Austin Trout
Has fought both men
Cotto’s experience gives him a bit of an edge but Canelo’s youth, strength and size is going to give him the fight in my opinion. I’m rooting for Cotto though.
Freddie [Roach, Cotto’s trainer], I’m sure, has a good game plan. I’m not sure Cotto will get stopped.
In a sense, he’s a different fighter but they said the same thing when he teamed up with Pedro Diaz. Before I beat Cotto they were talking about how he had new legs, and then after I beat him they said he wasn’t fit or whatever. But he does look good now.
Canelo gasses in fights, his output drops dramatically in fights so if it goes to the later rounds Cotto has a chance.
Cotto’s biggest weakness in this fight is the scarring on his face, he’s really beat up and he gets cut and swollen easily.
Canelo needs to bust him up early, start fast and strong – that’s what I did against Cotto, I started fast to build the points up. For Cotto he needs to box early and finish strong.
It’s a great fight for however long it lasts.
Pick: Canelo
Andy Lee
WBO world middleweight champion
I’m going against convention in that I think Cotto will win. He can use his experience. With Freddie Roach and even before that, he’s been fighting off a rhythm, he uses his legs, bouncing round and he closes the distance quickly. Cotto is a left-handed orthodox fighter so he has a great jab, he stays low and jabs high. I think he’ll frustrate Canelo and win a points decision. Canelo is the stronger, bigger man, but I think Cotto will use that against him. Cotto can box and move around and win the fight. We trained together for the two fights he had with Emanuel [Steward]. He’s a very nice guy, very respectful, but very quiet – I didn’t get many words out of him!
Pick: Cotto
Joe Calzaghe
Former super-middleweight king
That’s a tough fight. It’s two fighters I really like and at the end of the day I love Cotto but I think youth and size will be the key for Canelo. That’s the difference. I’d love to see Cotto do it but I think the size difference will be too much. Their styles mean they’ll probably go toe to toe so I think weight and size and youth will take over and Canelo will win.
Pick: Canelo
Chris Eubank Jnr
Middleweight contender
It’s a great fight and I’m a big fan of both fighters. Cotto’s getting on though and Saul’s fresh. You can never count out someone like Cotto though and you have to love fighters like that who never give up and give it their all. It’s a question over how Saul will perform at middleweight as, obviously, he’s not a natural middleweight. I think he’ll win though.
Pick: Canelo
Carl Froch
Former four-time world super-middleweight champion
It’s a great little fight that. Canelo’s the young gun and Cotto’s the experienced veteran but he’s past his best. It’s a tough one but I see Canelo doing him on points, I don’t see him stopping Cotto. Unless Cotto gets really old overnight I don’t see him getting stopped. Cotto’s been around for so long, I can’t believe he’s still fighting. These people live and breathe the sport. I think it’s time for the young gun to take the armour. Cotto’s a good technical fighter, he gets hit but he’s got a good defence so I don’t think he’ll get stopped. Canelo’s rough and tough and very strong. It’s going to be a good fight, Cotto will box a bit but he’ll stand and have a tear up. It’s a real treat for the fans. It’s a really close one though.
Pick: Canelo
Joe Gallagher
Respected trainer
Canelo has no footwork. If Cotto can revert back to the clever movement he’s used in the past, I fancy him to nick it on points but he’ll have to survive a late and dangerous onslaught from Canelo. But you’ve also got to think about Cotto’s facial scarring, he’s been in a lot of wars and cuts could become a problem for him in the fight. Freddie Roach likes his fighters to be aggressive but if Cotto walks forward all the time he’ll play into Canelo’s hands, so I think he’ll box and move.
Pick: Cotto
Scott Quigg
WBA world super-bantamweight champion
I’m picking Cotto. I think he has too much experience and, more importantly, too much boxing IQ. Look what Floyd Mayweather did to Canelo, he schooled him and I think Cotto will do the same. They’re fighting at 155lbs, but Cotto’s fought at a catchweight of 157lbs in his last two fights – he knows Canelo is tight at the weight so that’s why they’ve made it 155. He’s a very smart man.
Pick: Cotto
Shane McGuigan
Top trainer
I’m going for Canelo. He’s too big and Cotto’s best days were at 147lbs in my opinion. He’s getting on a bit now as well and to beat Canelo you need to move a lot, I don’t think Cotto will be able to keep that up. It’s still a great fight though.
Pick: Canelo
Colin Hart
Seasoned journalist
Canelo’s too big for Cotto. Plus, I think he’s learnt a lot from and since his loss to Floyd Mayweather, he’s really developed as a fighter. Having said that, I don’t think he’s a better fighter than Cotto. The difference for me is the size between them, and I think that’s why Canelo will win.
Pick: Canelo
Tony Bellew
Cruiserweight contender
I’m a huge Miguel Cotto fan, but I think Canelo wins this one. He’s too big and has the youth advantage as well, but also he sets his shots up so well. Cotto is a warrior and won’t back down but I think that helps Canelo, I think he’ll break Cotto down and stop him.
Pick: Canelo
