Miguel Cotto has yet to pick an opponent for his next fight, while Gennady Golovkin is set to face Martin Murray this month, but the two fighters might eventually find themselves trading blows inside the ring later this year.
Golovkin, the reigning World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Organization (IBO) middleweight champion, is looking to score another impressive win against Murray on Feb. 21 in Monaco in the hope of landing a big fight.
The 32-year-old champion told Kazakh TV (via BoxingScene) that he wants a shot against Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., but Cotto is on top of his list because he is determined to unify all titles in the division by claiming the Puerto Rican's World Boxing Council (WBC) middleweight title.
"This is the fight that I want," Golovkin said, referring to a showdown against Cotto. "This would be a very good fight for the fans, for television. I said that I want a pay-per-view fight this year. I want fights like Cotto, Canelo, Chavez. Cotto is the WBC champion. I want to get all of the titles at middleweight, so of course I want this fight to happen."
K2 Promotions managing director Tom Loeffler also confirmed to The Sweet Science that Golovkin has Cotto on top of his list of possible opponents.
The promoter added that their camp is ready to accept a fight against the Puerto Rican champion anytime, adding that fans are also showing great interest in the proposed title unification bout.
"Gennady is ready and willing to fight Cotto in a unification fight if Cotto has no big name dance partner," Loeffler said. "It would sell out Madison Square Garden."
Loeffler added that the fight makes sense for both fighters. Golovkin is looking to improve his stock by winning against a top-tier fight, while Cotto is eyeing a big payday. With the possibility of having a sell-out crowd, Loeffler said that Cotto could earn a big paycheck because he is expected to have the lion's share of the purse.
WBC is also expected to force Cotto to defend his title against Golovkin. However, Loeffler is not too optimistic, saying that Cotto might just decide to vacate the title instead of taking a risk against Golovkin, who holds an impressive 31-0 record with 28 knockout victories.
"Cotto knows Gennady is his mandatory, and the WBC will enforce the mandatory after this next fight," Loeffler said. "I am sure Cotto will want one more payday before vacating the title, instead of fighting Triple G, nobody seriously thinks he will fight Gennady at 160."
