Miguel Cotto's decision about who to face in his next bout will set a lot of pieces in motion in the boxing world. Cotto's options have been narrowed down to Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and Sergio Martinez. While boxing observers are eagerly anticipating his decision, Cotto and his team are taking their sweet time and allowing themselves to be wooed by rivaling promotions.
Cotto has fought many times on HBO under the Top Rank banner, although Richard Schaefer and Golden Boy Promotions, who broadcast their fights on Showtime, made a power play several weeks ago in offering Cotto an eight-figure contract to fight Alvarez.
Now, rumors are surfacing that Bob Arum and Top Rank have come over the top of Golden Boy, offering Cotto $15 million to chase a world title in a fourth weight class by taking on middleweight champ Martinez.
Cotto's adviser Gaby Penagaricano said Cotto will not rush into any choice. "Miguel will decide his future at his own pace, as he has done for many years. No one has been ruled out so far, the doors are still open. For now, there is no deadline. Miguel is always interested in big fights, but first you have to reach an agreement and that takes time."
While Alvarez is a larger name at this stage of the game, Martinez offers Cotto an opportunity to achieve an honor never before attained by a Puerto Rican fighter. "To be the first Puerto Rican to win titles in four weight divisions would be very tempting to me," Cotto said. "I have to talk to my team, but going for a middleweight championship would be [a goal]."
Martinez figures to add some juice to the matchup as well, as his camp has indicated a dislike for Cotto. Sampson Lewkowicz, Martinez's adviser, claims Cotto ruffled "Maravilla's" feathers in Mexico City by not acknowledging him.
"Martinez feels very insulted that Cotto didn't show him any respect when they met at the ESPN Desportes studios in Mexico City. Martinez has respect for every champion and felt that Cotto showed no respect," Lewkowicz said. "They've never had a conversation but you will see an aggressive Martinez at the press conference, he dislikes him a lot."
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