Miguel Cotto No Longer Recognized as WBC Middleweight Champion

Just days before Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez will clash in a highly anticipated catchweight bout Saturday, the World Boxing Council made the decision to stop recognizing Cotto as its middleweight champion.  

The WBC announced the decision Tuesday on the basis that the Puerto Rican superstar has not followed the rules and regulations set forth by the council:

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After several weeks of communications, countless attempts and good faith time extensions trying to preserve the fight as a WBC World Championship, Miguel Cotto and his promotion did not agree to comply with the WBC Rules & Regulations, while Saul Alvarez has agreed to do so.  Accordingly, the WBC must rule on the matter prior to the fight.

The WBC hereby announces that effective immediately has withdrawn recognition of Miguel Cotto as WBC World Middleweight Champion. If Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez wins the fight against Cotto, he will be recognized as the WBC middleweight world champion.

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ESPN.com's Dan Rafael reported that sources told him Cotto refused to pay a sanction fee he had previously agreed to with the WBC.

On Thursday, Cotto spoke about the fee and the WBC championship.

"I don't need a belt to fight Canelo," Cotto said, via Rick Reeno of BoxingScene.com. "I get to keep $1.1 million in my banking account, it's better for me."

He continued:

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We're having so much problems right now, in these days, with boxing organizations, because they make too many champions in one division. And then every guy believes they have the right to face the champion right now, like Golovkin, and I have to pay him $800,000 buck just to move away to make the fight with Canelo. It's not fair for me. It's not fair to the boxing. It's not fair for us as the boxer and it's not fair for the fans.

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Despite the fact that Saturday's fight in Las Vegas will be fought at a catchweight of 155 pounds, the WBC, Lineal and The Ring middleweight titles are all scheduled to be on the line.

Regardless of the bout's result, however, a new WBC middleweight champion will be crowned at some point in the near future.

That accolade will belong to Alvarez should he win, but if the 25-year-old star from Mexico loses for the second time in his professional career, the belt will go to interim champion Gennady Golovkin, as revealed by WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman to Matt Christie of BoxingNewsOnline.net.

The WBC gave no specifics regarding the rules the 35-year-old Cotto failed to abide by, but it is possible that his affinity for catchweight fights, in addition to the potential monetary issue, rubbed the council the wrong way.

The stakes remain high for the biggest boxing encounter since Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeated Manny Pacquiao in May, but as far as the WBC is concerned, only one man will be competing for its championship Saturday night.

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