Cotto: I still haven’t decided about my next fight; don’t listen to rumors

By Boxing News - 01/22/2012 - Comments

Image: Cotto: I still haven't decided about my next fight; don't listen to rumorsBy Chris Williams: WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto has been frequently mentioned as the leading candidate to get the fight with WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao on June 9th in Las Vegas, Nevada.

However, Cotto, 31, is tired of hearing the false rumors about him taking the Pacquiao fight and decided to speak up, saying on his twitter page “Do not pay attention to rumors. I have not made any decision yet nor reached any deal regarding by next fight. At the appropriate time I will be directly announcing my next fight. I am discussing and analyzing options with my team.”

Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, has every reason to choose Cotto for Pacquiao because he’s trying to keep Cotto with Top Rank, as his contract expired last month and Cotto also bring in good money on pay per view. It doesn’t really seem to matter that Pacquiao easily beat Cotto three years ago; if the fight can make money, then Arum will likely choose him as Pacquiao’s opponent.

A big issue that could get in the way of the Pacquiao-Cotto rematch is the weight for the fight. When Cotto was the WBO welterweight champion, he was pushed to fight Pacquiao at a catchweight of 145lbs to make it easier on Pacquiao. But now that Cotto is fighting at junior middleweight (154lbs), it’s not easy for him to get all the way down to 147.

Pacquiao recently said he won’t fight over 147. In other words, if Cotto wants the rematch with Pacquiao, then he’ll Cotto will have to get down to 147 for the bout because there won’t be any meeting half way by Pacquiao.

One can imagine that this doesn’t make Cotto feel too good and it could be one of the leading reasons why he’s not eager to take the fight. When you fight Pacquiao, you got to be prepare to take what’s offered to you or you don’t get the fight.



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