By Mark Vester
A decision on Miguel Cotto's June 13 opponent may be decided in the next week. The fight should take place at New York's Madison Square Garden on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade. According to Cotto's promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank, three options will be presented to Cotto, which include unbeaten WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto, IBF champion Joshua Clottey and former champion Kermit Cintron. The final decision will be up to Cotto.
"It is in the hands of Cotto. It's for Miguel to decide. I expect to present him [next week] with the names. The money could be different depending who the opponent is, and Cotto has to decide," Arum told El Nuevo Dia.
Cotto's original opponent was set to be Antonio Margarito in a rematch. Those plans went down when Margarito's boxing license was revoked by the California State Athletic Commission on February 10 when a hearing was held to discuss a foreign substance found on the fighter's hand wraps before the Jan. 24 bout with Shane Mosley. Arum told the paper that Margarito's lawyer is trying to overturn the decision by the CSAS, but it's going to take some time.
"With Antonio Margarito, what is happening is that his lawyer went before the commission in California, is trying overturn the punishment by the commission, but that is going to take time, and I do not want to hold up the plans of Miguel. If the lawyer is successful and Miguel desires, in October or November he would be able to fight against Margarito," Arum said. "There would not be enough time to make a fight between Cotto and Margarito for June."
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