When a fighter becomes accustomed to the championship plateau in the sport of boxing, we often see the business aspect of the sport come into play. Long gone is the early professional grind of fighting once a month in a tireless pursuit of notoriety and the decisions instead become much more calculated as a fighter enters their veteran days.
Such seems to be the case these days with WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto, who was in line for a December 4th showdown with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. but has now elected to sit out the remainder of 2010 in hopes of letting the fight with the Sinaloa, Mexico fighter marinate. Chavez Jr. pulled out of the Cotto clash after some confusion with his new trainer Freddie Roach in regards to their preparation for the bout and Cotto didn?t seem to think that either replacement, former champion Kermit Cintron or undefeated Vanes Martirosyan, were worthy of his time.
<--- Slideshow: Images of Miguel Cotto throughout the years
While many would love to see Miguel fight again no matter whom the foe would be, you can?t really knock his actions. Turning 30 years old in less than a month?s time, Cotto was fortunate enough to revive his career earlier this year with a 9th round stoppage over Yuri Foreman and he seems to recognize that he must capitalize on every move he makes at this point. So instead of seeing the Boricua star do battle on the 4th Cotto is instead laying in the cut with three possible opponents floating in his head.
The first is of course Chavez Jr., as a matchup with the 24-year old had several people talking in advance. Young Chavez has turned his career around since linking up with trainer Freddie Roach and his riveting decision win over John Duddy on June 26th was a fine showcase of non-stop punching and tenacity. Seeing whether or not Cotto could break the younger man down would be interesting to say the least.
In an exclusive with BoxingScene.com it was revealed that Cotto?s legal advisor Gabriel Penagaricano stated his fighter would also be open to rematches with Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito, the only two men two defeat him until this point. Pacquiao and Margarito are slated to face one another on November 13th at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas and the result of their outcome will surely shake up the boxing landscape.
Cotto met Margarito in July of 2008 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in one of the year?s more enticing fights. Cotto would fight extremely well early on, seizing command and outworking the Tijuana brawler, but he began to fade late and the writing was on the wall. Margarito?s pressure would began to take its toll and Cotto was dropped twice late in the fight before folding for good in the 11th round. It was gut wrenching and physically taxing battle and Cotto?s battered face was a testament the fierce action.
The Caguas fighter regrouped with victories over Michael Jennings and Joshua Clottey at Madison Square Garden before eyeing an intriguing clash with Pacquiao, who had starched Ricky Hatton in horrific fashion in May of last year. Despite his pedigree and proven willingness to meet the stiffest of challenges, Cotto was deemed the underdog to Pacquiao, who was in the midst of an incredible run in the sport. On paper the fight figured to be great clash of styles but people within the sport were whispering that Cotto?s career was at stake.
Also taking place within the MGM Grand, the early rounds of Pacquiao-Cotto were electrifying and the two men trading piercing power shots to the crowd?s delight. Pacquiao would take control after scoring knockdowns in rounds three and four and the action was one-sided over the second half of the fight before stopping Cotto in the 12th. It was a demoralizing defeat and Cotto?s future seemed in doubt.
To Cotto?s credit he showed true professionalism in bouncing back with the victory over Foreman at Yankees Stadium this past summer. Cotto seems strong at 154 pounds and his union with trainer Emmanuel Steward has seemed to give him a new sense of purpose. He is far from a spent force in the sport and will be a challenge for anyone near his weight class.
Pacquiao-Margarito and Chavez Jr.-Gomez will take place within three weeks of one another and when the dust has settled we will also have a better sense of Cotto?s immediate plans. Whether he opts for the challenge of a young upstart or focuses on getting revenge, his next fight is one that will tell us how much Cotto has left on the championship level.
For a picture by picture look at Miguel Cotto please click HERE or continue on to the slideshow at the top left of the page?
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at
