Despite having his knockout power completely disarmed by Floyd Mayweather Jr. on pay-per-view in September, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez has apparently retained his star power, as Golden Boy has announced plans for the Mexican superstar to fight three times in 2014.
The first of those fights could be against Miguel Cotto, who is fresh off a bludgeoning of Delvin Rodriguez on October 5th. Cotto re-established himself as a huge name with the third-round TKO win, and although the fight took place on HBO, Cotto is free to sign any fight he wants as a "free agent."
Initially, a fight with middleweight luminary Sergio Martinez seemed the likeliest route for Cotto, as he has said winning titles in four weight classes is important to him. He would be the first Puerto Rican fighter to achieve that goal.
Money often talks, however, and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer seems willing to pony up for this decade's version of an Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad war. Schaefer told The Los Angeles Times, he's scheduled a meeting with Cotto to discuss a March 8th date.
He also said recently, "If he [Cotto] wants to make the most money he knows where to go. It's as simple as that," Schaefer said. "And Cotto is a young and smart guy so I know he's going to make the right decision for himself and his career."
Martinez is certainly still on the radar for Cotto, but after his most recent bout Martinez was badly hurt, suffering a knee injury and broken hand. He will not be available to fight until the spring at the earliest and would probably need a tune-up fight.
While a warm-up fight of sorts would likely be smart, it seems that "Maravilla" would jump if Cotto comes calling. "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.
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