Tick, tick, tick….
Time is running out on Miguel Cotto if he wants to participate in a PPV showdown at Madison Square Garden on Puerto Rican Day Parade weekend in early June.
Ten days ago, Golden Boy Promotions founder Oscar De La Hoya announced an agreement could not be made to stage the superfight many in boxing were so very much anticipating, Miguel Cotto vs Canelo Alvarez. As a result, Canelo will be facing James Kirkland.
So who is next for Miguel Cotto, boxing’s RING Magazine and WBC middleweight champion?
There have been rumors about a presumed catchweight match-up with top ten pound-for-pound fighter and former two division world champion Tim Bradley.
Can the 5’6″ Bradley, who just moved up from jr welterweight to 147 lbs in 2012, jaunt all the way to middleweight?
The answer is: Yes and No.
Yes because… Given the presumed catchweight of 155 lbs and the fact the 5’7″ Cotto is not a big middleweight himself, Bradley could certainly make the trek to 160 lbs to face Cotto. Keep in mind, Tim probably hovers around at least 150-152 lbs when he steps in the ring. And against Sergio Martinez last year, Cotto’s official weight was 155 lbs and he probably entered the ring at about 158 lbs.
Should they fight, Cotto may only outweigh Bradley by 5 or 6 pounds when they step in the ring. And, not surprisingly, Bradley would enjoy a 1.5 to 2.5 inch reach advantage.
We’ve seen middleweight contests where one fighter outweighed another by more than than ten pounds when the pugilists stepped in the ring so the size difference between Cotto and Bradley certainly wouldn’t make for an unfathomable pairing, especially given the smaller man’s reach.
…But there would be limitations for Tim at middleweight.
No because…. While Bradley could conceivably face Cotto for the latter’s middleweight crown, it would be a one-and-done venture at this moment, a la Roy Jones Jr at heavyweight in 2003. Should Tim win the crown, it would wise for him to relinquish it six months later.
Although Bradley is a superb fighter who may be able to hang in the middleweight division’s top ten, he doesn’t have the size or the punching power to remain a champion.
Why should Bradley be interested? Stylistically, Cotto vs Bradley is winnable for Timmy as Miguel has had difficulty in the past with opponents who possessed tremendous speed, impeccable footwork and were extremely durable (Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather and Austin Trout).
Moreover, Brads has little to lose. If he’s competitive in defeat, he will have lost to a champion two weight classes north of his comfort zone. There would be no shame in that. If Bradley won, he may be propelled to near-mainstream stardom. His stock and drawing power would certainly rise and he’d likely become a small ‘cash cow’ a la Juan Manuel Marquez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Why should Cotto be interested? Team Cotto insists a fight with WBO Middleweight Champion Gennady Golovkin has not matured, and don’t expect them to change their minds anytime soon. If Floyd Mayweather faces Manny Pacquiao in May, there are few available, high-profile opponents left for Cotto.
Is Juan Manuel Marquez, another welterweight who could conceivably fight at super lightweight, an option? David Lemieux vs Cotto would be interesting but Golden Boy Promotions is grooming the former for its star, Canelo Alvarez. Andy Lee is fighting Peter Quillin, and Jermain Taylor may have to step away from the sport for awhile to deal with person issues.
And while fans may be more amenable to Erislandy Lara as Cotto’s next opponent, the risk vs reward factor may not be to Team Cotto’s liking. They’d likely avoid Lara unless the Cuban bolted to middleweight and became their mandatory opponent.
Who else is left?
Miguel Cotto vs Tim Bradley in June?
