After Miguel Cotto battered Sergio Martinez for the WBC middleweight title, most fans and followers of boxing made the immediate leap to a potential Cotto vs. Canelo Alvarez fight down the road. The timing makes sense; Cotto is expected to return to action in December while Alvarez has expressed a desire to fight three times in 2014.
Cotto more likely to get Canelo fight than Manny Pacquiao now
To get to a winter showdown with Cotto though, Canelo must take care of business against Erislandy Lara. The slick Cuban fighter may not have the cache of Cotto, but he's a supremely talented fighter defensively with enough pop to give Alvarez a serious run.
In May, Lara said on July 12 fans will see ""the best Erislandy Lara. We're going to do all we can do get ready and we're going to take him to school." He may be stretching that, but the last two times Canelo has fought slicksters he's faced real problems. Floyd Mayweather Jr. nearly shut him out, while Austin Trout gave him fits and forced him to grind out a win.
Could Sergio Martinez retire after Cotto loss?
What happens vs. Lara is of paramount importance regarding Cotto, who unlike other superstars in the sport isn't limited in the slightest in terms of potential opponents. Manny Pacquiao is likely out of the running, due to sharing Freddie Roach as a trainer and Cotto's increased weight precluding a trip back down to 147 lbs. Beyond him though, he'd have his pick of the litter from 154 lbs. to middleweight.
The two most likely names on Cotto's list should Canelo fall through are IBO middleweight titlist Gennady Golovkin, a knockout king scheduled for action on July 26 vs. Daniel Geale, or Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Mayweather has already defeated Cotto once, but the fight was competitive and Cotto has certainly looked like a different fighter since bringing in Roach. Bob Arum even boasted to BoxingScene.com after the Martinez fight that Mayweather would lose to Cotto in a rematch.
"Mayweather wouldn't have a [expletive] chance."
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