Sergio Martinez and Miguel Cotto Express Interest in Possible Bout

[Bleacher Report]

http://ringnews24.com/images/pixel.gifAfter Miguel Cotto's triumphant return to the ring on Oct. 5 with his TKO victory over Delvin Rodriguez, the boxing world lit up about the possibilities for the Puerto Rican star's next bout.

One of the names that popped up more than most was Sergio Martinez, and the fight on many fans' wish lists may become a reality if the two fighter’s camps have anything to do with it.

ESPN boxing analyst Dan Rafael reported that not only does Top Rank CEO Bob Arum like the idea of a Cotto-Martinez showdown, but Sergio Martinez's adviser, Sampson Lewkowicz, also expressed interest in the bout.

Arum explained that the bout would ideally be set up around the weekend of New York's Puerto Rican Day Parade in June and held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Lewkowicz said he didn't want to negotiate through the press but said a Cotto bout is top priority for Martinez.

"So the only thing is that Sergio will accept the fight because he wants to fight the best, and Miguel Cotto is one of the best. There is no question about it, and it would be a competitive fight. We’d love it. We have a Plan B, but Plan A is definitely Cotto,” Lewkowicz said.

Martinez himself also took to his Twitter account to let the boxing world know that he wants the Cotto fight next, and he has his team working on setting up the clash.

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With Cotto fighting in the 154-pound junior middleweight division and Martinez fighting out of the 160-pound middleweight division, a catchweight would be necessary for the bout to take place.

This small dilemma seems to be a nonissue as Martinez's camp already said they would be willing to drop down to 158 pounds to make the fight happen. So, it would be up to Cotto's camp to see if they're up to adding four pounds to Cotto to make the 158-pound limit.

With all the early chatter, it seems that we may very well see a Cotto-Martinez megafight at some point in 2014.

If the bout does take place, we will see just how much Martinez has left after suffering back-to-back knee injuries, per ESPN.

Martinez first hurt his knee in his unanimous decision win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in September 2012, and then hurt it again in his next fight against Martin Murray this past April, shelving the fighter for the remainder of 2013.

Cotto's dominant performance against Rodriguez came on the heels of suffering two consecutive losses at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Austin Trout.

With both fighters having a lot to prove, a showdown between the two would be a widely popular event and should be a no-brainer for both sides to make happen next year.

 

 

 

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