LOS ANGELES (Feb. 22, 2018): Lineal and Ring Magazine Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs) and WBC/WBA/IBF/IBO Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 KOs) hosted a blockbuster fan event today at Microsoft Square at L.A. LIVE to formally announce their historic, highly anticipated 12-round rematch at T-Mobile Arena on Cinco de Mayo and presented live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at a special time of 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.

The world champions and their teams discussed the historic rematch following last September’s controversial draw with both fighters contending they will not allow the rematch to go to the judges’ scorecards.

Here’s what today’s participants had to say at the event:

CANELO ALVAREZ, Lineal and Ring Magazine Middleweight Champion:

“I’ve seen the first fight. I know the changes I must make. That’s going to be the key to victory. It’s about adding more things to the preparation. We’re going to add to the arsenal and add more conditioning, punches and aggression. I need to add more punches and aggression for the victory to be clear. The best way to win this fight is by knockout. It’s not easy, but I can do it.”

GENNADY GOLOVKIN, WBC/WBA/IBF/IBO Middleweight Champion:

“I’ve done my homework. I know what I need to do to win this fight. This fight will be even bigger. After the first fight, I felt good. I felt I won the fight and I was comfortable. I’ve had a lot of time to rest. This fight will be different. I don’t make predictions, but I know I will give a big show.”

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions:

“I would have really wished for a rematch against Felix Trinidad. I would have loved to have knocked him out in the last three rounds instead of boxing. We don’t always get rematches of this magnitude, so that’s why this fight is special. On May 5, we will get an explosive rematch, and I believe Canelo will knock him out!”

TOM LOEFFLER, Promoter of Gennady “GGG” Golovkin:

“Because of the first fight, both guys are at another level. That was a mega fight that delivered in the ring. However, Canelo seems to be getting at least one scorecard in the big fights. Maybe it’s the red hair, but he’s doing something to impress the judges. That’s why Gennady [Golovkin] and Abel Sanchez will make sure that the victory is clearer in the next fight. We believe GGG won the first fight. He’s going to turn up the pressure. Dr. Abel Sanchez is going to turn up the pressure, and we’ll see you Cinco de Mayo in Las Vegas.”

EDDY REYNOSO, Head Trainer of Canelo Alvarez:

“We don’t have to change anything. We’re going to prepare very well as we always do. We have a smart, defensive fighter, so we must throw more punches and be more aggressive. We’re going to make some small changes so that the training camp isn’t so monotonous, but we’re confident in our preparation and our fighter.”

JOSE “CHEPO” REYNOSO, Manager and Trainer of Canelo Alvarez:

“I’m happy the way Canelo fought in the first fight against Golovkin. But I’ll be even happier in the second fight because he’ll be able to fight differently. Golovkin will come forward and do the same thing, but Canelo has more things to show. He’ll also be better accommodated to 160 pounds since the last fight was his first at 160. This time we’ll look for the knockout.”
ABEL SANCHEZ, Head Trainer of Gennady “GGG” Golovkin:

“I hope Canelo [Alvarez] was able to see a transmission specialist for the rematch because in the first fight he was stuck in reverse. All I know is that after the first fight the fans were not booing Gennady Golovkin. The rematch took long to make because Canelo takes long to heal and had long memories of the first fight.”

Canelo vs. GGG 2 is a 12-round fight for the middleweight championship of the world presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING,” Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle,” Fred Loya Insurance and Fathom Events. The event will take place Saturday, May 5 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.

Tickets for Canelo vs. GGG 2 are on sale and are priced at $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800, $700, $500 and $300, not including applicable service charges and taxes. There will be a limit of 10 per person at the $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800 and $700 price levels with a limit of two (2) per person at the $500 and $300 price levels. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849). Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.t-mobilearena.com or www.axs.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com,
www.caneloggg.comand www.hbo.com/boxing; follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @hboboxing and @TomLoeffler1; become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, ‘
www.facebook.com/gggboxing, and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing; follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @HBOboxing and @OscarDeLaHoya; and follow the conversation using #CaneloGGG2.

Photos and videos are available for download by clicking here or copying
and pasting the link http://bit.ly/CaneloGGG2 into a browser. Credit must be provided to Golden Boy Promotions for any photo and/or video usage.

Https://www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing/videos/10155512375410756/

By Norm Frauenheim-

Location, location, location. It’s no surprise that the real estate won’t change for the Canelo Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin rematch. The middleweights will pick up where they left off at Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena on May 5, Cinco de Mayo. Canelo de Mayo, too.

Canelo always said he would re-claim the holiday for Mexicans. He has. Now that Floyd Mayweather Jr. has moved on and presumably won’t try to move in on the date like he did three weeks before the Sept. 16 bout late last August against Conor McGregor, Canelo will continue to reign as the NHL arena’s primary boxing resident. Tickets go on sale Tuesday.

“I am happy to return for the fourth time at T-Mobile Arena for this historic rematch against Golovkin,” Canelo said Thursday in a news release announcing that there will be no change of address. “I opened the doors of this place to the world of boxing, and it has become my favorite venue. This is where the fight started, and this is where I’ll end it by doing what I and my fans most desire: knocking him out.”

On the prediction scale, Canelo’s KO promise is boiler-plate. Still, a stoppage of GGG might be the only way for him to silence some boos from Mexican fans unhappy with his performance in the draw last September. Canelo fought in spurts. He’s going to change up his preparations this time around.

He’s headed to Colorado to train at altitude that might augment his conditioning. I’m not sure that will weaken GGG’s chin, however. Can Canelo win? Yeah, oh yeah. Above all, he’s proven to be a very good student, especially in the aftermath of an embarrassing loss to Mayweather in September, 2013. At 27, it’s safe to say we have yet to see the best of him.

Meanwhile, the theory is that GGG is a step beyond his prime. He’s 35. He’ll be 36 at opening bell. His birthday is April 8. More telling, perhaps, are the bruises and swelling apparent in his face after his last three fights – Kell Brook, Danny Jacobs and Canelo. Those optics are early signs of an aging fighter. But sometimes the younger man shows up, especially in fighters as good as Golovkin has been.

From this corner, the intersection of time and place appears to favor Canelo. But early betting odds say something else. They slightly favor GGG (minus 170) over Canelo (plus 140). In other words, it’s almost a pick-em fight. Surely, the rematch is intriguing on multiple levels, even more so than the first one. Canelo promises explosive drama by saying he’ll knock out GGG. Good enough. Knockouts sell. But adjustments fascinate. Look for plenty of the latter. Each fighter possesses a high-ring IQ. There’s some danger in that, of course. Their respective smarts set up a sequel that could go to the scorecards all over again. Judging proved to be a huge controversy in the first one. If there’s any surprise about the rematch’s site, it’s the state not the arena. GGG was angry at the draw delivered by the judges last September. Some of his fans urged him not to return to Vegas.

The first bout and post-fight news conference will be remembered for outrage over Adalaide Byrd’s 118-110 score for Canelo. For some at ringside, Dave Moretti had it right a 115-113 card for GGG. Lost amid all of the anger at Byrd, however, was Don Trella’s card. He scored it a draw, 114-114.

Like the fair-minded Moretti, he gave the final rounds to Canelo. But his score for the seventh is curious. Moretti, most in HBO television audience, the crowd at T-Mobile and the ringside press gave the middle rounds, including the seventh, to GGG. Even Byrd scored the seventh for Golovkin. In fact, it was one of only two rounds that Byrd gave to GGG.

But Trella gave the seventh to Canelo, 10-9. Had he scored it as most everyone else seemed to, GGG would have won a split decision.

GGG’s reunion with the Nevada State Athletic Commission figures to be the biggest story during the weeks before the rematch. There will be plenty of talk about the assignment of the judges. Safe to say, it won’t be Byrd. But that and the location, location, location of a possible trilogy are the only sure things.

LOS ANGELES (Feb. 22, 2018) – Lineal and Ring Magazine Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs) and WBC/WBA/IBF/IBO Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 KOs) will return to
T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for a highly anticipated rematch on Cinco de Mayo. The first fight between the two world-class athletes sold out in only two weeks, and tickets will surely be in even higher demand as both fighters have promised they will not leave the rematch in the judges’ hands. Canelo vs. GGG 2 will take place Saturday, May 5 and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at a special time of 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.

Tickets for Canelo vs. GGG 2 will go on sale Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 10:00 a.m. PT, and are priced at $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800, $700, $500 and $300, not including applicable service charges and taxes. There will be a limit of 10 per person at the $5,000, $2,500, $2,000, $1,500, $800 and $700 price levels with a limit of two (2) per person at the $500 and $300 price levels. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849). Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.t-mobilearena.com or www.axs.com.

The two fighters will meet for the first time since last September’s controversial draw at an event at Microsoft Square at L.A. LIVE Tuesday, Feb. 27. More details will be announced shortly.

“I am happy to return for the fourth time at T-Mobile Arena for this historic rematch against [Gennady] Golovkin,” said Canelo. “I opened the doors of this place to the world of boxing, and it has become my favorite venue. This is where the fight started, and this is where I’ll end it by doing what I and my fans most desire: knocking him out.”

“It feels right that the rematch returns to the scene of the crime,” said Golovkin. “This time there will be no drama with a decision. I won the first fight and left the ring as world champion wearing all the belts. And I am going to win the second fight. It is going to be a record fight and a golden night for me and boxing at T-Mobile Arena.”

Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, Oscar De La Hoya, said, “There is no better place to host the historic rematch between Canelo and Golovkin than T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Las Vegas on a fight weekend during Cinco de Mayo is electric, and I know fans will travel from around the world to be here to participate in the celebratory atmosphere. Historic boxing matches like Canelo vs. GGG 2 belong in a place like Las Vegas, which offers fans the full and rich experience they are looking for on a big fight weekend.”

“The last time they met in the ring, the tie went to the runner — Canelo Alvarez,” said
Tom Loeffler, promoter of Golovkin. “I think there is only one place to settle this dispute between the two best middleweights. The most appropriate place for the rematch is back at T-Mobile Arena. The venue was a sensational host to Team Golovkin and the fans were terrific. We’ll see if T-Mobile Arena remains Canelo’s favorite venue after he becomes Gennady’s twentieth and record-tying title defense.”

Richard Sturm, President of Sports and Entertainment for MGM Resorts International, said, “T-Mobile Arena is the ideal venue to host a championship boxing event of this magnitude. We look forward to celebrating Cinco de Mayo weekend with sports fans in Las Vegas and worldwide for what should be one of boxing’s premier rematches.”

Canelo vs. GGG 2 is a 12-round fight for the middleweight championship of the world presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING,” Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle,” Fred Loya Insurance, and Fathom Events. The event will take place Saturday, May 5 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at a special time of 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.caneloggg.comand www.hbo.com/boxing; follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @hboboxing and @TomLoeffler1; become a fan on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/gggboxing,
and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing; follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing,
@Canelo, @gggboxing, @HBOboxing and @OscarDeLaHoya; and follow the conversation using #CaneloGGG2.

Photos and videos are available for download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link http://bit.ly/CaneloGGG2 into a browser. Credit must be provided to Golden Boy Promotions for any photo and/or video usage.

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 29, 2018): A sequel to the most anticipated boxing event in years will arrive on Cinco De Mayo as Lineal and Ring Magazine Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs) and WBC/WBA/IBF/IBO Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 KOs) will clash in a historic and highly anticipated 12-round rematch Saturday, May 5. The event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.

Details regarding venue and tickets will be announced shortly.

In September of 2017, Canelo and GGG met in a battle of the world’s two top middleweights, battling toe-to-toe over 12 rounds of high drama that ended in split draw. The fight drew a record crowd for an indoor boxing event in Las Vegas, selling out the T-Mobile Arena in less than two weeks and bringing legions of fans from Mexico to Kazakhstan and everywhere in between.

Alvarez, the 27-year-old native of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, is the veritable face of boxing. After capturing two world titles and the lineal championship in the super welterweight division, Alvarez moved up to 160 pounds to capture the WBC, Lineal and Ring Magazine World Titles with a Nov. 2015 victory against Miguel Cotto. Alvarez has maintained his status as the lineal champion ever since, and in a historic Sept. 16 showdown last year, Alvarez fought to a 12-round split draw against Golovkin. Alvarez is eager to erase all doubts regarding his status as the best middleweight in the world on May 5.

“I’m delighted to once again participate in one of the most important boxing events in history,” said Canelo Alvarez. “This second fight is for the benefit and pleasure of all fans who desire to see the best fight the best. This time, [Gennady] Golovkin won’t have any excuses regarding the judges because I’m coming to knock him out.”

Golovkin, the 35-year-old wrecking ball of Karaganda, Kazakhstan, was a dominant amateur standout and Olympic Silver Medalist before turning professional in 2006. Since then, Golovkin has been on an historic trajectory, knocking out one opponent after another to unify the WBC, WBA, IBF and IBO World Middleweight Titles. During this run, Golovkin maintained an unblemished record that included a 23-fight knockout streak, which ended with a unanimous decision victory against Danny Jacobs in March 2017. In September of the same year, Golovkin went the distance in a historic split draw against Alvarez, which has merited a much-desired rematch in the eyes of boxing fans.

“I am ready to battle Canelo again and am happy he took this fight again,” said Gennady “GGG” Golovkin. “This is the fight the world wants. This is the fight boxing deserves. I didn’t agree with some of the judges’ decisions in the first fight. This time there will be no doubt. I am leaving the ring as THE middleweight champion of the world.”

“Canelo vs. Golovkin 2 will be boxing’s biggest and best event of 2018 as these two elite fighters once again go head-to-head to determine who is the best middleweight in the world,” said Oscar De La Hoya, chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “I expect we will see even more fireworks in the rematch as both fighters know there more is at stake now than before.”

“This is the fight boxing fans have been waiting for since the controversial outcome of last September, and the ONLY fight Gennady has wanted since that decision,” said Tom Loeffler, promoter of Gennady “GGG” Golovkin. “Gennady is ready for this historic record-tying 20th title defense where he will demonstrate his superiority over Canelo. Gennady is on a mission to prove he is still the best middleweight in the world today and one of the best fighters of his era.”

“It’s a special moment for the sport when two of boxing’s most accomplished competitors-both in their prime- agree to meet again in the ring to settle who is the man in the middleweight division,” said Peter Nelson, Executive Vice President, HBO Sports. “Canelo vs. GGG2 is the boxing event of the first half of 2018 and we are pleased to present it live on HBO Pay-Per-View.”

Canelo vs. Golovkin 2 is a 12-round fight for the middleweight championship of the world presented by Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate,“THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING,” Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle,” Fred Loyal Insurance, Tsesnabank and Capital Holdings. The event will take place Saturday, May 5 and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.comand www.hbo.com/boxing; follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @hboboxing and @TomLoeffler1; become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/gggboxing, and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing; follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @gggboxing, @HBOboxing and @OscarDeLaHoya; and follow the conversation using #CaneloGGG2.

Photos and videos are available for download by clicking here or copying and pasting the link http://bit.ly/CaneloGolovkin2 into a browser. Credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions for photos and videos used.

The WBC has ordered a rematch of the September 16th Canelo Alvarez – Gennady Golovkin bout, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“Regardless of if they did or didn’t order the rematch, we are going to try to make it happen,” Eric Gomez, president of Alvarez promoter Golden Boy Promotions, told ESPN on Monday night. “We’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen because it’s the fight that the fans want, it’s what the fighters want, and it’s what the media wants.”

“It doesn’t get any better than the fight with Canelo,” Loeffler said. “It really became an international sporting event instead of a world boxing championship match. Gennady still has all his titles. He’s still the world champion and this is a fight that the fans want again, so we can have a more definitive ending to the next one. We’ll do whatever we can on our side to make it happen.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, talks for a rematch of last Saturday’s Canelo Alvarez – Gennady Gilovkin will commence shortly.

“I had conversations with [Golden Boy CEO] Oscar [De La Hoya] on Sunday and Monday, and we feel that’s the best thing to do, to go straight into a rematch,” Golden Boy President Eric Gomez said.

He also spoke to Golovkin promoter Tom Loeffler, who also wants to pursue a second fight.

“I spoke to Tom a few times, and he’s certainly open to it after taking to his side, so we agreed to sit down later this week and start discussing it,” Gomez said.

“Obviously, we’re going to give Canelo some time off and we’ll start talking to him as well. Immediately after the fight everybody was open to a rematch. I feel it was such a great fight it deserves a rematch, even besides it being such a close fight.”

“Regardless of what the contract says, everybody is interested in the rematch, so it’s just a matter of us sitting down and talking,” he said.

“We are definitely open to it. It’s owed to the fans and owed to the sport that the rematch should happen.”

“The priority for Gennady is to do the rematch,” Loeffler said. “It’s the biggest fight still in the sport of boxing and the biggest fight for both guys. We will sit down with Golden Boy and see if we can make that happen and we wouldn’t let a different fight get in the way.”

“If we can make the rematch for May, Gennady would wait for the rematch in May,” Loeffler said. “If Canelo won’t commit to the rematch in May, then we can’t wait on Canelo and we would take a different fight before that. But clearly there’s no reason to talk about a different fight yet if we can make the rematch with Canelo in May.”

“There’s no problem with that, but I would rather we do the rematch directly because I would hate for him take another fight and get injured or lose. It’s too risky,” Gomez said. “I would be against it, but I don’t control it. But, that said, based on my conversations with Tom, they would like to do an immediate rematch. I think the fight merits a rematch and we’ll see if it gets done.”

Said Loeffler: “That just adds to an additional aspect to the rematch.”