"My sources tell me it will be Miguel Cotto; will not be Floyd Mayweather," stated ESPN commentator and world-class trainer Teddy Atlas just minutes after ESPN's Dan Rafael reported that the team of unified jr. middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez was in talks with the team of undefeated pound-for-pound king Floyd "Money" Mayweather for a potential September 14 showdown. Although Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer and Showtime Sports head Stephen Espinoza have both made similar claims that negotiations for that fight are currently ongoing, Atlas, along with a few other industry insiders, strongly believe that it will actually be former jr. middleweight champion Miguel Cotto standing opposite Canelo during the coveted Mexican Independence Day weekend.
"Floyd Mayweather is not looking to fight Alvarez. Yes, it'd be a huge money fight, but Mayweather can make money in a lot of places; that's why they call him Money Mayweather," Atlas explained. "Why take the risk with a much bigger guy like Alvarez? So from what I understand, Alvarez and Cotto, much better bet than waiting to see Alvarez and Mayweather." If that's the case, however, then what does that mean for Floyd Mayweather, who continues to state that he does indeed plan on fighting September 14? It's highly doubtful that there would be enough money available to stage a pay-per-view card featuring Floyd Mayweather, Saul Alvarez, and Miguel Cotto. If Mayweather does fight on September 14 and his opponent is not Alvarez, would a potential Alvarez vs. Cotto clash be moved to a different date? Could they possibly do another split-venue pay-per-view, similar to when Mayweather fought Victor Ortiz and Alvarez faced Alfonso Gomez? Or is there a chance that Mayweather may not fight on September 14 after all? Time will tell.
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