Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez has spoken out on the very public spat between their star middleweight Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and the company set up by Oscar De La Hoya.
On Friday Alvarez vented his frustration on social media one day after being stripped of his IBF championship for failing to agree to defend his belt against mandatory challenger Sergey Derevyanchenko.
“I’m very upset and ashamed with my fans, to be unfairly stripped of my belt by the IBF, but specially when I did not have the knowledge of the agreement that GBP match maker had signed,” Alvarez posted on Twitter.
But Gomez insists the relationship with Alvarez is still strong.
“Oscar and I spoke to him on the phone [Monday],” Gomez said to Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports. “We are fine. There is a lot of lies and misinformation out there. But we are working with Canelo, his team and the team at DAZN to make his next fight.”
Alvarez was expected to return to the ring in September but Golden Boy Promotions cancelled the bout after a suitable opponent could not be found.
There have been calls for Alvarez to face nemesis Gennady Golovkin for a third time The 29-year-old Mexican holds a split draw and a majority decision victory over the Kazakh bomber.
Gomez refused to rule out a trilogy with Golovkin, hinting that timing was the only issue in getting the fight over the line.
“You can ask him yourself,” Gomez said of Alvarez. “He’s told us, and he has said many times, if that is the fight the fans and the media want, he’ll do it.”
Speculation is rife that Alvarez could be planning to leave Golden Boy Promotions, a move that would be big hit to the Los Angeles-based promotional firm.
But Gomez says the rumours are unfounded and it’s business as usual.
“There is no problem between us,” Gomez said. “People love to talk and there’s a lot of incorrect information out there, but the truth is, we’re working on putting together the best fight we can for Canelo.
“Would it hurt us if he left? Of course, because there is nobody like Canelo in boxing. Did it hurt Top Rank when Manny Pacquiao left them? Of course, but they didn’t go under. They reloaded and they’re still out there.
“But we’re nowhere near that situation. I hear this stuff and I wonder where it’s coming from, but it’s not true.”
