After the June 7th destruction of former lineal Middleweight Champion Sergio Martinez, at the hands of four division titlist Miguel Cotto, head trainer Freddie Roach stated to the media in attendance that the current version of his fighter would knock-out Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a potential rematch.
The Hall of Fame fight mentor cited Mayweather?s surprisingly competitive performance against Marcos Maidana to support his beliefs. ?I think Floyd?s legs are gone,? stated Freddie Roach. ?When he says he doesn?t move anymore because he wants to please the fans, I think it?s bull$h!t. He just can?t. I think he?s shot! Cotto would knock-out Mayweather in a rematch.?
The head trainer for WBA Junior Middleweight title holder Erislandy Lara respectfully disagrees with the heralded Wildcard Gym boxing coach.
?I don?t think Floyd has lost a step at all,? claims Coach Ronnie Shields. ?He was overconfident against Maidana, and it was a much more difficult style than he anticipated. Styles make fights?it happens in boxing.?
?At Floyd?s level, it?s hard to look good in each and every fight. Maidana has a very unpredictable style that is difficult for most fighters. Look at everyone he?s fought. How many fighters have faced Maidana with no problems??
?First of all, he?s one of the hardest punchers in that weight division. Also, you really can?t tell where his punches are coming from. He throws punches from everywhere. That?s a very hard style for anyone to fight.?
Floyd Mayweather Jr. out pointed a game but overmatched 31 year old Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 5th, 2012, to capture the WBA Junior Middleweight Championship. The Puerto Rican favorite put forth a surprisingly competitive effort, but ultimately succumbed to Mayweather?s customary brand of ring generalship, and clean, effective punching in the mid to late rounds.
Judges at ringside scored the twelve round contest 118-110, 117-111, and 117-111…all in favor of Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The knowledgeable fight trainer sees a second pairing between Cotto and Mayweather playing out exactly the same way. ?It?s not like Cotto was weight drained during their first meeting,? the Houston, Texas, based fight trainer points out. ?The first fight took place at Junior Middleweight. What would be different this time? Floyd would still be too fast for him and counter him all night long?trust me, it?s the same exact fight.?
?Against Sergio Martinez, Cotto weighed in at 155 pounds?not much different from his weight before the Mayweather fight in 2012. I think Cotto weighed exactly 154 pounds for that fight.?
?Roach is merely trying to bait Floyd into fighting his man for a second time?this is all about money. But as long as Cotto has anything to do with either Top Rank or HBO, a second fight with Floyd will never happen.?
