Miguel Cotto Climbs Back To a Very Strong Position

By Francisco Salazar

It is amazing how a fighter's career can go from the valley of defeat to the pinnacle of success within an 18-month period.

Take the case of Miguel Cotto.

It was December 1, 2012 when Miguel Cotto lost a 12 round unanimous decision to Austin Trout in front of a partisan crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Almost six months prior to that loss, Cotto lost a twelve round decision to Floyd Mayweather.

There were some who wondered whether it was the end of the line for the popular Puerto-Rican fighter, who one day will be enshrined at the International Hall of Fame in Canastota, N.Y.

After a much-needed rest and a switch to trainer Freddie Roach, Cotto is enjoying the fruits of his success.

He demolished Delvin Rodriguez inside a sold-out Amway Center in Orlando in October of 2013 and then moved up in weight to become the first Puerto Rican fighter to capture four divisional titles with a brilliant and one-sided TKO of linear middleweight champion Sergio Martinez on June 7.

It was a great year for Cotto in 2014, but things could be picking up for Cotto in 2015.

Cotto has a lot of viable and lucrative possibilities for his first fight in 2015, all that could bring a significant gate, seven-figure purses, and greater options for later this year.

There is a likelihood Cotto will face Saul "Canelo" Alvarez on May 2. The fight could possibly land in Las Vegas, San Antonio, or Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Negotiations are ongoing, but Oscar De La Hoya, who promotes Alvarez, stated that terms are agreed upon on their side of the table. De La Hoya and Alvarez have recently taken to social media to pressure Cotto to sign for the fight.

Cotto is not one to cave in to social media or public pressure, especially if he thinks he's the "A" side of the promotion. Cotto will only sign on the dotted line when the terms are satisfactory, especially from a financial perspective.

And there is a potential rematch with Floyd Mayweather, also for May 2. Al Haymon, who advises Mayweather, reportedly reached out to Cotto's people about a possible fight.

That may be a hard sell on boxing fans, considering the first fight was somewhat one-sided, even though the fight was competitive. Still, the right amount of money, especially more than is offered to fight Alvarez, could persuade Cotto to face Mayweather.

With no fight against Manny Pacquiao on the horizon, Cotto could be the fighter to provide Mayweather with a guarantee of generating above average pay per view sales.

Both fights could take place at the 154-pound limit, but then there is another opportunity for Cotto. There is an outside possibly of a matchup between Cotto and Andy Lee. Cotto has the WBC middleweight title, while Lee just captured the WBO title on December 13. Lee has a mandatory date against Billy Joe Saunders, but a fight at Madison Square Garden in New York City could draw a full house of Puerto Rican and Irish fans.

Speaking of that WBC title, a middleweight could have his eyes set on Cotto and the belt. Gennady Golovkin has expressed an interest in fighting Cotto because of the WBC title. It is no secret Golovkin wants to unify the middleweight titles. Cotto is more of a junior middleweight and had stated in previous interviews he would give up the WBC title than face Golovkin.

A Cotto fight would bring significant interest and would likely sell out Madison Square Garden in New York City or Southern California's Staples Center or The Forum.

For now, Cotto is in good shape. A rejuvenated career and a world class trainer in Freddie Roach in his corner has brought Cotto to the forefront of possible big fights.

A fight against Alvarez is what will likely happen more so than fights against Mayweather, Lee, or Golovkin - but do not overlook those fights out for later this year.

Cotto has come a long way from that night when Austin Trout not only defeated him, but where some questioned whether Cotto should continue fighting. After his resounding victories over Delvin Rodriguez and Sergio Martinez - Cotto is back.

Who knows what the next 18 months will hold for Cotto. But it will be fun to see him fight against some of the best in the sport.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for Boxingscene.com since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Salazar also covers boxing for the Ventura County (CA) Star newspaper, RingTV, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing