By: Francisco Martinez
On Saturday, June 6th, Miguel Cotto will defend his WBC crown against Daniel “The Real Deal” Geale At the Barclays center in Brooklyn, New York brought to you by HBO. Boxinginsider.com caught up with Miguel Cotto’s trainer, hall of fame inductee, 7 times “Trainer of the year” Freddie Roach himself. This is what Freddie Roach had to say…
BoxingInsider.com: “How will a fight between Cotto and Golovkin go?”
Freddie Roach: “I think it’s a good fight. I don’t see why I can’t get Miguel ready for that fight. I think Alvarez obviously brings more money to the table right now so, I think we might go that way first. We win that fight and Golovkin afterwards, I would love that”
BoxingInsider.com: “You saw the Golovkin vs Monroe fight live. How did that fight go?”
Freddie Roach: “It was a good fight. Monroe showed a lot of heart. Golovkin did what he does, he’s a good puncher. I’m not so sure if after the second round, maybe they should have stopped that fight to protect Monroe. He took some punishment in that fight but I hope he ended up o.k. they have him a chance to show his heart and comeback but he still took a lot more shot along the way so, it would be a tough call to stop the fight obviously but it was in my head that maybe, I’m not sure. I’m not his coach, it’s really not none of my business”
BoxingInsider.com: “Going into this fight what do you expect from Daniel Geale?”
Freddie Roach: “Well you know Geale is a very tough opponent and I think we needed somebody that would give us a good fight and that’s why I picked him and I think it’s a very competitive fight, Geale is a tough guy, I look forward to a good fight”
BoxingInsider.com: “How did the 157lbs catchweight come about?”
Freddie Roach: “I don’t think the fans give a sh*t! It’s a fight”
BoxingInsider.com: “Did that come from Cotto’s camp?”
Freddie Roach: “They agreed to it so I don’t know who negotiates that, I don’t negotiate weight. I expect a tough fight. Your a big fan of his, I can tell. Are you guys related?”
BoxingInsider.com: “How will Cotto deal with Geale’s movement?”
Freddie Roach: “I don’t think you’re right on the movement part, his movement isn’t that great. He moves in straight lines and that’s forward. He likes to fight, he likes to exchange. Well we might not get in a shoot out with him but the thing is will out box him. That’s what it’s all about. I think will knock him out in the late rounds. I would like some rounds cause we haven’t fought for a year so I would like to get some numbers up, gets some rounds. Geale is a tough guy and I think he’ll give it to us”
BoxingInsider.com: “Is there any pressure to emulate Golovkin’s performance against Geale?”
Freddie Roach: “Doesn’t matter whatsoever. Just because one guy is a early starter and a good puncher in fights and maybe not such a good puncher late in fights, you can’t compare people like that. Nobody’s the same”
BoxingInsider.com: “Is a fight against Canelo or Golovkin next?”
Freddie Roach: “We have one fight at a time and this is what’s in front of us”
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Freddie Roach gave the following quotes to the boxing media.
“Miguel’s sparring has been great. His movement has been very good. It’s hard on me in the ring! His body shots are very effective and the head shots come with it. I think we are going to get a late round knockout. Geale is tough enough to go some rounds, but a knockout in a late round…that’s my call.”
“One of Miguel’s greatest strength against Geale will be his body shots, but Miguel’s knowledge in the ring will be Geale’s ultimate undoing.”
“He has found a new home here at Wild Card and I’m glad I provided that for him. He loves this gym. He loves the atmosphere. He’s thrived in this environment and when a fighter is in a good mood and happy, he performs at the highest level.”
“We’ve had a great training camp. Miguel is in great shape. Our sparring partners on our team have been great. And we’re ready for this fight. Gary’s been making a big deal about catch weights, but they have been around for a long time and he knows how to read a contract and he’s had that contract for a long time now, so I don’t think that’s an issue. We look forward to seeing you at the fight.”