Miguel Cotto, the WBC middleweight champion, is a plus-250 underdog in his Nov. 21 showdown vs. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. After hearing what his trainer Freddie Roach had to say on a media conference call Wednesday, boxing bettors might want to rush to place a bet on the Puerto Rican champ.
Roach believes Alvarez will be knocked out for the first time in his career, because he’s never faced an opponent with the combination of skill and power that Cotto possesses.
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“This is a different caliber of fighter,” Roach said referring to Cotto. Alvarez’s only loss came in 2013 vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr., boxing’s pound-for-pound king and someone who has also beaten Cotto. Roach said Cotto presents different kinds of challenges for Alvarez.
“I think this is the best fighter Alvarez has ever fought. I think he’s been fighting hand-picked opponents. You know, Mayweather is a tough fighter, but not a big puncher.”
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Cotto has been known since early in his career as a devastating puncher, particularly when delivering left hooks to the body. Cotto awoke from a lull in his career 2012 when he brought Roach in as his trainer, and has won three straight fights by TKO or stoppage. He spent most of his career at welterweight and junior middleweight, but his power has carried over, or possibly increased at 160 pounds.
In two fights in the middleweight division, Cotto has scored six knockdowns of two former champions, Sergio Martinez and Daniel Geale. Both fights were contested at 159 and 157 pound catch weights, while the Alvarez fight will take place at 155 pounds.
“[Cotto]’s punching power is improving, and he’s using every bit of his body weight to do that, and that’s something we’re working on and he’s punching very well,” Roach said. “And I feel like this guy gets hit too much, and I think Miguel will knock him out somewhere along the way.”
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