Canelo Alvarez vs. Miguel Cotto is the fight that boxing fans are clamoring for. Unlike the May 2 Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao fight, which many thought could be exciting, but could also be a defensive snoozefest-which it turned out to be-few believe Cotto-Alvarez would be anything short of exciting.
The stage has been set perfectly; Alvarez fought a vicious knockout artist in James Kirkland on May 9 and showed mettle by withstanding an onslaught, then crushing him with power counters. Cotto followed suit this past Saturday, flattening a middleweight in Daniel Geale who weighed 182 pounds on fight night. In his post-fight interview, Cotto made it clear that Canelo Alvarez would be his next target.
Of course, boxing fans have been here before. These two were deep into negotiations to fight in May, when rumor has it Cotto repeatedly held up the deal. Alvarez, frustrated, eventually walked away from the negotiating table and signed on to fight Kirkland.
As his career has worn on Cotto has become much more focused on the business side of boxing; he is commanding massive paydays and instituting catch weights before he'll agree to deals. If there are insurmountable obstacles during the upcoming talks, Alvarez's team says there are plans in place.
"Saul has several options but the fight with Cotto would be beautiful," Alvarez's manager Eddy Reynoso said. "Hopefully we can secure that confrontation. That fight would be ideal. But just in case we have plans B and C."
It is anyone's guess who those other options are, but it is safe to assume that they don't compare to the magnitude of a Cotto fight. Unless, of course, Alvarez has become very brave and decided to clash with WBA and IBO middleweight champion Gennady "GGG" Golovkin.
Don't count on it.
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