Geale: I’m going to show Cotto what it’s like to fight a real middleweight

By Boxing News - 04/18/2015 - Comments

Roc Nation Sports & Miguel Cotto Promotions Present Miguel Cotto vs. Daniel Geale on June 6 From Barclays Center in Brooklyn Live on HBO: Official Press Conference at The 40/40 ClubBy Dan Ambrose: Former IBF/WBA middleweight champion Daniel Geale (31-3, 16 KOs) plans on welcoming WBC 160 pound champion Miguel Cotto (39-4, 32 KOs) to the middleweight division when they face each other two months from now in a catch-weight fight at 157 pounds on June 6th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

If Geale can use his mobility to bounce around the ring for 12 rounds against Cotto then he’ll have a good chance of out-boxing him the way that Austin Trout and Floyd Mayweather Jr. did in their victories over the Puerto Rican star in 2012. They used movement to get the better of Cotto and limit the amount of power shots he was able to land.

The 5’10” Geale will have a three inch height and a four inch reach advantage over the 5’7” Cotto. The size advantage could play into Geale’s hands if he fights smart and doesn’t stand directly in front of Cotto like his last two opponents Sergio Martinez and Delvin Rodriguez both did.

Cotto won the WBC middleweight over 40-year-old Sergio Martinez last June. Martinez appeared to him a bum right leg that greatly limited his mobility, and perhaps even punching power. The fight took place at a catch-weight of 159 pounds that Cotto was able to negotiate. However, Cotto didn’t face a prime version of Martinez, and it’s hard for a lot of boxing fans to give Cotto credit for the win due to how depleted Martinez was.

Fans wonder why Cotto chose to fight Martinez instead of Golovkin. The difference between Golovkin and Martinez was like night and day at that point in Martinez’s career. Some fans just believe that Cotto waited until Martinez was old and coming off an injury to fight him instead of facing him in the prime of his career when he was a mobile fighter with excellent power. The fact that the fight didn’t happen until Martinez was pretty much shot as a fighter doesn’t make Cotto look good.

“The key to victory is to fight my way,” Geale said via Fight news. “He likes to push forward and hurt people. Obviously my skills and footwork [will be key assets against Cotto]. I have a bit of sneaky power as well. I want to show him what it’s like to fight a proper middleweight. I can see they’re looking ahead a fight and a couple of fights already. It makes you want to train harder and cause an upset.”

Geale does have decent power when he sits down on his shots, and it’s quite possible that he could bust up Cotto’s face with his jab and quick shots if he’s able to move around the ring all night to avoid his big power shots. Cotto seems to lose his confidence and stamina as his fights wear on. If he’s not able to get the better of his opponents in the early going, he struggles in the later rounds.
In speaking about a rematch with Golovkin, Geale said “I’d love another opportunity, and if I fought the guy again, it would be much different.”



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