If middleweight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. gets beyond next month’s defense of his WBC crown against Marco Antonio Rubio, he will look to face WBA junior middleweight titleholder Miguel Cotto next, as long as Cotto is not picked to face WBO welterweight beltholder Manny Pacquiao, Top Rank Inc. CEO Bob Arum told RingTV.com on Thursday.
Chavez (44-0-1, 31 knockouts), of Mexico, will meet Rubio at the Alamodome on HBO on Feb. 4, and Cotto (37-2, 30 KOs), of Puerto Rico, is among four candidates being considered as an opponent for Pacquiao, along with WBA/WBO lightweight titleholder Juan Manuel Marquez, IBF/WBA junior welterweight beltwinner Lamont Peterson and WBO division counterpart Tim Bradley.
“We have to do what’s best for the fighters,” said Arum, who promotes Cotto and Chavez. “And for me, if Chavez is successful against Rubio, then the big fight for him — the big, big fight for him — is Miguel Cotto if Cotto is not fighting Manny.”
Arum’s assertion comes in the wake of Thursday’s announcement by the WBC which mandates that the winner of Chavez-Rubio face whoever wins the clash between RING middleweight champion Sergio Martinez. (48-2-2, 27 KOs) and Mathew Macklin that is slated for March 17 at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
“We’ve sent a notification to the WBC requesting that they sanction the Chavez-Rubio fight. If they do, fine, if they don’t, fine, we’re not concerned,” said Arum. “I hope that the WBC sanctions that fight, but if they don’t, they don’t. It doesn’t matter anymore.”
