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The organization announced Tuesday it has stripped recognition of Cotto as its champion for failure to adhere to unspecified rules. USA TODAY Sports has reached out to WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman for clarification.
Although Cotto won’t be introduced as the WBC beltholder Saturday, BoxingJunkie’s No. 2 160-pounder more importantly remains the lineal champ. Canelo, if he’s victorious, will still capture the title.
“The WBC’s decision is premised on the fact that Miguel Cotto and his camp are not willing to abide by the governing WBC Rules & Regulations, and the specific conditions the WBC established to sanction the fight,” a statement on the WBC’s official website read. “Simply put: they are not willing to respect the very same rules and conditions which applied to Cotto becoming WBC champion. The WBC wishes Miguel Cotto the best of luck as we truly regret the course of action which led to them taking such decision.”
Cotto, 35, won the title with an 10th-round stoppage of Sergio Martinez in 2013. Since his move to middleweight, all of Cotto’s bouts have been contested at a contracted catchweight below 160 pounds.
While it’s not clear what rule Cotto violated, it’s likely he refused to pay the exorbitant sanctioning fee associated with defending his belt. All sanctioning bodies take a percentage of the fighters’ purses when competing in a title bout, and for a fight of this magnitude, the fee will be significantly higher.
Regardless, the WBC’s decision does nothing to dampen an excellent matchup, and the winner will still be the recognized middleweight champion of the world.
If Canelo wins, he’ll be mandated to face Gennady Golovkin in his next fight or also be stripped.
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