Miguel Cotto-Juan Manuel Marquez negotiations reach an impasse

For as much as the fight had be rumored for the past several months, Miguel Cotto will not be facing Juan Manuel Marquez next. Both sides were close to finalizing a deal, with even the money split apparently worked out, but they ultimately couldn’t agree on a fight weight which has nixed the whole thing. Here’s what Miguel Cotto Promotions’ Bryan Perez told ESPN:

“We are working on Miguel’s next fight with our [promotional] partners at Roc Nation Sports,” Perez said. “The Marquez fight was something Miguel wanted, but we couldn’t agree on the weight. They both wanted to fight each other. Miguel wanted 150, Juan Manuel Marquez wanted 147. Juan Manuel decided not to come up a couple of more pounds and we respect his decision about not coming up to 150. He’s a great fighter and a great champion. But 150 is where Miguel would feel comfortable going down to.”

Realistically, coming to terms on weight was probably always going to be a sticking point for this prospective fight. Cotto hasn’t fought at welterweight since losing to Manny Pacquiao in late 2009, and Marquez has never tipped the scales over 144.5lbs in his lengthy professional career. It was almost bound to happen.

So now Cotto will look elsewhere while Marquez’s future remains a little more cloudy. He’s been hampered by a knee injury which has kept him on the shelf since beating Mike Alvarado two years ago. And he also has a HOF career in the books already. He could very well retire if he can’t get another worthwhile fight — or if his knee continues to be a significant issue.

Where would you like to see both fighters go from here?