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by Jake Donovan - There were a number of reasons for the first round of negotiations hitting a wall between Miguel Cotto and Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez. The abridged version is that Cotto just felt like it wasn't yet time for the event to take place, at least not this past May, for when the superfight was budgeted.
No longer is there any cause for concern; all matters have been agreed upon for two of the biggest stars of the sport to collide on November 21 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
Still, there was quite a bit of history in leading to this point.
Following the first batch of talks - which were actually tabled more so than having fallen apart - the two fighters went in their separate directions in effort to further their brand. Alvarez made a big splash, knocking out James Kirkland in front of 31,000 fans at Minute Maid Park in Houston, also an event that drew the highest cable TV audience for a boxing in nine years.
One month later, Cotto (40-4, 33KOs) made a triumphant ring return with a 4th round stoppage of Australia's Daniel Geale at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
From there, the two camps were summoned to pick up where they last left off, hoping they would iron out their difference. The fight was eventually agreed upon by all parties and finally formally announced Thursday morning.
If it was an excruciating process, neither side is letting on.
"It was a little long, the process. But that's usual or common when there's fights of this level, of this magnitude," Alvarez noted, taking the glass half-full approach. "I never lost faith that it was going to happen, whether it was here or the next fight. [Click Here To Read More]
No longer is there any cause for concern; all matters have been agreed upon for two of the biggest stars of the sport to collide on November 21 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
Still, there was quite a bit of history in leading to this point.
Following the first batch of talks - which were actually tabled more so than having fallen apart - the two fighters went in their separate directions in effort to further their brand. Alvarez made a big splash, knocking out James Kirkland in front of 31,000 fans at Minute Maid Park in Houston, also an event that drew the highest cable TV audience for a boxing in nine years.
One month later, Cotto (40-4, 33KOs) made a triumphant ring return with a 4th round stoppage of Australia's Daniel Geale at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
From there, the two camps were summoned to pick up where they last left off, hoping they would iron out their difference. The fight was eventually agreed upon by all parties and finally formally announced Thursday morning.
If it was an excruciating process, neither side is letting on.
"It was a little long, the process. But that's usual or common when there's fights of this level, of this magnitude," Alvarez noted, taking the glass half-full approach. "I never lost faith that it was going to happen, whether it was here or the next fight. [Click Here To Read More]
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