Possibly the biggest boxing showdown—after Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao went toe-to-toe in May—Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Miguel Cotto square off in the Fight Capital of the World. Alvarez is a rising Mexican star, known for his tenacity and power. Cotto isn’t one to be counted out as well; the Puerto Rican legend is having climbing up the ladder after winning three straight fights to capture the WBC, Lineal and The Ring Middleweight titles.
Which heavy-handed slugger raises championship gold at the end? Read on as we break down this explosive bout.
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Saul Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KOs) is tearing right through the boxing world with a mean punch that packs plenty of power. Better known as Canelo, Alvarez has sought out the biggest fights that boxing can offer much like his mentor and promoter Oscar de la Hoya.
[sc:Other240banner ]Alvarez first broke through in the boxing elite when he won the vacant WBC Light Middleweight belt, taking a unanimous decision verdict against EBU Welterweight Champion Matthew Hatton. He landed 47 percent of his 626 punches, including over 50 percent of his power shots, in winning all 12 rounds. He was deducted a point for a punch that came after the end of the seventh round.
Canelo throws plenty of punches in bunches, much like his victory over Hatton. He also managed to outpoint a solid tactician in Erislandy Lara, beating the Cuban boxer by split decision. He landed 88 power punches to Lara’s 52.
Alvarez isn’t known for his slick boxing; he’s known more for his power. He became the first man to knock down the highly-touted Austin Trout in 2013. He also scored a third round knockout of James Kirkland in May to earn a shot at Miguel Cotto’s WBC and The Ring Middleweight titles.
Being the bigger and younger boxer, Alvarez will be better served to bring the fight to Cotto. A fire fight may be to Alvarez’ advantage, especially if he lands plenty to the body to get his opponent to gas out. Cotto has shown that he can be beaten by heavy sluggers before, losing by TKO to Antonio Margarito and Manny Pacquiao in 2009.
Canelo has won four of his five fights held in Las Vegas; the lone loss came against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Betting on Miguel Cotto
Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33 KOs) is getting up there in age. Now 34 years of age, he can’t afford to keep brawling with younger, fresher men. He seems to have the right approach, trying to keep sharp by enlisting the help of renowned trainer Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.
Cotto is in a career resurgence of sorts, winning three straight fights. But you could also argue that he had some rather unimpressive victories. He hammered a badly dehydrated Daniel Geale in June to set up this bout against Alvarez. Before the victory against Geale, Cotto needed 10 rounds before 40-year-old Sergio Martinez retired from the fight. That was after he knocked down Martinez three times in the opening round. He knocked out 35-year-old Delvin Rodriguez in the third round in 2013.
Despite fighting more conservatively, Cotto remains dangerous and aggressive especially in the early goings of a fight. He’ll regularly cut opponents off and unload on combinations from the head and body, which plays right into Canelo’s game.
Cotto has dynamite in his hands, especially if he lands cleanly. But he will be the smaller man in the ring against Alvarez. Cotto stands at 5-foot-7, having spent the most of his career between 147 and 154 pounds, where he collected the most of his knockouts. It’s also concerning that he was knocked out by a smaller man in Manny Pacquiao in 2009. Cotto was also dominated by a man that Canelo already beat before in Austin Trout.
It’s going to take plenty of patience and game-planning for Cotto to beat a younger, fresher fighter in Canelo. A steady dose of his cinder blocks for hands should also help. Cotto’s a savvy veteran who could end up schooling a much wilder, opponent in Alvarez. Expect Cotto to make this a dog fight.
Writer’s Prediction
The two slug it out for the better part of 12 rounds. Alvarez finally ends the brawl with a wicked body-to-head combination in the 12th and final round. Alvarez (-320) wins by twelfth round technical knockout. Don’t miss out on the biggest fights in boxing. Create a betting account now and punch your ticket into big winnings.
