By Jake Donovan

Daniel Geale and his team knew what they were getting into when first signing for a June 6 catchweight showdown with Miguel Cotto.

It doesn’t mean they have to like it one bit.

The former middleweight titlist is gunning for a shot at the true lineal championship. With that desire came the concession to meet Cotto—the reigning middleweight king—at a catchweight of 157 lbs. Cotto’s side was fairly blunt in its terms—accept the deal or look for another fight.

Given what’s at stake, Geale took the fight, which airs live on HBO from Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Rather than attempting to negotiate for more favorable terms, the Aussie boxer agreed to what was offered, in hopes that it’s a one-time occasion.

“I have to be honest—if it’s not a title fight, then a catchweight is not a problem. But if you’re fighting for a middleweight title, then weight limit is 160 for that fight,” Geale (31-3, 16KOs) said in explain his stance on the subject. “I find it funny. It should be at 160 but I’m not going to complain.”

The bout marks Geale’s third appearance on HBO, with each of his previous two bouts on the network taking place in the United States and resulting in defeat. His HBO and stateside debut came in Aug. ’13, dropping England’s Darren Barker midway through their headliner in Atlantic City, only to come up on the short end of a disputed split decision to end his title reign.

His most recent U.S. bout came last July, suffering a brutal 3rd round knockout loss at the lethal fists of unbeaten middleweight titlist Gennady Golovkin.

Both fights took place at the full middleweight limit, as have all of Geale’s fights dating back to May ’07. Geale’s lightest weight since then was the 158¾ lbs. he weighed for his title-unifying win over Felix Sturm on the road in Sept. ’12.

Cotto (39-4, 32KOs) fights above the junior middleweight limit for just the second time in his career. His previous bout resulted in his capturing the World championship in a surprisingly one-sided rout of reigning lineal king Sergio Martinez last June.

For that fight, Cotto—as the challenger, but also as the bigger draw—insisted upon a 159 lb. catchweight in place. The fighting pride of Puerto Rico came in at 155 lbs. for the historic win, becoming the first from the boxing-rich island to capture titles in four weight classes.

The first defense of the title comes with an even steeper clause, one that doesn’t sit well with Team Geale.

“With these catchweights - the catchweight is 157. We agreed to that. But me personally, I do not believe in catchweights,” noted Gary Shaw, Geale’s stateside promoter. “You can fight whatever you want, but the other fighter should be able to weigh in at the divisional limit. This is where we confuse people.

“I just read an article with Freddie Roach (Cotto’s trainer) - I have a world of respect for Freddie Roach. but he thinks in regards to catchweights, ‘It’s part of a new world of boxing.’ I don’t believe that for one minute. I just don’t think there should be catchweights. That’s my own personal view. Daniel will make 157, the day of the weigh-in.”

Geale can only hope it’s the last time he has to see the weight – or any not in accordance with the 17 current weight classes in the sport.

“That’s the way it is,” Geale says of the terms of the fight. “Hopefully there aren’t too many catchweight fights in my future.”

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox