HALL OF FAME trainer Freddie Roach has dubbed Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez a ‘playboy’ ahead of the Mexican’s November 21 clash with his charge, Miguel Cotto.
The pair will meet at a catchweight of 155lbs for Cotto’s WBC world middleweight title at the Mandalay bay in Las Vegas.
Roach, who took over as Cotto’s trainer in 2013, feels Canelo does not have the discipline to compete with the 35-year-old Puerto Rican.
“I feel that our opponent does a lot on his own. He’s not that disciplined. He’s a young guy. He’s the playboy. He’s a good looking guy. He gets all the girls like Oscar De La Hoya, but the thing is, those girls are not going to help him in this fight,” Roach said.
“I have the better fighter. We’ve fought better opposition. We’ve been in there with better fighters.
“We’ve learned after the process of going through this and he’s still at the beginning of the learning stage. Who knows how far he’ll go? Miguel’s gone a long, long way. We’ve proven ourselves and we’ll prove ourselves again on November 21. I promise.”
Though the fight is unlikely to generate as much interest and money as the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao circus in May, Cotto-Canelo has been highly anticipated and looks set to provide fireworks, given both men’s aggressive fighting styles.
Roach is confident that the middleweight dust-up will be one of the most exciting fights in recent memory.
“I believe this is going to be the best fight of the year. I think it’s a great match up,” he opined.
“I think it’s youth versus experience. How much is Canelo’s youth going to take a toll on him? How much will it help him? I think you get a little bit of everything. You get Mexico versus Puerto Rico. You get youth versus experience. This fight brings a lot to the table. It’s the perfect match. It’s a very exciting fight.”
