Will a year-long layoff make a difference when Miguel Cotto gets it on with a taller Daniel Geale this coming Saturday?
Cotto and Geale are set to face off at the Barclays Center this weekend with the heavy favorite to defeat the taller and longer Australian boxer who holds a 31-3-0 record. Cotto is 39-4-0.
The WBC World Middleweight championship of Cotto will on the line in his fight against the former two-time world champion after the latter made the catch weight of 157 pounds.
Though it may seem that Geale could be fighting at a disadvantage since the catchweight is three pounds below the middleweight limit, Cotto does not seem to think so. In fact he believes that Geale poses a real threat to his title, being a natural and true middleweight with those long arms.
There is also the issue of the rustiness that Cotto may have since it will be almost a year since his last fight.
Cotto last fought on June 7, 2014 against Sergio Martinez who is a well-established brawler. He sent Martinez sprawling three times in the first round and once in the ninth round before the fight was eventually ruled in favor of the Puerto Rican via ninth-round corner retirement.
On the other end, the underdog Geale is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Jarrod Fletcher held last December. Despite the triumph, Geale has been far from impressive.
Prior to his win over Fletcher, Geale lost by knockout to Gennady Golovkin, the same fighter who Cotto is reportedly avoiding. Hence, a victory by Geale will be one of the biggest upsets if ever it happens.
Cotto is a -600 favorite while Geale is +400 in betting odds at Bovada.lv.
However, experts believe that Geale will be in for a rough night and may likely end up on with a beating. If the fight does progress with Cotto dominating, it is likely that the match will not go the distance. Many believe that Cotto will come out with TKO win which should not be surprising considering his previous fights.
Despite being cautious, Cotto knows that a win over Geale on Saturday will most likely prime him for a bigger fight ahead. He could be possibly facing Canelo ‘Saul’ Alvarez next, another big tiff for 2015 if he pulls off the expected win over Geale.
As far as Geale is concerned, however, he is not heading into the fight to lose. Despite the odds, Geale promises give it his all and possibly pull off an upset.
Cotto and Geale will get it on this Saturday at the Barclays Center. The fight will be shown via HBO at 10:30 p.m. ET and 7:30 p.m. PT.
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