Opinion: ‘Canelo’ Taking Page Out of Mayweather’s Playbook

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The situation between Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is getting ridiculous.

Last weekend, Golovkin committed yet another sanctioned manslaughter when he demolished Dominic Wade in two rounds. It was swift, brutal and exactly what people have come to expect from “GGG.” It only amplified the calls for Golovkin to take on some noteworthy competition. Those who have been critical are only getting louder, and the believers in Golovkin’s talent are getting restless for a big name to prove that their fighter has earned the hype.

Unfortunately, if Alvarez is smart, he’ll stay far, far away.

The bad thing is that “Canelo” may very well be able to avoid facing Golovkin in the foreseeable future while also waiting to see if the 34-year-old will show some slippage before facing him. This is the business of boxing and exactly what is expected to transpire over the next few months. It’s not what the fans want, but it’s what Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions will do in order to ensure that their money train doesn’t slow down anytime soon.

Of course, fight fans want to see Golovkin and Alvarez throw down for middleweight supremacy. But do you know what else fight fans wanted? Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao to square off five years before it took place. Instead, the world had to wait for what felt like an eternity before Mayweather and Pacquiao finally stepped into the ring past their respective primes.

All that Alvarez and De La Hoya have done is studied how to make a big fight bigger. Seeing as how Mayweather-Pacquiao turned into a record-smashing event, there’s no reason to believe that Canelo will step into the ring with Golovkin until they feel that the time is right. The time will be determined by how much Alvarez improves, whether Golovkin slows down and the opponents that Alvarez can fight in between to pad his bank account.

Alvarez will make a significant amount of money on May 7 when he takes on the undersized Amir Khan. It may be a gross mismatch on paper, but Canelo has a strong following that will simply accept whatever is presented to them. It may be Khan today and a rematch with Cotto tomorrow. Next week, it could be another undersized welterweight that jumps up a class to challenge Alvarez because of the earning potential. After that, it might be a middleweight that is used to help Alvarez get comfortable at 160 pounds. Before you know it, two years have passed. Golovkin would be 36, and Alvarez would be hitting his physical prime at 27.

It doesn’t hurt Alvarez as much as Golovkin, considering that Alvarez has a wealth of options with his status and earning potential. However, Golovkin is stuck between a rock and a hard place because he’s running out of people to mow down. It ultimately becomes a waiting game for Alvarez, who has openly admitted to taking a page out of the Mayweather playbook in refusing to concede weight or leverage to an opponent. As a matter of fact, Mayweather has taught Canelo to not concede anything; as long as he keeps winning, the fight with Golovkin will be there. That’s exactly what Mayweather did with Pacquiao. He waited it out until he couldn’t wait any longer.

It’s evident that Canelo will do the same to Golovkin. Unfortunately, the fans will be the ones screwed over until then. But that’s not what boxing is about. Somehow, this method of letting fights “marinate,” as Mayweather put it, has worked -- and if it isn’t broke, why try to fix it.

People will say that is the reason boxing is dying. However, looking at the numbers that Mayweather-Pacquiao pulled in, it’s very difficult to challenge the sport to do better by its fans. Clearly, fans will tune in regardless of the wait, and as long as Alvarez can find opponents willing to step up and get their blocks knocked off, he’ll be reluctant to face the dangerous Golovkin.

Sadly, it’s Golovkin chasing Alvarez and not the other way around. GGG is doing things the right way by attempting to unify the titles. Alvarez, on the other hand, is doing it his own way. For reasons that make little sense, he’s the WBC middleweight champion without having to fight at the weight limit of 160 pounds. He’s preparing to defend his title against Amir Khan at a full weight class below the weight limit. It’s bizarre, but it’s also business. Mayweather taught him well, and Alvarez will do what he has to do as long as he’s the “A-side.” Until Golovkin can bring in bigger pay-per-view numbers, drawing power will remain Canelo’s advantage.

In short, for those of us holding out hope that Canelo-GGG happens this fall: don’t hold your breath.

Andreas Hale is the editorial content director of 2DopeBoyz.com, co-host of the boxing, MMA and pro wrestling podcast “The Corner” and a regular columnist for Sherdog.com. You can follow on Twitter for his random yet educated thoughts on combat sports, music, film and popular culture.