By Dan Ambrose: By Dan Ambrose: Trainer Robert Garcia thinks that WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto is fighting at a really high level now with the help of his trainer Freddie Roach. Cotto has a potential fight against Mexico’s young star Saul “Canelo” Alvarez if the fight can get put together.
Cotto appears to be waiting right now to see what happens with the Floyd Mayweather Jr vs. Manny Pacquiao negotiations, because he could very well be the plan-B for Mayweather if Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum asks for too much money for the fight.
Things are going to stay up in the air for a little while, but we should find out soon if that fight will happen because Mayweather obviously knows that he has to get the Pacquiao negotiations out of the way quickly so that they can start marketing the fight in time for their proposed May 2nd date.
“It’s a good fight [Cotto-Canelo]. I want to see that fight,” Garcia said. “Right now, I’d rather see Canelo against Cotto than Pacquiao against Mayweather. I think Cotto wins too, probably by decision. Cotto’s been looking good in his last couple of fights with Freddie Roach. They got that chemistry going.”
There’s no question that the Cotto-Canelo fight will be a good one. Canelo is easy to hit and he plods forward and stands directly in front of his opponents in most of his fights. Unless Canelo changes his fight strategy for the Cotto fight, he’s going to wind up getting hit with Cotto’s best left hooks and right hands.
Even if Canelo stands on the outside and tries to box Cotto, he’s going to get hit with Cotto’s jabs all night long. This isn’t a fight in which Canelo can stay on the outside against the ropes like he did against Austin Trout.
If Canelo fights like that against Cotto, he’ll get speared all night with his jabs. Canelo has no other choice but to get into the trenches and try and take out Cotto the way that a prime Antonio Margarito did way back in 2008.
The Mayweather-Pacquiao fight will be the much bigger fight though, and it could very well be a very exciting bout if Mayweather is willing to stand in the pocket and trade with Pacquiao to a certain extent. It’s going to be a great fight even if Mayweather chooses to box Pacquiao like he did Marcos Maidana in their recent second clash. Just watching Pacquiao try and figure Mayweather out will make it interesting.
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