by Edward Chaykovsky
Former two-three middleweight champion Daniel Geale (31-3, 16KOs) is hoping to capture the title one more time when he challenges WBC king Miguel Cotto (39-4, 32KOs) on June 6th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Last year Geale stepped up to face WBA/IBO champion Gennady Golovkin, also in New York, and was knocked out in the third round. He returned at the end of the year to win a twelve round decision over countryman Jarrod Fletcher.
Geale is planning to use a lot more footwork against Cotto and standing his ground only when he must. He learned that standing still and slugging it out with someone who can punch, like he did with Golovkin, is not a strategy that he plans to use in this fight.
"I have to be switched on and smart," said Geale to the Sydney Morning Herald. "I have to make him miss, I have to frustrate him. If I stand in front of Cotto . . . go toe to toe . . . that'll play right into his hands. I feel like I fight at my best when my feet are working well with my hands. Sometimes when I plant my feet and try to tough it out with them I come back to their level.
"Cotto has pretty good skills, fast hands and everyone knows he's powerful. So I'm going to make it as hard as I can for him to land those big punches. I'm not going to be a sitting duck - I'll be punching, I'll be moving and I'll be punching again."
"I definitely wanted to fight Cotto; wanted it for a long time. Ever since he won the title against Sergio Martinez [last year] it's been on my mind. Everyone knows he's one of the best fighters in the world. He's fought Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather . . . he fights anyone."
