Cotto could have had Pacquiao fight

By Boxing News - 12/02/2012 - Comments

Image: Cotto could have had Pacquiao fightBy Allan Fox: Miguel Cotto (37-4, 30 KO’s) received $1 million plus a percentage of the Puerto Rican pay per view money for his 12 round decision loss to WBA World junior middleweight champion Austin Trout (26-0, 14 KO’s) last Saturday night. While that may seem like good money for the average person you have to remember that Cotto turned down a big money rematch with Manny Pacquiao that would have likely given him many times that amount.

Had Cotto said yes to the fight with Pacquiao, he still may have lost as he did last Saturday, but he’d have gotten big cash and the sting from losing to Pacquiao would be less than it is from Trout. Pacquiao is a huge star, so it’s not as bad losing to someone like him compared to the much lesser known Trout.

For Cotto to get the rematch with Pacquiao, he’d have had to give in to the weight requirements that Pacquiao wanted. However, it’s still hard to fathom Cotto turning down all that money to face Pacquiao, and then turning around and fighting a dangerous guy like Trout for much less cash. That doesn’t make sense, but Cotto much have felt pretty confident in his abilities that he could win the fight and then get a big money bout against one of the top fighters.

It’s hard to say what Cotto does now. Based on how looked against Trout, it might not be a smart thing for Cotto to try and fight Canelo Alvarez right now. Even if the money is good, Cotto should look to rebuild himself with some confidence boosting fights. The only reason I could see him choosing not to do this is if Pacquiao or Mayweather offered him a rematch. If that would happen then of course he should take it, because it could be his last chance at a big payday. However, I think that’s highly unlikely now with Cotto’s loss to Trout. The way Cotto lost to Trout would likely hurt pay per view sales if Pacquiao or Mayweather selected him for a fight right about now.

It’s nothing new for boxers to make bad decisions. Look at Saul Alvarez. He chose not to fight in December thinking he’d get a big name – Cotto, Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Sergio Martinez – to fight him next May. It’s liking more and more like Alvarez will have nothing to show for his blunder because the only fighter that he can possibly get from that bunch is Cotto, who will be coming off of two straight losses.



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