Golden Boy Promotions announced in a press conference that Saul "Canelo" Alvarez will return to HBO from Showtime after reaching a lucrative deal with the network, boxing news 2014 confirmed.
Alvarez, who is coming off two impressive wins against Alfredo Angulo and Erislandy, said in the news conference that he has always planned to have his fights carried by HBO.
"For all of my career, I have wanted to fight on HBO for one main reason -- I believe it will allow more of my fans to see me in action," said Alvarez, who last fought in an HBO event in May 2012 against Shane Mosley. "Today marks a huge milestone for me, and I look forward to a long and successful partnership with HBO."
Sources indicated that Alvarez and Golden Boy Promotions president Oscar De La Hoya decided to leave Showtime because they wanted to have big fights on key Mexican dates, such as the Cinco De Mayo weekend.
Under Showtime, Alvarez was forced to choose other fight dates because the network prioritizes fights involving Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Mexican holidays in May and September.
"There were many factors involved in making the decision but recouping the dates was important," Alvarez said in the boxing news 2014 update. "I always wanted to fight on Cinco de Mayo (weekend) and in September (on the weekend of Mexican Independence Day) because being Mexican those are always the dates that are celebrated."
The deal also confirmed previous reports that De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions has ended their longstanding feud with HBO.
"We are extremely proud here at Golden Boy to once again be working with HBO, which was my home for more than 30 fights," De La Hoya said. "So today is a great day for boxing, it's a great day for all the fans across the globe and this is another indication that Golden Boy is all about the fans."
Under the new deal, Canelo will fight on December 6 that will be carried by HBO, which will be followed by a possible HBO PPV event in May next year.
According to a boxing news 2014 update on Bad Left Hook, Alvarez will likely face Joshua Clottey in his next fight on December 6 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas before facing Miguel Cotto in May.
