Miguel Cotto's chances of fighting Canelo Alvarez in May are gone. He reportedly argued about purse splits and dragged his feet to the point that Alvarez and his team walked away from the negotiating table and agreed to face James Kirkland.
Most believed Cotto's stalling was due to waiting for Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s talks with Manny Pacquiao to conclude-preferably with no deal in place. Cotto is believed to be a strong Plan B for Mayweather if he can't get a deal done with Pacquiao, but now Cotto is reportedly close to announcing his upcoming plans.
"We are still in the planning stages, most likely to fight in May or June. We are concentrated on fighting on or before the summer," Cotto's manager Gaby Penagaricano said.
"We are working on several potential opponents and we don't want to reveal their names because we are in negotiations. I think that by next week the matter might mature to the point where we'll be able to make an announcement."
With that said, here are my speculative picks for the opponents Penagaricano is considering for Cotto, in order of the likelihood that they will be chosen.
Marcos "El Chino" Maidana (35-5-0, 31 KO)
Maidana's name hasn't come up in any rumors or reports, but I'm throwing him in because it kind of makes sense. He has a huge profile after two Mayweather fights, one of which was highly competitive, but he's in a tough place. He fought well, and has big-time power, but he's coming off two losses.
Most of the possible welterweights are locked into fights right now, and the highest-profile junior welterweights are looking at other options as well. Moving to 160 pounds might be too great a jump for Maidana, but meeting at a catch weight seems feasible.
Maidana brings name value to a Cotto fight, as well as an entertaining style. He's also relatively low-risk. Maidana hasn't fared well against elite opponents, and after decimating Martinez in his first ever middleweight fight Cotto certainly qualifies. The lack of mention at all in relation to Cotto means the fight most likely won't be made, but it is interesting to think on.
Gennady "GGG" Golovkin (31-0-0, 28 KO)
Golovkin is the mandatory challenger for Cotto's WBC middleweight crown, but he's very unlikely to be among the opponents being considered by Cotto's camp right now.
Golovkin is set to fight Martin Murray on February 21, and it's probable that his camp is fully focused on the task at hand. Cotto has been given permission by the WBC to fight once before handling his mandatory defense, and some believe he may even vacate the belt rather than face arguably the most powerful pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.
Ducking Golovkin may be damaging to Cotto's legacy. It also might cheapen his victory over Sergio Martinez to win the belt, as Martinez hardly looked like he did in his prime. There's time for that speculation down the road. For now, while fans would love to see GGG test himself against a future Hall of Famer, it's highly unlikely.
Floyd "Money" Mayweather Jr. (47-0-0, 26 KO)
Hey, the fight with Pacquiao's not done. Cotto's the biggest non-Pacquiao name out there for Cotto to face (sorry Amir Khan), and in 2012 Cotto gave Mayweather one of his toughest fights ever.
Cotto has been a different fighter with Freddie Roach as his trainer and that adds intrigue to a matchup fans have seen before. He's returned to his body-punching roots, and displayed marvelous footwork vs. Martinez.
Pacquiao presents problems of awkwardness for Mayweather as a quick-handed southpaw, but Cotto represents a different threat as someone who maybe, just maybe, can match him in pure boxing ability at this stage of his career.
Brandon "Bam Bam" Rios (33-2-1, 24 KO)
Rios would have to come up from welterweight to face Cotto, but that isn't likely to be a problem for this hard-headed pressure fighter. Rios likes to brawl, and is a crowd-pleaser. He is one of the most vicious pressure fighters in the game, and he comes to the ring armed with a granite chin.
His style is similar to that of Antonio Margarito's. Cotto fans will vividly remember Margarito (who is suspected of cheating when he defeated Cotto) eating hard shots for the first half of the fight and eventually wearing Cotto down.
Rios has the potential to do that, although his smaller size may preclude him from badly hurting Cotto.
Rios is also not much of a boxer, so if Cotto decides to move around and frustrate Bam Bam, that could be the outcome. Either way, Rios' demolition of Mike Alvarado has made him a hot commodity. Coming off two straight wins, he's a guy that can be sold vs. Cotto.
Timothy Bradley (31-1-1, 12 KO)
Bradley is someone Top Rank CEO Bob Arum has mentioned in the past with regards to Cotto, and he's never been one to back down from any challenge. His draw with Diego Chaves can safely be ignored. He won that bout, and there won't be much demand for an immediate rematch.
Bradley is an excellent boxer, who can be goaded into giving up his skill advantage to engage in slugfests. Cotto is a great boxer as well, but as the larger, stronger fighter he may try to do just that.
Aside from Mayweather, Bradley's arguably the best known fighter on this list to casual fans, and that is the reason why he tops this list even though I believe every other opponent listed makes for a more interesting bout.
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