By Mark Vester
As expected, Oscar De La Hoya is banking on WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto to beat Antonio Margarito on July 26. De La Hoya has made Cotto the frontrunner opponent for his December 6 date on HBO pay-per-view, scheduled to be the final fight of his career.
"Who do people consider the best? Floyd (Mayweather Jr.) retired. He wouldn't fight Miguel Cotto," De La Hoya told Dan Rafael. "I would fight him. People see him as one of the best. I know he has a tough fight ahead of him, but I strongly feel he is too fast for Margarito. I see Cotto winning this fight."
Whether or not this places extra pressure on Cotto is unknown, but beating Margarito, no easy task there, would put him in line for an eight-figure payday and the chance to become a mega star in the sport.
Richared Schaefer, CEO for Golden Boy Promotions, is scheduled to begin talks with Cotto's promoter Bob Arum in an effort to make the fight. De La Hoya had two real options for December, the Cotto-Margarito winner or Winky Wright. Cotto is the bigger draw and much closer to De La Hoya's size than Wright, who last fought at 170-pounds against Bernard Hopkins.
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