Arum: Cotto Rejected Jessie Vargas, Wanted Brandon Rios
Apr 8, 2016 • 8:39 PM ET
By Rick Reeno
MGM Grand, Las Vegas - According to Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum, former four division world champion Miguel Cotto rejected a potential fight with current WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas.
Cotto (40-5, 33KOs) was in the ring last November when he lost a competitive twelve round decision to Saul 'Canelo Alvarez.
Vargas (27-1, 10KOs) pulled off his best career win last month, when he knocked out previously unbeaten Olympian Sadam Ali to capture the WBO title.
Arum was approached by members of Cotto's team, who are actively looking to secure an opponent for Puerto Rican star's planned return on June 18th in New York City. Cotto is reportedly looking to return to the junior middleweight limit of 154-pounds.
Vargas has been demanding a potential fight with Cotto. Arum presented Vargas as an opponent, but claims he was rejected - with Cotto's team members inquiring about the services of Brandon Rios (33-3-1, 24KOs), who has not been in the ring since getting knocked out by Tim Bradly last November.
"Miguel turned [Vargas] down. I offered Vargas to the Cotto people and he turned it down. He wanted to fight Brandon Rios. And now he's going to fight Diego Chaves....so I hear," Arum told BoxingScene.com.
Vargas' immediate future may depend on the outcome of Saturday's trilogy fight between Manny Pacquiao and Bradley at the MGM Grand. Vargas has indicated to Arum that he wants a rematch with Bradley - win or lose with Pacquiao.
Bradley won a twelve round unanimous decision over Vargas last year. The fight had some controversy when Vargas had seriously hurt Bradley in the closing seconds of the final round - and the referee accidentally stopped the fight a few seconds early as Vargas was attempting to knock Bradley out. The referee admitted afterwards that he mistakenly thought the final bell had rung.
"Vargas, I'm holding him back until we see what happens here [with Pacquiao-Bradley]. Because win or lose, he would want to fight Bradley," Arum said.
