Chavez vs Golovkin: $1 million penalty in place for not making weight

Though it has yet to be officially announced, it looks as though Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and Gennady Golovkin will indeed be meeting on July 19 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., in a 168-pound non-title fight on HBO pay-per-view. Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions says that there is a $1 million penalty in place for not making weight, which obviously is more for Chavez than for Loeffler's fighter.

"That was one of the conditions. We agreed to come to 168 pounds with no catchweight and the penalty is a million dollars if either fighter doesn't make the weight. That's important because if we have a contracted weight of 168, and if Gennady's going to come up to 168 pounds, that the fighters make the weight."

Golovkin (29-0, 26 KO) was called a "small middleweight" by Loeffler, one who doesn't have an issue making that weight, and isn't moving up because his body is demanding it. Instead, Golovkin is moving up for the bigger money, the exposure, and because it's a better fight than anything he can make at 160 at this time.

Chavez (48-1-1, 32 KO) has a history of weight issues at 160, which necessitated a move up last year following his first career loss to Sergio Martinez in 2012, and a suspension after he failed a drug test following that bout, testing positive for marijuana. It was his second failed drug test in Nevada, the first coming back in 2009 when he tested positive for a diuretic.

Chavez's conditioning was called into question before the Martinez fight, and was an even bigger issue for his comeback bout last year against Bryan Vera. That fight's weight limit moved from 165 to 168 and eventually all the way up to 173 to give Chavez a chance of actually making the weight. He struggled that night, but showed up in better shape for their March 1 rematch this year, making the 168-pound limit and looking good in the ring.

If this fight does come together for pay-per-view as it now looks as though it will, it will come just one week before Canelo Alvarez returns to Showtime pay-per-view, against an opponent yet to be determined, and will continue the veritable glut of boxing pay-per-views being offered to the American fans.