LAS VEGAS – Lalabanan ni Miguel Cotto si Canelo Alvarez na walang idedepensang korona.
Ito ay matapos hubaran ng World Boxing Council si Cotto ng suot niyang middleweight title nang hindi magkasundo sa sanctioning fee para sa upakan nila ni Alvarez.
“After several weeks of communications, countless attempts and good faith time extensions trying to preserve the fight as a WBC World Championship, Miguel Cotto and his promotion did not agree to comply with WBS Rules & Regulations, while Saul Alvarez has agreed to do so. Accordingly, the WBC must rule on the matter prior to the fight (and) hereby announces that effective immediately (the WBC) has withdrawn recognition of Miguel Cotto as WBC World Middleweight Champion,” wika ni WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman.
Dahil dito ay ang kanyang karangalan na lamang ang itataya ni Cotto (40-4-0, 33 KOs) kontra kay Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KOs) sa Linggo sa Mandalay Events Center.
Kung mananalo si Canelo makakamit niya ang bakanteng WBC middleweight crown na maaari niyang itaya para sa isang unification bout kay Gennady Golovkin.
Ang panalo naman ni Cotto ang magbibigay sa kanya ng premyo pati na ang $300,000 sanctioning fee na ayaw niyang bayaran sa WBC.
Matapos matalo kina Floyd Mayweather, Jr. at Austin Trout noong 2012 ay kinuha ni Cotto si trainer Freddie Roach.
Sa paggiya ni Roach ay tatlong laban ang naipanalo ni Cotto.
“It’s going to be a great fight,” wika ni Roach sa Cotto-Alvarez fight. “And we are looking for a knockout. We will be the first person to knock out Alvarez.”
Tinalo naman ni Mayweather si Alvarez noong 2013.