Sunday’s fight between Miguel Cotto (40-4-0) and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (47-1-1) is what boxing is all about: two of the best fighters in the world clashing in a fight mostly devoid of the usual politics that comes along with the sport.
Boxing has a habit of getting in its own way, as we saw this week, with Cotto stripped of the WBC Middleweight title for failing to pay $300,000 in sanctioning fees.
Canelo can still claim the title should he win this fight, but the lack of the WBC strap doesn’t take the shine off this fight whatsoever.
Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao almost gone, Cotto and Canelo have stepped up in their absence.
The only fight in boxing today that is bigger is probably Gennady Golovkin against the winner – that’s if Cotto or Canelo have interest in fighting him.
Had you sold me a Cotto-Alvarez fight three years ago, it would have looked very different.
Canelo was the next king of boxing, while Cotto was slowly losing the race against Father Time. But strangely, in the last two years, the tables have turned.
Cotto has sparked new life into his career, in a new division, while Canelo has still yet to really show he is capable of carrying boxing’s crown, with the doubters growing all the time.
It all looked so promising for Canelo. At 23-year-old he was undefeated in 44 career fights, and landed the biggest prize in the game, a shot at Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather.
The Mayweather fight came a little too soon for Canelo. He was fed to the wolves in a way.
Mayweather was running out of options to fight and Canelo was next in line. Golden Boy (Canelo’s promotional company) accepted the risk, knowing that if Canelo did pull off a victory, they’d have the goose who lays the golden eggs.
We now know that Canelo wasn’t good enough to beat Mayweather, and in fact the fight showed he probably wasn’t ready for it either. Canelo was still morphing from potential star to superstar and it left you thinking of what a fighter he’ll be in a few years time.
But here we are now, a few years down the line, and Canelo still hasn’t become that fighter – yet. There’s no denying he is a star, but he’s yet to become the star he was touted to be.
His fight with Cotto could be that coming out party, and there’s big pressure on the Mexican fighter.
Canelo has had 47 bouts, but doesn’t fight like someone with that many rounds under his belt. Looking at his record, he’s only really had a few high-profile fights; Cotto on the other hand has toiled at the elite level for years.
Canelo fought Shane Mosley back in 2012, when Mosley had seen better days. Austin Trout was an up-and-comer, but Canelo showed he was in a different class. The loss to Mayweather followed, and since then it’s been a rebuild of the Alvarez brand.
Sure, Erislandy Lara and James Kirkland are no pushovers, but they are not Miguel Cotto.
Cotto on the other hand has been in the ring with everyone. Mosley, Pacquiao, Mayweather, Trout and Sergio Martinez to name but a few.
It is this experience that his trainer, Freddie Roach, says will be the difference. I tend to agree.
Cotto has been in wars. He’s had to dig deep and find something within himself in the championship rounds. We can’t yet say the same for Canelo.
Of Cotto’s four career losses, two have been to Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, the third was to Antonio Margarito, who was later found to be using loaded gloves.
The loss to Trout was a major shock and led to Cotto linking with Roach at the Wildcard Gym. That decision has revived the Puerto Rican fighter.
This most recent incarnation of Cotto is some fighter. Moving up a division has reinvigorated the 35-year-old. He is back to his destructive best, with three stoppage wins in his last three fights.
Some will punch holes in those fights. Delvin Rodriguez and Daniel Geale aren’t elite level fighters, while Martinez was not as his best, with injury playing a part.
But Cotto can only beat what’s in front of him, and he has done so in devastating fashion.
Freddie Roach’s training has seen Cotto resemble the killer of the late 2000s, with the famed punching power back.
Floyd Mayweather came out recently and said Cotto was the only fighter to ever hurt him. If Cotto brings the intense style he has shown in the last three fights, I don’t think Canelo can handle it.
One thing that can be guaranteed is that Cotto-Canelo will live up to the hype. Both fighters bring action, neither will die wondering.
It’s must see on Sunday.
Prediction
Cotto wins. I just haven’t seen Canelo go to that next level. Some betting companies in Australia have Cotto at $8.80 to win via TKO – handy odds!
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