Juan Manuel Marquez and Miguel Cotto are both at the end of their careers — neither has fought since 2014 (May and November, respectively), and both have officially stated plans for retirement.
Cotto has stated 2017 will be his final year of active competition, and he will officially return to the ring on Feb. 25 against James Kirkland. The former champion in four divisions has stated he will fight just two or three times this year before finally calling it a career. Marquez, however, said he wants the right kind of fight to avoid retirement after a period of inactivity — and it may be a bout against Cotto.
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Marquez and Cotto were negotiating for a bout last year, but those plans fell through after weight could not be agreed upon. Cotto wished for a 150-pound catchweight bout, while Marquez stated he would not fight above a strict 147-pound weight limit. Cotto’s bout with Kirkland will be at 153, one pound under the limit for junior middleweights.
Marquez wants this fight with Cotto because he feels like this will allow him to essentially go out with a bang.
"I would like a retirement fight, a fight where there will be some high intensity, a fight where the two boxers are already thinking about retirement. And the fight that I’m referring to is the one between Marquez and Miguel Cotto," Marquez said. "It would be a great fight. The legacy of Cotto has been great, he’s been very good. Everyone knows what we’ve accomplished and I think it would be a great retirement fight."