Boxing needs Alvarez-Golovkin, not Mayweather-Pacquiao II

There was a report Saturday night that attorneys might be working to end a specific part of the feud between the camps of boxers Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, that perhaps if things could be settled legally, a second fight between the two would eventually occur.

Oh, Lord.

Please, no.

The only fight fans should want today is the one that appears now will happen, when Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin finally sign a contract that will decide the world’s best middleweight.

Hopefully, it can be staged in September.

By then, Amir Khan might be thinking clearly again.

It might have taken longer than most expected, but when Alvarez found the opening to unleash his power, it proved a devastating finish before 16,540 at T-Mobile Arena.

He knocked out Khan at 2:37 of the sixth round of their World Boxing Council title fight, a huge right hand that sent the British underdog to the mat for a nap that lasted several minutes.

Alvarez was a minus-700 favorite for a reason, but it took awhile for him to figure out Khan.

The champion never was able to cut off the ring against a much smaller and quicker opponent, but when you end things as Alvarez can and did, well, long-term strategy isn’t always needed.

Golovkin stood in the ring afterward, an invited guest of Alvarez. A mandatory challenger, the guy known as Triple G holds two middleweight belts, as well as the WBC interim title.

“Like we say in Mexico, we don’t (bleep) around,” Alvarez said via translator. “I fear no one in this sport. We don’t come to play. I fear no one. Right now, I will put the gloves on.”

He might not be afraid, but you can bet Alvarez will do his absolute best not to relent on his desired weight of 155 pounds to fight Golovkin, who wants it at 160.

“I am old school,” Triple G said from ringside. “Middleweight is 160. I respect the sport of boxing.”

Let’s hope Oscar De La Hoya follows through on his claim this past week that if Alvarez beat Khan, the president of Golden Boy Promotions would reach out to Golovkin’s camp today and begin talks on making the fight.

Get the weight issue settled and everything else should follow, whether or not the WBC has to grant an extension for talks.

“We will call Golovkin (today),” De La Hoya said. “Make sure you answer the phone.”

Know this: The WBC isn’t stripping Alvarez of his title if negotiations somehow drag on.

He’s the cash cow. He’s the ticket.

Even a small delay would be better than more talk about Mayweather-Pacquiao II.

It was a historic night Saturday in the sense T-Mobile Arena hosted boxing for the first time since opening last month, and early reviews for this sport in this venue are terrific.

It has a very Barclays Center feel to things, and one main difference here to Brooklyn, New York, are video screens under the center scoreboard that present those watching even more angles to witness the action.

That, and whoever is in charge of customer service for the T-Mobile staff deserves a gold star.

In fact, take away the part when the ring announcer said Robert Duran was from Mexico — ouch — and things worked smoothly all evening.

But for as much as you now can see the arena hosting the biggest and best cards, we at least can hope one doesn’t involve another fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao.

A report from Yahoo Sports said Top Rank attorneys have told those involved in the $100 million lawsuit against boxing manager and Mayweather adviser Al Haymon to stop document production and postpone scheduled depositions, which could indicate a settlement is in the works.

Which would remove a huge hurdle when negotiating a second fight.

Which would be a terrible idea.

The fight, that is.

It’s impossible to aptly describe how big a disappointment the supposed Fight of the Century was, how ridiculously bad the Battle of Greatness (Ineptness?) proved to be this time last year.

But if the money is right — and it would be, even if pay-per-view numbers were half of the 4.4 million buys the first fight generated — both sides would have little problem telling you with a straight face all the reasons things would be different a second time around.

Two points:

1. Mayweather and Pacquiao would have to fight standing in their respective corners for it to be any worse this time.

2. Pacquiao’s shoulder could be the healthiest of his lifetime, and there is no chance a fight this late in their careers would deliver to the level of the predictable hype that would again accompany the matchup.

Alvarez is, for today, the face of boxing. He needs to fight Triple G next.

That is the show people should want. That is the card fans should demand.

“Amir took the risk by fighting a much bigger man,” said Virgil Hunter, trainer to Khan. “(Alvarez) needs to take that risk now and stop hiding from it. Fight the fight we all want to see.”

And stop with the Mayweather-Pacquiao talk.

Please.

We already saw that B-movie.

Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be a heard on “Seat and Ed” on Fox Sports 1340 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Twitter: @edgraney