Canelo Alvarez’s next fight is going to be on the biggest stage of them all as he goes one-on-one with junior middleweight titleholder Liam Smith.
Golden Boy Promotions announced the fight will take place at Jerry’s World, AT&T Stadium, on Sept. 17, with Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) dropping to junior middleweight to fight Smith (23-0-1, 13 KOs). The date is also important to note because it falls on Mexican independence Day weekend, adding more importance to this fight for Alvarez, as well as the heavily Mexican-American state of Texas.
Twitter was abuzz following De La Hoya and Jerry Jones’ joint announcement of the fight, featuring those who were expressing dissatisfaction with Alvarez’s opponent and disappointment that he won’t be facing Gennady Golovkin.
https://twitter.com/_yungfresh718/status/755301303400693760
Many have been clamoring for the dream bout between Alvarez and Golovkin, and given the stage and importance of the weekend for Mexico’s most popular boxer, announcing Golovkin as his opponent would have definitely sold at AT&T Stadium and drawn big numbers.
Nevertheless, Smith will be putting his title on the line against one of the best boxers in the world, who is no stranger to big fights in the Lone Star State. Alvarez won by unanimous decision against Austin Trout in a fight that drew about 40,000 to the Alamodome in San Antonio in 2013. Over a year later, 31,000 went to Minute Maid Park in Houston to witness Alvarez score a third-round knockout of James Kirkland.
Both boxers will be fighting for more than the title, as it was announced at the press conference that a portion of the fight’s proceeds to a charity of the Dallas Police Department and Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s choosing, after five officers were killed in Dallas by a lone gunman.
Still, the question remains: When will Canelo Alvarez face Golovkin?