Alvarez' win over Golovkin gave him the signature victory of an already-storied careerGETTY IMAGES
Boxing has been a sport "without a transcendent superstar" since Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s retirement, but Canelo Alvarez in his win over Gennady Golovkin "made a compelling case Saturday that despite recent controversies, he's the most capable torchbearer -- not just for the middleweight division but for the entire sport," according to Rick Maese of the WASHINGTON POST (9/16). YAHOO SPORTS' Chris Mannix wrote Alvarez on Saturday "beat back his critics and ascended to the ranks of middleweight elite all in one night." Fans for one night "remembered that Alvarez was the fighter who has dared to be great." Alvarez "showed he should be recognized not just as boxing's most popular fighter, but arguably its best." The middleweight torch "may have been passed on Saturday" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 9/16). In L.A., Dylan Hernandez wrote Alvarez' win over Golovkin gave him the "signature victory of an already-storied career that could be parlayed into lucrative paydays against several of the other viable opponents in his weight class" (L.A. TIMES, 9/16).
NOTHING TO DEBATE: USA TODAY's Martin Rogers wrote boxing on Saturday "could be grateful that there was nothing that smelled fishy seeping out of T-Mobile Arena." There "will be a dispute, sure," but there was "no travesty here, no cries of 'fix' and no cause for an inquisition." Boxing "didn't need another scandal." It "needed a fight that made the fans feel like their money had been well spent" (USATODAY.com, 9/16). But boxing writer Matthew Aguilar tweeted, "It won’t happen, but a third fight needs to get out of Vegas. Go to LA, Dallas or NY. Nevada commish, economy has too much riding on a Canelo win." Combat sports writer Jack Slack: "I hope the money was obscene enough that GGG and Canelo do a third" (TWITTER.com, 9/16).
END OF AN ERA? In L.A., Lance Pugmire wrote the "steady decline of HBO as a boxing network has led to this moment, in which even network officials are unsure if Saturday's event" was their "final major fight after more than 40 years in the sport, and most recently drawing 1.3-million viewers for Golovkin's May knockout of Vanes Martisrosyan at StubHub Center." One source said, "My gut feel a few years ago is coming to fruition. I could feel this was going on, that this (HBO) is an entertainment channel, not a sports channel, and they were more interested in competing with Netflix and Hulu than staging fights" (L.A. TIMES, 9/15).
