Unified middleweight titlist Gennady Golovkin and WBC middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez is set to meet in the boxing ring later this year. However, there is a growing sense the fight would not happen this year because of GGG's inability to attract pay-per-view sales.
Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya revealed there is a "strong possibility" of a Canelo vs Golovkin bout at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas after meeting with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
However, the 43-year-old promoter remain mummed about the exact date of Alvarez's mandatory title defense against Golovkin, insisting that the bout should be build up to be boxing's next "super-fight" after the Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao last year.
"Is he going to fight him? Absolutely, that's no issue whatsoever. But the question is when. Our thoughts are that the fight is going to eventually happen," De La Hoya told Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times.
"As you know, we have to build this fight up to be the next super-fight. And, yes, it will be the next super-fight."
There are plenty of factors why boxing fans will not see a fight between Golovkin and Alvarez in 2016.
There is a huge discrepancy in each fighter's ability to draw PPV numbers. Alvarez's previous fight against Miguel Cotto earned a solid 900,000 sales in PPV, while Golovkin's TKO win over David Lemieux in October only garnered 150,000.
It is unlikely Golovkin makes himself a marketable fighter anytime soon. The undefeated Kazakh elected to fight Dominic Wade instead of a more interesting match against any of the Ring Magazine's top 10 middleweight fighters like Billy Joe Saunders or Daniel Jacobs.
The upcoming bout between Alvarez and Amir Khan could also serve as a hindrance for a Canelo vs Golovkin bout in 2016. The only reason why Golovkin is chasing a fight with Alvarez is because of the WBC title belt. If Khan upsets the Mexican redhead on May 7, there surely is lesser chance of fans seeing a Canelo and Golovkin showdown.
According to K2 Promotions managing director Tom Loeffler, Golovkin has a contract to fight the winner of Canelo and Khan.
Loeffler said that Golovkin taking on either Canelo or Khan is part of allowing the voluntary defence Golden Boy has requested, insisting that everything is signed by all parties including the WBC.
"Everything is mandated," Loeffler told Fight Hype.
"The winner of Canelo v Khan has 15 days to commit to fighting Gennady or not. If they commit then we'll start negotiating to put that fight together."
De La Hoya did mention that Alvarez wants to fight three times this year, so there is still a chance of a Canelo-Golovkin fight happening later this year. But it will still depend of the 25-year-old Alvarez could take care of Khan once they face in the boxing ring.