Mutual respect replaces barbs during Canelo Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin promotional tour

• Published in: Los Angeles Times (Online)
• Main Author: Pugmire, Lance
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles Tribune Interactive, LLC 24.06.2017
• Subjects: Boxing; Pacquiao, Manny; Ward, Andre; Los Angeles California; New York; Las Vegas Nevada; Mexico; Kazakhstan

[...]as the pair operated shoulder to shoulder, or face to face, on a promotional tour with stops in London, New York, ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., and Los Angeles last week, ambition was set aside in favor of a joint mission. Golovkin (37-0, 33 knockouts), a 35-year-old from Kazakhstan, wears three middleweight world-title belts, has knocked out all but March foe Daniel Jacobs while winning 18 consecutive middleweight title bouts, and ranks alongside light-heavyweight champion Andre Ward as the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter. Mayweather’s master showmanship in the character of “Money Mayweather” first appeared a decade ago during a 10-city promotional tour before his 2007 split-decision triumph over De La Hoya. Stephen Espinoza, executive vice president of Showtime, has expressed hope that getting in the ring against McGregor would ignite Mayweather’s interest in championship-level fighting again. “First things first, but for sure it is in the back of my mind and I would love to erase that,” Alvarez said of his long-ago loss to Mayweather. A day earlier in New York, a reporter from the Wall Street Journal set up an old-school “Rock-em, Sock-em Robots” game for the boxers to play, also igniting a little tension.