WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto, normally stoic and respectful of his opponents, took a flamethrower to his opponent on Nov. 21, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, and his trainer Chepo Reynoso. Cotto is bristling at comments they have made about his level of competition since linking up with trainer Freddie Roach.
"Throughout the promotional tour Saul and Reynoso were very friendly and very cordial. The man who takes advantage of the absence of his opponent, in order to open his mouth, is a coward," Cotto said to El Vocero, via Boxing Scene.
Canelo Alvarez Has Never Faced A Puncher Like Cotto
Cotto has won three consecutive fights under Roach's tutelage, and won them all by knockout. First he demolished Delvin Rodriguez in a tune up bout. Then he knocked down then-WBC champion Sergio Martinez, who was a heavy favorite, three times in Round 1 of a fight that ended after the ninth when Martinez's corner wouldn't allow him to continue. During the fight, Martinez did not look fully recovered from a slew of knee injuries that were previously plaguing him.
Then, earlier this summer, Cotto drew criticism for taking on Daniel Geale. In both fights at middleweight, Cotto used his stature in boxing to force catch weights on his opponents; Martinez had to weigh in at 159 pounds, while Geale was drained all the way to 157.
4 Reasons Cotto Can Upset Canelo
Cotto has also developed a reputation as a "diva." This came about during his tense negotiations with Martinez, cropped up in his original dealings with Alvarez that fell through, and calcified when he imposed the severe catch weight on Geale. Alvarez and Reynoso have brought this up, so Cotto has come out swinging.
"He [Canelo] was undefeated at one time, and when he went up against his first major challenge [Floyd Mayweather Jr.] he looked like a rookie. And with that simple matter, then what is their pedigree?"
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