Canelo Alvarez

Why Cotto vs. Canelo Will Be Fight of the Year

Could Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33) vs. Canelo Alvarez (45-1-1, 32) live up to expectations and be the best fight of 2015? Read on for Sarah Gruber’s opinion on just how good Cotto vs. Canelo can be.

Cotto-Canelo Edit - Liam Brady Photo edit by Liam Brady/RBRBoxing

This year was proclaimed to be the time that boxing was going to return to the upper echelon of American sports. The sport we all know and love is undoubtedly in an era of resurgence due to the return of boxing to network television, record breaking pay-per-view sales and most importantly the return of classic matchups that boxing fans have been longing for.

This year alone we have seen the likes of Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao, Ruslan Provodnikov vs. Lucas Matthysse, Canelo Alvarez vs. James Kirkland and Gennady Golovkin vs. David Lemieux. What an amazing year it has been for boxing, and yet we still are missing a clear pound-for-pound king, and lacking a fight that has lived up to its hype.

Could Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33) vs. Canelo Alvarez (45-1-1, 32) live up to expectations and be the best fight of 2015? Simply put, yes. This fight has all the correct ingredients for a fight of epic proportions. This is a middleweight title fight (for Canelo at least) with opponents who hail from rival countries, a resurgent veteran taking on a young rising star and not to mention their styles are sure to make for an explosive night of boxing.

Both fighters are looking to prove that they are ready to be seen as one of boxing’s current best pound-for-pound fighters.

Cotto, after back-to-back losses, found a way to revive his career when he enlisted the assistance of veteran hall-of-fame cornerman Freddie Roach to be his lead trainer. Since 2012, Cotto is on a three-fight winning streak. Together, Cotto and Roach obtained the WBC middleweight title and easily defended it against Daniel Geale earlier this year. Since working with Roach, Cotto has acquired more strength and endurance and has also followed Roach’s effective game plans to secure his victories.

Canelo has quickly become one of boxing’s youngest and brightest stars. At only 25 years of age, Canelo has already fought in some great fights and suffered his only loss to Floyd Mayweather in 2013. His impressive resume, large body frame, power-puncher style and willingness to fight the best have captured the attention of boxing fans worldwide. Winning a fight against Cotto could truly be his defining moment to solidify him a household name, not just in the boxing world, but possibly as a superstar athlete worldwide.

Canelo has already made headlines this year as he landed a thunderous knockout over American James Kirkland in the third round. This type of power style is undoubtedly entertaining and fans looks forward to see if he can do the same thing against a competitor as seasoned and highly skilled as Cotto.

Cotto is a boxer-puncher who likes to go to work to his opponent’s body to break them down. He has moderate power, but Cotto is well-known his ferocious left hook. Cotto’s style is very reminiscent of the way Julio Cesar Chavez used to abolish fighters with the left hook to the body. Since working with Roach, Cotto has applied more emphasis to his foot speed and movement allowing him to pick his shots more carefully and break his opponents down over the course of a fight.

This matchup will certainly give the audience a very good fight. Both Cotto and Canelo are eager to win for the pride of their country and solidify their place as one of boxing’s best pound-for-pound fighters. One thing is for sure, this Saturday night you do not want to miss out as you could very well witness the best fight of 2015.

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