The super showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather remains hanging in the balance, giving Miguel Cotto a glimmer of hope that he will eventually get a rematch against the reigning pound-for-pound king.
Cotto, the reigning World Boxing Council middleweight champion, was linked to a showdown against Saul "Canelo" Alvarez earlier this year until the Mexican boxer's camp opted to back out of the negotiation and face James Kirkland after not getting a quick answer from the Puerto Rican.
Cotto is reportedly closely monitoring the negotiation for the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight as reported by Realty Today. And if Cotto gets a rematch against Mayweather, the welterweight contender believes the 34-year-old will give Mayweather a tougher fight compared to their first showdown in May 2012.
"Cotto did give him a very good fight. Up until Maidana, Cotto was the last great fighter that gave Mayweather a good fight," Molina told On The Ropes Boxing Radio. "Cotto did look impressive against Martinez, so I think it would be a good fight. I think Cotto is a great champion, one of the best in this era that we're in."
Cotto, who has not fought since his title-clinching victory against Sergio Martinez in June last year, took a lopsided decision loss to Mayweather in their first showdown, but the Puerto Rican did show flashes of brilliance and actually rocked the unbeaten champion during that fight.
Now that Cotto is oozing with confidence following his knockout win against Martinez and after hiring Freddie Roach as his trainer, Molina is convinced that the Caguas, Puerto Rico native is a much-improved fighter. But when pressed to predict the outcome of the possible rematch, Molina said that he can still see Mayweather winning again.
"I think he'd (Cotto) make it a competitive fight but it's hard to bet against Floyd Mayweather right now, he's already gone down that road and already came out on top," Molina said. "As a fan would I watch it? Of course, you're gonna watch any fight of that magnitude. But if you're asking my opinion, I think Mayweather would come out on top again."
Mayweather, who holds a perfect 47-0 record, has yet to talk about his plan should the negotiation for the Pacquiao fight goes down again.
On the other hand, Cotto, who as a 39-4 record with 32 knockout victories, already has a "Plan B" if Mayweather and Pacquiao will agree to face each other.
According to Fighthype, Cotto will likely defend his title against former welterweight champion Timothy Bradley on June 13 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
