By Miguel Rivera
The president of the World Boxing Council (WBC), Mauricio Sulaiman, feels the time is right for Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (45-1-1, 32KOs) to move up in weight to challenge WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (39-4, 32KOs).
Cotto will defend his title on Saturday night against former three time champion Daniel Geale at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. It's the first defense for Cotto since winning the world title last June with a knockout of Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez.
"Miguel Cotto returns after a year of being away from boxing. He's coming to defend his middleweight title and there is great potential for the winner to become the next opponent of Canelo. Cotto has to win, and walk away without getting cut or getting injured in order to be ready for the next fight."
"Canelo learned a lot in the loss to Floyd Mayweather. He's already had three fights in his comeback campaign and he's looked very good, very strong, very hungry. He is a great fighter and I think it is good time for him to look for the WBC championship at middleweight."
There is one issue. Gennady "GGG" Golovkin is the WBC's interim-champion at 160-pounds and also the mandatory challenger.
Sulaiman says the issue regarding Golovkin's claim to facing Cotto next is being worked out.
"Everyone is discussing this issue in good faith and I hope it all works out so there are great fights for fans," Sulaiman said.