Canelo Alvarez vs. Miguel Cotto Pay-Per-View Revenue Numbers Revealed

Boxing may never see another star generate revenue on a Floyd Mayweather Jr. level, but the numbers from last month's bout between Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and Miguel Cotto paint a promising picture of the sport's future.

HBO's Mark Taffet told Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated that the Nov. 21 fight was purchased by 900,000 homes on pay-per-view and generated $58 million in revenue. Mike Coppinger of USA Today contextualized those numbers:

Alvarez, 25, defeated Cotto via unanimous decision. The win moved him to 46-1-1 for his career, with that lone loss coming to Mayweather in 2013. Billed as a battle between the present and future of boxing, Mayweather's systematic picking apart of the young Alvarez seemingly set his career back temporarily.

However, with Mayweather now retired, Alvarez's star is rising once more. He's won four straight bouts since losing to Money, and last month's prizefight with Cotto was the culmination of that hard work.

Cotto, 35, had won three straight since back-to-back losses to Mayweather and Austin Trout in 2012 and was the WBC middleweight champion before being stripped of the title ahead of his bout with Alvarez.

More than anything, the pay-per-view numbers legitimize Alvarez as a true draw. He's possibly the sport's most popular post-Mayweather face, especially given his robust fanbase in his native Mexico.

Undefeated Gennady Golovkin stands as Alvarez's next likely opponent; that fight could top 1 million buys given the popularity of the young pair. Nonetheless, it is already in question because of concerns over weight-class negotiations.

"I'm not afraid of any fighter. GGG is a great fighter, and he is my friend," Alvarez said, per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael. "I have respect for him, but if we do fight, it's going to be at my [natural] weight class [of 155 pounds]. I'm the champion. I don't have to do what he wants. With all due respect, if he wants to fight right now, I'll put the gloves on and fight him."

Even if Canelo-GGG never gets off the ground, those worried about boxing's demise can take a deep breath. The sport may never see another Mayweather, but the Canelos of the world will keep it going just fine. 

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.