Miguel Cotto's next move has been shrouded in mystery, but those waiting on news may get some soon as news has broken that Cotto will sign with Roc Nation Sports, the same fledgling boxing promotion that houses Andre Ward. Cotto's decision apparently hasn't sat well with Top Rank, the promotion with whom Cotto has been working with since he fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2011.
Top Rank executive Todd duBoef seems displeased with Cotto's actions of late, stemming back to his slow movement on a deal to fight Canelo Alvarez in May that fell apart and led to Alvarez agreeing to terms with James Kirkland instead.
Following that breakdown, calls from Top Rank to Cotto's people went unanswered, and the Roc Nation news made it crystal clear why. This deal doesn't rule out future deals with Cotto, but duBoef's comments on the matter, which are speculated to be directed at Cotto's adviser Gaby Penagaricano, indicate strained relations.
"If it was a cancer it was in remission," duBoef said. "I was able to keep it in remission, but eventually it takes over the whole body. I can only keep it in remission for so long."
He also discussed his frustration with the unreturned calls. "You don't act that way if you know how to handle relationships and it's in your DNA to be professional," duBoef said.
Cotto's next move remains unclear. He had been linked to opponents such as Timothy Bradley and Brandon Rios recently, but they are Top Rank fighters and clearly that might be a problem now, despite duBoef's tepid remarks that deals can still be negotiated.
"Put it this way, I would never, ever, ever, ever dismiss anything on behalf of our duty for what we think is best for our fighters," duBoef said.
Another possibility is Amir Khan, who has said he'd be willing to fight Cotto at a 155-pound catchweight. He is promoted by Golden Boy, and is said to prefer fighting a superstar like Cotto to taking on fellow Englishman Kell Brook for the IBF welterweight title.
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