Cotto vs Canelo (Photo : Getty Images)
WBC middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez could give Miguel Cotto a rematch in May after their November clash generated a historical record.
Dan Rafael of ESPN reported that Cotto-Canelo generated a live gate of $12,470,200 from 10,198 tickets, according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Rafael added that the fight between the Cotto and Canelo ranks as the 13th biggest gate in Nevada history, just behind Bernard Hopkins vs Oscar De La Hoya in 2004, and ahead of Floyd Mayweather vs Cotto in 2012.
With a live gate record of such amount, Dan Ambrose of Boxing News 24 noted that there is a chance De La Hoya could push Alvarez to have a rematch with Cotto, and the second installment of their epic battle could happen in one of the two major Mexican holidays next year.
Ambrose wrote: "If Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya was looking for a reason to push a rematch between his golden goose Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (46-1-1, 32 KOs) and Miguel Cotto (40-5, 33 KOs) onto the boxing public, I think he may have found a reason. The figures released for the fight probably has De La Hoya licking his chops at the idea of putting together a Canelo-Cotto rematch."
Alvarez was mandated by the WBC to defend his title against Golovkin, but the governing body gave the Mexican champ an extension to negotiate with the undefeated Kazakh.
Boxing Scene also cited ESPN Deportes that Alvarez plans to return in early May as part of the Cinco de Mayo weekend, a major Mexican holiday, and the opponent "will not be Golovkin."
"It appears both fighters are going to take at least one fight before facing each other," the report stated.
"Mexican Independence Day in September would be the expected period of their showdown."
If Alvarez is not willing to defend his title against Golovkin in May, Canelo might as well entertain a challenger that would solidify his star status in the boxing world. That fight could be a rematch with the Puerto Rican middleweight.
Moreover, boxing fans are not too convinced about Alvarez's scorecards being marginally wide from Cotto's, making a rematch between the two more sensible.
While there is no confirmation yet who Alvarez's next opponent is, all indications are pointing at Alvarez to not having an immediate title defense against Golovkin early next year.
This could open up for a potential Cotto-Canelo rematch, considering how their bout last month generated such numbers in PPV and live gate.
