Las Vegas could be host to two boxing cards May 2

Canelo Alvarez wasted no time after Miguel Cotto turned down a fight with him and will face James Kirkland on May 2 on HBO at either the Thomas &Mack Center or in San Antonio.

Meanwhile, Manny Pacquiao’s representatives met in England with Amir Khan in preliminary discussions that could lead to a May 30 fight in the United Kingdom or possibly Dubai.

Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s plans are unknown. If he decides to turn down Pacquiao, he probably will give Cotto a rematch May 2 at the MGM Grand Garden. That would mean going head to head with Alvarez-Kirkland, possibly in the same city, during Cinco de Mayo weekend.

Golden Boy Promotions president Oscar De La Hoya, who promotes Alvarez, said the only way he won’t go head to head with Mayweather is if Mayweather fights Pacquiao.

“Canelo vs. Kirkland is an explosive matchup where either guy can end the fight with a single power shot,” De La Hoya said in a text message Friday. “This fight is a fan’s dream, and it fits right in with Golden Boy’s pledge to put on competitive, action-packed matches every time the bell rings.”

Kirkland is promoted by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, who was once one of Mayweather’s closest friends.

Las Vegas hosted major cards on the same night last month when Khan met Devon Alexander at the Grand Garden and Timothy Bradley met Diego Chaves at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

Pacquiao has said that Mayweather has until the end of January to agree to the fight or he will move on.

“Don’t take this as us slamming the door on Floyd because we’re not,” Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz told Yahoo Sports. “But we’re not going to sit around and find ourselves in this position in two weeks, waiting for an answer from him. So we’re just making alternative plans in case we can’t get the Mayweather thing done, and Amir is a possibility.”

■ SPIKE TV DEAL — A week after the announcement of a series of boxing shows on NBC, fight manager and adviser Al Haymon announced a deal to bring his Premier Boxing Champions to Spike TV.

The multiyear agreement will provide one show a month Friday night on Spike, which is available in 98.7 million homes.

The first show will be March 13, most likely at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. Welterweights Andre Berto (29-3, 22 knockouts) and Josesito Lopez (33-6, 19 KOs) will meet in a 12-round bout, and welterweights Shawn Porter (24-1-1, 15 KOs) and Roberto Garcia (33-3, 22 KOs) will fight in another 12-rounder.

Porter, who lives in Las Vegas, lost his International Boxing Federation welterweight title to Kell Brook on Aug. 16.

“It’s a big fight for me,” Porter said. “Garcia’s tough, strong and experienced. It’ll be a good test. But I’ve been in the gym since September, and I’ll be ready.”

■ VARGAS, JUDAH HONORED — Jessie Vargas, the World Boxing Association junior welterweight champion, and former world champ Zab Judah were honored last week by the Clark County Commission for their work with at-risk youth.

The two fighters, who live in Las Vegas, were issued plaques Tuesday after they recently visited the Spring Mountain Youth Camp and pledged to help start a boxing program at the facility.

■ STIVERNE-WILDER RATING — The World Boxing Council heavyweight title fight between Bermane Stiverne and Deontay Wilder on Jan. 17 at the MGM Grand Garden attracted 1.24 million viewers on Showtime, the highest on any premium network in the past 12 months and the highest ratings on Showtime in two years. At its peak, the telecast had an audience of 1.34 million views.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.