By Mark Vester
The next fight for Miguel Cotto is already taking shape. Cotto returned on Saturday in New York's Madison Square Garden, pounding away on Michael Jennings for five rounds to capture the vacant WBO welterweight title. Top Rank says the likely plan is to bring Cotto back to New York in June, at MSG, on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade.
According to sources in Top Rank, the two opponents at the top of the list to face Cotto in June are Joshua Clottey, who is the IBF welterweight champion, and the other candidate is fellow Puerto Rican fighter Kermit Cintron.
Cotto-Clottey is the easier fight to make. Both of them promoted by Top Rank. Clottey is also a very tough opponent and avoided by most fighters for good reason. He doesn't pack a knockout punch but he does hit hard enough to cause damage. Clottey has an iron chin and his defensive skills are very good. Clottey's biggest flaw is his lack of speed. He also tends to start slow in some fights. Cotto's much quicker hands and overall movement would be his biggest weapons.
Cotto-Cintron is worth alot more money. A fight between two Puerto Rican fighters on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade is a very marketable event in New York. Cintron is a former champion who only lost twice. Both defeats came at the hands of Antonio Margarito, the same man to hand Cotto his only loss. Cintron is a bigger puncher than Clottey but he doesn't have Clottey's iron chin and he tires in the late rounds.
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