All photos by Hector Santos/Roc Nation Sports
On November 21, 2015, Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33 KOs) defends his WBC and lineal Middleweight titles against a man that many are anointing as the future of the sport–Canelo Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KOs).
Although Cotto has chosen his last three opponents wisely, it’s hard not to acknowledge his resurgence under the guidance of seven-time Boxing Writers Association of America Trainer of the Year, Freddie Roach.
Many of Cotto’s detractors–those who say the new and improved Cotto is a farce–point to Daniel Geale being weight drained, Sergio Martinez fighting with only one good leg and Delvin Rodriguez not having the class to be in the same ring as the Caguas, Puerto Rico resident as the reasons Cotto has looked so good as of late.
But if you look closely, you can certainly see that Roach has reinvigorated Cotto by injecting him with something that every single person needs at one time or another–confidence.
Whether fans, writers or anyone else believe that Cotto has improved under Roach’s coaching really doesn’t matter because Miguel Cotto believes it himself. His talent and quiet confidence have always been apparent, but after consecutive losses in 2012 to Floyd Mayweather and Austin Trout, Cotto was staring retirement in the face and needed a serious change.
“He [Freddie Roach] changed my way of looking at boxing. He made me think of the possibility to put retirement away for a couple of years,” said Cotto in an interview with HBO’s Michelle Beadle.
After his loss to Trout, Cotto linked up with Roach and made his return to the ring almost a year later on HBO against Rodriguez. Cotto looked vintage, battering Rodriguez with choice left hooks and stopping him in Round 3.
Many spectators rejoiced, proclaiming that Cotto was back. But Cotto doesn’t simply believe he is back, he believes he is better than ever.
“All I need to do is compare myself with the Miguel from 2012, 2011. The Miguel since Freddie is the best Miguel I’ve ever met,” said Cotto.
Cotto knows that he’s got a monumental task in front of him, even going as far as already ranking Canelo as one of the top five best opponents he’s ever faced.
Against the younger and faster Canelo Alvarez, Cotto will have to pace himself and make his shots count. So is youth really that important and the X factor in this matchup? It may be, but Cotto is not chalking it up as an advantage for Canelo.
“When I was his age I believed that I could beat the world and I was wrong,” said Cotto.
Surely, if Canelo believes he’s going to walk into the ring on November 21 and run over Cotto like he did Kirkland, he will be in for a surprise.
If nothing else, Cotto is smarter at this point in his career and Roach will certainly craft a solid game plan that gives his fighter the best chance to win and make good on the trainer’s knockout promise.
“Today, at 34, my experience makes me work in the smartest way to beat my opponent. That’s the way I’m going to be on November 21.”
