Cotto, 33, could only make 155lbs of the 159lb stipulated catchweight clash and has now left the middleweight door ajar for pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather to attempt a world title at yet another weight division.
‘Money’ fought Cotto in May 2012 scoring a convincing win for the WBA light-middleweight belt and could well seek out a rematch as the opportunity to score a sixth-weight championship is fully on the cards.
It’s a fight that has massive potential, not only for Mayweather but financially for Cotto, who is heading into the twilight years of his boxing career following years of hard battles against the top fighters around. For 37 year-old Mayweather to add more prestige to his legacy, and for Cotto to seal a final mega-money check, the fight could work for all parties involved.
There will no doubt be a long queue of fully-fledged middleweights lining up to have a weighty advantage over Cotto in any future world title challenge, but at this point it seems unlikely that the four-weight legend will accept any such offer. A contest against a Saul Alvarez could also work foer ‘Junito’ if Mayweather and Cotto don’t intend on trying sell a second clash, although you’d have to feel for mandatory Marco Antonio Rubio, who could yet again face a wait to get his chance.
The Mexican previously held on for two years whilst Julio Cesar Chavez Jr tip-toed his way around him before eventually claiming victory, and at this point it’s hard to see Cotto wanting to share the ring with Rubio anytime soon.
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