Without Mayweather bout, Alvarez secures fight in San Antonio
Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Robert Guerrero will have the stage to themselves May 4 at the MGM Grand Garden.
After being rebuffed by Mayweather for a guaranteed fight in September, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is taking his act to Texas. Alvarez, the WBC junior middleweight champion, will fight Austin Trout on April 20 in San Antonio.
The Alvarez-Trout fight will be televised by Showtime. Mayweather-Guerrero will be on Showtime Pay Per View.
Alvarez was scheduled to fight on the Mayweather card in the co-feature. But once Mayweather wouldn’t commit to fighting him this year, Alvarez sought to headline his own card.
“We’re trying to finalize the details, and we’re looking at the Alamodome,” said Golden Boy Promotions chief executive officer Richard Schaefer, whose company promotes Alvarez and Guerrero and has a working relationship with Mayweather, who is his own promoter. “Floyd said he has no problems fighting Canelo, and Canelo has no problems fighting Floyd. But Floyd has a very tough fight against Robert Guerrero, and that’s where his focus is.
“Canelo respects that. But he also saw no need to be on Floyd’s card when he can headline his own card and make more money.”
The 22-year-old Alvarez (41-0, 30 knockouts) handled Josesito Lopez with ease Sept. 15 at the MGM Grand Garden, scoring a fifth-round technical knockout. The 27-year-old Trout (26-0, 14 KOs) won a 12-round decision over Miguel Cotto on Dec. 1 in his most recent fight.
Schaefer said Mayweather and Alvarez still could meet this year.
“Assuming Floyd beats Guerrero and Canelo beats Trout, who’s to say they won’t fight each other in September?” Schafer said.
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.
