Canelo Alvarez Still Scheduled For Sept. 15, Boxing Fans Still Possibly Losing on Big Fight Night

Golden Boy Promotions hasn't hit the panic button for their supposed September 15 date with Canelo Alvarez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and Richard Schaefer says for now that they're still planning on running that night, no matter what HBO and Top Rank do with a possible Sergio Martinez vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr fight.

Alvarez (40-0-1, 29 KO) was supposed to face Victor Ortiz on Showtime PPV that night, but obviously that's off now that Ortiz was shocked last night by Josesito Lopez in Los Angeles. It's the third opponent Canelo has had dropped from the September 15 fight, following Paul Williams and James Kirkland.

But Schaefer, as he tries to figure out a reason to run in Vegas the same night as Top Rank, other than spite or wanting to make sure everyone knows he's NOT AFRAID not afraid TO TAKE A STAND, has decided to do the "here's a bomshell, you guys" routine and say that it's possible Alvarez could fight live on CBS, returning boxing to network TV for the first time in a very long time:

"What Golden Boy believes is we don’t do PPVs when they are not PPV worthy because that is taking advantage of fight fans. But having said that, if one of those opponents we are thinking about can in fact come through, it will be a very, very big PPV.

"Now if that doesn’t happen, we are looking at the two other names, two other options. And those fights will be either live on Showtime or, and hold on to your seats because it’s true what I’m about to tell you now; live on CBS - network television."

My guess is that the PPV opponent "option" would be Miguel Cotto -- they might be willing to pay Cotto to save this whole idea, as this has become a true pissing contest right now.

It delights me that there are people who will believe that this is the Good Guy promoter just because it's not Bob Arum, but here's what most amuses me about all of this.

Let's start with the first statement: "Golden Boy believes we don't do PPVs when they are not PPV worthy..."

I will respond to this with two fight posters and leave it at that:

He continues that with, "...that is taking advantage of fight fans." So it's not OK to "take advantage" of them -- which they have done in the past and would do again given half a chance -- but it is OK to spit in their faces and run a competing show with the express intention of putting a dent in the Top Rank show, which is all this is now. Anyone who wasn't stuck in some bitter, ridiculous feud wouldn't consider running against Chavez-Martinez, especially not in the same town. There's no point.

Fight fans want to see Chavez-Martinez. Fight fans also want to see Canelo. Why not just move Canelo's date at this point? They've had unfathomable trouble securing an opponent for the date. Some cosmic force does not want Canelo Alvarez to fight on September 15.

And please note before you get all excited about CBS that Golden Boy has been going "network TV is in the hopper!" for years now, and it's never come close as far as I know. And note that he also says that thefightcouldbeonshowtime OR CBS! NETWORK TV! WE THE GOLDEN GOOD GUYS ARE BRINGING BOXING BACK TO NETWORK TV! orthefightcouldbeonshowtime.

I seriously hate all of this, from both sides. Arum and Top Rank aren't heroes, and neither are Richard and Oscar and Golden Boy. This is like Ivan Drago duking it out with Clubber Lang. This is Tombstone if the Earps and Doc Holliday (black hat good guys, but the good guys anyway) weren't there and the beef was between Sheriff Behan and Curly Bill.

And above all else, it is insulting, pandering bullshit, and this asinine "war" has maybe not really hurt the pockets of anyone at GBP or Top Rank, but it has hurt boxing fans, the people who keep watching this nonsense, because they really like and care about the sport of boxing. We've proven there's a niche audience that basically CANNOT be run off. Can we start treating that audience like they aren't toilet paper? Can that audience stop thinking there's someone here to "root for," and thus on some level validating this crap? Nobody's winning with this stuff.