Miguel Cotto vs. Canelo Alvarez: Top Storylines as Superfight Looms
Bleachers.. Posted 16 Nov 2015
It's finally fight week for one of the most anticipated fights of the 2015 boxing calendar.
Puerto Rican legend Miguel Cotto defends his WBC and the
Ring Magazine Middleweight Championships against rising Mexican sensation Saul "Canelo" Alvarez Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on HBO pay-per-view.
Both fighters will be looking to carve out their own space in the annals of the legendary boxing rivalry between Puerto Rico and Mexico and secure national bragging rights with a win.
Cotto (40-4, 33 KO) revitalized his career after back-to-back losses by hiring veteran Hall of Fame cornerman Freddie Roach to be his lead trainer. The Puerto Rican became the first four-division champion in his nation's history with an upset of Sergio Martinez to claim the middleweight title in 2013 and has defended it once.
Canelo (45-1-1, 32 KO) was bred for boxing stardom. At just 25 years old, he's already one of the biggest figures in the sport and has consistently refused to shy away from challenges that many felt were too tough or quick. This fight has the potential to be his defining moment and catapult him to some truly rarefied air in the sport.
The big fight is just days away, so, without further delay, these are the hottest storylines for Cotto vs. Canelo!,,,,,
Does Youth or Experience Prevail?
Ed Mulholland/Getty Images
This is a bit of a trick question, largely because both fighters are highly (but perhaps not equally) experienced.
Cotto has operated at or near the top of the sport for a decade, while Canelo, despite his youth, has been involved in many big fights and big events and made his pro debut at the age of 15. So he's been to a few rodeos.
But, still, the prevailing wisdom is that Cotto, a world champion everywhere from 140 to 160 pounds, has accumulated more experience in fighting and
winning these types of events, which leaves Canelo with the advantage in being a full 10 years younger.
So, which one prevails on fight night?
Cotto is no stranger to the big lights of big fights. He's practically an institution in New York City (where all of his fights are events on par with anything you'll find in the Vegas desert)...
And whether it's wins over Martinez and Shane Mosley or losses to Floyd Mayweather Jr.and Manny Pacquiao, he knows how to handle the pressure of a PPV event.
Canelo has fought 47 times as a pro, but only one of those (his decisive 2013 loss to Mayweather) could truly be considered an event on par with the magnitude of this fight. And that fight was easily the worst moment of his career, no matter what C.J. Ross and her criminal scorecard said.
The big advantage the cinnamon-haired former champion comes with is that his body hasn't been exposed to the many in-ring wars that have a way of catching up to a fighter, often suddenly and without much lead time.
Cotto has been beaten up (Pacquiao, Antonio Margarito) and prior to his 2011 rematch with Margarito made it clear to Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports that he fought to support his family and was not willing to lay his life on the line.
Canelo is a different breed. He's younger and perhaps hungrier.
Which one wins out? Experience or youth?
We'll find out Saturday....
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