Cotto vs Trout: Canelo Alvarez rooting for Miguel Cotto, adamant about facing Cotto or Mayweather next

Plenty of fight fans and insiders will be on hand this Saturday night at Madison Square Garden when Miguel Cotto challenges Austin Trout for the WBA "regular" junior middleweight title, but a particularly interested attendee will be Canelo Alvarez, the 22-year-old WBC champion in the same weight class.

Canelo (41-0-1, 30 KO) is remaining adamant about his previous demand to face Floyd Mayweather or Miguel Cotto next (Sergio Martinez is apparently out of consideration, with other plans), and says he's rooting for Cotto to win and set up a possible May 4, 2013, mega-fight:

"Either one is a good match but I would rather face Mayweather because he is the best, pound for pound. A fight with one of them is very close to materializing and that makes me very happy. Everything depends on the outcome of Saturday's fight, and that will clarify a lot of things. Right now I'm just thinking about Floyd or Miguel, and I'm not thinking about any other opponents."

Alvarez says that Austin Trout, should he win, wouldn't be under consideration, which is why he's rooting for Cotto. It would seem at that point, all of Team Canelo's energy would be focused on getting Mayweather to fight.

Alvarez vs Cotto would be a huge fight on Cinco De Mayo weekend, as not only are both fighters legitimate stars who would square off on an annual massive boxing Saturday, but it would be a huge fight in the storied Mexico vs Puerto Rico rivalry, too. And I think it's a fight that fans -- Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and everyone else -- really wants to see.

Plus, a win over Cotto would likely go a long way toward convincing Mayweather to face Canelo, possibly on September 14 of next year, another big fight weekend.