Miguel Cotto

Forget split decisions, fine margins, hostile crowds, bloodied faces, controversial stoppages or luck. None of it matters to WBA Middleweight Champion Gennady Golovkin.

He has yet to be party to those elements of professional boxing that even the best fighters endure. The 160-pound destroyer finds a way to solve any dilemma facing him. Simply put, show the man a ring and he will put on a knockout show.

Leaving audiences mesmerised by performances at iconic venues like Madison Square Garden in New York and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas has seen GGG’s international appeal nearing fever pitch. California was briefly charmed last time out when Marco Antonio Rubio lost a count in less than four minutes.    

At this point in his career—with a 31-0 record, 28 knockouts—Golovkin seems unstoppable. Unfortunately, such a reputation comes with one notable drawback: finding a willing opponent to fight.

As Guillermo Rigondeaux has witnessed from the super bantamweight pack, success can only be prolonged to a point, until it is one day met with avoidance. No one among Leo Santa Cruz, Carl Frampton and Scott Quigg has entertained the Cuban’s challenge.

The comparison is thankfully a little less dramatic in the case of Golovkin. He has plenty of options to consider, including gaining or losing weight to shuffle among the middleweight class. Yet as he mentioned post Rubio, Miguel Cotto (39-4) is the man to be hunted.

The narrative of Cotto not being capable to establish himself at 160 pounds has been revised after his dominant display against Sergio Martinez in June. The four-weight champion was almost assured of victory after a punch-perfect first round that saw Martinez floored three times.

Such form is the minimum requirement for a meeting with Golovkin. Cotto’s all-action persona might look more spectacular than Golovkin’s measured footwork when coming forward, but it is hardly more effective, as the Puerto Rican’s four losses would suggest.

Based on skill and style, both men share similarities. The pair rarely nurse early rounds, steadily moving rivals to the ropes or a corner. And preparations to set up vicious knockdowns are never far from being executed by either.

Golovkin’s preference is to instantly strike at an unprotected head or body. The slightest defensive surrender or momentary high guard ruins challengers time and again. Matthew Macklin needed two ribs mended for thinking a head shot was to follow a right-handed uppercut to the chin. Instead, a whipping to the body left him down and out in Connecticut.

Since that night in June last year, Golovkin has boxed a total of 20 rounds in four fights and knocked three opponents out. Curtis Stevens avoided such fate through retirement in Round 8.

Cotto far outstrips the Khazak in terms of experience and is of course known for his own power and hand speed. A reliance on counterpunching and combinations has forced submissions in the past.

Consider these Cotto’s strong suits.

When they are well-rehearsed, as with Antonio Margarito second time around, few would beat the 34-year-old—except Gennady Golovkin.

In the event that the two meet, expect GGG to manage the ring as he has done so expertly to date. Though a bout into the competition rounds can be reasonably predicted given Cotto’s resilient nature, it's difficult not to imagine a moment when the open shoulders of Golovkin stretch to their limit and provide the impetus for a shuddering knockdown.

The smallest of gaps will always be punished. Cotto’s defences might be sound, but they certainly aren’t impenetrable.

As glorious a sport as boxing is, one of the more unsavory (and unfortunately, ubiquitous) occurrences is the immediate creation of excuses by a vanquished competitor.  Most unsettling is the fact that the canned explanation often comes on the heels of the even more pervasive pre-fight declaration: "This was the best training camp I've ever had and I'm in the best shape of my life!" 

Such bravado evaporates quicker than morning dew in Miami once the defeated pugilist begins the post-fight interview, a litany of pre-fight issues suddenly remembered in startling detail, from training injuries to poor refereeing to dirty tactics by the victor.  None of these excuses, however, were uttered by Sergio Martinez after the shellacking he received on Saturday night. 

Instead, Martinez simply accepted his defeat like a man.  Though he didn't attend the post-fight press conference (instead going to the hospital for a precautionary examination), his promoter, Lou DiBella, had this to say: "He said that the first punch that knocked him down, he never recovered from the punch.  He had no excuses.  Not a knee, not a bad hand.  Nothing other than he got caught and didn't recover."

In defeat, Martinez defined what type of champion he was.  Boxing, a sport beloved for both its brutality and its grace (which co-exist with decreasing frequency these days), Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez is a shining example of both—a man who can not only dish it, but can also take it.  Regardless of whether Saturday was his swan song or not, props are well-deserved.  Salud, Champ.

On an early June Saturday night, with a triple crown being pursued 18 miles to the east and much of the remaining city stricken with Stanley Cup fever, a crowd of more than 20,000 still packed into Madison Square Garden to watch a 2-to-1 underdog fight a guy who hadn’t lost in four years.

And once they arrived at the World’s Most Famous Arena, they were hardly the wallflower type.

Men and women walked the concourses draped in Puerto Rican flags. Kids wore colorful T-shirts bearing phrases like “War Cotto.” And whenever the fighter championed on those shirts—Miguel Cotto—flashed across the above-ring video screens, midtown Manhattan sounded more like downtown San Juan.

If you’re into retina-challenging color and senses-rattling volume, it was your Valhalla.

And for the “boxing is dead” crowd, it was a KO punch to the superiority complex.

Oh, as it turned out, it was a pretty impactful fight, too.

Not only was the 33-year-old Cotto’s career revitalized with a shockingly dominant 10th-round TKO of legitimate middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, but the role that New York City—specifically, the Garden—will play as that new career evolves seems to have been suddenly enhanced as well.

Cotto has always been a reliable commodity at boxing’s Mecca, having appeared there eight times prior to Saturday and emerging with a win on seven of those occasions, not to mention additional triumphs two blocks away at the Hammerstein Ballroom and up in the Bronx at Yankee Stadium.

Five of his now nine Garden fights have been a Saturday precursor to the National Puerto Rican Day Parade, which occurs annually on the second Sunday in June along Fifth Avenue.

He’s also fought there in February, November and twice in December, so when he returns to the ring for WBC middleweight title defense No. 1—likely in early December, according to Bob Arum at Saturday’s post-fight press conference—it’s a fair bet that midtown is near the top of the fighter’s holiday wish list.

From there, it gets even better.

Given the intensity shown Saturday in what had been branded an unlikely proposition by oddsmakers, it’s difficult to imagine it tapering down for the next time around, even if the first post-Martinez foe is a seemingly more mundane challenge along the lines of WBC mandatory Marco Antonio Rubio.

And provided the Cotto-Roach partnership doesn’t go from stunning to stale overnight, a successful year-ender could yield a 2015 with a bevy of options.

Imagine, if you will, next June’s parade preceded by a match that both fuels the traditional Mexico-Puerto Rico ring rivalry while simultaneously thawing the promotional Cold War—Cotto vs. Canelo Alvarez—or perhaps another that would unify the middleweight division to some extent by matching Cotto against unbeaten Kazakhstan slugger Gennady Golovkin.

Golovkin will debut in the Garden’s big room in July, when he faces Aussie visitor Daniel Geale.

Of course, the “Money”-encrusted carrot at the end of the stick is a return match at 160 with former conqueror Floyd Mayweather Jr., which could go a long way toward returning the Garden to the levels it last reached in 1971 when Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier got together to begin their three-fight series.

It may not be as close to reality as the others, but thanks to Cotto’s remarkable return to relevance on a steamy New York Saturday night, it’s at least brought a dream back to the city that never sleeps.

One day ago, I postulated that few bouts make more sense than a Mayweather-Cotto rematch.  Miguel Cotto fits the bill in every way possible: proven pay-per-view star, huge fan base and all-action style.  It all makes so much sense, in fact, that I predicted that should Cotto prevail against Sergio Martinez and take the middleweight crown, a Mayweather rematch was all but assured.  

Suddenly, several hours later, the long shot has become the sure shot with Cotto administering an almost sadistic beat-down of Martinez, becoming the only four-division Puerto Rican champion in boxing history.  

Most impressive was the way in which he dispatched the Argentinean.  Coming off two consecutive losses to Austin Trout and Floyd "Money" Mayweather, Jr., few people expected Cotto to be able to muster an effort potent enough to dethrone the middleweight champ (who hadn't lost a fight since 2009).  

Fortunately for boxing fans (and in the words of veteran journalist Larry Merchant), the Sweet Science is "the theater of the unexpected."  Cotto blew the lid off of every expectation and in the process positioned himself for his biggest payday ever, breaking Martinez down en route to a ninth-round TKO.  Every conceivable promotional angle is able to be exploited as the Puerto Rican's star has never burned brighter.  

Among the fight's potential selling points:

•  Cotto holds the lineal middleweight crown, the only weight division that Floyd Mayweather, a natural 147-pounder, conceivably has yet to conquer.
• Cotto looks better than ever, erasing the stain of his two previous losses with a superstar trainer in tow, one who just so happens to train a certain star Filipino pupil that many feel that Floyd has avoided.
• The new middleweight champ is admittedly near the end of his career; what better way to avenge a previous loss to Mayweather than by becoming the first to defeat the universally-regarded best fighter on the planet, then ride off into a surefire Hall of Fame sunset?
• The previous ridiculous 1.5 million pay-per-view buys generated by Mayweather-Cotto I would be dwarfed by the potential sales that a white-hot Cotto-Mayweather scrap would bring.

No fight in and around the middleweight division makes more sense than Mayweather-Cotto II.  Hopefully the powers that be can get out of their own way and give the fans what they truly want for a change. Then again, wishful thinking is only that in boxing, sport's longest running soap opera. Hopefully, this time, our cynicism is finally misplaced.

Miguel Cotto was everything he could be Saturday night. He was fast. He was powerful. He was precise. He was dynamic.

Cotto thrashed long-reigning middleweight king Sergio Martinez at Madison Square Garden in New York by way of Round 10 technical knockout.

It was an astounding performance.

This Cotto was better than ever, and that’s something quite intriguing for the boxing world going forward.

“The most beautiful training camp in my career,” Cotto told HBO’s Max Kellerman after the fight, and it certainly appeared that way from the way he fought.

For Cotto’s efforts, he earned the lineal middleweight championship of the world.

It was a wildly one-sided fight right from the opening bell.

It seemed absurd to think Cotto could look this good against Martinez beforehand. That’s not a knock against Cotto. The 33-year-old Puerto Rican is an all-time great champion and was coming into the bout having won titles in three different weight classes.

But Cotto had never fought at 160 pounds, and he’d arguably never faced anyone as dangerous and as physically imposing as Martinez.

But he thrashed him nonetheless.

Cotto took charge from the opening bell. He landed his left hook upstairs at will and put Martinez to the canvas three times to show he was the faster and stronger man.

Martinez appeared constantly out of position, and he was unable to land anything of consequence of his own.

While Cotto came into the bout known as the better technician, the gap between the two men seemed much larger once they were standing in front of each other and trading punches.  

In Round 2, Cotto was again the stalker. Martinez, the prey, circled to his left so he could try to avoid Cotto’s devastating left hook. But Martinez just couldn’t seem to stay away from Cotto’s punching range.

Martinez’s previously injured knee seemed unstable and wobbly in the fight. He went down on a slip with about a minute left in the round. Cotto landed hard shots to the body to keep Martinez shaky and in danger.

In Round 3, Martinez valiantly tried to land straight lefts, while Cotto roared toward him like an avalanche, but Cotto’s footwork was too good, and he always got the better of the exchanges.

Martinez bloodied Cotto’s mouth with a sharp jab in the round, though, to keep hope alive.

Martinez was able to land jabs and crosses in Round 4 until Cotto strafed him hard with several lightning-fast left hooks to wobble him. Both men concentrated on power punches to end the round.

For Martinez, it was a looping left hand. For Cotto, his lead left hook.

Cotto kept the left hooks coming in Round 5. He also landed straight rights. Martinez stayed behind a jab but couldn’t land many meaningful power punches until he focused on Cotto’s body during the last 30 seconds of the round.

Still, they had little effect on Cotto, and those watching at ringside and at home started to wonder if Martinez would even muster a round against the smaller Cotto.

Martinez honed in on right hooks and left straights in Round 6. He was finally able to look more like a fluid champion and less like an amateur.

He appeared something close to precise. But Cotto still kept moving forward and cut the ring off enough to land hard body shots near the end of the set.

It seemed like Martinez wanted badly to land something with power in Round 7. Perhaps he knew he was running out of rope in his corner, or maybe it was just his fighting spirit. He threw quick jabs followed by hard lefts but didn’t seem to gain any traction.

This was Cotto’s night. He was the technician in the fight, and the faster and more powerful one at that.

Round 8 was all Cotto behind mesmerizing ring generalship and nice combination punching.

By Round 9, Martinez started to look like a zombie. He was slow and appeared achy. His eyes were bruised and bloodied. He was knocked around hard enough again for the referee to give him a count. At that very moment, the 39-year-old Martinez might as well have been 100.

The end was near.

Martinez’s corner had no choice but to stop the fight after Round 9, except that maybe they should have ended it a bit sooner. Cotto dominated the bout from Round 1. It was like watching a bear swat at a lamb or maybe a lion toy with an antelope.

How bad was it?

Not one of the three judges at ringside scored a single round for Martinez.

Judges Guido Cavalleri, Max DeLuca and Tom Schreck all scored the fight 90-77 at the time of the stoppage. The fight was officially waved off by referee Michael Griffin six seconds into Round 10.

The win puts Cotto in the enviable position of being both a lucrative box-office attraction and the lineal champion of one of the most historically important weight classes in the sport.

Cotto has several options for his next fight, including Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Tim Bradley and Gennady Golovkin.

And those guys should probably be second choice.

Because Cotto stated an emphatic case for getting a rematch with undefeated pound-for-pound superstar Floyd Mayweather.

The two met in 2012 with Mayweather winning a unanimous decision.

That version of Cotto gave Mayweather some trouble in the bout. He landed hard jabs and bloodied Mayweather’s nose.

It was a good fight. 

This version of Cotto is much better than that one and would be a tough out for anyone. Even Mayweather.

This was the best Cotto ever, and the scary thing is he might be getting better.

What's next for Floyd "Money" Mayweather?  While the undefeated pugilist's choice of opponent for his September 13, 2014 date (the fourth fight of his record-breaking six-fight Showtime deal) is a mystery, what isn't nebulous is this: The list of viable opponents, both critically and commercially, is precariously thin.  

The multiyear soap opera that has been the potential Mayweather-Pacquiao fight has seemingly run its course, as Manny Pacquiao lost major ground with his knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez and his dominant (yet unsatisfying) victory over Brandon Rios.  Unfortunately, the exclusion of the Philippines' Finest leaves Floyd a dearth of potential foes.  

And while noted champions such as Danny Garcia, Amir Khan and even (literally) Bernard Hopkins have thrown their names into contention for the so-called Mayweather sweepstakes, the name that may represent the biggest threat (and commercial viability) is fighting this weekend.

Miguel Cotto, seeking to become the first Puerto Rican four-division champion, fights for the middleweight championship against Argentina's Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez on June 7.  

The fight takes place at Madison Square Garden, practically Cotto's office since he burst onto the scene back in 2001. One of boxing's most historic and revered sites, The Garden has an 18,200-seat capacity and Cotto has zero problems filling every seat, having sold out the venue on nine previous occasions.

While it is his first foray into middleweight territory and victory is far from guaranteed (Martinez opens as the favorite in most Las Vegas gambling books and has had seven straight successful middleweight title defenses since 2010), a Cotto win all but assures that he is one of Money Mayweather's final two foils.  Why?

First, Cotto is a known quantity.  

As Puerto Rico's premier boxing icon since the retirement of the great Felix "Tito" Trinidad, Cotto has a built-in fanbase, one that he has been building meticulously for over a decade, taking on stiff competition the entire way.  What's particularly amazing is how diehard his fans are, making it practically a non-factor whether he fights in New York City or in Las Vegas; he is a promoter's darling, generating a huge live gate each time out.

Most importantly, Cotto is an established pay-per-view star, which, more than any other factor, makes him attractive to Mayweather, who so often touts himself as the A-side of the promotion.  The reality is that Cotto is nobody's B-side, and a Mayweather-Cotto scrap has already proved itself to be ratings gold, as their first matchup in 2012 generated a monstrous 1.5 million pay-per-view buys, a figure bested only by his bouts with Oscar de la Hoya and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, respectively.

Secondly, their first matchup (which Mayweather decisively won) was by no means the typical Mayweather affair with a befuddled opponent struggling to mount any type of competitive effort for 12 rounds.  

Not only did Cotto bloody Mayweather's nose (a sight never before seen in Mayweather's professional career), but more tellingly, Floyd himself proclaimed Cotto to be the "toughest fighter I've faced thus far."  This wasn't hyperbole or post-fight sycophancy; Floyd was indeed pushed every second of every round in what became an instant classic.  

A second fight promises to be even better.

Finally, should Cotto prevail against Martinez, he would hold a bauble which will no doubt prove to be irresistible to Floyd: the lineal middleweight championship of the world.  

While the middleweight limit of 160 pounds is too much for Floyd (who walks around close to 147 pounds between fights and has never fought above the 154-pound limit), the fact that Cotto, who also is moving up in weight, has the belt would make pursuit of the middleweight championship that much more appealing. He would be able to fight an opponent closer to his size, whose skill set he is already familiar with and who he has already beaten.

Most importantly, what better way to cap off an undefeated career than to capture the belt once held by the man universally (still) considered to be the greatest boxer of all time, the great Sugar Ray Robinson?

It's a no-brainer—just remember where you heard it first. 

When WBC middleweight champion Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez faces Miguel "Junito" Cotto on Saturday night from Madison Square Garden, there will be a good number of interesting factors for the highly anticipated bout.

There are clear advantages for both men, but let's look at the champion's first.

Martinez's Advantages

Size

Martinez is three inches taller than Cotto at 5'10", and he also holds a six-inch reach advantage.

This could be huge if Martinez chooses to use his jab to maintain distance during the bout.

At his best, Maravilla's movement and length make him a tough nut to crack over a 12-round fight. Getting inside could be a task for Cotto—especially early in the fight.

Speed

While he's not exactly on Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s level when it comes to quickness, Martinez's speed has been one of the prevailing factors in his biggest wins.

He used it to outbox Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and to outpoint Martin Murray in his last fight.

Cotto has never been lightning fast, but at the heavier weight classes, his speed has fallen off even more.

Cotto's Advantages

Home-Field Advantage

For Cotto, fighting at MSG is almost like competing in Caguas, Puerto Rico. The popular Puerto Rican fighter lives in Caguas, but MSG has become his second home.

A large Puerto Rican contingent will make sure Martinez doesn't feel at home. 

Stamina and Overall Health

Cotto last fought in Oct. 2013. He looked great destroying Delvin Rodriguez in three rounds. That was his first fight in almost a year. 

Needless to say, he should be fresh.

Martinez last fought in April 2013. Under normal circumstances, ring rust would be his biggest issue. But the health of his surgically repaired knee is probably the biggest concern.

He has indicated that he is ready to go for this bout, telling Lem Satterfield of The Ring Magazine:

My knees are feeling great. ... I am feeling great and haven’t felt this good in a long time. The recuperation was very painful. I was on crutches for nine months, and it is very hard to come back from that. ... This is the road that I chose, and I enjoy the achievement of coming back from something like this. ... Right now, I am just the same as when there were no knee problems. I have overcome all obstacles.

Is this just pseudo pre-fight confidence from Martinez? He is 39 years old, and in his last two fights, he's seemingly run out of gas. 

At this point in both warriors' careers, Cotto has the edge in this all-important category.

 

Who Wins?

Jake Donovan of Boxing Scene gave this prediction, per Satterfield: "Cotto's body work and constant pressure will exploit that flaw, even if it means absorbing a world of punishment before getting to that point."

I couldn't have said it better myself, though I will add something to the concept.

Martinez is on his last leg as a champion and/or elite fighter. The wear and tear from a long and successful career is catching up to him. He's facing a proud, durable fighter with an excellent chin.

The chances that Martinez floors him with an earthquaking countershot aren't likely.

Martinez will win the early rounds, but Cotto will be the fresher man late, and he'll stop an exhausted and aching champion to win the title.

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@BMaziqueFPBR

Miguel Cotto walked out of Madison Square Garden on December 1, 2012, battered, bruised and facing an uncertain future for the first time in his career.

He had been thoroughly dominated by Austin Trout, dropping a wide unanimous decision—the first Garden loss of his career—that led to speculation that the Puerto Rican icon would ride off into the sunset, calling an end to a career where he held nothing back and that would eventually lead him to the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Cotto took a long time to think following the first two-fight losing streak of his career and eventually decided to roll the dice. He brought in Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, a decision he credits with resurrecting his career.

"A lot of people have said that Michael Jordan wouldn't be Jordan without [Scottie] Pippen. I think I've found my Pippen in Freddie Roach," Cotto told a small group of media at a press event Wednesday morning at Madison Square Garden.

Cotto returns to the Mecca of Boxing on Saturday night, challenging lineal and WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez in an attempt to make history as the first Puerto Rican fighter to win a world title in four weight divisions.

The task before him is certainly a tall one. Martinez is considered among the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, and he also has quite the chip on his shoulder, the result of months of perceived slights from the challenger and his team.

But when their paths cross on Saturday, Cotto feels that it will be his superior preparation that will make the difference.

"At the end of the road, it's just Sergio and Miguel in the ring," Cotto said.

"The guy who comes in better shape, in the best condition, the guy who trusts in his work and his skills is going to win the fight. And that guy is going to be Miguel Cotto."

Cotto returned to the ring in October—fighting under Roach's tutelage for the first time—and spectacularly stopped Delvin Rodriguez in a comeback fight.

The Puerto Rican legend credits Roach with helping him to refine his game and make adjustments as he enters the latter stages of his career.

But Cotto has struggled in the past with slick, fast southpaws, something that Roach—who has trained one such fighter to beat Cotto in the past—is uniquely qualified to help fix.

"Definitely. What I told Manny [Pacquiao] to do to him [Cotto] is what I told Miguel not to do for this one," Roach responded when asked if training to fight Cotto has helped him prepare for Martinez.

"The biggest thing was staying on the ropes too long. If he does go to the ropes, if he seems something, it will be quick. He won’t stay on the ropes for a long time."

Cotto is effusive in his praise for Roach, and the two men share a clear rapport with one another.

Both commented on the success of their second training camp together, and Cotto was confident that the lessons learned there will separate him from previous Martinez opponents.

"I'm not [Martin] Murray. I'm not any of the fighters that were mentioned before. He's fighting Miguel Cotto this time," he said.

"We did our work. We're worried about doing our job and doing the best we can."

Roach is an unabashed advocate for his fighters. He sometimes has a tendency to ruffle some feathers on the other side, but he's not changing anytime soon.

Hurt feelings are not something he worries about or traffics in even as the Martinez camp has clearly seemed agitated by some of his recent comments.

Roach has genuine confidence in his guys, something he transfers to them, and he has no problem saying it even if some people don't like it.

"He's reckless. He just runs wherever he wants," Roach said about Martinez's style on Wednesday.

"He's [Martinez] a great athlete. His athleticism has taken him a long way. But he's going against a fighter who's been fighting his whole life. I think he's just in over his head for this one."

Cotto is the ultimate professional. He takes the sport very seriously, and he's proven quite good at it, capturing world championships from 140 to 154 pounds.

A native of Puerto Rico, he inevitably draws comparisons to some of the greats produced by the island in the past. But on Saturday night, he has the opportunity to do something that none of them—and there have been plenty—have ever done before: become a four-weight champion.

But through it all, he remains humble and gracious. 

"I grew up listening and hearing things about [Wilfredo] Gomez, [Wilfred] Benitez, a lot of great Puerto Rican champions," Cotto said. "And then when I started boxing, [Felix] Trinidad was our main boxer. Being able to be on their side of boxing conversations makes me happy, makes me feel comfortable, but never makes me feel more than them."

The possibility exists for it to be a banner weekend for Puerto Rico—and Puerto Rican boxing in particular. Cotto plans to be a big part of it.

"I think everyone is looking forward to the fight. We'll have the weigh-in on Friday, Saturday is the big fight. Puerto Rico will have a new champion," he said.

"And then on Sunday, we'll have Tito Trinidad, one of the greatest fighters that we've had, going into the Hall of Fame. So, yeah, I think Puerto Rico is going to enjoy a great weekend."

For Cotto to keep up his end of that bargain, he'll need to be at his absolute best.

He'll need to execute his game plan flawlessly and not give Martinez any avenues to exploit his physical and stylistic advantages.

Most importantly, he'll need to fight smart and disciplined, something Roach feels will be the key to the fight and not something that should present any problems.

“Yes. Cutting the ring off, controlling the ring, again, keeping himself in good positions, not putting yourself on the ropes. It's very important, and it's something we worked a lot on," Roach said.

"He's [Cotto] a great student. He's one of the most disciplined fighters I've ever trained."

Cotto will enter the ring on Saturday night as the underdog despite fighting in what amounts to a home Game 7 in a playoff series.

The prevailing wisdom, for whatever that's worth, seems to be that if Martinez is at or near 100 percent—no guarantee—he should be able to handle Cotto with ease.

That's not meant as a knock, but styles make fights, and Martinez's speed and footwork could give Cotto a lot of trouble if they're up to snuff.

The last part of that sentence is key.

Martinez has had a grueling go of it these last couple of years—not losing a fight, but suffering year-ending injuries to his right knee in his last two bouts.

Roach, who has a history with Martinez, feels that one fight in particular took it all out of him.

"Those injuries might show up in the fight. I think he left a lot of his fight in the ring when he fought [Julio Cesar] Chavez [Jr.]," said Roach.

"He tried to knock Chavez out so badly for 11 rounds. He won every round but tried so hard to knock him out and couldn't do it and almost got knocked out in the last round himself. The wear and tear of that fight I think just ruined him. I think that was his last hurrah."

That remains to be seen.

Cotto, for his part, says he's not worried about past opponents or grudges. He's just there to take care of business.

"One thing that Sergio has to be concerned with is, he's not going to face Kelly Pavlik, he's not going to face Paul Williams. It's Miguel Cotto who is going to be in front of him," he said.

"I'm not here to hate anybody. I'm here just to make my work. Try to do my best in every opportunity I have. If he has any problem with Miguel Cotto, I don't know the reason, but I don't have any problem with nobody."

Kevin McRae is a featured boxing columnist for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @McRaeBoxing. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.