By John-Paul Wolfe
It appears that boxing’s two most popular Latin stars will square off on May 2, 2015. News recently broke that current middleweight title holder Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico will meet Mexican superstar Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, and the bout is likely to take place in either Texas or Las Vegas. Cotto is coming off a spectacular performance in which he dominated and eventually stopped the recognized 160lb king, Sergio Martinez.
For Canelo this fight marks his return to boxing’s grand stage following his disappointing loss to Floyd Mayweather in September 2014. Canelo has subsequently worked his way into a fight with Cotto by going 2-0 against rugged Alfredo Angulo and skillful Cuban Erislandy Lara since his sole defeat.
Aside from this fight being one that is sure to entice not only dedicated boxing fans, but also casual observers and sports fans in general, there are other implications that should be noted. Miguel Cotto is currently being promoted by Top Rank while Canelo is steadily with Golden Boy Promotions, and these two entities have refused to work together in the past, costing fans and fighters much desired matchups. Hopefully this fight has brought the two parties closer and they will continue promoting fights together into the future.
This fight also has historical implications as it breathes new life into the classic Mexico vs Puerto Rico boxing rivalry, which has birthed bouts such as Salvador Sanchez vs Wilfredo Gomez, Julio Caesar Chavez vs Edwin Rosario and more recently Orlando Salido upsetting then undefeated JuanMa Lopez.
For Cotto this fight has the potential to further his legacy as one of Puerto Rico’s all-time greats, and for the much younger Canelo, a win in this fight is required for him to remain among the top of boxing’s A-list stars who can pick opponents and demand staggeringly high performance fees.
Also at stake for either man could be a potential re-match against the sports number one money man, Floyd Mayweather. Assuming that Cotto’s middleweight belt will be on the line, the victor of this fight could intrigue Floyd with the opportunity to add another championship belt to his already impressive trophy case. In addition to the supplementary motivations to view this fight it is sure to be a contest that will display skill and heart rarely seen, even at the highest levels of boxing.
Below are links to some of the best fights between Mexican & Puerto Rican fighters:
