Photo: Associated Press
On Saturday (May 5) night, Miguel Cotto lost his WBA Junior Middleweight title (via a unanimous decision) to Floyd Mayweather Jr., the man many consider the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.
Though Mayweather was heavily favored to win (he was a 7-to-1 favorite), Cotto’s performance far exceeded many people’s expectations. Saturday night’s fight showed that Cotto has in fact shed the demons from his 2008 loss to Antonio Margarito. But most importantly, the performance showed that Miguel Cotto still has plenty left in the tank.
So we ask the natural question after his valiant effort: What’s next for Miguel Cotto?
Remember that in boxing, it isn’t enough just to be a great fighter; you must generate interest from the public. At the moment, Cotto has a lot of things going for him. For starters, he’s Puerto Rican, which is one of the main reasons why he’s the third biggest pay-per-view draw. Though he doesn’t have a ton of punching power, he’s always been an offensive fighter, and his fights rarely disappoint. At 31, he still has some years left in his boxing career. And after last night, you could argue that his stock has never been higher.
There are many good possible fights. Here are the ones that I think are the most attractive for Cotto (in descending order):
5. Sergio Martínez
4. Julio César Chávez Jr.
3. Timothy Bradley
2. Winner of Victor Ortiz/Andre Berto rematch
Now, you have to be very careful if you’re Cotto. I believe his next fight must be two things: (1) a win and (2) a “big money” fight. In other words, he’s not going to fight a guy who’s not going to help him generate significant buzz, but he also needs a win coming off the loss. Either of these options would be a “big money” fight, but some are riskier than others.
This is why he won’t fight Martínez. “Maravilla” is the best boxer on the planet not named Pacquiao or Mayweather, but he’s nowhere near as popular. Why risk a loss if the other guy isn’t going to generate as much interest?
In regards to Ortiz/Berto and Bradley, a lot hinges on how they look after their June fights (June 23 and June 9, respectively). So if either of these were to happen, it won’t be decided until late June/early July.
A fight against either Álvarez or Chavez would generate huge interest. Imagine a fight against either on Mexican Independence weekend. Chavez fights at 160 lbs., and I don’t see Cotto moving up or Chavez moving down, though they could fight at a catch-weight of 157 pounds.
That leaves us with Álvarez, which is what I think the fans want. Though Álvarez’s promoters want to protect him, the prospect of this mega-fight may be too good to pass up. Assuming Álvarez doesn’t fight James Kirkland in September (which is very likely), I think we could see a September 15 match-up of Cotto and Canelo.
Still, this is boxing, where logical things rarely happen. Keep that in mind if you read this two months from now.
About Cristopher Rubio
Great article! I think there is a solid market with little risk to Cotto in a match against Julio César Chávez Jr. Chavez has been sheltered most of his career with the vast majority of his opponents being handpicked and overwhelmed. He has been brought up in discussions involving big money events but has garnered little interest because of the lack of a big name on his resume. Cotto would fill that need, but would also be a risk his management may not want to take on. With the emphasis in todays game being hinged on an undefeated record to push for a big ticket card his team may bypass the risk in spite of the potentially massive gain in status that would occur if he were victorious. The Victor Ortiz matchup looks much more appealing to me as a fight fan. I would like to see Ortiz get another crack at Mayweather but he will have to work his way up the food chain to do so. I would read a Cotto vs Ortiz matchup as a push and a huge revunue earning vehicle. If the fight results in the kind of fight that is loked back on as a classic then no one loses in status. If someone gets KO’d then the loser would be obviously diminished in the view of most sports authorities and fight fans.
Psychiatrist
Back to P.R to enjoy his 12 million dollar pay check…..who cares.
If he helped the poor then people might care.
Reality show…
He has nothing to be ashamed of.
Cotto fought well but Mayweather beat him fair and square. He should go for a re-match.
Boxing today is rigged. PPV ruined boxing.
He goes to the hospital and then to the bank
A la chin…a ese guey Jaja no sirve pa nada
HELL BE CHAMPION AGAIN
AND KEEP MAKING MONEY PINCHE GUEY
Cotto vs Marquez?
Thanks for the comments. Willie you bring up what I’m getting at…and I guess I should have talked about this. Cotto finally feels at peace with the whole Margarito debacle. But consecutive losses could affect him negatively, so I really see him picking a marketable “safe” fight. I think he can beat everyone that I’ve listed here except for Maravilla and MAYBE Bradley. Either way he’s in a great position, one that many didn’t think he’d ever be back in (because it looked like he was damaged goods for a good while)
Fight margarito
HOLD YOUR HEAD UP HIGH…and be proud…(invest wisely)