According to promoter Sampson Lewkowicz, the final hurdle standing in the way of a Summer showdown between his fighter, middleweight king Sergio Martinez, and three-division world champion Miguel Cotto has finally been cleared. "That 20 percent that was missing was the name [of the fight]. 'Cotto-Martinez', and now it's ready. I believe that's everything now. As far as I know, there is nothing left. For our part, everything is ready. The fight is in the hands of Cotto now," Lewkowicz recently informed Carlos Narvaez Rosario of ESNPDeportes.com.
An official announcement is expected soon. The bout is set to take place at Madison Square Garden in New York on June 7, the same weekend as the Puerto Rican Day Parade. Cotto, who will be moving up in weight in attempt to become the first Puerto Rican to capture a world title in four different weight classes, is coming off of an impressive showing against Delvin Rodriguez, who he stopped in the 3rd round.
Martinez, who turns 39 next month, hasn't fought since April of 2013 thanks to a broken hand and an injured knee that he suffered in his last bout. Although he won that fight via unanimous decision, it was a subpar showing for the champion, who was dropped in the 8th round of the fight by a fighter, Martin Murray, not known for his punching power. In fact, that was the third fight in a row that Martinez hit the canvas, having also been dropped by Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Matthew Macklin in two fights prior to that. Martinez's age and injuries, combined with the fact that Cotto is moving up in weight, makes the Cotto vs. Martinez matchup that much more intriguing.
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