By Raj Parmar: Boxing critics and fans have been largely divided between who they feel will win the much anticipated encounter between Saul ‘Canelo” Alvarez and Miguel Cotto tomorrow night. The match-up will be a another important chapter in the infamous Mexican-Puerto Rican rivalry that exists in boxing and will help clear up the some of the smoke that clouds the middleweight division currently.
Both Cotto and Canelo are two of the biggest draws in boxing now that Floyd Mayweather has retired and Manny Pacquiao has significantly faded from the spotlight. Mayweather retired without a loss and Pacquiao lost to Mayweather; meaning both stars have largely left boxing without recently losing to an active fighter.
This has created a temporary void in the sport as Floyd and Pacquiao themselves captured the spotlight by defeating then superstar Oscar De La Hoya; and that spotlight has since not been currently thrust on another fighter. The rise of KO specialist Gennady Golovkin has excited the boxing community but he is lacking the star appeal that comes when one defeats a superstar name.
This has led to the possibility that the winner of the Cotto vs Canelo showdown will be the one to fill the superstar void boxing currently has. As Cotto has made it no secret that he plans to call it quits after a couple of more fights, one must wonder if it’s better for the sport if Canelo comes out victorious?
The WBC organization has also withdrawn recognition of Cotto as the middleweight champion due to a dispute over sanctioning fees. Cotto carries the lineal middleweight championship that goes back to the days of legendary middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins (Hopkins – Jermain Taylor – Kelly Pavlik – Sergio Martinez – Cotto) and will likely not fight at middleweight anymore since he has no title to defend and is naturally a junior middleweight.
Therefore if Cotto were to score the victory over Canelo, the middleweight lineal championship will be gone and Gennady Golovkin will likely attain middleweight king status without having fought the previous champion in Cotto. Boxing will also suffer an even bigger superstar void as if Cotto retires shortly after Saturday night, there’s another superstar who leaves without “passing the torch”.
Canelo on the other hand will attain the middleweight lineal title as well as WBC title with a win, and has shown some openness to step into the ring with the dangerous Golovkin afterward. Alvarez is also in his prime at an age of 25 with many fighting years ahead of him. Boxing as a sport therefore may be put in a better position long term with Canelo getting this important win and staring to help fill the superstar void Mayweather and Pacquiao have left behind.
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