Canelo Alvarez Talks Miguel Cotto Strategy, Plans to End Fight Before Decision
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KOs) has revealed how he plans to defeat Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33 KOs) when the two meet for the WBC middleweight title belt on November 21 in Las Vegas, telling reporters he's going to start fast and prevent the defending champion from lasting the full 12 rounds.
"I do not want to leave this in the hands of judges.
I'm ready to come out and press in the first round. We're going to press the fight. He is very strong physically, so we have to [combat that factor] from the very beginning of the fight.
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The WBC title fight is one of the most anticipated fights of the year, pitting Alvarez, one of the top young talents in the sport, against the 34-year-old Cotto, who hasn't really been challenged since moving to the middleweight division following consecutive losses against Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Austin Trout.
The boxing world will watch their bout with a close eye in the wake of Gennady Golovkin's demolition of David Lemieux, which unified the WBA, IBO, IBF and WBC Interim title belts. He's expected to challenge the winner of the fight between Alvarez and Cotto, and ESPN's Michele Steele wonders whether he'll get his wish:
Alvarez impressed with a knockout win over James Kirkland the last time he fought, showing his brawler mentality and raw power in an entertaining bout that ended with one of the most spectacular knockouts of the year.
The same tactics have proved successful against Cotto in the past, as Antonio Margarito was able to power his way past the Puerto Rican when the two first met. The two met again three years later, however, and this time, Cotto controlled the fight with his superior boxing skills.
Cotto is the superior technician of the two, but he also packs a real punch, as evidenced by his 33 career KOs. He's also a solid counter-puncher who should find some success fighting from a distance. The Mexican superstar is the bigger man, though, and Cotto's power hasn't looked as impressive since moving to the middleweight division.
In all likelihood, both men will attempt to work their way inside and prefer an all-out war over defensive tactics when they meet on November 21. With Cotto usually doing a lot of damage early, the first three rounds of this fight could be crucial.
Kirkland tried to match Alvarez's pace in their bout as well, and that ended in disaster for the American. Cotto is far more experienced than Kirkland, but he's still relatively untested in the middleweight division and is yet to face a fighter like Alvarez in his prime.
Add Cotto's age to the equation, and it's easy to understand what Canelo wants to do. Cotto is a dangerous puncher, but if Alvarez can pressure him early and land a couple of power shots, he can lay the foundation to start breaking him down over the course of the fight and force a late stoppage.
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