Canelo Speaks On the Evolution of Facing Cotto

By Jake Donovan

Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez was a few months shy of his 11th birthday when Miguel Cotto turned pro in 2001 and was entering his teen years when the boxing superstar from Puerto Rico began his prime years. He was only 15 years old at the start of his own pro career in Oct. ‘05, at which point Cotto had already become an established headliner on HBO.

Ten years later, the current face of boxing in Mexico prepares for a blockbuster showdown with the fighter he watched rise from prospect to champion to star attraction. The two collide this weekend at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, airing live on HBO Pay-Per-View (Saturday, 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT).

Was it a match always destined to happen?

“Well, at the beginning when I watched him... no,” Alvarez (45-1-1, 32KOs) admitted to HBO’s Kieran Mulvaney following Wednesday’s final pre-fight press conference. “But as our careers advanced, I sensed it would happen. Now it's the biggest fight that can be made.”

Even as the two became the biggest current stars from their respective boxing-rich regions, the fight still took some time to make. The wheels were in motion as far back as two years ago to get the two in the ring, right around the time Cotto (40-4, 33KOs) returned following a lengthy break after suffering back-to-back losses in 2012.

The matchup enhanced as Alvarez developed into a leading attraction in his own right, not even a humbling loss to Floyd Mayweather slowing down his career progress. If anything, his sharing the spotlight of the Sept. ’13 event only heightened his popularity, as the fight topped a show that at the time established new records for the largest take at the live gate and in Pay-Per-View revenue.

Saturday’s showdown will mark Alvarez’ fourth PPV headliner in his last five starts dating back to the aforementioned loss to Mayweather. “Comeback” wins over Alfredo Angulo and Erislandy Lara established his presence as a top attraction, with both mid-level PPV shows performing well, as did his 3rd round knockout over James Kirkland in May, which – with 2.1 million viewers tuning in for his return to HBO – serves as the most-viewed live cable TV fight in nine years.

The victories also reestablished his presence as a leading contender in the 154-160 lb. region. Had it not, it’s unlikely he goes after a fighter of Cotto’s ilk, regardless of how big the event can become or the fact that the World middleweight championship is at stake.

“He has experience; he throws combinations and is a very smart fighter,” Alvarez acknowledges of the defending champ, who attempts the second defense of his lineal championship. “If he didn't have all of these attributes, he wouldn't be where he is today.”

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox