To hear renowned boxing trainer Freddie Roach tell it, Miguel Cotto vs. Sergio Martinez is all but a foregone conclusion in favor of the former, and is really just a resume-fluffing stepping stone on the way to the big money.
According to Roach, who led Cotto to a convincing victory in the pair's first fight together, Cotto has big things planned for the future that will involved some of boxing's biggest names. "After we beat Martinez in June, Cotto is looking at a potential rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. or a big fight with Canelo Alvarez," Roach said.
He also said Martinez's age played a big role in the decision to face the middleweight over Canelo, even though the Mexican superstar represented a larger payday. "If you remember, we actually turned down a fight with Alvarez to take this one. Because we really didn't know how long Martinez would be around."
Cotto's made it clear that he values the opportunity given to him to win a fourth title in four weight classes, something no one from the boxing-mad island of Puerto Rico has ever done.
Although Martinez is the bigger man, he's small for middleweight while Cotto has power that can translate to bigger divisions. He's also training with Manny Pacquiao a bit to prep for Sergio's speed. Roach is very confident Cotto will walk away a winner, despite Sergio's promise of a ninth-round KO.
"Alvarez is very young and has longevity, and Martinez is getting old. So after we get the big win, we could be looking at two fights, one with Mayweather and another with Alvarez. I really love the fight with Alvarez."
Canelo shook off a loss to Mayweather in September of 2013, and took apart a tough veteran in Alfredo Angulo recently. He's looking to step back in the ring in July, so a fight with Cotto won't be coming anytime soon. However, Canelo reportedly wants to fight three times in 2014, so a battle this year may not be out of the question.
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