Cotto vs. Canelo: A Common Bond Speaks

Though Miguel Cotto is 10 years older, his body wears more mileage, he is two inches shorter and gives up three and a half inches in reach, he will have some things in common with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez when they fight on Saturday (HBO Pay-Per-View) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

Actually, Cotto and Alvarez have five things in common: Floyd Mayweather Jr., Shane Mosley, Austin Trout, Alfonso Gomez and Lovemore Ndou. Cotto is 3-2 in his five fights against them; Alvarez is 4-1. Cotto’s losses came to Mayweather and Trout, both at junior middleweight, while Canelo’s lone loss came against Mayweather.

Sherdog.com had the chance to speak with Trout on Sept. 22, in Bethlehem, Pa., after the former WBA junior middleweight champion was on the broadcast team that called Julian Williams’ first-round knockout victory over Luciano Cuello.

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Against Cotto, Trout was brilliant. His unanimous decision victory was dubbed an upset at the time, as Cotto could not deal with Trout’s southpaw style and movement. That was reflective in the scores, an easy Trout sweep of 119-109, 117-111 and 117-111 on Dec. 1, 2012, in front of a pro-Cotto crowd at Madison Square Garden.

“I think Cotto is a lot different than the fighter I faced because of Freddie Roach,” Trout said. “His defense has gotten better, but Canelo is younger, and I think stronger and bigger. If I had to give someone an edge in power, I’d give it to Canelo. People forget how young he is, because he’s been fighting for so long. He’s still gaining his man strength. I know. I felt it. He’s the first fighter to ever put me down, but I also think he’s a little slower than Cotto. I’d say they have around the same hand speed, but Cotto might have that edge.”

Trout also feels the wars Cotto has been through could have an effect.

“Cotto has better footwork,” Trout said, “but you have to ask yourself how many more wars does Cotto have left in him. His defense is better under Freddie -- he’s keeping his hands up more -- but in boxing, it’s the kind of sport that can expose you fast, especially someone like Cotto, who’s been in against the best.”

Against Alvarez, Trout had his troubles on April 20, 2013, his first fight after his signature victory over Cotto. Before a partisan crowd of more than 40,000 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Trout was knocked down in the seventh round that fight. Trout does not believe the 155-pound catchweight will be a factor, though he has heard that Alvarez has had trouble making weight in the past. He also feels “Canelo” has the better head movement. Trout’s heart leans in one direction, but his mind tells him something else.

“I respect both guys and I think it’s going to be a great fight; I can’t wait to see it,” said Trout, who hopes to secure a date with Williams sometime early in 2016. “I want Cotto to win, for selfish reasons. It makes me look good, because I beat him, and because the guy is a true warrior who’s been in wars. He’s a hall of famer. Cotto’s chance is to get Canelo in the deep water of the later rounds. Who knows how much weight Canelo has had to cut, and he’s been known to tire.

“My head, however, says Canelo will win this,” he added. “He’ll win because he’s younger and stronger. He could cut up Cotto. He could stop Cotto. I don’t see Cotto stopping Canelo. Canelo’s punching power will be the difference. He’ll drag Cotto back to his old ways, and that could spell trouble.”

Joseph Santoliquito is the president of the Boxing Writer's Association of America and a frequent contributor to Sherdog.com's mixed martial arts and boxing coverage. His archive can be found here.