Puerto Rican middleweight great Miguel Cotto says he does not need a world title to lend importance to tonight’s showdown with Mexico’s Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
“I don’t need a belt to fight Canelo,” said Cotto, who was stripped of his WBC crown on Tuesday over failure to pay the US$300,000 sanctioning fee they demanded for a world title bout.
Alvarez and his camp stumped up their US$300,000, and the former WBC and WBA super welterweight world champion can claim the vacant WBC title with a victory.
Photo: AFP
Cotto on Wednesday said he had offered the WBC US$125,000, but the sanctioning body rejected it. He was unrepentant over failing to pay the US$300,000 — and a further US$800,000 step-aside fee to mandatory challenger Gennady Golovkin.
The 34-year-old Puerto Rican, winner of world titles in four weight divisions, takes a record of 40-4 with 33 knockouts into the bout.
Trainer Freddie Roach said Cotto is in as good a shape as he has ever seen him.
“We are going to box a lot in this fight,” Roach said. “We’re not just going out there looking for a knockout. I want him using his foot speed and his angles. He’s a more complete fighter now than ever.”
However, Roach said he would love to see Cotto knock out Alvarez — then call out Floyd Mayweather Jr to put his 49-0 record on the line in a rematch.
“Miguel always tells me that if he had me in his corner when he fought Mayweather he would have knocked him out,” Roach said. “I think Miguel could pull off the strategy I have to beat Mayweather. I think that would be a good fight for him.”
However, first there is the 25-year-old Alvarez, 45-1-1 with 32 knockouts.
The bout is being fought at a 155 pound (70kg) catchweight, and the Mexican’s power — amply demonstrated in a spectacular knockout of James Kirkland in May — could trouble Cotto.
“At this particular point, I feel very solid,” Alvarez said. “I’m ready and I’m going to show it on Saturday.”
On the undercard at Mandalay Bay, Japan’s WBC super featherweight champion Takashi Miura defends his title against unbeaten Francisco Vargas.
“I am motivated because of the streak that Miura has built against other Mexican fighters,” said Vargas, who brings a record of 22-0-1 with 16 knockouts to his first world title bout.
Miura dethroned Gamaliel Diaz on April 8, 2013, and has since defeated Mexico’s Sergio Thompson, Dante Jardon and Edgar Puerta. He stopped Australia’s Billy Dib in three rounds in Tokyo on May 1 to take his record to 29-2-2 with 22 knockouts.
Former unified junior featherweight world champion Guillermo Rigondeaux, stripped of his belts because of inactivity, will return to the ring on the undercard against Drian Francisco.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was