Some boxing fans were let down by the “Fight of the Century” between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao back in May. I don’t think they’ll have any worries about being disappointed by the next huge attraction the sport will offer up – a PPV bout between Miguel Cotto and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. After months of negotiations, the bout is now official for November 21st at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Canelo posted about it on his Instagram today:
The fight will be televised on HBO PPV, but pricing details are unknown at this point. It will also be contested at a 155 lbs catchweight, but Cotto’s WBC middleweight belt (160 lbs) will be on the line, and technically both fighters weighing in at 155 would make it a middleweight fight.
Cotto (40-4, 33 KO) and Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KO) are arguably the sport’s two biggest stars after Floyd and Manny, and their bout will re-ignite the passionate Puerto Rico vs. Mexico boxing rivalry. Cotto has won three in a row since a loss to Austin Trout, most recently defeating Daniel Geale by fourth-round TKO in June. Alvarez is also on a three-fight winning streak, the last of which came via thunderous KO against James Kirkland in a stadium show in May.
This bout puts the UFC in a bit of a pickle – they have the TUF Latin America 2 card scheduled for the same day in Monterrey, Mexico. With Canelo fighting, especially in such a high-profile bout, I have a feeling that not many Mexicans are going to care all that much about the UFC show. That event will be headlined by a bout between Matt Brown and Kelvin Gastelum.
As a huge boxing fan, this is a fight I’ve waited to see for a long time and it should be amazing.
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