UPDATE 2: Bernard Hopkins said it would be a “tragedy” if Canelo v GGG is NOT made this year, so yeah, Jim Lampley was right, that is a surprising stance.
“It will happen. I heard it. You heard it. Canelo said it. It would be a tragedy if this fight doesn't happen this year. This is the fight people want to see, especially the Mexican fans, and I want to see it , Jim,” said the still unretired pugilist slash executive.
UPDATE: Check this out…Jim Lampley speaks on the issue on the minds of most fight fans, the desired GGG VS Canelo match.
Courtesy our friends at HBO…
Debuts Wednesday, May 11, 2016 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT
Jim Lampley’s Closing Commentary
“A final word. Several months ago Canelo Alvarez's promoter Oscar de la Hoya accurately expressed that boxing is still struggling to escape the painful hangover from Mayweather-Pacquaio, a fight which attracted millions of general public consumers at spectacularly inflated prices and left them with a profoundly negative impression. And everyone in boxing agrees the entertainment level would have been far higher if that fight had taken place years earlier.
The profit motive, the desire to push demand higher and higher, ultimately interfered with good business. Now once again boxing fans have identified the fight they want to see, and once again they have been asked to wait.
Five months ago De La Hoya and Canelo lobbied the governing body that controls the fighter's middleweight belt, and negotiated an agreement with Gennady Golovkin and his promoter to bypass a mandatory defense against Triple G. So Canelo predictably beat the smaller Amir Khan. Now, even as the governing body threatens to strip Canelo of his title and hand it to Triple G, there has been a widespread expectation that Golden Boy might again push Canelo-Golovkin further off into the future.
When boxing promoters bristle at the growing popularity of mixed martial arts, they should acknowledge to themselves that UFC in particular has succeeded in convincing fans that when a fight is logical and ripe they will see it right away. Boxing fans want to see Canelo-Triple G right now. Truth is, you wanted to see it last Saturday night.
The result was that the aftermath of Canelo vs. Khan had little to do with Canelo vs. Khan. First both Khan and his trainer Virgil Hunter made clear in the ring they strongly feel Canelo is honor bound to fight Golovkin next. Then at the post-fight news conference reporters pressed the issue relentlessly, and the result was both Alvarez and De la Hoya stepped further forward than ever before. The fighter even expressed that there will be no dispute over weight, meaning he is ready to offer a deal to weigh in at the middleweight limit of 160 pounds. Music to Triple G's ears.
The distinguishing feature of Oscar de la Hoya's ring career was adventurous risk. He didn't shy away from dangerous opponents, he ran toward them. Suddenly now it appears Canelo Alvarez wants to emulate his promoter. Nothing could be more propitious for boxing right now than the hope—and you might even call it optimism—that the sport's biggest possible fight will take place this September. No last names necessary. Get ready for Canelo-Triple G.
Thanks for being with us and don't forget to check out TFG overtime at HBO.com/boxing.”
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You and me and the rest of the fans out there are more than mildly curious to the answer to the question: will Canelo fight 3G, sooner?
Or later?
Or will marination stay in effect till next year?
I asked Jim Lampley, host of HBO's “The Fight Game,” if he discerned any insight into that subject when he chatted with Golden Boy executive Bernard Hopkins for a segment to run on his show, this evening.
“You will be surprised I think at his answer,” was the most I could pry from the Hall of Fame blow by blow man.
Hmmmm… I am letting that answer marinate, myself. I have been thinking that we could see the apportioning of the payout pie become a Trump Wall, a hurdle to getting GGG-Canelo hammered out…
Here's hoping Hopkins, who seems to be a heavy-duty proponent of having the best fighting the best whenever possible, and having pugilists who want to leave their mark do so not by cherry picking, but by seeking out hard hills to climb, sends out a thumbs up signal.
Also, Lampley said, they will look back at Canelo's right hand night ender on Amir Khan, zoom in on Golovkin and Chocolatito, and present an in depth piece from Melissa Stark, on the removal of headgear in some amateur events. Lampley also grills Max Kellerman on some current events and sizes up the state of PED detection in the game.
When to watch? Tonight, Wednesday, 11 PM ET, on HBO.
