Miguel Cotto is returning to the ring on June 6 nearly a full year after upsetting Sergio Martinez at Madison Square Garden and becoming the WBC middleweight champion. Instead of facing WBA and IBO champion Gennady Golovkin, or standout 154-pounder Canelo Alvarez, Cotto is defending against Daniel Geale.
Cotto's taken criticism for picking Geale, who was knocked out by Golovkin last summer, and for holding the belt so long without fighting. At 34, and a veteran of many wars, Cotto shrugs off those criticisms and made no apologies for how he's managing his final years in the ring.
"After 14 years in boxing, the best decision I could have made was to take the last year off," Cotto said. "My mind was not in boxing.
"Boxing at this point in my career is a battle with myself. Every day I need to bring my best in the gym from morning to evening. Next week has to be better than the last week. I need to ask myself to be better every day. I know that if I bring my best to the gym every day, I can bring my best on June 6."
A showdown with Alvarez appears inevitable if Cotto wins on Saturday. Alvarez took care of business on May 9 when he dispatched the dangerous James Kirkland by third-round TKO in what is going to be a Fight of the Year candidate despite its short duration. While Geale is a former champion and respected fighter, Cotto's trainer Freddie Roach expects little difficulty for Cotto.
"I think we're going to get a late-round knockout," Roach said. "Geale is tough enough to go some rounds. But a knockout in a late round, that's my call."
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