Miguel Cotto

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, the 22 year old Mexican boxer, WBC light middleweight title holder and veteran of 42 professional fights, is looking for a fight. He informed RingTV.com in September of his wish list following his domination of Josesito Lopez. The list is three names long and is a signal of intent from Alvarez and a long-needed step in the right direction.

For such a young fighter, Alvarez has been in a lot of fights.

However, when you consider the limited amateur background he has—just 20 amateur bouts—he is actually behind many fighters in terms of in-ring experience. Floyd Mayweather Jr. had 90 amateur bouts before turning pro.

Alvarez has been touted as the next big thing in boxing and has been labelled overrated and protected to equal degrees. In truth, he seems to currently lie somewhere between the two.

Alvarez is a talented young boxer whose rise to prominence was a carefully crafted piece of maneuvering by his management team that took place before he had faced a level of opposition to justify it. 

One thing that Alvarez's intentions appear to signal is that he is ready to show the world that he is what he has been hyped to be. The three names on the list are definitely a sign that he is not happy to sit back and count his cash while facing lesser opposition; he wants to face the best.

The three he has apparently requested in his meeting with Golden Boy Promotion executives are Floyd Mayweather Jr., Miguel Cotto and Sergio Martinez. He has also signaled he would like to fight one of these opponents on May 5th. If granted the opportunity against one of these fighters, who should Canelo face?

Floyd Mayweather

Lets start with the biggest of the three, Floyd Mayweather.

Love him or hate him there is no denying the greatness of Floyd Mayweather Jr. He is undefeated as a professional boxer, a title holder over five divisions and a defensive boxing master. Mayweather has long been considered one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world.

Mayweather combines blistering hand speed with a superb defensive technique, lightning-quick reflexes and pinpoint-accurate counterpunching. OK, in case you couldn't tell, I think Mayweather is the best active boxer around. However, at some point age may begin to creep in and dull one or more of these senses and make the playing field a little more even.

It's not the first time Alvarez has spoken about wanting to face Mayweather.

He stated as much before his bout with Shane Mosley. The fight against Mayweather never happened, but the desire to test himself against the best hasn't gone away.

Mayweather will not have fought in a year come May 2013.

While that is not unusual for Mayweather, a portion of that year was spent in a small cell during his incarceration from June to August of this year. I expected Mayweather to fight in November or December of this year to shake off the rust before taking on a big opponent in May. Maybe he feels he is in great shape and is just planning a May date for a blockbuster fight.

It is hard to tell with Mayweather.

Miguel Cotto

Cotto appears to have vanquished the demons he carried following his controversial loss to Antonio Margarito, a loss made controversial by Margarito being caught with loaded gloves prior to his defeat at the hands of Shane Mosley.

Looking back at the way Margarito brutally wore down Cotto in their first bout has me questioning whether his gloves were loaded going into the fight, a fight in which Cotto didn't send a member of his team to monitor the wrapping of Margarito's hands.

Following a blue patch that included the Margarito loss, a bloody battle with Joshua Clottey and a brutal beating by Manny Pacquiao, Cotto has returned to the top of the game. Moving up a weight class, winning a world title (again), successfully defending the title twice, avenging the Margarito loss and earning a fight with Mayweather has brought Cotto back to the top.

The loss to Mayweather hasn't hurt Cotto's reputation. After all, there's no harm in losing to the best when you drag them through a 12-round battle with you.

Sergio Martinez

Coming into his own later in his career, Martinez has shown himself to be a tremendous fighter in the last few years. His hand speed, movement, accuracy and power have allowed him to defeat bigger men than him in the Middleweight division and achieve several titles in the process.

In his most recent bout against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Martinez dominated the first 11 rounds against his much bigger opponent. He also showed great heart late in the fight to not only get up from a late knockdown but continue to take the fight to Chavez after the knockout. Many would have back peddled to ensure they win on points and not be knocked out.

Martinez, like Alvarez, has also stated his desire to face Mayweather. Will either one get that fight, or will they face each other?

Conclusion

Any one of these fights would be considered a test to Alvarez, who, in spite of holding a title and being an undefeated fighter with over 40 bouts, has yet to face competition of this level. Kintron and Mosley were shadows of their former selves. Rhodes, N'Dou and Baldomir are not even close to the level of competition of the three names on his wish list.

Each fighter brings a different threat to Alvarez.

While both Mayweather and Martinez would bring great hand speed to negotiate, Mayweather also has a defense that many have tried to get through and few have succeeded. With Alvarez's action-packed style, Mayweather could simply sit back and deflect blows before landing perfectly placed counters that will slow Canelo round by round.

Mayweather would also take advantage of the stiff upper body Alvarez often fights with.

With his constant pressure, Alvarez is a pretty static fighter with little lateral movement and almost no body movement. He provides a constant target to a fighter like Mayweather. Mayweather doesn't even have to be half as accurate as normal to hit what's always going to be right in front of him.

For me, a matchup with Mayweather right now is just a bad idea all around for Alvarez.

Mayweather will handle him with ease and Alvarez will be slated as overrated by everybody when the praise should really go to Mayweather's excellence, but that's another story all together.

Like Mayweather, Martinez will exploit the lack of movement Alvarez presents.

Unlike Mayweather, Martinez will also be there to hit. Martinez's defense is simply nowhere close to Mayweather's, and he gets caught by a lot of punches a man with his speed and athleticism should be able to avoid.

If Canelo can avoid Martinez's blows, or even keep so much pressure on Martinez that he cannot get any offense going, Canelo has a chance to knock Martinez out. Chavez almost managed it. Canelo has dedication to the craft and could follow through to the finish.

Cotto is not the fighter he once was, and I mean that in a good way.

The Cotto of old was predictable. He was going to lower his head and bull through you. He swung to the body with fury and then worked the head. Today, Cotto still pressures when the timing is right but has learned to sit behind his boxing and wait for the openings to present themselves.

This calmness and calculated attack that Cotto has added into his game makes him a dangerous opponent for Canelo, who reminds me at times of the young Cotto. Canelo can get ragged at times as he looks to apply more pressure, and this could be his undoing against somebody like Cotto, who is now content to sit and wait.

I think the most sensible fight for Canelo at this point in his career is Sergio Martinez.

Martinez will be coming back from a knee and hand injury, which could take the edge off his speed and a little snap from his punches. He is also fairly easy to hit and has been decked several times in his career, although he recovers quickly from knockdowns and takes the fight to his opponent as he recovers.

Against the other two, I see defeats for Canelo that would be damaging to his reputation.

Against Martinez, however, I think he has a better than even chance of winning. Even if he loses, it will be passed off as Martinez once again being underrated rather than Canelo being overrated.

My choice is Martinez vs. Alvarez.

My prediction is a ninth-round knockout victory for Alvarez.

Current WBC junior middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez is hoping for a huge 2013, expressing that he wants to fight Miguel Cotto and pound-for-pound best, Floyd Mayweather Jr. according to EastsideBoxing.com.

Golden Boy advisor Don Chargin told Eastside Boxing:

“If 'Canelo' has his way, he will fight Floyd Mayweather on May 4 of next year. That’s what his team wants and that’s the fight that he has wanted for the last eight months. 'Canelo' wants Mayweather first and Miguel Cotto second in 2013. Those are the two fighters that he really wants next year.”

Despite "Canelo's" wishes, Chargin said that if he had it his way he wouldn't want Alvarez (41-0, 30 KOs) facing Mayweather or Cotto for another year, as the 22-year-old fighter could benefit from the added time in the ring.

At this point in "Canelo's" career, he has the skill set to give anyone a real fight in the ring, but Cotto (37-3, 30 KOs) and Mayweather (43-0, 26 KOs) are two of the sport's best fighters of the last decade and Alvarez may be biting off more than he can chew trying to fight both of them in 2013.

As noted in the Eastsideboxing.com piece, the winner of the November 10 clash between Erislandy Lara (17-1-1, 11 KOs) and Vanes Martirosyan (32-0, 20 KOs) is who many in the boxing world feel should fight "Canelo" next.

Fighting the winner of the Lara-Martirosyan bout would be the wide decision on Alvarez's part, as it would be one more tune-up bout against a high-caliber opponent before taking on two of the best boxing has to offer in Mayweather and Cotto.

So even pushing a possible Mayweather bout to next May and opting to fight the winner of Lara-Martirosyan this spring and still facing Cotto in the second half of 2013 would be a wiser plan for "Canelo".

No matter which way Alvarez's possible 2013 unfolds, his star will continue to rise and he will cement himself as one of the P4P best fighters in the world today.

Saul Canelo Alvarez, fresh off a fifth-round TKO of Josesito Lopez, is targeting one more fight in 2012 before moving on to bigger and better things in the new year. 

Alvarez, the WBC junior middleweight champion, hopes to return to the ring in December. According to a report from Ernesto Castellano of BoxingScene.com, Canelo's management is hoping that fight will be against James Kirkland. 

Kirkland had previously been scheduled to face Alvarez on September 15th, but pulled out due to injury and monetary concerns. After Josesito Lopez stopped Victor Ortiz, and broke his jaw, he became the next viable challenger. 

Kirkland is currently engaged in a legal tussle with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions over the status of his contract with the company.

If this is not resolved in time, then Alvarez's team will once again be searching for a new opponent.

Regardless of who Canelo faces in December, his team has their sights set on huge things for the new year. 

According to BoxingScene.com, Alvarez's manager, Eddy Reynoso, hopes to book his fighter for a May 4, 2013 showdown against either former WBA champion Miguel Cotto or pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Cotto, who lost his last bout by unanimous decision to Mayweather, hopes to capture the WBA junior middleweight title when he faces champion Austin Trout in December.

Mayweather has also not fought since his May victory over Cotto and after serving 87 days in a Nevada jail for misdemeanor battery.

Either fight would represent a huge step-up in class for Alvarez, who at 22 years old is still establishing himself in the sport.

Sergio Martinez dominated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for 11-and-a-half rounds Saturday night at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas before nearly getting knocked out with just over a minute left in the fight.

Despite the wild finish, Martinez dominated the vast majority of the fight and was deserving of the wide unanimous decision victory he got on the scorecards.

Opinions on a rematch have been split, with some claiming that Chavez's near knockout earned him a second fight, while others point to the ease with which Martinez was dominating the fight before the knockdown as proof the better man won.

For his part, Sergio Martinez doesn't seem terribly interested in a rematch, at least not the one which has been proposed for next year at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas.

"Bob Arum suggested a rematch with Julio, in Dallas, in the American football stadium of the Cowboys with 60,00 people and pay-per-view," Martinez told Jhonny Gonzalez of BoxingScene.com.

"But (I'm not sure about that). There, Chavez does whatever he wants when it comes to the rules...regarding the doping [tests] and things like that - they are less rigorous. They are less demanding than in Nevada," Martinez continued.

Martinez's reluctance to face Chavez Jr. in what is essentially his backyard is understandable. As for the fight he prefers, that too is simple.

"My personal preference, I would like to fight with Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico. It would be a good fight if we reach an agreement on the weight limit," Martinez told BoxingScene.com

Cotto, who lost a spirited unanimous decision to Floyd Mayweather in May, will attempt to regain a piece of the 154-pound title when he challenges WBA champion Austin Trout in December.

Cotto moved up to junior middleweight in 2010 after losing by 12th-round TKO against Manny Pacquiao. He won the WBA world championship in his first fight at that weight.

Martinez too had a successful run at 154 pounds but has not fought there since a highly controversial 2009 draw against Kermit Cintron. 

It is unclear at this stage whether Martinez would be willing to come down in weight or if Cotto would be asked to come up, though it would seem that a catchweight bout is most likely.

Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao seems to be running out of lucrative fights after failing to name his next opponent for a fight that has long been calendared for November 10.

Critics are blaming Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, for taking boxing fans on a roller-coaster ride with his never-ending promise to name Pacquiao's next opponent since he met with the eight-division world champion in Manila early last month.

On August 24, ESPN reported that Arum would name Pacquiao's opponent Monday last week. No announcement happened, but there were unconfirmed reports that Pacquiao will fight on December 8 instead of November 10, though the date was later changed to December 1.

Prior to the ESPN report and right after his visit to Manila, Arum disclosed possible dates when the announcement would be made, but none came. Instead Pacquiao's adviser Michael Koncz said the fighting Congressman is having problems with his politics in relation to his fighting schedule.

Seemingly, the real reason for the delay in announcing Pacquiao's next opponent and official fight date is the fact that both Arum and Pacquiao are looking at the most lucrative fight from among the possible opponents in the Arum shortlist.

Timothy Bradley, who snatched Pacquiao's WBO welterweight crown in a controversial fight held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on June 9, is Pacquiao's weakest link to the lucrative pay-per-view (PPV) market, having pulled Pacquiao's PPV purchase numbers down to around 800,000 when they regularly are over a million buys.

According to Arum, Bradley's low PPV numbers are the stumbling block in the Pacquiao-Bradley rematch.

Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico, who lost to Pacquiao in 2009 via a 12-round TKO at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, was being pursued by Arum as Pacquiao's next foe because of his ability to generate more PPV buys.

It would seem the Puerto Rican ducked Arum by announcing a December 1 fight with unbeaten welterweight Austin Trout at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Probably frustrated with the recent turn of events, Arum is now focusing his sight on Mexican counterpuncher Juan Manuel Marquez.

It may be recalled that Arum expressed a preference to pursue a fourth fight with Marquez right after the Pacquiao-Marquez trilogy bout, which drew protests from mostly Mexican fans who thought Marquez won the fight though the judges ruled Pacquiao won via majority decision.

In the controversial judges' decision, Marquez said he was again robbed of his victory for the third time and wanted Pacquiao to face him for the fourth time in Mexico.

It would not come as a surprise to boxing fans if Marquez lands another lucrative fight with Pacquiao with the blessing of Bob Arum, who originally pushed for a fourth fight between his two cash cows.

Seemingly, this would be another successful deal for the wise businessman and astute promoter, Bob Arum.

Former junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto, fresh off a decision loss to Floyd Mayweather in May, has announced he will return to the ring later this year.

Cotto (37-3, 30 KO) will headline a card on December 1st at Madison Square Garden in New York City, facing undefeated WBA junior middleweight champion Austin Trout. In a statement, first reported by BoxingScene.com, Cotto officially announced the fight earlier today.

Cotto had been previously mentioned, along with Tim Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez, as a potential opponent for Manny Pacquiao in December. It appears as though Cotto tired of waiting for a decision and instead opted to try and regain a piece of the 154 pound title.

Austin Trout (25-0, 14 KO) has held the WBA title for more than a year and a half. He is considered by most observers to be one of the best young fighters at his weight and in all of boxing. But in facing a seasoned veteran like Miguel Cotto, he will be taking a huge step up in opposition.

For Trout, a win would be the biggest of his career. For Cotto, it would add another world championship to an already decorated career.

The fight will be promoted by Miguel Cotto in conjunction with Golden Boy Promotions. Cotto has not signed with a promotional company since his contract with Top Rank expired last year.

With Miguel Cotto's official announcement that he is facing undefeated welterweight Austin Trout, the waiting game for Manny Pacquiao's next opponent has practically ended.

In his Twitter post Friday, Cotto said: "I officially announce that my fight on Dec 1st@MSGnyc will be with the Undefeated WBA Super Welterweight, Austin Trout."

Cotto's announcement leaves Pacquiao with just two possible opponents for his next fight which include Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley. 

It may be recalled that Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum, visited Pacquiao in the Philippines early last month and gave the Filipino boxing star a shortlist of possible opponents for his November 10 fight which included the name of Miguel Cotto.

Now that Cotto is out of contention, Pacquiao has to choose between a rematch with Bradley and a fourth fight with Marquez.

But with opposition from Pacquiao's camp for a rematch with Bradley based on a recent statement from Pacquiao's legal adviser Franklin Gacal, it appears boxing fans will be treated to another 12 rounds (or less) of boxing between Pacquiao and Marquez.

"Pacquiao's lawyer, Franklin Gacal Jr., said Timothy Bradley, who defeated Pacquiao via a controversial split decision in June, is definitely out of the equation," Edwin Espejo of Rappler.com writes.

Bradley is not a popular choice as Pacquiao's opponent due mainly to his poor performance in helping generate substantial pay-per-view (PPV) numbers which make the fight viable. His recent fight with Pacquiao has generated less than 800,000 PPV which is very low compared Pacquiao's most recent fights.

Right after the Pacquiao-Marquez trilogy bout last year, Arum has already set the stage for a fourth fight after Marquez protested the decision of judges giving the fight to Pacquiao. Marquez claimed he was robbed of his victory for the third time.

In 2004, Marquez and Pacquiao fought to a controversial draw in a featherweight bout (126 pounds). Pacquiao would have won via a split decision if not for a scoring error committed by one of the judges, who scored a round at 10-7 instead of 10-6 for Pacquiao's three knockdowns of Marquez.

In 2008, at super featherweight (130 pounds), Marquez and Pacquiao clashed again in a hotly contested rematch in which Pacquiao earned a split-decision victory. Pacquiao's third-round knockdown of Marquez must have influenced the decision of the judges, as they gave the winning score to the Filipino boxing star.

In 2011, Pacquiao and Marquez fought for the third time at a catch weight of 144 pounds in which Marquez lost again via majority decision. But, Marquez protested, claiming he was again robbed of his victory for the third time.

Marquez campaigned hard for another lucrative fight with Pacquiao, but as Arum was on the verge of signing him up again with the Filipino ring icon, Marquez reportedly upped his asking price which prompted the astute promoter to explore a possible rematch with Miguel Cotto.

With Cotto's announcement of his next opponent, venue and ring date, Marquez seems to have gotten Pacquiao in the bag for the fourth time.

TMT Promotions have gained a ton of respect due to their aggressive marketing and signing of new and seasoned talent. 50 Cent, along with Floyd Mayweather Jr., are making a statement in the sport of boxing, and are now a direct competition to the big boys in the promotional game such as Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank.

TMT was able to sign such names as Andre Dirrell, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Andre Berto, Billy Dib, Celestino Caballero and Zab Judah. I am sure that by now, their roster has expanded significantly and will keep growing as time goes by.

One fighter declined an offer to be a part of the TMT team, deciding to stay a free agent in hopes of making his own decisions and making more money by choosing his own career-shaping moves. That fighter who declined an offer from TMT happens to be none other than Miguel Cotto.

“Unfortunately for Jackson and Mayweather, Cotto decided to stay as a free agent, a position he feels will benefit him more as he approaches the tail end of a superb career in the professional ranks,” read an article on TheBoxingObserver.

I think that most fighters that have tasted both being a free agent and a puppet of a promotional company will choose to make their own moves. Of course money does the talking, but for boxing superstars like Cotto, a great paycheck will always be a part of any fight-related equation.

I wasn't surprised that Cotto declined, but I was curious whether other bigger names might follow suit. It's great that TMT jumped on this opportunity and are vigorously trying to add some blockbuster names to their stable. Maybe, just maybe, TMT will turn out to be the next big thing in boxing promotions and promote the fight that we are all tired of waiting for. 

What started as assumptions and speculation has now been officially confirmed: According to RingTV, Manny Pacquiao will indeed fight on November 10, 2012, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“Top Rank requests the date of November 10th, 2012 for a Pacquiao event at the MGM Grand on HBO PPV vs. t.b.a.," read an e-mail to RingTV.com from Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

The only part to be filled in for the event is the "t.b.a." piece, which could be announced any day now, possibly as early as the beginning of next week.

Of the available possible roster, Juan Manuel Marquez, Timothy Bradley and Miguel Cotto are all being equally considered, according to RingTV, to be Pacquiao’s opponent for November.

As far as you and I know, Cotto wants his next fight to take place at Madison Square Garden in New York and possibly has already reserved the arena for early November. If this is true, their rematch won't take place this coming November, leaving Pacquiao with either Marquez of Bradley to fight.

Personally I believe that the Cotto fight would turn out to be the better of the three, though Marquez has shown that he knows just how to handle Pacquiao in the ring.

I am assuming that the decision will be made based on the potential financial benefit. Thus, Bradley might be out of luck, as more people, despite their constant buzzing about not wanting to see that fight yet again, will tune in to Pacquiao vs. Marquez IV.

Of course, since Pacquiao officially lost his bout against Bradley, a rematch might be more desired by team Pacquiao. Thus, Manny might push for that fight. For Bradley, it would also be a chance to show the public that his first performance was not a fluke and that he can indeed definitively beat Pacquiao.

I guess only time will tell what November will bring, and that point in time is very near.