Miguel Cotto, 36, will have his final fight this coming December. The only problem is that he has yet to find an opponent. The original plan was to challenge the winner of the Gennady Golovkin vs Canelo Alvarez fight. As most know, that match ended in a brutal draw and will in all likelihood have both facing each other again. There is no date set for now, but it will obviously be beyond December – the month when the Cotto plans to hang up his gloves.
Final fight will push through
At this stage of his career, Cotto has already achieved a lot. He could delay his retirement plans and wait for the winner of the Golovkin vs Alvarez fight.
Unfortunately, the Puerto Rican boxing champion has set his sights on fighting his last fight on Dec. 2nd. According to Bryan Perez, spokesman for Miguel Cotto Promotions, they will resort to plan C. Apparently Cotto and company have prepared for such a scenario.
There are several names to consider. David Lemieux, Amir Khan, Liam Smith and Erisland Lara are interesting names suggested by Boxing News Online. Aside from those, other names that ring a bell include Chris Eubank Jr., Errol Spence, Billy Joe Saunders, Terence Crawford or even Kell Brook.
As one can see, there are plenty of potential opponents to choose from. As of this writing, the Cotto camp has not divulged their targets, revealing that they will decipher the best formula for an event.
The boxing icon faced and won over Yoshihiro Kamegai last month to capture the WBO title.
Kiss Golovkin dreams goodbye
Between Alvarez and Golovkin, the latter loomed as the best final opponent for Cotto. The Puerto Rican already faced Alvarez in November 2015 and lost by unanimous decision. A rematch with the Mexican made sense though facing someone who he had yet to face was more interesting.
With Golovkin expected to opt for a rematch, that dream may no longer be feasible for Cotto. But for the sake of argument, what are the chances of the 36-year-old against the Kazakh KO artist?
Cotto knows that in Golovkin, he faces an aggressive fighter who loves to mix it up. Engaging GGG in a slugfest could be a death wish for "Junito", meaning Cotto will likely use a different game plan.
Hence, it may end up like a stick-and-move affair with Cotto looking to frustrate and wear down Golovkin before going on the offensive. The Puerto Rican does have power behind his punches and one can just imagine the damage it can do if the timing is right.
Back to reality, and all that may never be known. The fact is Cotto needs to find a new dance partner – something that will likely be announced soon.
