Cortez Believes Miguel Cotto Will Get a Crack at WBO Title

By Miguel Rivera

A few days ago, the president of the World Boxing Organization (WBO), Francisco 'Paco' Valcarcel, embraced the idea of having Miguel Cotto (40-5, 33KOs) fight for the vacant WBO junior middleweight world title - once current beltholder Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez moves up to the middleweight division.

Canelo captured the WBC middleweight title when he won a very competitive twelve round decision over Cotto last November at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Cotto has been inactive since losing that fight, because of issues with securing an opponent. He is expected to return in early 2017 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Canelo has since vacated the WBC world title and moved down in weight, and last month he captured the WBO junior middleweight title with a knockout of unbeaten Liam Smith. Cotto is also planned to return to 154-pounds. 

"I think that Canelo is on his way to 160 pounds to evaluate the possibility of a match against Gennady Golovkin in September. But that's what I think might happen," Valcarcel said to El Vocero.

Once Canelo moves up to 160, Valcarcel says the door is wide open for Cotto to fight for the vacant WBO title.

"Miguel Cotto is ranked with us. The doors are open. The day Canelo goes up, of course there is the opportunity for Miguel [to fight for the title]. He is there," said Valcarcel.

Hall of Fame referee Joe Cortez, who is now an expert analyst for multiple outlets, including a few in Puerto Rico, believes the WBO will indeed give Cotto the opportunity to fight for their belt.

The next contender in line is Demetrius Andrade [ranked at 2], but he is currently going for WBA 'regular' champion Jack Culcay. That circumstance would allow Cotto, ranked at third, to fight the highest available contender in the top ten. Canelo was ranked at number 1 before knocking off Smith.

 "I think it's a good chance that the World Boxing Organization will be opening the doors to Miguel Angel Cotto. He is a fighter who has a great opportunity to continue making history and continue adding world titles. It is a good time [to do it], so the years do not go in vain. Miguel has been a five time world champion and a sixth championship would put him in a much higher position than he is currently in, raise his present stock as a superstar in the sport and also elevate his standing in Puerto Rico," Cortez said.

The first time Cotto became world champion, was against Kelson Pinto in 2004. At that time he captured the WBO super-lightweight title, which he defended five times. In 2009 he returned to the WBO by winning the welterweight crown against Britain's Michael Jennings, a belt Cotto lost later that year to Manny Pacquiao. Since then Cotto has not gone after a WBO world title.