Cotto Outta De La Hoya Sweepstakes
Loss Narrows List Of ‘Golden Boy’s Possible PPV Opponents
By R. Thomas Umstead -- Multichannel News, 7/28/2008 1:13:00 PM
Former welterweight champion Miguel Cotto lost more than his title Saturday night at the hands of Antonio Margarito.
Cotto is effectively out of the Oscar De La Hoya opponent sweepstakes after losing to Margarito by an 11-round TKO in their highly-anticipated July 26 PPV fight .
Actual buys for the HBO PPV-distributed event were not available at press time.
De La Hoya -- who’s proposed September rematch fight with Floyd Mayweather was called off after Mayweather’s surprise retirement from boxing – is llooking for an opponent for a potential Dec. 6 PPV event. Cotto was one of several fighters being considered, but his loss – his first after 32 straight wins – most likely has taken him off the list of potential opponents.
"The welterweight division is very hot right now, loaded with great fighters …there had been reports that [former welterweight champion] Felix Trinidad, [lightweight champion] Manny Pacquiao and Cotto were among the candidates for Oscar's December 6 fight, but we have to speak with Golden Boy to see who they are currently considering,” said HBO senior vice president of sports operations and PPV Mark Taffet. “We expect to hear from them shortly.”
In the meantime, the network has several PPV fights lined up for fourth quarter 2008. The network will distribute a Sept. 13 world lightweight championship fight between champion Joel Casamayor and former champ Juan Manuel Marquez.
Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik will take on former division champion Bernard Hopkins in an Oct. 18 fight card, while veteran light heavyweights Roy Jones Jr. and Joe Calzaghe will tangle in a Nov. 8 PPV event in New York.
“With pay-per-view fights scheduled for Sept. 13, Oct. 18 and Nov. 8 -- as well as Oscar's December 6 fight -- 2008 should finish very strong," Taffet said.
