With the announcement of the Mayweather vs. Cotto fight, we can finally let the domino’s fall where they may when it comes to the spring and early summer boxing schedule. A schedule that has been held up for month’s now from the ongoing drama between the top 2 pound for pound fighters in the world, and the good news is Miguel Cotto will not be part of the in house matching or Top Rank tournament that seems to be part of the plan to give hope of a rematch from Pacquiao to Juan Manuel Marquez. Kind of crazy how we got to this point, after all Bob Arum seemed to be hell bent on giving Marquez a fourth shot to try to get a much deserved victory over the Pacman, but somehow the great Mexican counterpuncher got the short end of the stick, and now it seems he may have to beat someone to get another shot at Manny, assuming Pacquiao can get through the well tested Timothy Bradley.

This article is not just about Top Rank per say, it’s about respect. Something Miguel Cotto has not been getting from Top Rank for the last few years. Don’t get me wrong, Top Rank is still the premier promoter, and they know how to develop their prospects into full fledged stars and they did a great job of it with Miguel Cotto, but ever since Cotto took a few knees in the 10th round of his first fight with Antonio Margarito, Top Rank has treated Cotto with little regard for his health and mental state. They made him and the company a lot of money, but the way Bob Arum handled the Margarito plaster of Paris incident was ridiculous, and the fact that he has been in 2 big in house fights versus Cotto and Pacquiao just reassures how ugly of a business boxing can be. Cotto having to cut an extra 2 pounds off of the 147 weight limit even though he was the belt holder at 147 was a clear message to Cotto when it comes to importance and wielding power in the Top Rank Tourney.

Negotiations for a second fight saw Pacquiao’s demands once again push Cotto’s health to the limit. This time it was 147, which is a no go now for Cotto because he has finally filled his body out nicely at the 154 lb division. Cotto countered with 150, but they would not budge. Luckily for Cotto this time around he is a free agent, and you can tell from the way he held his ground versus Pacquiao and Arum. This time he demanded respect in the negotiations. Pacquiao declined his offer to fight at 150 pounds, and Cotto moved on to something bigger and better. Now I haven’t heard many details for his fight with Mayweather, but either way, he is in a great spot. He will make a career high payday and losing to Money May is a win/win for Cotto. If he loses like many think he will, so what. He lost to an unbeaten fighter that many think is the best of his generation. His profile keeps growing, and he is still in line to face one of the many fighters that Golden Boy Promotions has at the every growing junior middleweight division such as Erislandy Lara, James Kirkland (if he gets my Carlos Molina), Peter Quillin, who I believe can still make the weight, and of course the biggest fight would be versus the young star from Mexico Saul Alvarez.

That’s 2 years of fights with plenty of talent and stars for him to make plenty of money and add to his legacy. At least for now Miguel Cotto will be treated with more respect by being able to fight at a comfortable weight and defend his junior middleweight title versus Floyd Mayweather. Only time will tell what happens if he does indeed try to get a fight later this year or down the line versus Golden Boy’s “Golden Child” Canelo Alvarez.

Chris Carlson