What is Next for Miguel Cotto?
Heading into his fight against Yuri Foreman on June 5 at Yankee Stadium, Miguel Cotto was at a definite career crossroads. He was coming off of a 12th round stoppage against Manny Pacquiao in his last fight seven months earlier where he looked slow and tired – especially in the later rounds. Cotto was tough and game but took lots of punishment against Pacquiao. Many people wondered if a career built on taking punches to deliver punishment in return had finally taken their toll.
If Cotto needed a standout performance against Foreman, he was able to deliver it. Moving up from welterweight to challenge Foreman for the WBA junior middleweight crown seemed to make a big difference for Cotto. Many times, an older fighter can look sluggish and tired because they have been sapped of energy trying to make weight. Fighting at 154 pounds, Cotto seemingly had renewed energy and a spring in his step as he was able to find and hurt the speedy Foreman before the bout ended in a ninth round TKO after Foreman wrenched his knee a round earlier.
The victory salvaged Cotto’s career. Instead of talking about his pending retirement, boxing fans began wondering who Cotto would fight next. Several potential options appeared and while nothing has been formalized yet there are attractive elements in each opportunity for Cotto.
One of the most surprising possibilities is that Cotto could square off against Pacquiao in a rematch of their fight last year. Cotto has been mentioned (along with Antonio Margarito) as a potential replacement fighter if Floyd Mayweather doesn’t come to terms on a deal to fight Pacquiao in November. On the surface, the generally one-sided nature of the first fight between Cotto and Pacquiao would make a rematch not seem attractive. However, the fact that the bout would apparently be fought at the catch weight of around 150 pounds – allowing the fight to be for Cotto’s new junior middleweight title.
Cotto’s new trainer Emanuel Steward said that Cotto was drained by having to make the catch weight of 145 pounds in their first meeting. The new 150 pound catch weight would eliminate this problem and allow Cotto to take greater advantage of his significant size and strength advantage over Pacquaio. It’s worth noting that Cotto looked good in the first few rounds before he faded in the middle rounds against Pacquiao. Fighting at a more natural weight might allow him to be fresher as the fight goes into the later rounds, along with carrying more power in his punches.
Another potential opponent for Cotto is another rematch, this time against Margarito. Their first meeting in July 2008 ended when Cotto’s corner threw in the towel after he was dropped twice in the 11th round and cost Cotto the WBA welterweight title. However, many people have questioned the validity of the victory since Margarito was found to have used illegal hand wraps in his loss to Shane Mosley six months later. While nothing has been proven, there has been speculation that Margarito’s power in previous fights – such as the one against Cotto – received a significant assist from loaded hand wraps.
However, Margarito might not be available as an opponent for Cotto – or Pacquiao. Margarito was suspended for one year following the Mosley fight by the California athletic commission. The Nevada athletic commission recently tabled his attempt at reinstatement, claiming that Margarito needed to get reinstated in California first. Margarito’s ability to fight either Cotto or Pacquiao in the United States is definitely in doubt.
So if Pacquiao does fight Mayweather, where does that leave Cotto. One possible option is a match against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who recently looked impressive in beating John Duddy. Chavez Jr. moved up to middleweight for the bout against Duddy, but his trainer Freddie Roach said that he could easily move back down to junior middleweight if needed. A bout against Cotto would be a big money fight and something that could be a very compelling match-up.
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