The negotiations for the proposed bout between Miguel Cotto and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez did not come to fruition, but trainer Freddie Roach is still hoping that the two boxing superstars will eventually collide.
Cotto and Alvarez were linked to a possible showdown on Cinco de Mayo weekend on May 2. The camps of both fighters engaged in deep talks, but Canelo's camp pulled out of the talks after failing to convince Cotto to sign the contract before the deadline they set last month. Alvarez then decided to face James Kirkland in May.
Cotto, who holds a career record 39-4 with 32 knockout victories, is still looking for an opponent for his next fight. But if he will have it his way, Roach said that picking Alvarez is a no-brainer. However, he is still disappointed that no one wants to give in as both fighters wants the bigger share of the pie.
"Canelo Alvarez is my first choice," Roach told BoxingScene. "I was a little disappointed that we didn't get that fight, because I thought it was a great fight for Miguel. But both guys wanted to be on the A-side, but my guy has the belt. The other guy says he sells more pay-per-view, tickets. It didn't happen."
Roach added that he has already contacted Cotto's camp about their plan, but the Hall of Fame trainer said that legal adviser Gaby Peñagarícano has yet to provide a short list of possible opponents.
Cotto, who became the World Boxing Council middleweight champion after a scintillating 10th round knockout win against Sergio Martinez in June last year, is also being linked to a possible match against Timothy Bradley, Gennady Golovkin and Erislandy Lara.
A rematch against Floyd Mayweather Jr. was also mentioned in recent reports, but the bout will only be possible if the unbeaten reigning pound-for-pound decides not to face Manny Pacquiao on May 2.
Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum said in a separate interview with BoxingScene that Cotto will likely make his first title defense in June. Arum said that Cotto is not in a rush to make a decision, but he expects him to pick an opponent for his first title defense soon.
"Miguel is lucky, unlike a lot of fighters he accumulated a lot of money, he doesn't brag about it. But he's a very wealthy guy and he's been very careful with his money. So he'll fight, whether he'll fight is a decision not made by a guy who needs money. So it'll come when it comes," Arum said of Cotto.
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