Miguel Cotto has suddenly become the most sought after fighter for 2014. Last week rumors surfaced regarding a HBO Boxing Card headlined by Cotto vs Sergio Martinez for early next spring and today Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions reached out to Cotto for a fight of their own.
Schaefer had this to say to BoxingScene.com:
“The main topic of discussion was a potential Canelo fight. I made him a very lucrative offer, eight figures…well in excess of $10 million dollars. He said he is going to let me know what he decides to do. I told him it could be a one fight deal or a series of fights, whatever he wants to do.”
Cotto remains a wildly popular boxer and that appeal is what is driving his recent surge of popularity. His last fight proved that he can dedicate himself physically and can compete at a high level once again.
The appeal of a Mexican vs Puerto Rican rivalry PPV main event is something I’m sure Golden Boy would love in terms of the Cotto vs Canelo bout. It’s one of boxing’s best historical match ups and these are two of the biggest boxing stars from those areas.
The Cotto vs Martinez fight would probably make for a better in ring product, with Martinez being the more polished boxer, but HBO couldn’t offer the promotional strength that Showtime could at this point. A benefit for Cotto would be the opportunity to fight in the NYC area; either at MSG or the Barclays Center. Cotto has a huge Puerto Rican following in New York City and packs the arena with all of his fans when he fights there.
A third option would be fighting a lesser quality opponent in Peter Quillin in hopes that he lands the Floyd Mayweather Jr. rematch in September 2014.
“If Miguel wants to fight for a Middleweight title, and he wants to fight in New York, he can go and fight Peter Quillin… no problem. And he won’t have to go split 50-50 with Martinez.” said Schaefer.
Showtime would surely reward him for fighting under their umbrella and his payday against Mayweather would be unmatched by any of the previous proposals. It’s widely thought that Cotto has given Mayweather the most trouble to date and that a rejuvenated Cotto would stand up very well in a rematch.
I wouldn’t bet against Showtime/GBP at this point. They are currently on top of the boxing world and can offer Cotto a lot more money than HBO Boxing/Top Rank.