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What’s the Next Move for Miguel Cotto?

Do you agree with "Stacks" on what he thinks Cotto's next move in boxing should be?

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CottoBy Anthony “Stacks” Saldaña

At 35 years old and coming off a loss to Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez the aging Puerto Rican warrior Miguel Angel Cotto must move forward with his best days behind him. Cotto who has never backed away from an opponent comes to the end of a storied career with names such as, Floyd Mayweather,JR., Manny Pacquiao, Sergio Martinez, and Antonio Margarito on his résumé. Miguel, although fighting well against Canelo has few to no options for opponents in the middleweight division and with the junior middleweight division overflowing with young hungry fighters boxing fans can expect Miguel to walk away from the sport of boxing sooner than later. Cotto loyalists have been vocal in their opinion that the Puerto Rican superstar should retire, but his fabulous performance in the fight versus a younger stronger Alvarez, despite defeat, proved there’s still life in the old warmonger yet. Miguel has one fight left on his $50 million three-fight deal with Roc Nation Sports that he intends to honor: “We have one more fight that could be the middle of next year. We have a deal with Roc Nation to meet”. Until then he plans “rest and more rest until next year”.

So what do fans expect in 2016? Well, first and foremost do not look Cotto to fight Gennady “GGG” Golovkin. A fight against the heavy handed Golovkin is not the type of war the smaller Cotto will be looking for in what could possibly be his last fight. Miguel Cotto has never been accused of “Cherry Picking” but has been very cautious of his opponents since his loss to Austin Trout. Does Cotto go back to junior middleweight? With names like Julian “J-Rock” Williams, Jermell and Jermall Charlo, Demetrius Andrade, and Erislandy Lara waiting for a chance to destroy a “Legend” Expect Cotto to stay away.

So what does the ex Puerto Rican Champion and Future Hall of Famer do? Go after another title. That’s what he does. With Cotto’s name and legacy he controls the “A” side. I look for Cotto to come back to New York City in 2016, to “The Mecca” Madison Square Garden for one last title fight. Expect Roc Nation and Jay-Z to go after a low risk high reward type fight. A title shot against newly crowned champion Billy Joe Saunders or Brooklyn’s own Daniel Jacobs. These two names along with the current WBO Junior Middleweight Champion Liam “Beefy” Smith would all be excellent choices for Cotto as he comes to the end of his career. These fights give Miguel an opportunity to fight at home in front of his huge Puerto Rican fan base and end his career as a champion.
Whatever Cotto and Roc Nation decide, we as boxing fans have been blessed to be able to witness a true warrior such as, Miguel Cotto, battle in the ring with some of the best fighters in this era.

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