Opinion: The Case of the Missing Buzz for Cotto vs. Canelo

Face Off: Cotto-Canelo

Editor's note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media.

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Aside from the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao mega fight that turned out to be a dud, Miguel Cotto-Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is the biggest fight that can be made in boxing. To hardcore boxing fans, it’s bigger than Mayweather-Pacquiao for the simple fact that it promises almost guaranteed action from two fighters who never turn in a boring performance. Plus, it has the always-relevant subplot of a longstanding Mexican and Puerto Rican rivalry that is chock full of rich history between the two fighters’ fan bases.

With all of these factors in play, why is it that the buzz for Cotto-“Canelo” on Saturday feels significantly subdued heading into fight week?

For a fight of this magnitude, it hasn’t felt remotely close to anything resembling a big fight for casual fight fans. For the diehards and the respective fans of Alvarez and Cotto, this has always been a big deal. However, the fight has done next to nothing in terms of generating interest in the casual boxing fan; and they should be more inclined to pay for this fight than the snoozefest that was Mayweather-Pacquiao. Casual fight fans like brutal brawls, and this has the makings of a skilled version of Rock ’em Sock ’em Robots.

Related » Preview: ‘Canelo’ Alvarez vs. Miguel Cotto

What gives? Why does no one seem to care? Well, there are several reasons why this fight hasn’t been built properly.

For one, Cotto and Alvarez aren’t exactly mainstream media darlings. “Canelo” doesn’t speak English, and that limits his reach in the United States market. Mexican fans don’t really need to be convinced to watch their countryman protect the honor of those South of the Border. However, Alvarez’s lack of grasp on the English language has severely affected his marketability in the states. He has the look and the style to be a rock star, but if you can’t communicate with him, it’s hard to make him visible on SportsCenter and various other media opportunities to promote the fight.

As for Cotto, he’s the true definition of a fighter who speaks with his hands. You’ll be hard-pressed to find Cotto saying more than a few words in the buildup for a fight. In many ways, it’s great that Cotto doesn’t go out of his way to play a character because his style alone is tailor-made for fight fans. However, talent by itself doesn’t make you a significant draw. You have to say something. Honestly, you’re better off having his trainer, Freddie Roach, launch a few verbal jabs in hopes that they ruffle the feathers of Team Canelo and milk a reaction.

Pay-per-view estimates by boxing experts hover around the 700,000-800,000 mark, which is a great number by most accounts. However, considering that Cotto is set to rake in between $15 and $17 million, with “Canelo” hovering around what appears to be $10 to $12 million, that benchmark is pretty low. Oscar De La Hoya suggested that the fight would do 1.5 million buys, but that is wishful thinking at this point; and for as much as De La Hoya has talked, it shines the light on a bigger problem with this promotion.

Where’s Jay Z? In a vacuum, it sounds ridiculous. Why would a rapper need to be visible for a big boxing match? Well, as Cotto’s promoter, it only makes sense for the music mogul to do something, anything, to promote this fight. Jay Z has the power to make anything cool; and if he’s invested in Cotto’s career and this is the first big event that his Roc Nation Sports has been a part of as a promoter, his lack of involvement to build this fight has been incomprehensible. Even if he’s busy with his many, many ventures, he could have commissioned an entertainer or two to speak about the fight to various radio and media outlets. Hell, it would be nice to see Jay Z hit the urban market to push his boxing promotion and what appears to be a can’t-miss fight.

It’s unfortunate that the buzz isn’t bigger than it has been for a fight of this magnitude. Reports that secondary ticket sales aren’t faring so well only further push the notion that this fight might underperform. You can partially blame that on Mayweather-Pacquiao for overselling and under-delivering. Fight fans don’t want to be hoodwinked again into shelling out their hard-earned money. It’s a shame because this will likely be everything that Mayweather-Pacquiao was not.

Andreas Hale is a content producer for Jay Z’s LifeandTimes.com and editor-in-chief of PremierWuzHere.com, as well as a frequent Sherdog.com columnist. Check out his archive here.