Miguel Cotto shocked many with a one-sided rout of WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez in June, and now his next fight will be one of the most highly anticipated in all of boxing. Many names have been thrown out as possibilities for Cotto's next fight, but which are the best ones possible? Sports World News will now run through the five best fights Cotto can make.
Canelo Alvarez (44-1-1, 31 KO)
Canelo Alvarez is fresh off a big (although controversial) split decision victory over Erislandy Lara, and remains the biggest star in boxing not named Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Manny Pacquiao. He's naturally the size of a middleweight, has exciting power, and represents the most money Cotto will be able to make outside of a Mayweather fight. Finally, the two would make for a modern-day Oscar De La Hoya vs. Felix Trinidad combination. This is the best fight for both.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (48-1-1, 32 KO)
Chavez Jr. is bigger than Cotto, but as the champion and A-side Cotto can demand that Chavez Jr. come down in weight which would drain some of his knockout power. The fight works promotionally as both fighters have huge fan bases; Cotto would add luster to his already illustrious career by fighting another huge opponent, while Chavez Jr. wouldn't be frowned on for fighting a "smaller" man if he's as skilled as Cotto is.
Gennady Golovkin (29-0-0, 26 KO), IBO Middleweight Champion
Golovkin's viability will be determined after his July 26 title defense against Daniel Geale, which will be his most difficult fight yet. If he wins as expected though, he's a natural matchup for Cotto. They could take a step toward unifying the titles in the middleweight division, and with his knockout power, Golovkin is one of the sport's most entertaining fighters. Golovkin has already expressed interest in facing Cotto if he can beat Geale, and this is a likely matchup if talks with Alvarez fall through.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. (46-0-0, 26 KO) WBC Welterweight Champion
Cotto would have to come down for this fight, and he'd be a big underdog again having already lost to Mayweather. The top pound-for-pound fighter is the biggest possible payday for Cotto, and he looked vulnerable at times vs. Marcos Maidana, but at this point in Cotto's career a trip down to welterweight seems unrealistic. The fight would have to be at 154 lbs., and it's unclear whether Mayweather wants to go up again. That said, it'd be a high-profile match and one fans would order in droves.
Timothy Bradley (31-1-0, 12 KO)
This fight really is better for Bradley than it is Cotto. He's the smaller fighter, coming off a loss to Manny Pacquiao, and he doesn't have the power to knock out many opponents in his own weight class let alone the middleweight champion. Having said all that, it's a big money fight for Bradley, who has decent name value if some of the above opponents fall through. Top Rank CEO Bob Arum has brought up this matchup several times, and it could serve to make Cotto look impressive once again before a fight with Canelo or a big-name middleweight can be made.
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