Canelo Alvarez was one of the most important boxers in the world before he faced Floyd Mayweather Jr., and his loss to the pound-for-pound king hasn't shaken his popularity. Miguel Cotto once held similar stature, before dropping consecutive bouts to Floyd and Austin Trout.
After decimating Delvin Rodriguez in October, however, Cotto landed back on the pay-per-view map and was offered eight figures to step in the ring with Canelo on March 8th. Though middleweight Sergio Martinez seemed like Cotto's likely next step, the WBC has announced a deal is very near completion for a Cotto-Alvarez showdown promoted by Golden Boy.
If the deal is indeed made, it will reverberate throughout several divisions and affect a number of stars, beginning with Martinez. "Maravilla" had hopes of making a blockbuster fight with Cotto, but now appears resigned to squaring off with Marco Antonio Rubio, a much lower-profile fight many view as a walk for the champion.
Martinez also now has an opportunity to take on Gennady "GGG" Golovkin, but he hasn't appeared to show much interest in facing the wildly popular knockout artist. It also places Martinez in the picture for other middleweights like Darren Barker, Daniel Gaele and Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin.
The fight will also likely determine who gets the winner of Austin Trout vs. Erislandy Lara, who will be fighting one another on the December 7th card highlighted by Zab Judah and Paulie Malignaggi. Trout has already defeated Cotto, and lost to Alvarez via close decision that he believes he won.
All of these dominoes, at least for the 154-lb. fighters lead to Mayweather. While Trout and Lara have never gotten he opportunity to face "Money," Cotto and Alvarez might make compelling cases for rematches.
When Mayweather took on Cotto in 2011, it was his most entertaining fight in years. Cotto was able to break through Floyd's near-impenetrable defense and bloody his nose, as well as snag a few rounds from the champion before eventually losing. Now, with Freddie Roach in his corner and a renewed dedication to the style that made him a star, it's conceivable the two could get back in the ring.
As for Canelo, if he can knock off a sound veteran like Cotto, and add dimensions to his game, it's almost a certainty he will find himself with another chance to dethrone the king of boxing. His youth and inexperience showed during their September 14th clash. Maybe with some seasoning Canelo could come back better?
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