If the next couple of months go as planned then we could see Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Miguel Cotto fight in the fall, which would make 2015 the year that fight fans got the two biggest fights the sport has to offer. However, both men still have big business in front of them.
Canelo will square off against the rugged James Kirkland one week after this Saturday’s Mayweather-Pacquiao mega fight. Without Anne Wolf in Kirkland’s corner, Canelo is favored to win, but it is still a dangerous fight.
Cotto has pressing business of his own against an actual middleweight with two good legs in Daniel Geale on June 6th. Like Canelo, Cotto is the favorite to win his fight, but it could be the kind of risk that shoots Cotto in the foot.
Canelo was interviewed by HoopJab in a video published on their YouTube channel. In the interview, Canelo spoke about Cotto’s decision to pass on the proposed fight with him in favor of Geale. Canelo is clearly unbothered by the Puerto Rican’s decision and is focused on the task at hand.
“I feel very happy and calm with my fight. Cotto has his fight, and I have mine, and that’s good. I’m okay with it and not thinking much about [Cotto’s decisions],” Canelo told HoopJab’s Neal Johnson.
There is little doubt that Canelo is focused, and he wouldn’t make the mistake of overlooking Kirkland. But he has to at least be happy by the potential of a showdown with Cotto at some point this year. However, he has to beat Kirkland to keep the fight with Cotto as relevant as possible, which makes the decision to fight Kirkland all that more dangerous. But we should know by now that Canelo is a true fighter and will never let a risky matchup divert his intentions.
“Kirkland was a good fight because he is dangerous and more dangerous than others. I wanted the best matchup for the public. We’re both strong if the knockout comes then great, but if not I’m ready for 12 rounds.”
There is a lot of pressure on Cotto as the lineal champion to fight the man that most consider the best middleweight in the division in Gennady “GGG” Golovkin. Cotto might never give us the fight, but Canelo’s track record shows us that he might be the first marquee fighter to take the Golovkin challenge.
When asked about a potential fight with Golovkin, Canelo responded by saying, “It’s a fight that could happen sometime down the line. Right now, I’m focused on my fight in front of me, and that’s best for my career. Golovkin has his career, but we could meet [eventually], definitely the fight is a possibility.”
