With Sergio Martinez's WBC middleweight champion status up in the air, and apparently going by the wayside until he's able to heal from his injuries and compete for it again, the status of his fight with Miguel Cotto is uncertain.
Recent reports indicated Marco Antonio Rubio and Domenico Spada will be fighting for Martinez's crown in March on an interim basis, with Martinez getting first crack at them upon a return to the ring. Martinez was slated to face Cotto on June 7th, however, with that title at stake.
Cotto turned down a $10 million offer from Golden Boy Promotions to fight Canelo Alvarez for the opportunity to fight for a middleweight championship; a victory would make him the first Puerto Rican fighter to ever win belts in four weight divisions.
When news of Martinez being stripped broke, it was unclear whether Cotto would still sign on to fight him.
"Whether we come to an agreement or not with Sergio Martinez, we are going to return on June 7th at Madison Square Garden," Cotto said. "Right now we don't have another name in the running for that fight. We are still in negotiations, trying to square away everything that remains for the event. After we settle all of that then we can say the fight is on.
"It's much closer than it was two weeks ago, so we can say that it is closer to a deal than far away."
The Rubio-Spada clash looms over everything however, and Martinez has a backup plan in place if Cotto backs out. "By the end of the month we will surely know if Sergio will defend the title against Miguel Cotto on June 7th at MSG," his adviser Sampson Lewkowicz said.
"That's the priority. He wants to face the Puerto Rican. If we fail to reach an agreement with Cotto his intention is to defend the title in Buenos Aires in a stadium. Martinez feels an obligation to the Argentine public and he wants to return the affection and love that they gave him."
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