By Victor Salazar
New York - While Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33 KO’s) is the lineal champion at middleweight, the consensus is that Gennady Golovkin (33-0, 30 KO’s) is the best fighter at the weight.
Golovkin is the mandatory challenger to Cotto’s WBC title and it was announced at the press conference to kick off the pay-per-view fight between Golovkin and David Lemieux (34-2, 31 KO’s), that the WBC has mandated the winner of that fight to face the winner of the Cotto vs. Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KO’s) clash that is happening on November 21st.
Cotto’s two fights at middleweight were staged at a catch-weight. When he dethroned Sergio Martinez last year, the catch-weight was 159 lbs. This year he defended his lineal title against Daniel Geale at a catch-weight of 157 lbs. His fight with Alvarez will be at a catch weight of 155.
Golovkin and his team were keen that his mandatory shot at the WBC title should he win will be at 160 lbs.
“There’s history at middleweight,” Golovkin said in regards to a possible showdown with Cotto or Canelo. “Miguel is champion at 160. I want the WBC belt, I need the WBC belt. We fight at 160.”
The managing director of K2 Promotions Tom Loefller explained that since he is the mandatory to the WBC belt, the winner of Cotto-Canelo will have to fight Golovkin at 160 with no catch weight.
“He’s the mandatory for that fight,” Loeffler explained. “Whatever negotiations are, it’s for the middleweight championship, the fight will be at 160.”
Golovkin reiterated that the fight between Cotto and Canelo is an even fight and hopes that the winner gets in the ring with him should he defeat Lemieux, but says the pressure of winning would be the same even if he wasn’t in line to fight the winner.
“I understand my situation and there’s pressure,” Golovkin said on winning the fight to land the winner of Cotto and Canelo. “Every fight is pressure. It’s a unification fight and there’s pressure. For me it’s 50-50 Canelo-Cotto. I want the winner.”