Canelo Alvarez vs. Manny Pacquiao has been the hottest boxing rumor of the past few weeks, with Top Rank's Bob Arum and Golden Boy's Oscar De La Hoya both talking up their renewed efforts to cross promote. Pitting those two stars seems like a match made in heaven, unless another star drops out of the sky.
What's next for Cotto, Martnez following one-sided bout at MSG?
On June 7, that may just have happened. Puerto Rican slugger Miguel Cotto dropped the former WBC middleweight champion Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez three times in Round 1 of their fight at Madison Square Garden, en route to a dominating stoppage victory. Cotto was bigger than ever, and looked the strongest he ever has in his career.
Many thought Cotto was too shopworn after numerous bloody battles, but under the tutelage of trainer Freddie Roach, Cotto's fully revitalized his career. In addition to his power returning, his already-solid footwork has improved, along with his defense. The train of thought now is that he could potentially face Alvarez, who is set for a July 12 bout vs. Erislandy Lara.
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Alvarez has said he wants to fight three times in 2014, and Top Rank president Todd DuBoef said they're eyeing a December return date for Cotto. Oscar De La Hoya revealed his enthusiasm for the idea as well, mentioning to his own Mexico vs. Puerto Rico clash against Felix Trinidad.
That leaves Pacquiao, the crown jewel of Top Rank out in the cold potentially. Arum seems intent on putting him in the ring for a fifth time with Juan Manuel Marquez, but "Dinamita" doesn't appear willing to make negotiations easy. After dominating Mike Alvarado his last time out, and knocking out Pacquiao in their last showdown, he will likely want a 50-50 purse split.
His trainer also said he'd do anything in his power to stop a fifth bout from coming to fruition. Top Rank seems prepared for that outcome, and has announced there is a short list for possible Pacman opponents.
That list includes Ruslan Provodnikov and Carlos Abregu; while Provodnikov would certainly be the fans' choice, he and Pacquiao share Roach as a trainer so seeing them in the ring together is unlikely.
"There are plenty of names. Ruslan Provodnikov is on the list, Carlos Abregu, the Argentinian welterweight is on the list," Arum said. "Those are two of the principal names. And then we will have to see how many Golden Boy fighters will be available for the fight and that will become clear in the next week or so."
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