After month of negotiations, Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez will finally face off this coming Nov. 21, 2015 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
The deal was finally made official and will see the Puerto Rican boxer defend his middleweight title against the Mexican fighter as announced by Roc Nation and Golden Boy.
"This is the fight of the year that true boxing fans have been waiting for between two of the biggest stars in the sport today," Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya said via ESPN.
This development appends the botched negotiations earlier this year which resulted in both boxers facing different foes.
With the previous rounds of talks failing to materialize, Alvarez would end up settling for a match with James Kirkland last May 9. Alvarez hacked out an emphatic third round knockout win over Kirkland.
On the other end, Cotto faced off against Daniel Geale. Cotto won via TKO over Geale in the fourth round of that tiff.
It was there that clamor for a Cotto vs. Alvarez started to move up a notch.
"I will give the fans the fight they want to see," Cotto said. "As I have always said, during my whole career, I am here to fight the best names and the best fighters. This will be another chapter in my career, and I will be ready for him. Fans will enjoy a real fight, another classic battle in the Puerto Rico versus Mexico rivalry."
Even before the fight gained any mileage, Alvarez started conditioning himself as early as June. And now with the fight official, expect the rising Mexican boxer to take it up a notch as he prepares for a megafight which many believe will be far better and reasonable than the highly criticized tiff between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao last May 2.
"Historically, mega fights are made because fans demand them," Alvarez said. "In this case, the fans have spoken out, longing for this fight, and it is my pleasure to say that it is finally happening.
The match seems to go beyond Cotto and Alvarez. Alvarez pointed out that the upcoming fight will most likely take a place in the history of both Puerto Rico and Mexico.
“It will hold a special place in history as part of the big rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico, and I promise all the fans that this is going to be an event that will not disappoint" says Alvarez in the interview.
The agreed catch-weight is set at 155 lbs., something that will favor either fighter.