The flourishing partnership and rock-solid relationship between Hall of Fame Trainer Freddie Roach and Puerto Rican boxing star Miguel Cotto will be put to test when Cotto collides with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez on Saturday in Las Vegas, Nev.
Cotto (40-4-0, 33 KOs) is shooting for his fourth win under the supervision and guidance of Roach. In 2013, Cotto fired his trainer and hired Roach in an effort to revive his sagging career. Roach was in the opposite corner of the ring in 2009 when his top fighter Manny Pacquiao knocked Cotto out in the 12th round to bag the WBO welterweight title. “Miguel called me up and told me he had about three fights left and that he wanted me to help him for those three fights,” Roach told ESPN.com. “We negotiated things out, and everything is good. He’s going to come to Wild Card, and I look forward to the challenge of working with a great fighter. Talented people pick things up quickly,” he added. In his first fight under Roach, Cotto was the picture of a rejuvenated fighter when he dispatched Devin Rodriguez via TKO in the third round. Suddenly, Cotto recaptured his lost glory when he disposed Sergio Martinez in the 10th round to bag the WBC, Lineal and The Ring Middleweight titles. His victory was followed by another TKO win against Daniel Geale of Australia last June. ?Our chemistry is the best thing we have with each other,? Cotto said. ?It makes our relationship and our fights together the way they have been for us,? he added. Read more Certainly, the chemistry works best in the absence of unwanted chemical reactions. In the case of Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KOs), who is a 2-1 favorite leading up to the Saturday event, his handlers are confident their fighter will triumph over the Puerto Rican star. “Canelo is a strong, intelligent fighter, with a lot of heart and that will show on fight night. I know he will raise up his hands in victory for Mexico,” said Chepo Reynoso, Manager and trainer of Canelo ?lvarez. “We are very well prepared for this fight. Canelo is a strong fighter who is getting better every day. On fight night there will be fireworks in the ring, added Eddy Reynoso, Alvarez’s head trainer. But Roach is confident that Cotto will prevail over Alvarez stressing that his fighter has adapted to the changes that he made including footwork, counter punching as well as body punching. ?I would love for [Cotto] to win this fight by knockout, call out [Floyd] Mayweather and then end it,? Roach said. ?He always tells me ?If I had you in my corner when I fought him I would have knocked him out.? He tells me that story all the time,? he added. While Cotto appears to be the underdog, his chances of outpointing and even knocking out Alvarez is greater under the able stewardship of Roach as proven to have worked in their last three fights together.
