Why Not A Stadium For the Canelo v Golovkin Super Fight?

Seems like a good many of you all had your hopes dashed, and were bummed when you learned the Sept. 16 middleweight face off between top gun at 160 Gennady Golovkin and the current top draw among active pugilists, Canelo Alvarez, was to take place in Las Vegas, at the T Mobile Arena and not in Texas, at Cowboy Stadium.

As with the vast majority of such decisions, the deciding and overriding factor was money. The check to be cut by the Vegas crew beat out bids from NY, Texas, and Cali.

And I saw and heard bemoaning about the location for the fight which, let’s face it, many of those bemoaners were thinking wasn’t going to get made this year.

The success enjoyed by Eddie Hearn in stirring up interest in the Anthony Joshua versus Wladimir Klitschko fight to the extent that 90,000 persons ponied up to watch on premises last month whet appetites for US based fight fans who might have just a twinge of envy of the surging Brit boxing scene.

Anything they can do, we can match, it not beat, some likely whispered under their breaths.

Also, it seemed like the table had been set to bring this fight to Texas. Two of the last five Canelo fights took place in Texas. And Golovkin had visited the Cowboys playground and hobnobbed with their bossman Jerry Jones. But in the end, the comfort level the T Mobile gang had bidding high, because they “knew” they’d recoup through patrons leaving chips behind in LV at gaming tables, made their bid look best.

And why not a stadium show, then? “Vegas was the best deal for us,” said Golden Boy executive Eric Gomez.

But it would have been some sight, 75,000 screaming fans doing the boxing isn’t dead dance under a September sky…

“If it would have been 75k, people would say we failed,” Gomez asserted. “We failed to beat Joshua vs Klitchko. I don’t want that.”

Point taken.

Now, I like to think I would not have been nitpicky like that but Gomez makes a strong point, testament to a perception of negativism on the part of media.

Golovkin promoter Tom Loeffler offered some insight from his side on the site announcement, with Sin City snagging a mega get, and flipping the bird at NY, Texas, California.

“Dallas was very interested, as was MSG,” Loeffler said. “MSG actually made an offer that would have made it the largest gate in the history of NY. GGG is focussed on the fight, he would have fought Canelo anywhere, but T-Mobile appeared to have the best overall package, including from a marketing perspective, both nationally and internationally. This promotion has taken on a life of its own and has become a huge international sporting event with people flying into Vegas from all over the world.”

Yep, and those Vegas boys know the spending habits of those whales. It’s hard to beat that confidence their imminent presence and spending histories give Vegas bidders. That said, the site choice hubbub dies down big time as we tick closer to Sept 16. You could hold this one in a Walmart parking lot in Montana and it’s still a must watch, pick em scrap.