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NEW YORK - And now things really get interesting.
After a split-decision victory over Joshua Clottey at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, Miguel Cotto — and by extension Cotto's promoter Bob Arum — is chock-full of options.
Despite fighting much of the night with a nasty cut over his left eye, not to mention getting out-hit, Cotto gutted out a tough victory against an even tougher opponent.
If there were any doubts about Cotto's heart, they were certainly dispelled as he refused to cave under Clottey's relentless pressure before an announced crowd of 17,734.
"He impressed everyone with his guts and determination in the face of adversity," Arum said after the fight.
As a result, Cotto took a big step toward putting last year's loss to Antonio Margarito behind him and now stands back atop the welterweight division. But where Cotto goes from here could ultimately determine the fate of his career.
I doubt anyone would complain if Cotto gave Clottey a rematch, especially given the entertaining nature of the fight and the close decision. I'd certainly watch it again.
Andre Berto also looms as an exciting challenger, as does Paul Williams, the man nobody wants to fight.
But those possibilities are remote, at least for the foreseeable future.
You see, Cotto is hot again, and with hundreds of thousands of fans worldwide cheering his every move, it only makes sense for his handlers to strike while the iron is hot. Why risk a rematch with Clottey or a fight with Williams that Cotto could very well lose when he could make five or 10 times the money fighting, say, Manny Pacquiao?
That's where things get interesting. Both Cotto and Pacquiao are Arum fighters, so there'd be little trouble making that fight happen. And Pacquiao and Cotto would certainly do monster business for all parties involved.
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The problem is, if the Cotto we saw Saturday night is the one that shows up against Pac-Man, he'll be in big trouble.
Don't get me wrong, Cotto looked impressive for much of the fight against Clottey. He mixed his punches up, counterpunched effectively and worked the body.
But he got hit. A lot.
CompuBox numbers show Clottey landing 168 power shots, 41 percent of the 413 he threw. That's a lot of punishment to take from someone who is not nearly as fast as Pacquiao.
If Cotto brings that kind of defense into the ring against Pacquiao, it will be a short night.
Cotto does not need another beating like he got from Margarito or from Clottey. He's 28 and has taken plenty of punishment in the last 12 months from those two fights alone.
What he should do is look at a rematch with Shane Mosley, whom Cotto narrowly defeated in 2007. Mosley beat Margarito handily, and is campaigning for a shot at Pacquiao himself. Why not let them fight for it?
This would give Cotto more time to work on some of the techniques his new trainer, Joe Santiago, implemented for the Clottey fight. It certainly gives him more time to work on his defense.
In the meantime, Pacquiao and Arum can wait for the outcome of Floyd Mayweather and Juan Manuel Marquez. If Mayweather wins, as expected, then you have the mega-fight for pound-for-pound supremacy that boxing fans everywhere are longing for.
The Cotto/Mosley winner could then theoretically face off against the Mayweather/Pacquiao winner afterward. That's a year-plus of continuous boxing buzz that would keep the fan base energized. How great would that be?
But that probably won't happen. Ultimately, money still talks in boxing, so don't be surprised to see a Pacquiao/Cotto fight sometime in the next year. It may not be the fight I want to see, but it'll certainly be interesting.
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