Last year, few had undersized Miguel Cotto beating Sergio Martinez. In fact, every contributor to The Cruelest Sport prediction panel for that fight pinned the Argentine to come out on top, with most foreseeing a mid-to-late rounds stoppage. Well, that didn?t exactly happen and suddenly, Cotto became the champion of a division in which many did not seriously believe he could compete. Now as Martinez nears retirement, Cotto makes his 12th trip to New York City?this time at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn?on Saturday night as the favorite against a healthier, if far less illustrious, opponent in Daniel Geale.
Cotto, 39-4 (32), is one of the few cash cows of the sport, meaning he can pick and choose his opponents and how he wants to fight them. So, naturally, Saturday night will take place at a catchweight of 157 pounds, three below the middleweight maximum. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. he is not, but Cotto won?t soon tire of reminding everyone that he believes he is now in a position where he deserves these concessions. Since when does the sport owe anything to one of its fighters? This prompts another question: Does Cotto still have that desire to fight? The answer: Probably not.
But Cotto, Caguas, Puerto Rico, is still fighting and plans to do so, as evidenced by his $50 million, 3-fight contract with Roc Nation Sports. It?s clear now?if it wasn?t before?that Cotto is no longer a certain kind of fighter. He is no longer the kind who gets in the ring on the disadvantageous end of a catchweight bout (a la Manny Pacquiao). He?s no longer the kind that cares to pay attention to the clamor of his fans or embrace the possibility of confronting new challenges and supposed threats. In other words, Cotto is no longer the kind of fighter who puts his financial goals secondary to the fight itself, at least in the public eye. In fact, he?s made it abundantly clear that he?s only interested in the bottom line.
Cotto, who owns several gas stations in his native homeland, has his eyes squarely fixed on bankrolling his future. To that end, he has not so much signed with a promotional company, but an entertainment firm that will help him establish his business prerogatives well after his career is over. No, this is not the kind of boxer that is looking to get in the ring with, say, middleweight kingpin, Gennady Golovkin, and that?s more than understandable (because he?ll get knocked out). But when a pugilist starts to sound like a promoter or a manager, the fans can hardly be faulted for being a little annoyed. Sure, boxing is a business through and through but if the guy who sits on a corner stool can?t divest himself from all the bottomless financial table-talk, then the whole event starts to resemble a sham (like that fight back in May). Cotto?s long-revered professionalism has reared its uglier, crasser head, that of, as Steve Kim has recently and rightly pointed out, feckless commercialism, where indeed, there is no room for loyalty, trust, and other heady virtues. Boxing was never good at establishing these traits, anyway, which is to say, that stoic gaze, a long-perceived mark of Cotto?s professionalism, is starting to reflect simply boredom and indifference.
You can be sure that Daniel Geale, New South Wales, Australia, is a little hungrier. Rugged, solid, dedicated?these are some words one might use to describe the Aussie, who, while unremarkable, has managed to carve out a respectable career, netting victories against the likes of Felix Sturm, Sebastian Sylvester, and Anthony Mundine. Not an all-star resume, by any stretch, but also one you can?t write off. The Sturm fight is especially instructive, if only because Geale showed he could beat a proven opponent on his own stomping grounds.
Though he was overmatched, to say the least, against Golovkin last summer, Geale has since bounced back to win a decision over fellow countryman Jarrod Fletcher. He?s persistent, this much is true. In the absence of talent, persistence can make up for some?not all?of a fighter?s weaknesses. Geale, 31-3 (16), will need a lot of persistence come fight night and hope that the catchweight does not leave him puffing in the late rounds. And while he?s certainly experienced at 34, Geale is a virtual neophyte to the world of American boxing extravaganzas. ?I?ve learnt how to deal with the media in America,? Geale told The Sydney Morning Herald. ?You can get so caught up with it. When I first went over to New York to fight I thought it was great, so many people in America love their boxing, they appreciate their boxing and they want great fights. That was a huge thrill for me ? it?s good, you want to get a hold of that, but you can?t get lost in it.? More from The Cruelest Sport On the Fly: Amir Khan W12 Chris Algieri4d ago Trivial Pursuit: Amir Khan-Chris Algieri Preview1w ago The Other: James DeGale W12 Andre Dirrell1w ago Walls, Closing In: Gennady Golovkin TKO6 Willie Monroe Jr.2w ago The Square Jungle: Chocolatito on the Big Stage, Mayweather-Pacquiao Ashes, Ayala Jr. Dead2w ago
Geale?s words provide a generous tonic of sorts if we can get forget for a moment that Saturday night is Cotto?s down payment transaction. They evoke the kind of naivet? and candor that make prizefighting seem like a humbling affair. And so, in no small terms, you have something of the classic underdog in Geale, who fits the bill as the kind of fighter who, when after it?s all said and done, can sit comfortably in a local bar, knowing he?ll be getting a pat on the back, not a sneer. This is the storyline of Cotto-Geale worth repeating. But with so much money to be made in the fall?HBO is purportedly only broadcasting this fight in order to get the rights for a far more lucrative Saul Alvarez-Cotto matchup?Geale will have to do more than just outbox Cotto for twelve rounds. Given his history, though, Geale probably won?t be getting a stoppage.
On the other hand, Cotto?s left hook is a work of dangerous beauty and Geale has let it be known that he will look to avoid close encounters. If all is going well for Geale, he?ll lead with the jab and embellish with the occasional one-two, circling Cotto, while avoiding the ropes. Austin Trout?s example should give Geale some hope, even if he isn?t as nimble as Trout.
As for Cotto? It?s been a year since he last fought and that was against a gimpy Martinez. This could be the difference in the fight. Or it may not. Cotto has it all calculated, and with so much on the line, it?s hard to imagine him fudging up the numbers this late in the twilight. As the Puerto Rican makes his transition to full-fledged businessman, it?ll be interesting?and no less disappointing?to see what qualities he?ll decide are worth giving up as a fighter.
