Oscar De La Hoya Says Canelo Will Be Boxing’s Next Pay Per View Star

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    lat-sp-boxing-photo-20140506Oscar De La Hoya may have inadvertently given some answer to the questions surrounding Cotto-Canelo and why the fight is yet to be finalized.

    Many fans want to see Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez fight for the lineal middleweight title on May 2nd. Over the past few weeks it seems as though there are some issues getting Cotto to commit to the fight. Why, you might ask?

    It seems like a pretty standard deal, not from a business perspective, but rather from a logical one. Both Cotto and Canelo would like a big payday, both men have lost to Mayweather, and neither can swim in the middleweight shark tank without risking a lot on a smaller payday. It seems like they are perfect for each other, but DLH knows what is really at stake.

    De La Hoya  sat down with the media recently and discussed a wide variety of topics. In a video published by ESNEWS, De La Hoya gave some incidental information that might explain the hesitation on the behalf of Cotto.

    “The PPV audience is a totally different animal than the audience that’s watching a fight on regular HBO or Showtime,” De La Hoya  told Elie Seckbach when asked what the key to big PPV numbers is. “I mean, to ask a fan to pay money for a fight is not easy.

    “What helped and catapulted a Pacquiao or a Mayweather or Mosley or Hopkins is you need that star fighter and you have to beat that star fighter in order for you to transition into that PPV audience. I’m going to pat myself on the back a little bit. I fought all these guys, they beat me and so now they’re PPV guys. You need that, that name, that marquee fighter that is an established PPV guy. You have to beat that guy.”

    De La Hoya  added later that beating that marquee name is only part of the equation. You also need charisma, a face for posters, and the kind of style that is compelling enough for fans to want to see you again. He gave Mayweather a backhanded compliment later in the interview by stating that Floyd’s “a smart guy and you have to give it up to him for knowing how the system works” because Floyd is able to capitalize off a major audience without having a fan friendly style.

    So how does this relate to Cotto’s resistance? Well, Cotto is a significant draw within the boxing community, and so is Canelo. But Canelo is gearing up to enter an era of boxing free of Mayweather and Pacquiao and if Canelo can get that marquee win then he will position himself as the biggest cash cow in boxing, essentially taking over the reins.

    Canelo has the charisma, Canelo has the fan friendly style, and Canelo has the face, but he is lacking a marquee victory. He lost to Mayweather, but there is no shame in that. He defeated Erislandy Lara, but there is no commercial gain in that. Canelo needs a win over someone just like Miguel Cotto in order to position himself in the driver seat.

    De La Hoya knows how important this fight is for Canelo, and it is certainly important for Cotto as well, but the fight’s significance holds greater importance for Canelo’s future, especially when compared to the significance it has on Cotto’s legacy.

    Cotto’s legacy is pretty much written. He is a future hall of famer and losing does little to diminish his career, maybe nothing. Cotto knows this and he is aware of how much more important he is to Canelo than vice versa.

    De La Hoya  spoke about the void that boxing detractors mention whenever Mayweather and Pacquiao call it quits, but Oscar is probably anticipating the next era eagerly because Canelo is potentially the brightest future the sport has to offer.

    “There’s always a void, but it doesn’t last forever. The great thing is we’ve already filled that void, we already have that guy and that’s Canelo Alvarez. Canelo is going to be that guy for the next 10 years.”

    De La Hoya  gave clarity to some regard on Cotto’s stance. By giving the PPV blockbuster blueprint, De La Hoya indirectly recognized Cotto’s vast importance in the fight over Canelo’s, not from a numbers standpoint, but for the future of the sport and the potential millions to be made once the top dogs retire.

    De La Hoya  recognizes the importance of this fight for all involved.

    “It’s an important fight to make. For Cotto, because it’s a major fight and he’ll generate a lot of money for himself. For Canelo, it’s an important fight because it’s a marquee name.”

    This perfectly sums up the scenario. For Cotto, he should take the fight in De La Hoya’s eyes so that he can make as much money as he can in the little time he has left in the sport. Cotto’s stock will never be higher than it is now, he can legitimately claim to be the defending middleweight champion without a true middleweight resume. He doesn’t want to go through the overwhelming task of fighting oversized middleweights, so why not fight a slightly green and somewhat flawed 154 pounder while making the biggest payday he has left to make?

    It’s simple, Cotto knows what’s on the line and he has more chips on his side of the table than he ever has, or will ever have, in a fight of this magnitude. De La Hoya  is more than happy trading an extra 10% of the purse to Cotto in exchange for the rights to a marquee star win on Canelo’s resume.

    If Cotto wants to be a good sport (and not GGG’s good boy) then he should sign to fight Canelo.

    Cotto can remain a problem by putting off the Canelo fight, but if he really wants to piss off De La Hoya  and Golden Boy then the better plan is to sign the contract and beat Canelo.