Figuring out what comes next for Miguel Cotto after his destruction of Delvin Rodriguez on October 5th is not easy, thanks to Cotto's free agent status. With boxing's top promoters at war with one another, affiliations determine matchups.
Cotto is a rare case with no contractual obligation, although he does have a strong relationship with Top Rank and Bob Arum. There are rumors that Saul "Canelo" Alvarez is a free agent as well, but those claims have been strongly denied by Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer.
"Canelo is under contract with Golden Boy and he is proud and happy to be under contract with us. Canelo will tell you himself and so will his managers. This guy [Arum] has totally lost it," Schaefer said.
Much of the talk about Cotto's future points to a fight with middleweight champion Sergio Martinez. Cotto has spoken of wanting to become the first Puerto Rican fighter with belts in four weight classes, and Martinez seems eager for the bout as well.
"Team Martinez is focused on this fight. He would love to fight Cotto, it's good for the fans and for boxing," Martinez's adviser Sampson Lewkowicz said.
Cotto, though, could stand to make more money by taking on Alvarez, who was just prominently featured in the one of the highest-grossing fights in the history of the sport with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
"I have always been willing to take on the big names. Canelo is one of them and I hope they can make this fight later on in my career. Canelo has what he has because he won his fights and he worked for it, and you can't look down on any opponent because of his defeats. I know the kind of quality that he has, what kind of fighter that he is. I will continue on my way and if we happen to cross paths later on - I'm ready," Cotto told BoxingScene.com.
Schaefer is trying to woo Cotto over to Showtime, telling the media, "If he [Cotto] wants to make the most money he knows where to go. It's as simple as that. And Cotto is a young and smart guy so I know he's going to make the right decision for himself and his career."
Still, by saying "later in my career," the Puerto Rican appears to still be leaning Martinez's way.
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