Miguel Cotto (40-4-0, 33 KO), the WBC middleweight champion, has been impressive in his last three fights, all knockout victories. He has been accused of cherry picking the opponents though, and some suspect that his trainer Freddie Roach deserves less credit than boxing politics.
Alvarez has been equally impressive of late, winning his last three fights as well. Alvarez has not had to deal with the same criticism that Cotto has endured, so it’s worth looking at which fighters these two men have beaten of late leading up to their historic showdown.
4 Reasons Miguel Cotto Can Defeat Alvarez, Father Time
Miguel Cotto’s Last 3 Opponents
Delvin Rodriguez (28-6-3, 16 KO) Cotto was coming off back-to-back losses vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Austin Trout when he fought Rodriguez, a journeyman, in what was clearly a get-right fight. In his first bout with new trainer Freddie Roach in his corner, Cotto demolished Rodriguez.
Cotto’s left hook to the body returned, although it was a left hook right on Rodriguez’s chin that finished him. Cotto looked BACK, although the competition would need to be stepped up to see if the comeback was real. Result: TKO, Round 3
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Sergio Martinez (51-2-2, 28 KO) After Rodriguez, Cotto stepped up in weight to challenge Martinez, and was an underdog for that fight. The bout was for the middleweight title, and Cotto made history by upsetting Martinez and becoming the first Puerto Rican-born fighter to become a champion in four weight divisions.
In that fight, Cotto shocked the boxing world. He knocked Martinez down three times in the first round, and once more later in the fight before Martinez’s corner stopped it. The bout was one-sided, and Cotto looked as fleet on his feet as he ever had in his career. After the fact, Cotto was accused of picking on Martinez because of his history with knee issues; during the fight, Martinez’s knee did appear to buckle and limit his movement.
Before the fight, though, Martinez had insisted he was 100 percent, and his knee showed no signs of injury until after the first knockdown. Result: RTD, Round 9
Daniel Geale (31-3-0, 16 KO) At this point, Cotto received his most criticism. Talks with Alvarez fell apart during the spring, and instead of making that work, or fighting fellow middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, Cotto fought vs. Geale, whom Golovkin had knocked out last year. On top of that, he forced Geale to fight at a 157-pound catch weight.
Geale looked drawn at the weigh-in, and although he re-hydrated to more than 180 pounds, he was sluggish in the ring. Cotto, on the other hand, was crisp. He peppered Geale with body shots and hooks to the head, and floored him with one of the better left hooks he’s ever thrown. Cotto looked as good as ever, but the opposition was questionable. Result: TKO, Round 4
Canelo Alvarez’s Last 3 Opponents
Alfredo Angulo (22-3-0, 18 KO) Angulo was coming off a loss to Erislandy Lara in the matchup prior to Alvarez, and that fight was a war that seemed to affect him in every fight going forward. Stylistically, Angulo was tailor-made for Alvarez. Angulo is a brawler that enjoys standing in front of his opponent, trading shots, and usually outlasting them.
Alvarez is a vicious counter-puncher with power though, and Angulo’s strategy backfired. Alvarez was scarily accurate, and able to stop Angulo without much trouble. Result: TKO, Round 10.
Erislandy Lara (19-1-2 , 12 KO) Facing Lara was the opposite of Cotto taking on Geale. Lara’s style proved to be a Kryptonite of sorts for Alvarez, who struggled all night to corner Lara and let off his power shots. Lara moved for 12 rounds, punching Alvarez from range here and there, but leaving the impression that he was “running.” The decision from judges was controversial, but Alvarez does get credit for giving an opportunity to a lesser-known fighter that had a tough style and incredible amateur pedigree.
That said, Alvarez could’ve easily lost. Of the six fights in the discussion, this was far and away the least impressive. Coupled with Alvarez’s loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr., a clear blueprint for beating him was established. Result: Split Decision
James Kirkland (32-1-0, 28 KO) Of the six fights, this is the most memorable. It was a short affair because Kirkland, like Angulo, is a warrior who believes fully in his ability to break opponents down by brawling.
Kirkland had early success backing Alvarez into a corner and landing, but he underestimated Alvarez’s toughness. He also wasn’t prepared for the combination-punching clinic Alvarez put on. Quickly, the tables turned and Alvarez was re-arranging Kirkland’s features. It was a Fight of the Year candidate, and Alvarez stopped a legitimate badass who has been avoided by top names for much of his career. Result: KO, Round 3
The advantage goes to Alvarez, who fought more regularly than Cotto, and has nothing approaching the cupcake fight that was Rodriguez. Cotto is maligned too much for the Martinez win, because oddsmakers did install Martinez as the betting favorite. Alvarez's win over a shopworn Angulo was similar in quality to Cotto's win against Geale, but Lara and Kirkland were both strong challengers, and one win over Martinez at age 39 doesn't make up the difference.
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