Will Miguel Cotto vs. Sergio Martinez Decide Canelo’s Next Rival?

By Vitali Shaposhnikov - 03/10/2014 - Comments

This past Saturday night, Alfredo Angulo (22-4-0) stepped inside the ring with the hope of proving to boxing fans as well as himself, that he is ready to face and beat top competition, eager to confirm that by defeating Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (43-1-1). The outcome was something that most boxing fans did not see coming: an absolute physical as well as psychological domination of Angulo by Canelo.

Not only was Alvarez able to land solid combinations all night long, he got nothing in return from Alfredo, who seemed to struggle to deliver anything of value from bell to bell.

Burying his loss to Mayweather Jr. a little deeper by showcasing himself against Angulo, Saul’s confidence and stock is once again on a steep rise. As always, even before the fight was officially waved off by Tony Weeks, fans were whispering, already deciding on who Alvarez needs to face next.

The first and most announced name was Erislandy Lara (19-1-2), who had faced and claimed a victory over Angulo in 2013. While their fight ended in a fashion that leaves much to hypothesizing, Lara was stamped with a “W” on his record.

While they have now have two opponents in common (Angulo and Trout), and would make a good match-up if they faced each other next, Canelo had made it clear that he is unlikely to fight Lara next, stating that Lara would have to wait his turn. Of course without a better explanation of why Lara is not a legitimate opponent for Alvarez, Saul is leaving many boxing fans and critics with question marks popping up in their minds.

If that’s the case, than logic dictates that the winner of Cotto vs. Martinez would be the next in line to challenge Alvarez to a fight. While this is a justifiable way of filtering out and by the process of elimination coming to a worthy opponent, it is guaranteed that neither Cotto nor Martinez will be ready to step back inside the ring for a lengthy while, much longer than team Alvarez should wait for.

Rumors have it that Canelo is ready to get back to work sometime this coming summer, meaning that his opponent should be selected soon, and Lara is ready and willing to accept any terms in order to secure a fight that most fans are looking forward to seeing.

Is Alvarez using the kind of selection tactic that might land him in an uncomfortable, career-stalling position?

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