The Jury Is Still out on Miguel Cotto Despite Dominant Recent Run
The jury is still out on Miguel Cotto’s dominant run as lineal middleweight champion. Cotto, 34, won his second straight fight in the division in destructive fashion when he scored a Round 4 knockout win over former IBF titleholder Daniel Geale on Saturday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
But is Cotto—a future Hall of Famer who has also won titles at junior welterweight, welterweight and junior middleweight—really this great as a middleweight?
It’s hard to tell.
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First of all, Cotto’s claim to the lineal middleweight crown came last year against longtime titleholder Sergio Martinez. Martinez was 39 years old at the time and coming off numerous injuries and surgeries.
And when the bell rang, Cotto wobbled Martinez straight away with thunderous hooks to the temple. The Argentine never recovered, and his previously injured knee never really appeared stable enough in the fight to allow him a chance to move enough or land anything hard enough to keep Cotto off him.
Moreover, Cotto used his negotiating power to make the aging champion agree to a catchweight of 159 pounds.
After winning it, Cotto didn’t defend his middleweight crown for over a full year. According to ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael, Cotto could not come to an agreement with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez earlier this year, so both men ended up seeking other fights.
For his part, Cotto chose former beltholder Geale, a 34-year-old who seems to be on the downside of his career. After Cotto walloped him on Saturday, Geale can now lay claim to losing three of his last five fights. His only wins were against Garth Wood and Jarrod Fletcher, neither of whom are notable contenders.
Geale lost his title by split decision to Darren Barker in 2013. He was knocked out by WBA champion Gennady Golovkin in 2014 and now again by Cotto on Saturday.
But was this even the best version of Geale that Cotto could face?
Again using his leverage as the more marketable fighter, Cotto met Geale at a catchweight of 157 pounds. Many pundits were surprised Geale could even make the weight, and he looked noticeably gaunt at Friday’s pre-fight weigh-in.
It’s hard to say whether it had any effect on Saturday’s fight, though. Geale seemed to move well when the bell rang, but he was ridiculously slow compared to Cotto, and his size advantage meant nothing against an opponent who so clearly had more skill.
Cotto did his part, and he looked great doing it. His vicious left hook to the body sounded like a semi-truck slamming into a sedan every time he landed it, and it had similar effect.
Geale was wrecked in the first round. He was wrecked more in the second and the next. Then in the fourth, Cotto landed flush on his temple and sent him to the canvas like an anchor suddenly being released to the bottom of the ocean.
But it’s hard to say how good this makes Cotto as a middleweight. His two wins at the weight are nothing to write home about. Geale is a middling contender who was forced to come down to 157 pounds. Martinez was damaged goods before Cotto ever came calling. Neither win came at the division’s full 160-pound contract weight.
Cotto needs a real test at middleweight to prove his run is not a mirage.
There are two fights that make any sense. First, of course, Cotto should absolutely face the No. 1 middleweight in the world: Golovkin. It is his duty as lineal champion, but don’t be surprised if that fight never comes into being.
As noted and brilliantly captured by boxing writer Alex McClintock on Twitter, Cotto was as reluctant as ever after the fight when HBO’s Max Kellerman asked him about facing Golovkin.
"Do you want to fight Golovkin? https://t.co/3Ih4ZfaEdI
— Alex McClintock (@axmcc) June 7, 2015"
But Cotto’s other option is equally intriguing. Fighting the previously-flirted-with Alvarez would give some legitimacy to Cotto’s middleweight reign. While the Mexican superstar is most often promoted as a junior middleweight, the fact remains his last three fights have been fought above the 154-pound limit.
Alvarez is, by most legal standards, a middleweight. He’s young, strong and one of the best fighters in the world. Cotto would be wise to at least make that fight a reality before year-end.
Not only would Cotto-Canelo be a legitimate defense worthy of the lineal middleweight championship of the world, but the bout would be a superfight actually worth watching. Both fighters are offensive forces, and they are evenly matched. Whatever you thought of Mayweather-Pacquiao, this fight would most assuredly be better to watch.
Cotto’s dominant run at middleweight is impressive, but don’t buy into him as the real deal until he faces a worthy challenger. That means he needs to fight either Golovkin or Alvarez before the end of 2015.
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