♪
Announcer: The following
is a presentation of HBO Sports.
Hello. I'm Jim Lampley.
Coming up November 21,
HBO Pay-Per-View will take you
to the Mandalay Bay
Events Center in Las Vegas
for the long-awaited showdown
between world middleweight
champion Miguel Cotto
of Puerto Rico and challenger
Canelo Alvarez of Mexico.
It's the latest
in a historic line
of high-intensity duels
between boricuan
and Mexican superstars
and a classic match-up
of skilled boxer punchers,
so to help get you ready
for Cotto versus Canelo,
we're going to show you Cotto's
most recent title events
against Australian former
two-time titleholder
Daniel Geale in Brooklyn
the night of June 6.
It was Cotto's first appearance
since having seized
the lineal middleweight crown
the year before
against Argentina's
Sergio Martinez
and his third fight
with trainer Freddie Roach,
architect of a stunning
mid-career renaissance
for the former lightweight
and welterweight star.
Wary of Geale's size advantage,
Cotto negotiated
a catch weight of 157.
Geale struggled
but made the weight,
then ballooned overnight
and walked to the ring
at a bulbous 182.
Here's how I called the action
with Max Kellerman
and Roy Jones.
Harvey Dock: Guys, we went over
instructions already.
Obey my commands at all times.
Protect yourself at all times.
Touch gloves. Good luck.
Kellerman: Miguel Cotto
told us yesterday
that the love for boxing
has come back to him
since he's been
with Freddie Roach.
When his eyes
open in the morning,
he has the thought,
"The harder I work,
the better the future."
The immediate future,
should he win this fight,
is Canelo Alvarez,
and, as you heard
Daniel Geale say,
he's gonna try
to spoil
those plans.
Lampley: Alvarez
looked sensational
just a few weeks ago
against James Kirkland...
so there's a prelude
to what takes place tonight.
Some fans will be
looking to see
does Cotto answer back
to Canelo with something
equally as impressive
as what Canelo
was able to do
against Kirkland.
First punch of the fight
is a hard Miguel hook--
Cotto left hook
to the body,
and that is his
trademark shot.
Jones: A very
good left hook
to the body
at that, Jim.
That's sort of like Miguel
saying hello to an opponent.
"You are in the ring
with Miguel Cotto."
Well, he had
to say hello early
because this is a much
bigger opponent.
He came in weighing
at the junior
middleweight
division, so he has
to do something to
let this bigger guy
know that he must
beware, like that.
We told you about
the unofficial weight for Geale
and how much he was able
to rehydrate overnight.
We do not have an unofficial
weight on Miguel Cotto.
He has not been weighed other
than at the weigh-in yesterday--
153.6, but
a reasonable expectation
is that he would've
rehydrated maybe up to 160,
probably not beyond.
Yeah. I don't know
if it's obvious
on television, um,
because we
have monitors here,
and it doesn't look
as obvious on TV
as live here,
but Daniel Geale's size
advantage is pronounced.
I know Miguel Cotto
is obviously
the stockier guy,
but Geale
is a much bigger guy,
it looks like here.
Yeah, it does,
but Miguel Cotto
also hurt Dan Geale
with that last
body shot
he hit him with.
If you watch it,
you saw that arm
snatch back really,
really quickly,
shows you
that he has
that respect
already.
There's a left hook
to the head by Cotto,
perfect, short,
tight shot inside
that landed and also seemed
to bother Daniel Geale.
I thought Cotto made
his presence known
with the very first
punch of the fight,
that left hook
to the body,
and he's also boxed
pretty well here.
Cotto, moving well
on his feet,
lands another left hook.
If Daniel Geale
isn't going to be able
to stop Miguel Cotto
from landing left hooks,
he will not have a chance
to win the fight.
No, but he's just
landed a pretty good
left hook
of his own.
Cotto's ability to
carry his punch up
with him in weight
has been impressive
both against
Sergio Martinez
and you're seeing
some hard shots
here tonight,
so far.
Well, that's
the one thing about
a good puncher in
professional boxing.
If you can punch,
you pretty much can
punch at any
weight class.
Cotto landed another
left hook inside.
Geale's gonna
have to find a way
to try to stop
or elude Cotto's left hook.
He's getting hit
with too many of them
here in the first round.
Getting outboxed
from the outside
by the shorter
fighter is not
a good look
for Geale early.
Geale with a 3-punch
combination,
but the punches
were glancing blows,
didn't land solidly.
And those body shots
are already
making Geale keep
his hands at home
more than he really
wants to because
he can't afford
to give up
the left hook
to the body.
And Cotto, as Geale
favors his body
trying to stop
that left hook downstairs,
Cotto's landing jabs
upstairs.
Cotto also knows
that he can
swap a left hook
for anything
that Geale
throws.
How you doing?
All right, boy.
OK. Now, today
this guy really
goes to jab and
the combination,
and he's pressing
a little bit more.
It is not--do not let
him come to you, OK?
OK.
Do--do not
let him get out
first, OK?
All right. Now,
that's the key, OK?
Don't give him any
momentum at all,
all right?
All right.
Keep in charge.
Keep throwing the jab,
all right, body, head,
good combinations,
all right?
It's a beautiful
combination,
body and back to
the head, all right?
Jones: Here's where
you know a punch
has a good effect
on your opponent.
When you see this
body shot land,
you watch that right
elbow snatch back
just a second
too late, though.
The punch already
did its damage,
but you know it
did damage because
you saw that arm
try to get back
and block
that spot.
Lampley: Both fighters
landed or--excuse me--
both fighters threw
41 punches
by CompuBox count
in round one.
Cotto landed 14,
Geale landed 9,
unofficial CompuBox numbers
in the first round.
Kellerman: You can
see the brilliance
of Freddie Roach
in the corner.
Cotto had
success boxing,
but just because
he can box
doesn't mean
he should.
Freddie wants to see
an aggressive, in-charge
Miguel Cotto
coming forward.
Doesn't want to let
um, uh, Geale
get into the fight.
That left hook
hurt Geale.
Geale landed
a good right hand,
but Cotto hurt him back
with a left hook.
And Freddie's doing
a very smart job
of that because you
never let the guy
get momentum,
especially when
he already has
a size advantage
on your fighter.
Cotto has a good
left hook upstairs,
always has, has a good
left hand, period.
And there's the great left hook
to the body right there.
His body punches,
left hook to the body,
has always been,
when he's thrown it,
one of the 3 or 4
most devastating
weapons in boxing,
in my opinion.
But for 3 or 4 years
in the middle of his career,
Roy Jones, that left hook
seemed to disappear.
What happened,
and how did it come back?
Well, he
wasn't really
setting it up.
Guys were
preparing for it,
so he wouldn't
throw it as much.
When guys start
looking for a punch,
he seemed to not
throw it as often.
Freddie Roach came
and said, "Look.
"If you're gonna be
the best Miguel Cotto,
"you have to use
your best weapons,
"which are your left
hook to the head
and your left hook
to the body,"
so he brought
it back.
And he stopped Geale's momentum
there with a jab.
While Roy was speaking,
early in that sequence,
you saw Cotto land another
left hook to the body,
so the money punch
is back in a very big way
for Miguel Cotto, as it was
against Sergio Martinez,
as it was against
Delvin Rodriguez.
That was obviously
priority one for Freddie Roach,
to put the left hook
back into the arsenal.
Geale touches the canvas
with a glove,
and referee Harvey Dock
rules it not a knockdown.
So far, what
we're seeing is
two different
classes of fighter.
Geale's a good fighter,
always been a good fighter,
but Cotto is of
a certain class
of fighter where
he's been able,
as Roy said, not only
to carry his punch up,
but success up
with him from 140
to 47 to 54 to the
middleweight division.
Well, if you were looking for
Geale's deficiency coming in,
it's difficult to define
other than
that there's
no "X" factor.
There's just no weapon
for Daniel Geale
which can change a fight
the way Cotto
can change it
with his left hook.
Well, his size may
change it, Jim.
We got to be careful
here because he's
doing a good job
of moving around.
Uh, now
he's avoiding
the left hook
better.
He's big enough
to absorb
some of this
punishment
and last for
a little while.
He's naturally
a very tough
character, so
if Cotto does not
go ahead and
discourage him
and lets him get
into this fight,
we could see
a change here.
How should Geale move
to try to blunt
Cotto's left hook?
He has to move
to the right to--
I mean, to
the left to stay
away from it,
to avoid it...
His left.
but I think he
moved to the right
and ran
right into it.
Dock: Time.
♪
You're hitting
it, right?
When you landed
this one,
go right-handed.
Just turn it
slightly, all right?
Dock: Let's go.
Man: Come on, Daniel!
Lampley: CompuBox numbers
in round two--
Cotto 18 out of 54,
Geale 8 out of 37,
so logic tells you
that Miguel Cotto
probably has already put the
first two rounds in the book.
Kellerman: Cotto's
doing a real good job,
I think, tonight
blocking with
his shoulders, Roy,
slipping punches
with very little
extra movement.
Jones: He's showing
a lot of defensive,
uh, moves, uh, great
left and right shots
to the body, but
he's very defensive.
He stays low
when he punches.
That's always
a great thing.
Good jab by Cotto.
Let's not forget
that Cotto jab
that lands like
a power punch
because he's
naturally left-handed.
And that was the
weapon that he used
to neutralize
the speed
of Shane Mosley
back in the day.
Maybe Cotto's
greatest performance,
a decision win over Mosley
across the river
in Manhattan...
When Mosley was
still more or less
in his prime.
on a night when CompuBox
counted the two fighters
landing an identical
number of punches
over a 12-round fight.
Could've gone
either way,
but, you know,
no one was gonna have
a cakewalk with
that Shane Mosley.
Well, I thought
Cotto landed
the more
telling punches,
is why I thought
they gave it to him,
but Shane was a very
tough competitor
at that time.
I believe the judges
agreed with you on that, Roy.
I believe he did
get the decision
by landing harder,
more solid blows
down the stretch
of the fight.
Turned boxer
late in that fight,
but Freddie wants--
especially the last
two rounds,
Freddie wants him
to go back
to aggressive fighter
throwing that hook
to the body,
and he, by and large,
has been doing it tonight,
although there've been
plenty of stretches
like this
where he shows off
his boxing skills.
And the left hook
to the body.
Again, Geale moves away
after the punch.
But Geale has not
proven yet
that he really
can hurt Cotto
with one punch,
so Cotto can do
what he wants to do
right now.
He's still in a very
comfortable envelope
as he proceeds
in this fight.
Hmm, hard left hook
to the body by Cotto.
Geale continuing
to move to the right
from time to time
and put himself
in a position for Cotto
to land that left-hand shot.
And he constantly
lands it to the head
and to the body.
It's just the amount
of work he now puts
into the body,
precise body shots.
He's putting the money
in the bank from round one,
and so those shots
have a cumulative effect
because it's 10,
12 shots hard
with both hands to
the body every round.
Left and right hand,
like you said, Max.
He just ran into a
good overhand right
right there, though.
That's been Geale's
best punch so far,
is that str--
that right hand.
Moments ago, you saw
the CompuBox number
on the fly at the bottom
of the screen
demonstrating that Cotto
has now doubled Geale
in terms of
landing punches,
backs Geale back into
the ropes with a right hand,
fires the left hook
to the body again.
Dock: Time.
Lampley: Melissa Cotto
at ringside
along with the rest
of the Cotto family.
Raise up, OK?
You want combinations
again, all right,
but now having
the combinations,
is gonna get lazy and
stand in front of him,
Right.
all right?
Head movement
all the time,
defense, all right,
good hea--good hea--
good head movement,
all right,
nice and loose,
all right?
You need punches.
You know what I mean?
You're just too many
single punches, OK?
If one of them misses,
that's all right.
Don't worry
about that.
Don't get
frustrated, OK?
Nice and tight,
right?
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
You can
win this fight.
Get a little
more aggressive.
Throw some more
punches.
Throw them in
combinations.
When you hit, don't
be happy with one.
Put your hands up,
but don't go, "One,"
have a look,
launch a second one,
and then
let him out.
[Whistle blows]
Dock: Let's go. He's out.
Lampley: Geale listening
intently to trainer Graham Shaw,
Graham Shaw, I think,
trying to relax Geale,
speaking in a measured tone,
"You can win this thing,"
hasn't seemed to be in position
to win a round so far.
Harold, how do you have it
through 3?
Lederman: I agree
with you, Jim--
3-nothing, 30-27
Miguel Cotto.
You know, Jim,
I love the way Miguel Cotto
circles and sets up
that left hook.
I--I mean, we've seen
a left hook.
We're talking
about the offense.
Let's talk about
the way he moves.
I mean, he's using
that ring beautifully.
He circles to the left,
doesn't go back
to the right too often,
but he circles to the left,
sets it up.
Then he moves inside,
and, bam,
he throws that left hook,
really using the ring wisely.
There it is.
Lampley: Down goes Geale
on a solid, left-hand shot.
Dock: 7, 8,
9--
I'm good.
All right?
You OK?
Lampley: Well,
the overnight weight gain
may have been
too little too late.
Jones: Ha ha ha!
That was just a
beautifully landed
left hook, Jim...
Just sensational.
low to the body
like he's doing
right now, again
back up to the head
with a quick
left hook,
good body shots.
The referee's
looking
to stop it now.
Harvey Dock
watching intently,
and now Geale tries
to fight his way out of it
and goes down
for a second time,
that time
on a counter right hand...
Kellerman: Listen
to this crowd.
Dock: 6, 7, 8.
You OK?
Done.
Lampley: and for the second
year in a row,
Daniel Geale
tells a New York referee
he's had enough
in the ring,
and Miguel Cotto has
a fourth-round knockout victory.
Kellerman: None of these
people are thinking
about a catch weight,
157 pounds.
All they can see,
all they can think about
is a devastating
Miguel Cotto performance
where he boxed
beautifully throughout
and then when
he needed to,
threw the left hook
like Joe Frazier.
A sensational performance
by Miguel Cotto,
his third consecutive
sensational performance
under the care
of Freddie Roach,
and what a marriage
this relationship
between Cotto and Roach
is turning out to be.
Jones: Has been
the best,
absolute best move
that Cotto
has ever made
in his entire
professional career.
And now let's go
to the replays, Roy,
and take a look
at how Cotto closed the show.
Well, here, you see
he's on the attack.
He goes low with
the right hand
and comes
following up
with the left hook
right on the button.
If he
hits anybody
with a hook
that clean,
they're bound
to go down.
This is not a rap,
but if he hits you
with a hook
that clean,
you're bound
to go down.
That is his
money punch
right on the button.
And one of the great
money punches in boxing.
I mean, if you were to list
the 5 biggest weapons in boxing,
Miguel Cotto's left hook
has to be on that list.
Yes. It does.
It has to be
on the list.
Came back doing
great body work
here, another
good left hook
to the head
that he missed,
but what's most
impressive to me
is that he also
got a knockdown,
or scored
a knockdown,
with the right hand
during this time.
Well, this is when Geale
decided he had to fight back...
And there's the right
hand right there.
and as he did,
Cotto landed that counter right
amid a Geale combination,
and boom.
That shows you a
whole lot of power,
Cotto, shows you
punching power
in both hands,
and that's
a devastating
thing to see
in any good or great
world champion.
A tremendous fourth-round
knockout performance
by Miguel Cotto...
and there's the family
celebrating
in the front row
at ringside...
Miguel's mother reaching out
to his brother Jose,
and there's the celebration
by Cotto.
Ring's--ring announcer
Michael Buffer stands by
with the particulars
on the knockout.
Buffer: Ladies and gentlemen,
referee Harvey Dock
has to step in following
the second knockdown
in round number 4.
The end comes
at one minute, 28 seconds
of that round,
the winner by TKO victory--
victory number 40,
knockout number 33--
still the WBC middleweight
champion of the world
de Caguas, Puerto Rico,
Miguel Angel...
Cotto.
Whoo!
Lampley: A huge smile
on the face of Melissa Cotto
and one of the bigger smiles
that you'll ever see
on the normally taciturn face
of Miguel Cotto.
Final CompuBox numbers,
and this was statistically
a wipeout,
as you're going to see,
Cotto landing
twice as many punches
as Geale,
landing at a 37%
overall rate,
throwing 56 more punches
than Geale
in a little bit less
than 4 rounds.
Power shots,
and Cotto landing
only 39% of the power shots,
might have looked
for a little bit higher
percentage there,
but when he got
his left hook in gear
and landed it
in each of the 4 rounds,
he hurt Geale
every single time
he touched him
with the left hand,
and CompuBox Punch Zone
now shows us
where the punches landed,
and you can look
over to the Daniel Geale side
and see the 36 punches
to the head, 19 of them on
the right side of Geale's head--
that's where the left jab
and the left hook land--
18 punches to the right side
of Geale's body.
That's where the left hook
to the liver lands.
That's how Cotto devastated
a much larger opponent.
Now let's go to Max Kellerman
in the ring with Miguel.
Kellerman:
Congratulations, Miguel,
on yet another
sensational
knockout
performance.
Seems like ever
since you hooked up
with Freddie Roach,
the old Miguel Cotto
is back.
What is it like
to score a knockout
like that
in New York City,
where you scored so many
nem--memorable wins?
You know, be--
being here
after 10 hard weeks
in L.A. training
with Freddie and
perform like that
just make me feel
like the Miguel
from the 2000s,
you know--2010, 2000,
2004--and
I feel good.
You know, I said,
Freddie couple minutes ago,
he's the best thing
whoever happened
to my--to my career,
and it is.
He's the best thing ever
happened to my career.
What is it about Freddie
that's enabled you
to rediscover
this fighter,
this guy who comes in
and destroys opponents
with left hooks
to the body?
Freddie, he's
a humble, simple guy
who always came
with, uh, his best,
trying to get
the best from you,
and having that from him
just made me be
better every day.
Miguel, we all know
you're able to box,
and you were
boxing very well
in the first round,
but when you got
back to the corner,
Freddie seemed
to want to see some more
aggression from you.
What were
you thinking
at the end of
that first round?
I--I just decide
to start to establish
my own path
to fighting,
and I think we did it--
we did it well,
but Freddie just told me
to get more and more.
That--that's his style,
and that's what--
what I like about him.
Were you trying
to set him up with
the left hook
upstairs?
Because you went from
boxing very smartly
to looking
like Joe Frazier
with that left hook
on--on the top.
I just--I just tried
to--to do my best.
I--I catch him--
I caught him with--
with, uh, a really hard
left hook,
and I just wanted
to repeat it again.
We'll show it
to you.
Here's the first one
in the fourth round.
You tell us
what you see.
Was just moving
to my left,
and he just put--
put his right hand down,
and that was the perfect
moment for my left.
How have you been
able to carry
the punching power
up to middleweight?
You have an opponent
tonight who weighed in
over 180 pounds
in street clothes
by the time he stepped
in the ring tonight.
Why do you think
you've been able
to carry
your power up?
The way--the way--
the smart way we--
we've been doing working
for my last 3 fights
in L.A. with
Gavin MacMillan,
with Freddie Roach
just make--
make me feel like
never before, you know,
make me once
and ask for me--
for more every day
and every day.
That--that's
the explanation.
So now it looks like in
your immediate future,
y--you haven't
admitted it,
but it seems like
the worst-kept secret
in boxing that Cotto
and Canelo will happen
before too long.
What do you feel
about a fight
with Canelo Alvarez?
I had 44 fights
in my whole career.
Canelo going to be
just another one,
another in the new
chapter in my career,
but first of all and before
a Canelo fight happen,
if people want to fight
I want to fight,
everybody want the fight,
let's do it,
but before that,
I want to spend time
with my family.
I want to--to enjoy
time with them,
and then after that,
we'll be back in L.A.
training for Canelo.
And this might be in the
not-as-immediate future,
but Gennady Golovkin is
sitting here ringside,
and you just fought
a guy who he knocked out
recently, and you
looked just as good
knocking the same
fighter out.
Do you have interest
in that fight?
Ah.
Uh, why--why not,
you know,
but, uh, we--we need
to do our--our fights.
Canelo, uh, sounds
to be the next one,
and after that,
if--if Gennady
is available and
if he want to fight,
I'm available, too.
Lastly,
you fought Sergio
at 159 pounds,
this at 157.
Canelo would seem to be
somewhere south of that.
Are you
a middleweight?
Do you--do you consider
yourself a middleweight?
My weight, uh, yesterday
was 156--53.6 pounds.
Do you think
I'm a middleweight?
Doesn't sound
like it.
I'm not.
Thank you, and
congratulations,
Miguel, on a spectacular
performance.
It's great
to have you back.
This is the Miguel Cotto
we remember.
It's all about
Freddie Roach.
Jim?
Geale's willing surrender
was a replay of his departure
the preceding year
against Cotto's mandatory--
Kazakh knockout sensation
Gennady Golovkin,
but Golovkin was given
step-aside money
to allow Cotto to fulfill
the popular fans' wish
for him to fight
his Mexican counterpart
Canelo Alvarez.
Since Canelo
has been campaigning
as a junior middleweight
and Cotto acknowledges
he's not a full-sized
middleweight,
the fight is at
a catch weight of 155
but still for the lineal
160-pound crown.
It's boxing's marquee
match-up of the moment--
Cotto and Canelo
live from Las Vegas
on HBO Pay-Per-View
the night of November 21.
♪
