In This Corner: A Boxing Fan’s Take on Daniel Geale Versus Miguel Cotto (6/6/2015)

June 6^th, 2015-HBO Boxing was live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY for a 1 match event. The crowds gathered to see WBC Middleweight Champion Miguel Cotto (39 wins-4 losses-32 knockout victories) put his title on the line against Daniel Geale of Australia (31 wins-3 losses-16 knockout victories). Jim Lampley was joined by broadcaster Max Kellerman, former boxer Roy Jones Jr. and fight scorer Hal Lederman.

  

The night began with Jim Lampley setting up the bout for those at home

The Contract:  Miguel Cotto had signed the contract to face Daniel Geale. However, there were stipulations. In this deal, Geale had to accept the condition of attaining a “catch-weight” of 157 pounds.

Back to Form: Miguel Cotto had acquired the services of trainer Freddie Roach recently. This move allowed Cotto to reconnect with what made him great. It also helped the WBC Middleweight Champ rediscover his focus.

A Chance at Redemption: In July of 2014, Daniel Geale was defeated by Gennady “GGG” Golovkin via 3^rd round knockout in New York City’s Madison Square Garden…Nearly a year later, Geale returns to New York to try to gain the WBC Middleweight Title and a chance to change his luck.

After the competitor profiles were shown, the fight was on

Pre-Match: Daniel Geale was the first to enter the ring, followed by Miguel Cotto… Michael Buffer introduced the fighters, the judges, and the referee for the night’s contest…The referee relayed the pre-match instructions.

Bell-to-Bell Action: This match was all Miguel Cotto for the most part. The taller of the two, Daniel Geale was only able to work the perimeter around Cotto with glancing blows around the head and body…Cotto was quick to begin his reinvigorated offensive strategy on Geale. His left hook connected early on in the first round, targeting first the liver of Geale with a body shot that effectively lowered Geale's guard. Head shots followed this blow, making Geale decide where he wanted to deflect any shots…Geale had to shift his positioning to stay on Cotto’s right side to avoid the left hook, which he did to some extent…In Round 4, Cotto was already leading by Lederman’s scorecard 3 rounds to none (30 points -27 points) when his body shot-head shot combinations came into play. Geale was brought down by a huge shot that sent him through the ropes. The ref asked him if he was ok and allowed the fight to continue. Further punches took their toll on Geale; he was felled by a head shot and stumbled to the canvas before the consequent body shot could connect with the targeted liver from Round 1. The ref once again asked if Geale could continue; it was obvious he could not… Message received, the bout was ruled a Technical Knockout (TKO) at the 1:28 minute mark of the 4^th Round.

Winner: Current WBC Middleweight Champion Miguel Cotto. Cotto’s record improves to 40 wins-4 losses-33 knockout victories.

Match Stats: Miguel Cotto outpunched Daniel Geale by at least 50%...Daniel Geale  absorbed 36 punches to the head and 32 body shots throughout the fight

Post-Match Interview:  Miguel Cotto is looking ahead to a presumably future bout with Canelo Alvarez. When asked about this, Cotto told Max Kellerman that Canelo is just another champion in his opinion…In regards to the time and place of his next fight, He wants to spend time with his family before deciding when to fight Canelo Alvarez…After initially ducking questions about Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, Cotto had to face the issue directly. Golovkin was in Barclays Center to watch the spectacle that night and had repeatedly issued a challenge to Miguel Cotto in the past;  Cotto’s response to Golovkin: he would face Canelo Alvarez first; then he would fight “GGG” only if the competitor was available…When asked about his middleweight classification within the sport, Cotto remarked that he did not need to be a middleweight to be great.

*Sources used: HBO Boxing Broadcast from June 6^th, 2015