Cotto stripped of WBC title before Alvarez pay-per-view

(Reuters) - Miguel Cotto has been stripped of his World Boxing Council middleweight title four days ahead of his big pay-per-view bout against Mexico's Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas, the sanctioning body said on Tuesday. The hotly anticipated Cotto-Alvarez clash, pitting aggressive veteran Cotto (40-4) against young slugger Alvarez (45-1-1), will proceed despite the WBC withdrawing championship recognition of Cotto over a refusal to sign the fight agreement. According to sources who spoke to ESPN,