NUEVA YORK (AP) — Todo apuntaba a que Miguel Cotto disputaría una revancha con Manny Pacquiao antes de terminar el año.

Los planes del puertorriqueño, sin embargo, se cuadraron de manera diferente, de menor envergadura en cuanto a adversario.

Su próximo combate será el 1 de diciembre contra el invicto Austin Trout, quien ostenta la diadema junior mediano del AMB.

"La pelea con Pacquiao redundaba más dinero, redundaba en un nombre más grande que Austin Trout, pero también redundaba en un Miguel Cotto que tenía que bajar a las 150 libras", dijo Cotto el lunes a The Associated Press. "Ese fue el punto en el que la pelea no pasó más adelante".

Cotto (37-3 con 30 nocauts) recordó su experiencia previa con Pacquiao, cuando hace tres años fue noqueado en el duodécimo asalto por el filipino por el cetro welter del OMB.

"Fue lo mismo que pasó en el 2009, que me hicieron bajar de 147 a 145, y ese peso extra te quita", resaltó.

La decisión de Cotto, quien en mayo perdió por votación de los jueces ante Floyd Mayweather Jr., alteró la agenda boxística para lo que resta de 2013.

Pacquiao optó por una cuarta pelea con el mexicano Juan Manuel Márquez, más que nada por el mayor interés que tal duelo generaba que buscar un desquite con Tim Bradley.

Enfrentar a Trout (25-0, 14 nocauts) en las 154 libras puede considerarse como un combate de transición para Cotto con miras a 2013.

El boricua viene de una cita con Mayweather que vendió 1,5 millones de subscripciones en televisión por paga en Estados Unidos, pero el combate con Trout irá por la señal de cable de Showtime.

La pelea será su octava en el Madison Square Garden, un escenario que es considerado como su segunda casa por la comunidad puertorriqueña en la ciudad que asegura un lleno completo.

También le abre la puerta para conquistar una quinta corona frente a un campeón invicto.

"Lo único que queremos es ser campeones mundiales de nuevo", dijo Cotto. "Lo vamos a hacer el 1 diciembre, luego de eso descansaremos un rato y hablaremos sobre un fructífero 2013".

No quiso aventurarse a identificar posibles rivales tras enfrentar a Trout, como Saúl "Canelo" Alvarez o Sergio Martínez. El argentino Martínez planteó su deseo de enfrentar a Cotto tras vencer el 15 de septiembre a Julio César Chávez Jr.

"Con Sergio Martínez son posibilidades que existen, de varias que tenemos enfrente", dijo Cotto. "Luego de Trout analizaremos que es lo más conviene. Si es Sergio Martínez, allá nos dirigiremos".

Tampoco puede descuidarse del zurdo Trout, quien ha defendido tres veces el título desde que lo conquistó en febrero de 2011 tras vencer en México a Rigoberto Alvarez, el hermano mayor del "Canelo" Alvarez que actualmente ostenta el cetro de la división en el CMB.

"He sido fanático de Cotto desde siempre", dijo Trout, quien en la presentación el lunes en el Museo del Barrio de Nueva York tuvo que soportar las burlas de los partidarios del boricua que cada vez que escuchaban el apellido del estadounidense gritaban "who" (quién).

"Admiro mucho a Cotto, siempre ha estado dispuesto a pelear con los mejores. Es un honor estar en esa lista y será un mayor honor estar dentro del grupo de boxeadores que le han ganado".

Después de su derrota ante Mayweather y con 31 años, Cotto acepta el desafío para seguir adelante en su carrera.

"Es un buen retador. Todo fue sencillo tras Mayweather. Todo el mundo pudo ver la gran pelea, una gran demostración. Miguel Cotto le dio a entender al mundo quién es Miguel Cotto y qué tiene. Hay que seguir entrenando para demostrar que aún tengo", señaló el puertorriqueño.

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