Trainer Freddie Roach is highly interested in a future fight between his fighter WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Cotto lost to Mayweather by a 12 round unanimous decision three years ago in 2012, but that was before Roach took over as Cotto’s trainer. Roach now thinks that with his help, he’d lead Cotto to victory over Mayweather.
The Mayweather-Cotto rematch is definitely an option for 2015 or 2016, and it’s a potential plan-B for Mayweather if the negotiations between him and Manny Pacquiao go down the toilet.
Cotto hasn’t signed a contract for a fight against the 24-year-old red-headed Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, and there are some who feel that Cotto has put himself on hold waiting to see if he can move in and face Mayweather instead.
“That’s an interesting fight, Cotto-Mayweather 2,” Roach said via Thatboxingvoice.com. “Miguel did promise me he would knock him out if I was in his corner, and we do work very well together. We worked out for 10 days trying to stay on top of things. I’d rather see Pacquiao fight Mayweather because the world wants to see that fight. I think Cotto should fight Canelo Alvarez because that Mayweather fight will still be there after. I like to see Manny get that first.”
You never know if the Mayweather fight will be there or not, but if it gets offered to Cotto, he had better take it because he might not get another chance.
Roach seems to have Cotto pretty well brainwashed thinking he’s been improved under his watch. If Cotto really thinks he’s found the fountain of youth with Roach’s help and can now beat the likes of Mayweather, then he could be in for a rude awakening if Mayweather gets him in the ring. With Cotto, you have to look at the guys he’s faced while under Roach’s watch. Cotto has fought Delvin Rodriguez and Sergio Martinez.
Rodriguez was already someone who’d been schooled by Austin Trout, and who’d never really been a top level fighter. Sergio Martinez was a guy coming off of two knee surgeries, and who didn’t look like he physically should have been fighting on the night Cotto beat him. I don’t know that Cotto is any better than he was when he was beaten by Trout and Mayweather three years ago. I don’t know why he would be a better fighter at 34 then he was at 31. That just sounds like wishful thinking to me.
