Miguel Cotto will face Daniel Geale Saturday night in Cotto’s first defense of the WBC middleweight title. He will enter the ring as a heavy favorite, not only because of his Hall of Fame career, but because he has imposed a 157-pound catch weight for the fight, which has created buzz and earned him criticism.
Aside from the catch weight, Geale is a fighter who says he’s used to being overlooked. Cotto has big fights on the horizon after this one, but shouldn’t be overconfident; he will be in the ring with a former title holder himself, who can legitimately question two of his three losses.
Here are three keys for Cotto to ensure he moves on to the big-money pay-per-views he’s envisioning.
Don’t Get Beat To The Punch
Geale’s promoter Gary Shaw thinks Cotto is too cocky heading into this fight because of how thoroughly he dominated Sergio Martinez to win the belt. Shaw thinks Martinez was injured and shopworn, while Geale is going to give Cotto problems with his style. He compared this matchup to Cotto’s 2012 loss to Austin Trout; that was a tough fight in which Cotto was peppered by Trout’s frequent jabs, and where his inside work was smothered by Trout’s ability to change distance.
Geale is not as awkward and isn’t a southpaw, but he is also a crafty fighter who relies on movement, distance, and defense to win fights. He is also a tough and durable fighter—don’t let his TKO loss to Gennady Golovkin fool you. Cotto will have to employ his jab often to control the pace, or at the very least not be picked off by jabs as he’s coming in. If Geale’s jab is too quick and he’s sniping Cotto, the champ will have to adjust, lure Geale in, and counter punch.
Be Accurate With The Right Hook
Cotto’s greatest weapon is his left hook to the body, which made a triumphant return vs. Delvin Rodriguez in 2013, and was evident to the head and body vs. Martinez. Geale is a smart, mobile fighter though, and while Cotto will be winging that left hook Geale won’t be a sitting duck. Cotto should expect Geale to circle to his left—Cotto’s right—and be ready to maul him with that hand. Cotto’s a natural southpaw but his right hand carries good power as well.
Force Geale To The Ropes
Geale shedding an extra three pounds to meet Cotto’s catch weight has to have a weakening effect. Cotto must take advantage of that by cutting off the ring and pounding Geale to the body once he has him cornered. Cotto’s been effective against elite fighters like Floyd Mayweather Jr. by pummeling them this way, and Geale, while naturally bigger than Mayweather, doesn’t have Mayweather’s defensive skill.
The drain from the weight loss will make Geale more susceptible to Cotto’s power, and likely leave him with less in the tank to move for 12 rounds.
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