Despite rumors to the contrary, WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33 KO’s) intends to keep the WBC title for a potential bout against Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in November, according to Roc Nation Sports COO David Itskowitch.
Itskowitch confirmed to Fight News that he will do everything in his power, so Cotto keeps the title, which he earned by defeating Sergio Martinez in June 2014, and if the Canelo fight is made, the fight would be for that title.
“We’re going to do what we can to make sure that he gets to keep that title and if a Canelo fight is made, which is everybody’s goal, we would like that fight to be for the title,” Itskowitch said.
WBA Super World middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (33-0, 30 KO’s) was supposed to be Cotto’s next opponent, but both the WBC and Golovkin made a deal with Cotto, allowing him to fight Canelo first as long as the Kazakh is the next in line.
However, this doesn’t stop Cotto from vacating the title if he defeats Canelo, which is still a possibility.
There is no doubt in my mind that Cotto is going to force Golovkin to do a catch-weight if that fight ever happens, but as proven in the Broner-Porter fight, a catch-weight doesn’t always pan out.
The Porter’s figured out how to go down in weight naturally without draining yourself, and it all occurred due to a change in lifestyle, for example, how much you eat and when you eat. I had a chance to speak with the team before and after the fight, and the team chemistry is phenomenal.
Oscar De La Hoya, on the other hand, killed himself to make 145, and as Floyd Mayweather put it, “was a dead man.”
IFBA World Super bantamweight champion Maureen Shea also said in my interview with her that her ability to up and down in weight was about understanding her body and like the Porter’s making natural lifestyle changes.
Golovkin is already in the process of trimming down to 154 lbs. This helps Golovkin on two fronts.
If Floyd Mayweather Jr. chooses him as his opponent for September, he’ll be ready. If Cotto gets past Canelo, Golovkin will be ready for any catch-weight Cotto puts in place.
Either way, I don’t think there is a chance Cotto can avoid Golovkin unless he retires, or he vacates the title.
If he vacates the title, his reputation is certainly going to be shot.
It’s up to him. He’s in a corner, and Golovkin is beginning to cut off the escape routes. As long as he doesn’t pull a De La Hoya, GGG could be the unified middleweight champion very soon.