Miguel Cotto, left, and Tim Bradley (Photos: Naoki Fukuda)
By Chris Robinson
On Saturday afternoon, former three-division world champion Miguel Cotto confirmed what had already been speculated, as the Puerto Rican star announced via his personal Twitter that he will be returning to HBO’s airwaves on October 5th.
Cotto also revealed that he will be working with Top Rank, his original promoter dating back to his pro debut, while trainer Freddie Roach will serve as a new face in his corner.
Definitely some big changes for Cotto, who saw his previous two contests, decision losses to Floyd Mayweather and Austin Trout, be co-promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, with the former being televised by Showtime.
It was looking as if the 32-year old Cotto was to be in line for a September 28th showcase against former titlist Cornelius Bundrage, but word spread that Showtime had no real interest in the fight.
Given the fact that Cotto is a free agent, he pursued other avenues and it looks like his return very well could be against former title challenger Delvin Rodriguez in a venue located in Florida.
With Cotto’s move back to HBO, there was much speculation about what Miguel’s future after Rodriguez would look like, with such matchups with Gennady Golovkin, Sergio Martinez, and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. sparking some lively conversation.
One name that has flown under the radar a bit, and a man that has expressed interest in the past regarding a Cotto clash, is that of WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley.
Bradley is presently lined up for an October 12th pay per view collision with Juan Manuel Marquez and if successful against the Mexico City star, Tim’s trainer Joel Diaz feels a Cotto fight would make sense.
“I think so,” Diaz said late Saturday evening. “I think if everything goes well and we come out with a victory October 12th, I think there would be a possibility of Tim and Miguel Cotto.”
Diaz affirmed that such a fight is something he and his fighter have spoken about in-depth in the past.
“We’ve always talked about it,” stated Diaz. “When we line up the opponents that are out there that fit the category of opponents for Tim Bradley, Miguel Cotto is one of them.”
And, just as he has expressed in previous interviews, Diaz doesn’t seem too intimated by the thought of Bradley locking horns with this version of Cotto.
“He is a great fighter,” Diaz stated. “I think he was no longer the same after the first [Antonio] Margarito fight. He’s slower; he’s not the Miguel Cotto he was before. Before he fought Margarito the first time, that was a Miguel Cotto that was avoided by a lot of fighters and trainers.
“I think he gave his last good run against Floyd Mayweather,” Diaz added. “He didn’t look too good against Austin Trout.”
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Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com