Cotto questions Golovkin’s standing at middleweight

By Boxing News - 05/27/2015 - Comments

cotto111By Dan Ambrose: WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (39-4, 32 KOs) got slightly heated today when he taken to task for fighting one of WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin’s victims in Daniel Geale (31-3, 16 KOs) instead of Golovkin himself or someone like Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

Cotto’s face changed during the question, and he lashed out at Golovkin by questioning the quality of fighters he’s faced during his career. It came across as Cotto being more than a little defensive about being questioned about Golovkin.

“The boxing community has to ask themselves what big names Golovkin has on his record to be named as one of the big boxers of 160 and 154,” Cotto said via Fighthype.

It sounds like Cotto is looking for an excuse not to have to face Golovkin, doesn’t it? By Cotto saying that Golovkin hasn’t fought anyone, he can then conveniently dismiss him as a potential opponent. The problem is that boxing fans are coming on board the Golovkin express with each and every fight. With Golovkin fighting 4 times per year compared to 1 time for Cotto, and 2 times for Canelo, people are seeing more of him than they are of them.

Besides that, Golovkin is looking sensational each time he fights. He’s got a 20-fight knockout streak going and he’s becoming popular even though he’s not getting guys like Cotto and Canelo to fight him. It doesn’t help Cotto to be fighting Golovkin’s leftovers in Geale because it just means that he winds up looking likes he trailing Golovkin instead of being ahead of him.

Golovkin hasn’t faced the same kind of opposition as Cotto has during his career, but he’s also not had the luxury of fighting at 140, 147 and 154 like Cotto. If Golovkin had fought in those weight classes for the past 14 years like Cotto, he’d likely have faced many of the big names in those divisions. But then again, Golovin might also be no better off than he is now with many fighters avoiding him. If you remember how Paul Williams had it when he was fighting at welterweight. He couldn’t get the big name fighters to give him a fight.

It wasn’t until he moved up to 154 that he was able to get fights, but not against the real big names like Floyd Mayweather Jr., Hatton, Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao. Golovkin fights in the wrong division to get the bigger names to fight him, and he’s not getting any help from Cotto and Canelo. I suppose that will stay that way in the future.

Cotto and Geale will be fighting on June 6th on HBO from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. If Cotto wins the fight, he’ll be facing Canelo next, and if Cotto wins that fight as well, then who knows who knows who he’ll be fighting after that. My guess is it won’t be someone named Golovkin.



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