LONDON (5 June) – Middleweight world champion Miguel Cotto believes he would have too much for either Canelo Alvarez or Gennady Golovkin if they were to share the ring.
The WBC champion makes the first defence of his title this weekend against Australian Geale from the Barclays Center in New York, live and exclusive on BoxNation.
Much talk prior to the Geale showdown has circled around potential clashes with Mexican idol Canelo and rising pound-for-pound star Golovkin, but four-weight world champion Cotto believes he would be at an advantage if he was to face either man.
“Canelo had his moment to shine against [Floyd] Mayweather and everyone knows what happened there,” he said.
“Golovkin is a guy who never faced in my opinion ‘Class A’ opponents and people are still asking for those kinds of fights. Miguel Cotto has been here for 14 years facing everybody. After Saturday, we’ll see what happens in my career,” Cotto said.
The Puerto Rican star hasn’t fought in a year since capturing the 160-pound title from slick Argentine Sergio Martinez at Madison Square Garden last June.
Cotto, however, says he is refreshed and ready to go following his layoff and is unfazed at the prospect of having to look as spectacular as Kazakh assassin Golovkin who stopped Geale inside three rounds.
“All I did was rest every part of my body. It’s healed. I’m fresh, I’m new, and everybody is going to see it this Saturday. I feel better. I feel rejuvenated. I feel I can beat anyone in boxing,” said Cotto.
“I don’t have any pressure on me. It doesn’t matter to me how Golovkin did with Geale and how I do – it’s two different fights. Golovkin has his own style and I have my own,” he said.
The 34-year-old Geale thinks that Cotto is overlooking him ahead of their 157-pound catchweight bout, with the former champion looking to cause a major upset.
“I definitely believe Miguel and his camp are looking past me. I think they’ve chosen me because they think I’m not one of the super strong middleweights at the moment and by bringing me down a few pounds they think they’re going to weaken me even more,” he said.
“They’re definitely looking past me and looking at big money fights which is exciting for me,” said Geale.
The number four ranked middleweight in the world by Ring Magazine doesn’t think the fact Cotto has been out of action for a year will play any significant role in the fight and will be looking to use his physical advantages to gain a foothold in the clash.
“I’m not taking too much into the fact he’s been out of the ring for a while. Miguel is a seasoned professional and whether he’s been out of the ring 2 months, 12 months or 18 months he’s still going to be in good condition.
“Rather, I’m just going to look to make use of my height and reach advantage and it’s important I use them right,” said Geale.
Cotto vs Geale is live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky437/490HD, Virgin 525, TalkTalk 415) this Saturday night. Visit boxnation.com to subscribe.