Canelo Alvarez's next opponent is close to being finalized, and to the disappointment of many fans, it won't be WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto. According to reports, Alvarez could face Joshua Clottey in December.
Clottey, who will be 37 by the time fight night arrives, had a nearly two-year layoff after he was nearly shut out by Manny Pacquiao in 2011. That loss was preceded by a split decision defeat against Cotto, in which Cotto fought with a swollen left eye from Round 3 on.
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Clottey's promoter Joe DeGuardia confirmed talks of a fight with BoxingScene.com. "We've had talks. I think it's a great fight and I hope it happens."
After the back-to-back losses to Cotto and Pacquiao, Clottey didn't fight until 2013 against Calvin Green, whom he beat by 2nd round TKO. Since returning, Clottey is 3-0 with the one knockout.
Clottey is a surprise name on the list of potential Canelo opponents; James Kirkland was believed to be the leader of the pack. Kirkland, whose record stands at 32-1-0 with 28 knockouts.
Fans had hoped for an Alvarez vs. Cotto clash, but it appears both sides would prefer to hold that fight on Cinco de Mayo weekend of 2015. That plan could be scrapped too thoughm because Cotto may be forced to defend his middleweight title vs. Gennady "GGG" Golovkin or Marco Antonio Rubio in May 2015, and not Alvarez.
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Although Clottey might not be the most exciting opponent, Alvarez's third fight of the year will most likely not air on pay-per-view. Whether it will be shown on Showtime or HBO is in question, however.
"Canelo isn't going to go pay-per-view," Golden Boy vice president Eric Gomez said. "We don't want to saturate the market. He's willing to go live on either Showtime or HBO. We'll see. Maybe another network. He has no contract with any network. We're working on things."
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