on pay-per-view from the 20,000-seat facility that is also the home of the UFC.
Golovkin, the unbeaten knockout puncher from Kazakhstan, will defend his middleweight titles against Alvarez, the red-head who is the biggest boxing star in Mexico. Alvarez, whose only loss was at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr., is coming off a lopsided win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. last month in Las Vegas.
"Everybody wants to go to Vegas, have a great time and watch a great fight," De La Hoya said.
Golovkin (37-0, 33 knockouts) has been established as a 2-1 favorite over Alvarez (49-1-1, 34 knockouts) in a bout that was several years in the making. Alvarez is a former welterweight and super welterweight champion who moved up to a catch weight of 164 pounds for his fight against Chavez.
De La Hoya said he talked to officials from several venues wanting to host the fight, including Dodger Stadium and Madison Square Garden. In the end it came down to the glitz and excitement of Las Vegas against a much larger capacity at the stadium where the Dallas Cowboys play.
"Ultimately it's the entertainment factor," he said. "People want to go to parties before and after the fight."
The fight is expected to be the biggest boxing pay-per-view since Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao met two years ago in a fight that disappointed most fans.