‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s future could be Mayweather or Cotto

LAS VEGAS -- Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is a 14-to-1 favorite to defeat Josesito Lopez on Saturday night, so it’s logical to look at who lies ahead for the popular Mexican world super-welterweight champion.

“I don’t want distractions or to look past this,” Alvarez said Thursday at a news conference at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino.

Yet, when asked if he’d ideally like a shot at unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2013, Alvarez said, “Yes, he’s the pound-for-pound best. I’d love to have the chance to fight him, but right now I have to deal with the business of taking care of Josesito.”

Alvarez will also have another pursuer in town Saturday when former super-welterweight champion Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico attends the fight.

Cotto has a Dec. 1 World Boxing Assn. super-welterweight title fight against champion Austin Trout at Madison Square Garden in New York, and there’s interest in staging Cotto-Alvarez as well, Alvarez promoter Richard Schaefer said.

Cotto last month rejected an eight-figure offer to fight Manny Pacquiao, promoter Bob Arum said.

Alvarez said his focus on Saturday will be “to give my best fight and win in good fashion.”

Lopez’s trainer, Henry Ramirez, said the Riverside fighter coming off a heroic June 23 victory over Victor Ortiz is intent to not just collect his most lucrative paycheck yet, $212,000.

“He didn’t come here for a pat on the back, he came to ... win,” Ramirez said. “Jose came to steal the show.”

Lopez will be fighting for the first time at 154 pounds after fighting at 140 in his most recent bout before Ortiz.

Ramirez admitted that “win, lose or draw,” Lopez will return to welterweight (147 pounds) in his next fight.

“But he has more power, more energy, he’s quicker and stronger,” at 154, Ramirez said.

Lopez said “not dying for water or starving” has “made a huge difference.”

Manny Pacquiao extension

Arum said that while striking a verbal deal with Pacquiao to fight Juan Manuel Marquez, the fighter and Arum’s company, Top Rank, extended their partnership for one year, through 2014.

Timothy Bradley’s future

After losing out on a rematch with Pacquiao, Palm Springs’ Timothy Bradley is being directed toward a Dec. 15 fight, Arum said.

One possible opponent, he said, is Russian Ruslan Provodnikov, who sparred with Pacquiao earlier this year.

Brooklyn bound

Golden Boy Promotions is close to concluding talks to place an International Boxing Federation welterweight title fight between new champion Randall Bailey (43-7. 37 KOs) and Devon Alexander (23-1, 13 KOs) on its Oct. 20 card at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Bailey withdrew from a scheduled Sept. 8 date with Alexander, citing a back injury.

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Two big fights on Saturday -- three if you count the promoters