After Canelo, Roach to prepare Cotto for Golovkin

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August 9, 2013, Hollywood,Ca. --- "HAPPY TOGETHER" --- Three-time world champion Miguel Cotto (L) hits the mitts with new trainer Freddie Roach (R) at the Wildcard Boxing Club in Hollywood,Ca. Cotto is preparing for his upcoming 12-round super welterweight battle against current top-five contender Delvin Rodriguez. Promoted by Miguel Cotto Promotions and Top Rank, in association with Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing and Tecate, Cotto vs. Rodriguez will take place Saturday, October 5 at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. --- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank (no other credit allowed) copyright 2013

Miguel Cotto - Gennady GolovkinAs the reigning WBC middleweight king Miguel Cotto (40 – 4) prepares for his November 11th Showdown with former junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (45-1) in Las Vegas, Freddie Roach took a moment to chat with ThaBoxingVoice’s own Fernando Pimentel.

 

Speaking from his famed Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, Roach made it clear whom the victor should fight next.

 

“Gennady is the guy that probably deserves it, I hope the winner goes after Golovkin,” Roach told Thaboxingvoice. “I have every intention to get my guy ready to fight him (GGG) and ready to beat him”.

 

Ideally, boxing fans would rejoice if the Cotto-Canelo winner went after GGG. The ongoing debate regarding who’s the “real” middleweight champion has not been settled. Roach, from the quotes above, is acknowledging GGG’s accomplishments and his place in the middleweight hierarchy.

 

While it’s all well and good that Roach says he wants GGG next for the winner, the question is whether it’s a reality we should count on? Well, will it rain in Southern California tomorrow? Will Donald Trump win the Presidency? Maybe, but most likely not.

 

So let’s examine possible outcomes of Cotto-Canelo and the victor’s paths after such a high profile win.

 

Cotto defeats Canelo or Canelo defeats Cotto (by competitive KO / decision):

The ideal scenario so that both fighters temporarily bypass a GGG fight is a rematch with each other. The fans will demand and buy a rematch. I also believe a sequel is an ideal scenario for the fighters’ promotional entities— Roc Nation Sports and Golden Boy.

 

In the meanwhile, GGG can challenge for the WBO belt against the Lee vs Saunders winner. This might alleviate any pressure the WBC might put on the Cotto-Canelo winner straightaway. From consensus, this is also the most likely outcome.

 

Canelo defeats Cotto (by noncompetitive KO / wide decision):

This outcome would obviously eliminate any demand for Cotto vs GGG. In this scenario, the Canelo camp hopes GGG and Loeffler pursue the Lee vs Saunders winner so they can put off fighting the “Kazakh Sensation” until late next year and squeeze in a more perfunctory defense for Canelo in the Spring.

 

Cotto defeats Canelo (by noncompetitive KO / wide decision):

Based on betting odds, probably the least likely scenario. Hypothetically, if Cotto pummels Canelo I believe Cotto and Roach would have the confidence to take on GGG. However, Roc Nation Sports would most likely pull for GGG versus Lee/Saunders as they’d like to milk their 55 million as long as possible and any potential GGG unification wouldn’t happen until the late 2016 timeframe.