In the words of promoter Oscar De La Hoya, the already tenuous talks between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin for their proposed September middleweight championship rematch have officially hit a dead end. More succinctly, "the Canelo train has left the station," De La Hoya told ESPN on Tuesday.
Whether the words of De La Hoya are genuine or simply the latest chess move in the ongoing public negotiations remain up for debate. But the Golden Boy Promotions founder said he has officially moved on from attempting to book a Sept. 15 rematch in Las Vegas and revealed he is now talking with Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport about a replacement fight for Alvarez against top contender Daniel Jacobs (34-2, 29 KOs).
The reason for De La Hoya's decision surrounds demands from Golovkin (38-0-1, 34 KOs) that the revenue split be 50-50 considering it was a pair of failed drug tests from Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs) in February that led to a six-month suspension and the cancellation of their original May 5 rematch.
According to De La Hoya, any hope of GGG securing an even split is simply "not going to happen."
Golovkin, 36, who holds three of the four recognized titles at 160 pounds, settled for a split draw in his first fight against Alvarez last September in a blockbuster pay-per-view fight most felt the native of Kazakhstan had won. After Alvarez, the 27-year-old Mexican icon and PPV king in America, was forced to withdraw in May, GGG knocked out late replacement Vanes Martirosyan to equal a middleweight record of 20 title defenses.
On Monday, De La Hoya explained at length why he feels Golovkin's financial demands are without merit.
"Ah, it's ludicrous. It really is. It's ridiculous," De La Hoya told Fight Hub TV. "GGG can go fight Vanes and make $1 million or go fight Canelo and make 20-plus million. It doesn't make any business sense. How can one fighter demand a 50-50 when he's not even a draw at all? And Canelo can go fight Jacobs and do 800,000 [PPV buys] easy."
Golovkin trainer Abel Sanchez told Behind the Gloves on Sunday that his fighter is just as willing to walk away if the numbers don't work.
"He knows what his priorities are," Sanchez said. "Gennady said he wants 50-50 or Canelo can go stick it. If he feels that's what it's going to take for him to fight Canelo again, then I think it's his choice."
Jacobs, who signed an HBO-exclusive deal with Hearn last year, is 2-0 since a competitive decision loss to Golovkin in March 2017.
Should Alvarez, the reigning lineal champion, face Jacobs this fall, the opponent which makes the most sense for Golovkin could be WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders, who recently withdrew from a June 23 title defense against Martin Murray under a cloud of speculation that he was preserving himself for Alvarez or GGG.