When Miguel Cotto defeated Sergio Martinez for the WBC middleweight title in June 2014, he was back on top of the boxing world and a hot commodity again. But instead of quickly getting back in the ring, Cotto took a more patient approach while orchestrating the final stretch of his career.
His first fight since defeating Martinez at Madison Square Garden will be against Australian Daniel Geale on June 6 at Barclays Center. HBO will televise. It will be the Puerto Rican’s first bout after having signed a multi-fight deal with Roc Nation Sports, which has vowed to expand Cotto’s brand in and out of the ring.
At age 34, it would be logical for Cotto to be as active as he can right now. Instead, he values his time off.
“After 14 years in boxing, the best decision I could have made was to take the last year off,” Cotto said. “My mind was not in boxing.”
Boxing is his focus now, he says. He has been energized by his training camp with Freddie Roach and looks forward to continuing a career that has brought him world titles at 140, 147, 154 and 160 pounds, making him the first Puerto Rican to win titles in four weight divisions.
“Boxing is my life,” Cotto said. “Through boxing, I raised my family. I work to provide the best future for them. They are the reason I love boxing.”
One reason Roc Nation signed Cotto was his warrior spirit. He has lost tough battles against Manny Pacquiao, Antonio Margarito, Floyd Mayweather and Austin Trout in recent years, but redeemed himself by beating Delvin Rodriguez and Martinez in his last two bouts.
“Boxing at this point in my career is a battle with myself,” Cotto said. “Every day I need to bring my best in the gym from morning to evening. Next week has to be better than the last week. I need to ask myself to be better every day. I know that if I bring my best to the gym every day, I can bring my best on June 6.”
Cotto (39-4, 32 KOs) seems to have maximized his victory over Martinez. He has the coveted WBC belt and negotiated a lucrative deal with Roc Nation, which spared no cost in landing Cotto after the January signing of WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward.
Cotto signed with Roc Nation after talks on a bout with Mexican star Canelo Alvarez and a potential rematch with Mayweather fell through. But if he can defeat Geale, Cotto said he has a verbal agreement with HBO and Golden Boy Promotions to face Alvarez sometime this fall in what would be a megabout. Geale (31-3, 16 KOs) is no slouch. He is a former two-time world middleweight champion.
“Daniel Geale is the next chapter in my career,” Cotto said. “After I get through him, I can talk about what comes next.”
Roach likes what he has seen from Cotto in the gym. Roach and Cotto teamed together for the victory over Martinez, whose surgically repaired knee didn’t hold up.
“I think we’re going to get a late-round knockout,” Roach said. “Geale is tough enough to go some rounds. But a knockout in a late round, that’s my call.”
This will be the Barclays debut for Cotto, who had established a home at Madison Square Garden, fighting in recent years on the weekend of the Puerto Rican Day Parade.
“We have a respectful relationship with the people from Madison Square Garden,” Cotto said, “but due to the relationship Roc Nation has with Barclays, we decided to partner. I’m looking forward to it.”