Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya yesterday announced T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas as the host for the Sept. 16 Canelo Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin boxing match. De La Hoya said MSG offered a “crazy amount of money” to stage the fight in N.Y., and he “was contemplating it.” AT&T Stadium and Dodger Stadium also were potential hosts, but De La Hoya said, “Ultimately, it’s the entertainment factor. People want to go parties after the fight, you want to stage the pre-fight parties, the weigh-ins. I'm going to open up probably about 12-15 venues in Las Vegas where people can watch this fight among your friends and other fans” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 6/5). De La Hoya said that he also "fielded inquiries about the fight" from Dubai and the U.K. Golden Boy President Eric Gomez said MGM Resorts Int'l, which owns T-Mobile Arena, the MGM Grand and several other casinos, made "an incredible pitch and incredible offer" (ESPN.com, 6/5). In Las Vegas, Gilbert Manzano notes Golovkin, whose fights have sold out arenas in L.A., N.Y. and London, will "finally make his Las Vegas debut when he faces Alvarez." Golden Boy will also "host a boxing card" the day before Alvarez-Golovkin fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 6/6).
MAYBE NEXT YEAR: BOXING SCENE's Steve Kim noted it was believed that Las Vegas or AT&T Stadium "were the frontrunners to land this event." Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones had "staged boxing cards" at AT&T Stadium that featured Manny Pacquiao and Alvarez. However, Gomez said, "Jerry did not make a bid for the fight. We knew early on that Vegas was going to be the place that most likely made sense for this fight. So we reached out to Jerry and said, 'Look, we know you're very interested in this fight but we're leaning towards Vegas,' and he thanked us for that. So he never made a bid." Some believe that Golden Boy "preferred Las Vegas to ensure that the much talked about match-up" between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor "did not take place that same day" in Las Vegas (BOXINGSCENE.com, 6/5). In L.A., Lance Pugmire notes officials in Texas are hopeful the Alvarez-Golovkin match will be as "competitive as anticipated to generate a rematch that could then go to Jones' stadium" (L.A. TIMES, 6/6).
