Miguel Cotto turned down a $10 million payday from Golden Boy Promotions to fight Saul "Canelo" Alvarez to fight Sergio Martinez and challenge him for his WBC middleweight strap. Canelo has moved on from Cotto, agreeing to take on Alfredo Angulo, and now the Cotto-Martinez matchup could be in jeopardy.
Much of Cotto's reasoning to face Martinez was the opportunity to win his title, making him the first Puerto Rican fighter to achieve titles in four different weight classes. Martinez was badly injuried in his last fight, though, against Martin Murray in April of 2013, and hasn't been in the ring since.
Because of his inactivity, the WBC has announced that Marco Antonio Rubio will take on Domenico Spada for the interim title, with Martinez getting first crack at the winner to regain his belt. That timetable may not work for Cotto though, who is attempting to capitalize on the momentum he built by destroying Delvin Rodriguez in less than three rounds.
The fact that Martinez will no longer have the belt complicates Cotto's negotiations however, and it is currently being discussed whether or not Cotto would be allowed to bypass Martinez to fight for the middleweight crown.
"Rubio vs. Spada will be for the interim title due to the fact that Martinez cannot fight by March. If any other fight is scheduled before then, the WBC governors would then proceed to vote and make a ruling on the fight," Mauricio Sulaiman, acting head of the WBC said.
Regarding a possible Cotto-Martinez bout Sulaiman said he didn't want to make any guesses. "We prefer not to speculate as to whether Sergio Martinez and Miguel Cotto will agree to fight as the complete middleweight scenario was reviewed during the WBC convention as Martinez and the WBC followed its ruling step by step."
At the moment, it is unclear whether Cotto would be willing to wait until Martinez can fight for his title to get back in the ring, or if he will pursue other options. Either way, Cotto may be kicking himself for not accepting Golden Boy's offer.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
