Cotto wants Pacquiao after Margarito

By Boxing News - 07/31/2011 - Comments

Image: Cotto wants Pacquiao after MargaritoBy John F. McKenna (McJack): Famed trainer Manny Steward was quoted in an interview with Ring TV.com as saying that World Boxing Association (WBA) Light Middleweight Champion Miguel Cotto “Will fight only two more big super fights and that’s about it.”

“Cotto is going to fight Antonio Margarito and then a rematch with Manny Pacquiao, or maybe a fight with Saul Alvarez. Like I said, two or three fights. We’ve discussed it all, and those sorts of big super fights are all he wants.”

The 30 year old Cotto (36-2, 29 KO’s) will be seeking revenge against Margarito (38-7, 27 KO’s) on December 3 at Madison Square Garden.

Cotto suffered his first loss as a professional, in addition to losing his WBA Welterweight title, when Margarito knocked him out in the 11th round in 2008.

Manny Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KO’s) took Cotto’s WBO Welterweight title with a twelfth round stoppage in November 2009.

Steward also likes the rivalry of a potential huge fight between Cotto and rising Mexican media darling Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Alvarez, who is undefeated and wildly popular in his native Mexico will be seeking his 12th knockout in his last 14 fights when he takes on Alfonso Gomez. Alvarez and Gomez will be fighting on the undercard of the Floyd Mayweather – Victor Ortiz bout on September 17th in Las Vegas.

The Cotto – Pacquiao fight should be an easy one to put together because they are both with Bob Arum, CEO of Top Rank.

Cotto’s only two losses have come against Margarito and Pacquiao and he wants to avenge both losses before he retires.

Cotto’s resume is impressive and includes wins over Zab Judah and Shane Mosley. Miguel knocked Judah out in the 11th round in 2007 and won a unanimous decision over Mosley also in 2007.

In Cotto’s first fight with trainer Manny Steward in June 2010 he rose to Junior Middleweight for the first time and dethroned WBA junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman with a 9th round knockout.

The fight served as a Christening for the new Yankee Stadium as it was the first fight held there. Cotto’s victory over Foreman answered doubts by some who openly questioned how much he still had left in the tank. Cotto is coming off of a 12th knockout of Ricardo Mayorga in March.



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