Controversy ensued last week when the boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor was announced. Obviously the absurdity of the fight was the biggest complaint, but right up there was the matter of another megafight that will take place three weeks later in the same arena.
Gennady Golovkin and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will fight for the unified middleweight championship Sept. 16 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It is expected Mayweather vs. McGregor will take away pay-per-view buys, hurt ticket sales and depress media coverage of that fight, which will be miles better than what we will see between the boxing and MMA stars.
Golovkin and Alvarez, who are in the midst of a multicity promotional tour, are on the same side of the issue.
“This is not a fight. My fight with Canelo, this is (a) fight. This is a show,” Golovkin said Tuesday during an appearance on The Luke Thomas Show on Sirius XM. “Conor with Floyd, this is a show. A business show or a funny show or somebody interested in show, but not for us. This is not for boxing. This is for people, for business. My fight with Canelo, this is boxing. This is true, respected boxing, respect to the sport, this is true fight.
“I don’t really have a comment about that fight, but I will say this: I think the fans will speak,” Alvarez said. “They’ll know what to do. They’ll know the difference between a sideshow and a real fight and then they’ll decide what they want to do.”
Alvarez fought Mayweather in September 2013, losing by majority decision. Not many people are impressed with Mayweather’s defensive fighting style, but it’s a big reason why he’s 49-0 and going for the magical 50th in a row against McGregor.
“His style. His style’s what’s difficult,” Alvarez said of Mayweather. “He’s a fighter that doesn’t risk anything. He’s a little too careful defensive. He doesn’t really care whether he wins a round by three punches. He doesn’t care what the people think about him. For him it’s all about winning and that’s fine. That’s his style, that’s what he goes for, but I feel the fans want a little more action.”
McGregor, who has never competed in an amateur or professional boxing match, has been praised by the MMA community while the boxing side has been tearing him apart, saying he isn’t a boxer and doesn’t deserve to be inside the ring against the best boxer of this generation. Golovkin feels the same as his brethren who put on the 10-ounce gloves.
“I respect McGregor as a UFC fighter. He’s not a boxer,” Golovkin said. “He’s a good fighter, but he’s not a boxer.”
