IF Canelo Isn’t Weak At The Weight, He Should Dismantle Cotto

Published

9 years ago

November 21, 2015

Today’s middleweight clash between lineal title holder Miguel Cotto 40-4 (33) and challenger Saul “Canelo” Alvarez 45-1-1 (32) should be everything that the over-hyped super fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao wasn’t, despite it being at a 155 pound catch-weight.

No, the catch-weight for once shouldn’t be a big deal since neither fighter has ever fought above 155 pounds. Truth be told, Cotto is a legitimate welterweight right now and Alvarez is a full-fledged junior middleweight, but not for much longer.

The anticipation for Cotto-Alvarez has been festering for the past year, and there’s a two, perhaps three-pronged reason for that, starting with the fact that both Miguel and Saul are viewed by the boxing public as being aggressive fighters who look to win exclusively by knockout. It’s doubtful that you’ll find many observers or fans that see the fight being left up to the three judges. So when you look at it that way, on paper it has to be an action packed, fan-friendly tussle.

Another reason why the fight should do well regarding PPV numbers is that you have the biggest Puerto Rican star in boxing, Cotto, 35, confronting the biggest Mexican star in boxing, Alvarez, 25, with a legitimate world title on the line with the winner, at least in the mind of the public, the next man up for boxing’s newest emerging star, the IBO/WBA/IBF middleweight title holder Gennady Golovkin 34-0 (31).

In boxing, the closest you can get to Yankees-Red Sox, Bears-Packers, Celtics-Lakers, Alabama-Auburn or Duke-North Carolina is Puerto Rico vs. Mexico. So you better believe on November 21, 2015 at the Mandalay Resort in Las Vegas both Cotto and Alvarez will be supported by a monumental contingent of loyal fans.

And then there’s the third dynamic that is no doubt a factor in the fight, and that is how good, although I think it’s more of an illusion, that Cotto has looked under the tutelage of head trainer Freddie Roach the last two years. After losing two bouts in a row, Roach took over training Cotto and now Miguel is riding a three bout win streak and has defeated former middleweight champ Sergio Martinez and title challenger Daniel Geale. Not only did Cotto defeat them, he stopped both of them in catch-weight bouts. However, both Martinez and Geale had to come in under the middleweight limit of 160. Martinez was on his last legs and was down in his three previous bouts before facing Cotto and I believe having to cut an extra pound or two was the straw that broke him. As for Geale, he looked like a skeleton with eyes when he weighed in at 157 the day before the fight. So I for one am not a believer in Cotto being as good as he’s looked in his last two bouts. I think he beat a shopworn Martinez, who was already finished, and a drained Geale who was never elite, not even remotely.

Now there have been some whispers Alvarez has struggled to get down to weight, and if that’s true, everything goes out the window. But, if Alvarez isn’t drained at the weight, he should dismantle Cotto inside the scheduled 12-rounds. And there are a plethora of reasons for that, beginning with Alvarez’s size advantage. Saul is taller, has a longer reach and puts his punches together better. And on the night of the fight he could weigh north of 170 pounds compared to Cotto, who will most likely be 10 pounds lighter when they proceed to touch gloves. Yes, Canelo is the naturally bigger man.

Not only is Alvarez bigger, he’s also the better two handed puncher, as we saw in the beating he administered to the hard punching James Kirkland in his last bout. Canelo hurt and dropped Kirkland with both hands and fought terrifically in retreat when Kirkland was bringing the heat. Austin Trout and Alfonso Gomez fought both and both conveyed to ESPN.com that Alvarez is the harder puncher.

Also, Cotto only has one finishing punch, his left hook to the head or body. The only problem with that is Miguel cannot really get much on it if his feet aren’t set underneath him or if he’s moving back, and I think Canelo is going to make him go back. In fact I don’t even think Cotto will attempt to force Alvarez back because he has to figure Alvarez has the bigger guns and doesn’t want to tempt fate by moving into his power. In addition to having the bigger guns, Alvarez has a more imaginative offense and can hurt Cotto fighting as the attacker or stepping off to the side and countering.

If you’re Cotto, how do you attack Alvarez? If you bring it, you’re engaging with a fighter who has bigger power and on both sides. If Miguel tries to trade with Alvarez he’ll be in trouble. He’ll be in trouble because Canelo not only hits harder but he has the better chin. Cotto has been stopped twice and hurt on more than a few occasions by other elite fighters he’s fought. Alvarez has never been stopped and stood up well and fought back after eating James Kirkland Sunday best hooks, which are harder than anything Cotto has in his arsenal. Should Cotto chose to box Alvarez like he did Martinez until he gets tired, good luck because Canelo still has young legs underneath him and won’t fall all over the place when barely touched like Martinez did.

I also believe Alvarez has to be more hungry and better motivated than Cotto. Miguel has had a hall-of-fame career and has won and lost the signature fights of his career. Beating Alvarez can only enhance Cotto’s legacy but losing to him will not hurt it a bit. Alvarez doesn’t have that luxury. He’s had one signature fight during his career that anyone remembers and that was against Floyd Mayweather two years ago. Against Mayweather, Alvarez barely competed and maybe won one round. The stench of that bout hasn’t left him and it’s still the fight he’s most remembered for. In order to rid that memory he must beat Cotto, and the more decidedly the better.

When taking everything into consideration, I don’t think Cotto has been born again under Freddie Roach. I think it is more a case of brilliant management and being at the right place at the right time. Well, I think time runs out 11/21/15. Canelo has the style and power coupled with youth and the right mindset to send Cotto into retirement for good.

Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com

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Frank Lotierzo

Jorge Garcia is the TSS Fighter of the Month for April

Published

15 hours ago

April 28, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Jorge-Garcia-is-the-TSS-Fighter-of-the-Month-for-April

Jorge Garcia has a lot in common with Mexican countrymen Emanuel Navarrete and Rafael Espinoza. In common with those two, both reigning world title-holders, Garcia is big for his weight class and bubbled out of obscurity with a triumph forged as a heavy underdog in a match contested on American soil.

Garcia had his “coming of age party” on April 19 in the first boxing event at the new Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California (roughly 35 miles north of San Diego), a 7,500-seat facility whose primary tenant is an indoor soccer team. It was a Golden Boy Promotions event and in the opposite corner was a Golden Boy fighter, Charles Conwell.

A former U.S. Olympian, Conwell was undefeated (21-0, 16 KOs) and had won three straight inside the distance since hooking up with Golden Boy whose PR department ballyhooed him as the most avoided fighter in the super welterweight division. At prominent betting sites, Conwell was as high as a 12/1 favorite.

The lanky Garcia was 32-4 (26 KOs) heading in, but it was easy to underestimate him as he had fought extensively in Tijuana where the boxing commission is notoriously docile and in his home state of Sinaloa. This would be only his second fight in the U.S. However, it was noteworthy in hindsight that three of his four losses were by split decision.

Garcia vs. Conwell was a robust affair. He and Conwell were credited with throwing 1451 punches combined. In terms of punches landed, there was little to choose between them but the CompuBox operator saw Garcia landing more power punches in eight of the 12 rounds. At the end, the verdict was split but there was no controversy.

An interested observer was Sebastian Fundora who was there to see his sister Gabriela defend her world flyweight titles. Sebastian owns two pieces of the 154-pound world title where the #1 contender per the WBO is Xander Zayas who keeps winning, but not with the verve of his earlier triumphs.

With his upset of Charles Conwell, Jorge Garcia has been bumped into the WBO’s #2 slot. Regardless of who he fights next, Garcia will earn the biggest payday of his career.

Honorable mention: Aaron McKenna

McKenna was favored to beat veteran campaigner Liam Smith in the co-feature to the Eubank-Benn battle this past Saturday in London, but he was stepping up in class against a former world title-holder who had competed against some of the top dogs in the middleweight division and who had famously stopped Chris Eubank Jr in the first of their two encounters. Moreover, the venue, Tottenham Hotspur, the third-largest soccer stadium in England, favored the 36-year-old Liverpudlian who was accustomed to a big fight atmosphere having fought Canelo Alvarez before 50,000-plus at Arlington Stadium in Texas.

McKenna, from the small town of Monaghan, Ireland, wasn’t overwhelmed by the occasion. With his dad Feargal in his corner and his fighting brother Stephen McKenna cheering him on from ringside, Aaron won a wide decision in his first 12-round fight, punctuating his victory by knocking Smith to his knees with a body punch in the 12^th round. In fact, if he hadn’t had a point deducted for using his elbow, the Irishman would have pitched a shutout on one of the scorecards.

“There might not be a more impressive example of a fighter moving up in class,” wrote Tris Dixon of the 25-year-old “Silencer” who improved his ledger to 20-0 (10).

Photo credits: Garcia/Conwell photo compliments of Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy; McKenna-Smith provided by Mark Robinson/Matchroom

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Chris Eubank Jr Outlasts Conor Benn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Published

2 days ago

April 27, 2025

David A. Avila

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Feudal bragging rights belong to Chris Eubank Jr. who out-lasted Conor Benn to
emerge victorious by unanimous decision in a non-title middleweight match held in
London on Saturday.

Fighting for their family heritage Eubank (35-3, 26 KOs) and Benn (23-1, 14 KOs)
continued the battle between families started 35 years ago by their fathers at Tottenham
Hotspur Stadium.

More than 65,000 fans attended.

Though Eubank Jr. had a weight and height advantage and a record of smashing his
way to victory via knockout, he had problems hurting the quicker and more agile Benn.
And though Benn had the advantage of moving up two weight divisions and forcing
Eubank to fight under a catch weight, the move did not weaken him much.

Instead, British fans and boxing fans across the world saw the two family rivals pummel
each other for all 12 rounds. Neither was able to gain separation.

Eubank looked physically bigger and used a ramming left jab to connect early in the
fight. Benn immediately showed off his speed advantage and surprised many with his
ability to absorb a big blow.Chris Eubank Jr Outlasts Conor Benn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Benn scrambled around with his quickness and agility and scored often with bigcounters.

It took him a few rounds to stop overextending himself while delivering power shots.

In the third round Benn staggered Eubank with a left hook but was unable to follow up
against the dangerous middleweight who roared back with flurries of blows.

Eubank was methodic in his approach always moving forward, always using his weight
advantage via the shoulder to force Benn backward. The smaller Benn rocketed
overhand rights and was partly successful but not enough to force Eubank to retreat.
In the seventh round a right uppercut snapped Benn’s head violently but he was
undeterred from firing back. Benn’s chin stood firm despite Eubank’s vaunted power and
size advantage.

“I didn’t know he had that in him,” Eubank said.

Benn opened strong in the eighth round with furious blows. And though he connected
he was unable to seriously hurt Eubank. And despite being drained by the weight loss,
the middleweight fighter remained strong all 12 rounds.

There were surprises from both fighters.

Benn was effective targeting the body. Perhaps if he had worked the body earlier he
would have found a better result.

With only two rounds remaining Eubank snapped off a right uppercut again and followed
up with body shots. In the final stanza Eubank pressed forward and exchanged with the
smaller Benn until the final bell. He simply out-landed the fighter and impressed all three
judges who scored it 116-112 for Eubank.

Eubank admitted he expected a knockout win but was satisfied with the victory.
“I under-estimated him,” Eubank said.

Benn was upset by the loss but recognized the reasons.

“He worked harder toward the end,” said Benn.

McKenna Wins

In his first test in the elite level Aaron McKenna (20-0, 10 KOs) showed his ability to fight
inside or out in soundly defeating former world champion Liam Smith (33-5-1, 20 KOs)
by unanimous decision to win a regional WBA middleweight title.

Smith has made a career out of upsetting young upstarts but discovered the Irish fighter
more than capable of mixing it up with the veteran. It was a rough fight throughout the
12 rounds but McKenna showed off his abilities to fight as a southpaw or right-hander
with nary a hiccup.

McKenna had trained in Southern California early in his career and since that time he’s
accrued a variety of ways to fight. He was smooth and relentless in using his longer
arms and agility against Smith on the outside or in close.

In the 12 th round, McKenna landed a perfectly timed left hook to the ribs and down went
Smith. The former champion got up and attempted to knock out the tall
Irish fighter but could not.

All three judges scored in favor of McKenna 119-108, 117-109, 118-108.

Other Bouts
Anthony Yarde (27-3) defeated Lyndon Arthur (24-3) by unanimous decision after 12 rounds. in a light heavyweight match. It was the third time they met. Yarde won the last two fights.

Chris Billam-Smith (21-2) defeated Brandon Glanton (20-3) by decision. It was his first
fight since losing the WBO cruiserweight world title to Gilberto Ramirez last November.

Viddal Riley (13-0) out-worked Cheavon Clarke (10-2) in a 12-round back-and-forth-contest to win a unanimous decision.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 323: Benn vs Eubank Family Feud and More

Published

4 days ago

April 24, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila-Perspective,-Chap.-323:-Benn-vs-Eubank-Family-Feud-and-More.jpg

Next generation rivals Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr. carry on the family legacy of feudal warring in the prize ring on Saturday.

This is huge in British boxing.

Eubank (34-3, 25 KOs) holds the fringe IBO middleweight title but won’t be defending it against the smaller welterweight Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) on Saturday, April 26, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. DAZN will stream the Matchroom Boxing card.

This is about family pride.

The parents of Eubank and Benn actually began the feud in the 1990s.

Papa Nigel Benn fought Papa Chris Eubank twice. Losing as a middleweight in November 1990 at Birmingham, England, then fighting to a draw as a super middleweight in October 1993 in Manchester. Both were world title fights.

Eubank was undefeated and won the WBO middleweight world title in 1990 against Nigel Benn by knockout. He defended it three times before moving up and winning the vacant WBO super middleweight title in September 1991. He defended the super middleweight title 14 times before suffering his first pro defeat in March 1995 against Steve Collins.

Benn won the WBO middleweight title in April 1990 against Doug DeWitt and defended it once before losing to Eubank in November 1990. He moved up in weight and took the WBC super middleweight title from Mauro Galvano in Italy by technical knockout in October 1992. He defended the title nine times until losing in March 1996. His last fight was in November 1996, a loss to Steve Collins.

Animosity between the two families continues this weekend in the boxing ring.

Conor Benn, the son of Nigel, has fought mostly as a welterweight but lately has participated in the super welterweight division. He is several inches shorter in height than Eubank but has power and speed. Kind of a British version of Gervonta “Tank” Davis.

“It’s always personal, every opponent I fight is personal. People want to say it’s strictly business, but it’s never business. If someone is trying to put their hands on me, trying to render me unconscious, it’s never business,” said Benn.

This fight was scheduled twice before and cut short twice due to failed PED tests by Benn. The weight limit agreed upon is 160 pounds.

Eubank, a natural middleweight, has exchanged taunts with Benn for years. He recently avenged a loss to Liam Smith with a knockout victory in September 2023.

“This fight isn’t about size or weight. It’s about skill. It’s about dedication. It’s about expertise and all those areas in which I excel in,” said Eubank. “I have many, many more years of experience over Conor Benn, and that will be the deciding factor of the night.”

Because this fight was postponed twice, the animosity between the two feuding fighters has increased the attention of their fans. Both fighters are anxious to flatten each other.

“He’s another opponent in my way trying to crush my dreams. trying to take food off my plate and trying to render me unconscious. That’s how I look at him,” said Benn.

Eubank smiles.

“Whether it’s boxing, whether it’s a gun fight. Defense, offense, foot movement, speed, power. I am the superior boxer in each of those departments and so many more – which is why I’m so confident,” he said.

Supporting Bout

Former world champion Liam Smith (33-4-1, 20 KOs) tangles with Ireland’s Aaron McKenna (19-0, 10 KOs) in a middleweight fight set for 12 rounds on the Benn-Eubank undercard in London.

“Beefy” Smith has long been known as one of the fighting Smith brothers and recently lost to Eubank a year and a half ago. It was only the second time in 38 bouts he had been stopped. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez did it several years ago.

McKenna is a familiar name in Southern California. The Irish fighter fought numerous times on Golden Boy Promotion cards between 2017 and 2019 before returning to the United Kingdom and his assault on continuing the middleweight division. This is a big step for the tall Irish fighter.

It’s youth versus experience.

“I’ve been calling for big fights like this for the last two or three years, and it’s a fight I’m really excited for. I plan to make the most of it and make a statement win on Saturday night,” said McKenna, one of two fighting brothers.

Monster in L.A.

Japan’s super star Naoya “Monster” Inoue arrived in Los Angeles for last day workouts before his Las Vegas showdown against Ramon Cardenas on Sunday May 4, at T-Mobile Arena. ESPN will televise and stream the Top Rank card.

It’s been four years since the super bantamweight world champion performed in the US and during that time Naoya (29-0, 26 KOs) gathered world titles in different weight divisions. The Japanese slugger has also gained fame as perhaps the best fighter on the planet. Cardenas is 26-1 with 14 KOs.

Pomona Fights

Super featherweights Mathias Radcliffe (9-0-1) and Ezequiel Flores (6-4) lead a boxing card called “DMG Night of Champions” on Saturday April 26, at the historic Fox Theater in downtown Pomona, Calif.

Michaela Bracamontes (11-2-1) and Jesus Torres Beltran (8-4-1) will be fighting for a regional WBC super featherweight title. More than eight bouts are scheduled.

Doors open at 6 p.m. For ticket information go to: www.tix.com/dmgnightofchampions

Fights to Watch

Sat. DAZN 9 a.m. Conor Benn (23-0) vs Chris Eubank Jr. (34-3); Liam Smith (33-4-1) vs Aaron McKenna (19-0).

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