HBO Says No Miguel Cotto-Heiland, Only If Cotto Signs To Fight Canelo

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Miguel CottoA fight between WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (39-4, 32 knockouts and Argentina’s Jorge Sebastian Heiland (25-4-2, 13 knockouts) is apparently very close to being made.

HBO is refusing to pay a license fee for Cotto-Heiland unless a preliminary agreement is put in place for Cotto to face Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in the fall. Alvarez will return to the ring on May 9 against James Kirkland. Negotiations took place earlier this year, but talks fell through when Canelo got tired of waiting for Cotto to make a decision.
Cotto-Heiland is likely to be made, as Cotto’s manager Gaby Penagaricano also happens to be Heiland’s manager.

Logically does it make sense? Yes. Is it a good matchup? It could prove to be. Since losing a close decision to Mateo Damian Veron in June 2013, Heiland has knocked out every man in front of him. With a tight guard, Heiland is very hard to hit, cuts off the ring effectively, and keeps his man thinking. As he proved against come-forward style fighter Matthew Macklin, he is a solid counter-puncher. Heiland landed a straight left hand and came back with a brutal counter right hook to knock out a swinging Macklin in October 2014.

Regardless of who the opponent is, Miguel Cotto is fighting on June 6 in New York. It’s obviously not the fight the fans voted for, but this is a huge test for the four-division world champion. Unlike Sergio Martinez, who had been fighting on a badly damaged right knee since September 2012, Heiland is a legitimate middleweight who has shown power as of late. Although the fans may not be pleased with the potential selection of Heiland, I firmly believe that the fans who watch the fight or attend the matchup in New York will be really surprised by the product.

Some critics will say that Heiland is a bum because he has four losses on his resume and he’s never beaten any of the top guys before, but no one has ever started at the top of the sport. I would give the guy a shot. Orlando Salido, current WBO Super Featherweight champion, has 12 losses. It’s going to be a close fight, and Cotto better stay off the ropes.