Miguel Cotto could eventually face Juan Manuel Marquez in his next fight instead of Saul "Canelo" Alvarez or Gennady Golovkin, who have been linked to the Puerto Rican over the past several months.
BoxingScene reported on Thursday that Marquez's camp is intrigued about the possibility of facing Cotto, who recently won the World Boxing Council middleweight title with a stoppage victory against Sergio Martinez in June.
Nacho Beristain, Marquez's longtime trainer, said in an interview that he is open to the idea of facing Cotto, saying that a showdown between the two boxing superstars has the potential to become a blockbuster since it could also revive the old rivalry between Mexican and Puerto Rican boxers.
Beristain also added that Cotto, who holds a 39-4 record with 32 knockouts, has improved a lot under the guidance of Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach.
"For me it would be a sensational fight, both are equipped with a high school in boxing technique," Beristain said. "I've always viewed Cotto as one of the most technical fighters today, beyond what he's done with Freddie Roach and everyone knows that Marquez is a the best fighter from Mexico to take part in the art. It would be a great fight."
However, one possible stumbling block for the proposed fight is the weight difference between the two fighters.
Marquez fought at 140 or 147 pounds in his last six fights, while Cotto faced Martinez at 160 pounds. Beristain said that the fight will only be finalized if Cotto expresses willingness to go down to at least 150 pounds.
Cotto's camp recently revealed that the 33-year-old Caguas, Puerto Rico native will not fight again this year. He was supposed to make his first title defense on Dec. 13 in New York, but the fight was moved due to his trainer's commitment to Manny Pacquiao.
Gaby Peñagaricano, Cotto's adviser, also told BoxingScene that they are considering several opponents at this point, adding that the four-division champion will fight at a "comfortable" weight in his first title defense.
"Time will tell who - and where (weight-wise) he will fight," Peñagaricano said. "It's wherever he will be most comfortable, and also the best possible situation that comes to surface."
