Middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33 KOs) makes the second defense of his lineal title when he faces Mexico’s Canelo Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KOs) on Saturday.
The fight will take place at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas (HBO PPV, 9 p.m. ET) where, once again, the rivalry between Puerto Rico and Mexico will take center stage in an exciting clash between different generations.
Will the experience of Cotto, 35, prove sufficient to beat a younger, bigger and stronger opponent in Alvarez, 25? To win this fight, he needs to take into account the following keys: 1. Start quickly
Cotto tends to look more dangerous at the start of his fights. In contrast, Alvarez takes a while to get going. The Puerto Rican icon needs to start quickly in the early rounds and establish his offense by connecting with a cross-hook combination and immediately turning away to avoid the counter-attack. Canelo is dangerous when his opponent is in front of him but he struggles when it comes to moving his waist. That combination will enable Cotto to box him at close quarters and nullify his response. 2. Keep away from the ropes!
This is nothing new. Freddie Roach, Cotto’s trainer, has discussed it in press conferences. Against a young opponent who is renowned for his punching power, the ropes represent another enemy. Whenever Alvarez manages to corner his opponent, the odds of a knockout greatly increase. In this fight, where Alvarez enters as the heavier fighter, his power shots will be devastating. If Cotto takes too many punches against the ropes or decides to exchange, a knockout loss would surely be the result. 3. Move to the right
There will be times when Cotto should alternate his offensive strategy. This is when we’ll see him make more significant lateral movements. Let’s not forget Alvarez will seek to impose his will early and cut off the ring. To avoid this assault, Cotto will need to use his jab and move to his right. That should keep him away from the power shots while also enabling him to surprise his opponent, moving in and out at speed to punch through the middle of the guard. 4. Save gas
If, due to his own errors or Alvarez’s skills, and the early stages of the fight do not play out as Cotto expects, he will become more fatigued. He may end up paying for his early effort in the later rounds. This has happened in other fights. Don’t forget that Cotto is facing a bigger, stronger and younger opponent. In order to avoid surprises, he needs to remain active and prevent Alvarez from being able to work inside with his power shots. 5. Listen to Freddie
Game plans are essential in long fights that are difficult to predict. The assumption is that Cotto has a better chance in a longer fight, which is why he needs the right plan. Roach is a wily old fox who is surely the right man to put it into practice. Cotto has also shown a lot of discipline and application when it comes to orders from his current corner. It’s clear that a victory on the scorecards will largely depend on Roach’s plan.
