Miguel Cotto Could Be Next For Canelo Alvarez

Canelo Alvarez added another win to his resume on Saturday by defeating Erislandy Lara in a split decision. Now, the 23-year-old is looking for his next opponent.

A rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. won’t happen anytime soon, and Manny Pacquiao just agreed to fight Chris Algieri on Nov. 22. While Alvarez might not be set to face one of the top two names in the sport, he could be in for a big money fight the next time he steps in the ring.

Alvarez is considering taking on Miguel Cotto. The 33-year-old has looked terrific in his last two fights, and has become a serious option Alvarez.

“‘Canelo’ wants to fight the very best and he’s going to continue to do so. Our options are wide open. Obviously, Cotto’s on the list,” said Oscar De La Hoya told RingTV.com.

“Canelo is hungry right now and he calls the shots. I’ll be sitting down with Canelo and we’ll be going over strategy on what Canelo wants. Canelo has all of the options out there. I’m opening the door for everyone.”

It might difficult for Alvarez to find an opponent that’s performed as well as Cotto has recently. After losing back-to-back fights to Mayweather and Austin Trout, Cotto has seemingly been rejuvenated. He teamed up with trainer Freddie Roach and has won two fights in the last nine months.

Cotto’s victories have put him back in the conversation among the top competitors in boxing. In October, he made easy work of Delvin Rodriguez, registering his 31st career knockout. Last month, he defeated Sergio Martinez in 10 rounds, despite being the decided underdog. Cotto manhandled the favorite Martinez, landing 112 more punches, according to CompuBox.

Even before Alvarez’s latest win, he publicly entertained the idea facing Cotto.

"Without a doubt, that's a huge fight with the fact that he's from Puerto Rico," Alvarez said, via RingTV.com, in June. "That would be one for the history books for the boxing game alone."

The rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico is one of the most heated in boxing, and fans would love to see both boxers get in the ring with each other. Cotto’s bouts with Antonio Margarito were so memorable, in large part, because of the national rivalry.

Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix reports that Gennady Golovkin and James Kirkland are also on the list of potential opponents for Alvarez. Following his win over Lara, the Mexican hopes to be back in the ring in November.