After Miguel Cotto stopped former WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez in dominant fashion on June 7 at Madison Square Garden, most fans began to salivate over a potential matchup between Cotto and Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez.
Demetrius Andrade calls out Cotto
That remains the most likely option for Cotto moving forward, as he plans to return in December, but Erislandy Lara looms as a roadblock to that super fight. Lara is a legitimate contender in the 154-lb. weight class, and fights with a style that has caused Canelo some problems in the past vs. Austin Trout and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Should Canelo lose, that changes the whole landscape for Cotto. Trainer Freddie Roach doesn't view Lara as a viable opponent even if he pulls off the upset. "Of course Canelo has to win so we can make the fight. I don't think Lara brings enough to the table even if he does win. That fight does nothing for Miguel," Roach told Thaboxingvoice.com.
Floyd Mayweather has "too much skill" for Cotto?
Another fight mentioned as possible for Cotto is against Gennady "GGG" Golovkin, an exciting knockout artist scheduled to face Daniel Geale on July 26 at Madison Square Garden. Like Lara, he's a quality opponent that doesn't yet have the fan base to justify the risk Cotto takes in facing him.
That's why the name Timothy Bradley has been brought up by none other than Top Rank CEO Bob Arum himself. If plans with Canelo fall through, it is a strong possibility Bradley will be next in line.
"I think a lot of people might want to see a Miguel-Bradley fight," Arum said prior to Cotto-Martinez. "We've made him, I think, a major star. Timothy is a great fighter, a great kid and great in the ring. People want to see him fight, and so there are a lot of big fights out there for Tim. We've made a lot of money and we'll continue to make him a lot of money."
© 2023 Sportsworldnews.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
