Cotto To Fight Geale - And Few Are Happy

How much things can change in a year.

It's amazing how much things can change over the course of a single year. Just twelve short months ago Miguel Cotto was considered a has-been who was making a last, feeble stab at greatness against a formidable and lauded middleweight champion.

In between then and now, Cotto shocked a lot of people by decimating that champion, Sergio Martinez, in a New York City blowout last June. The love appears to have been short lived, however, for Cotto has done a pretty good job aggravating fans since that time. 

First off, the guy has made it perfectly clear that he has no real interest in facing the fighter who many believe is the real dominant middleweight in the world today. That's right, it's Gennady Golovkin, not Miguel Cotto, who people see as the baddest dude in the middleweight division. The fact that Cotto appears unwilling to at least try to prove everyone wrong is indeed moving many the wrong way.

Then there's the Canelo Alvarez situation. The Mexican star and his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, have proven to be more than willing to arrange a superfight between the two stars. That fight isn't happening, however, at least not at the moment. And if indications are correct, Cotto is the one to blame. 

Last but not least, there's the weight issue. Middleweights tend to fight at or around 160lbs. That's the standard weight for the division, after all. That doesn't matter to Cotto, however. Being a star (he seems to relish letting people know he's a star), he seems to pretty much get to fight at any weight he wants - while being recognized as a middleweight, nonetheless.

And, as if the public isn't annoyed enough, word comes out today that Cotto will now be facing Daniel Geale on the 71st Anniversary of D-Day. With all due respect to the talented Geale, that doesn't exactly seem like Normandy Beach heroics on Cotto's part. 

Oh well, at least this fight is being aired on HBO. And who knows, maybe Geale will be the one to surprise everyone this time around.  

Chris Algieri To Turn The Page By Facing Amir Khan

Looking ahead...destination unknown

Long Island's Chris Algieri may not have done all that great against Manny Pacquiao last fall, but the man is nothing if not persistent. Yup, here is a guy who just won't quit. Those who are yawning at this fight should keep in mind that Algieri's stock will go way, way back up if he pulls off the upset here.

The bout, which will be aired live on Spike TV as part of the successful Premiere Boxing Champions series, will go down May 29th at Brooklyn's Barclays Center. This is very good news for Algieri. For the fight will basically be held in his own back yard, and will appear on free primetime television, as well. Talk about a comeback.

This will be no walk in the part for the New Yorker, however. Don't listen to the naysayers, Khan is the real thing. The guy truly has the fastest hands in the division and he's learned from previous mistakes. That's something that can't be said for Algieri- at least not yet.

While many see Khan is man who's perpetually left at the Mayweather-Pacquiao alter, he's looking towards the future here. Once people are done snarkily rolling their eyes, they'll watch and then be impressed with the winner of this bout.

That means to the victor may well go a bright future. Manny and Floyd are the current kings of the world, true - but both men are aging, and time is the true undefeated champion of the fight game. With John David Jackson in his corner these days, Algieri will undoubtedly enter the ring well prepared.

Khan will, too, however. For the man is hungry. Very hungry.

Don't write this one off.

Floyd Mayweather's Open Workout Reveals Little - Except For a Great Taste In Music.

"It's great for the fans. It's great for the media. It's great for the different outlets."

So Floyd Mayweather claimed before engaging in a very public workout on Tuesday. The workout was supposed to begin at 4:00 PM Pacific Time. However, it really began almost a full two hours later.

That, my friends, was just Floyd being Floyd. Mayweather does things on his clock, after all. Not yours. Not mine. Not anyone else's. The guy likes making people wait, I believe. It's his way of asserting control.

"It's business as usual for us," said team Mayweather honcho Leonard Ellerbe of this training camp.

Indeed.

Things finally started with Floyd doing mitt work with longtime team member, uncle Roger. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Floyd and his uncle tapped away. Floyd ducked some swings. Roger did some behind the back work.

"Money" then moved on to hitting the body mitt. Afterward, he literally ran to a heavy bag while music from a Tarantino soundtrack blared.

After a minute, a new pair of gloves were slipped onto the pound for pound great...and he began thumping away. Sure, Floyd worked it like a pro, but it was nothing too impressive.

"He's dialing it back a little bit for us, I think." Showtime broadcaster Kieran Mulvaney told the audience. And that was the big story from this workout. Money wasn't showing his hand. He wasn't giving anything away.

There was little Freddie Roach and team Pacquiao could take away from the whole affair, other than the fact that Floyd seems to have great taste in music. Seriously, the music was incredible.

The Mary Jane Girls "All night Long," Michael Jackson's "Off The Wall," Hall and Oates' "Maneater," these songs may not have made for the greatest workout soundtrack ever. But they definitely made for the coolest one.

Take that, Survivor.

Truth be told, the workout, like all workouts, was somewhat redundant (aside from Floyd mastering the speed bag). Training, after all, is the hard grind which leads to success. There ultimately isn't a whole lot thrilling about it - unless you're watching a "Rocky" movie.

There was one thing, however, that would have been interesting to see. Floyd's been employing swimming as part of his regimen. How interesting it would have been to see the man working in the pool.

"Water tells the truth about a person," strength and conditioning man Alex Ariza claimed. It would have been nice to see that sliver of truth on Tuesday. Yet Mayweather's a pro...and there was no way he was going to reveal his secrets.

Kathy Duva (And Sergey Kovalev) Walk Away From Kovalev-Stevenson Purse Bid

A short time ago, when the WBC ordered it's light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson to  face Sergey Kovalev later this year, not everyone was thrilled with the Council's decision. Why, some wondered, was the Council ordering a bout when it was clear Kovalev had a mandatory title defense ahead of him? Was that really the way things should be done?

Clearly Kathy Duva, the head honcho of Main Events Promotions, doesn't think so. For she's essentially pulled Kovalev out of a purse bid for the proposed Stevenson bout which was supposed to go down in Mexico. That means hopes for a title unifier between Kovalev and fellow light heavyweight champ Stevenson have been crushed yet again.

Yet I'm not about to point the finger at Duva. Let's not forget that it was Duva who was expecting Stevenson to face Kovalev last year and that Stevenson walked away from the deal. Just because the WBC has now decided Stevenson and Kovalev need to fight doesn't mean Duva suddenly needs to drop all plans and loyalties.

Indeed, Kovalev is an HBO fighter. A purse bid could possibly lead the man to breaking his contract with that network. Could HBO have simply outbid all competitors for the bout? Sure. It most likely wasn't evident that the cable outlet would do that, however, so Duva did what she had to. She's Kovalev's promoter, after all.

It's also worth asking whether or not Stevenson would have given up his WBC strap rather than face Kovalev. He clearly hasn't been all that keen on facing the man in the past, after all. With PBC having downplayed belt ownership already, is the fighter known as "Superman" really that interested in being the WBCs man at light heavyweight?

Eddie Hearn Makes It Clear Guillermo Rigondeaux Is Too Good To Be Bothered With

Urgent Memo: avoid Guillermo Rigondeaux by any means necessary.

Eddie Hearn is doing his best as a promoter to keep his fighter, Scott Quigg, away from Guillermo Rigondeaux. Like many who fear the talented Cuban, Hearn claims that Rigondeaux simply isn't popular or lucrative enough for his man to face in the ring.

So, who does Hearn want Quigg to face instead of Rigo?

Why, Nonito Donaire, of course! After all, Donaire is popular. What's more, a fight between he and Quigg might prove to be quite lucrative. There's also the fact that Donaire is no Rigondeaux.

Indeed, Hearn is quite open about his Rigo aversion. Speaking of his choice of Donaire over the Cuban slickster, Hearn couldn't be more clear about where his mind is.

"It's easier," he's quoted as saying of a Donaire fight.

And so there you have it. Guillermo Rigondeaux is now considered too good for the most popular and talented competition to face. Such men will simply work around him.

Nice. Real nice.

Of course, Hearn admitted that Rigo can't be avoided indefinitely.

"I think in time you've got no choice but to fight him," he says.

Don't worry, Eddie. Maybe Rigondeaux will age quickly. Or retire. Or become a monk. Or...

Can Floyd Mayweather Withstand Manny Pacquiao's Offense?

Yup, the fight of this young century is almost here. Time to stop cheering the fact that it's been made and time to start thinking about what exactly will go down when Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao finally get it on in the ring.

The smart money here is on Floyd. Smart doesn't mean infallible, however. Truth be told, I give Manny the edge. Why? Because of the strange angles Manny attacks his opponents at, because of his speed and because he's apt to throw at least twice as many shots as Floyd will at a clip.

Don't get me wrong, Floyd is bigger, stronger and more accurate. He also hits much harder than he's given credit for, and - perhaps most importantly - remains cool as a cucumber at all times. Still, I have a hard time seeing Floyd dominate Manny the way he has so many previous opponents.

What I can see, however, is Floyd knocking Manny out. Believe it. Again, Floyd is accurate and has a harder punch than his reputation might have you think. What's more, Manny gets hit. A lot. The ferocious warrior takes a whole lot of chances in the ring and Juan Manuel Marquez showed what can happen to Manny when one of those chances backfires.

That being said, Floyd can't walk in on May 2nd expecting a knockout victory. That might be the worst strategy in the history of major fights. What Floyd has to do is walk in ready for the buzzsaw which is Pacquiao. And by ready, I mean really ready, not ready the way Chris Algieri and Brandon Rios were. I mean ready to face one of the most successfully aggressive fighters in all of recorded history.

It's a tall order, to be sure. If anyone can pull it off, however, it's the man they call "Money."

Can Julio Caesar Chavez Jr. Wipe the Slate Clean This Saturday?

His name is synonymous with all that's wrong with contemporary boxing. Lazy, arrogant, entitled, unserious and unprofessional are all words fans have been apt to call Julio Caesar Chavez Jr over the past several years. Indeed, the son of  boxing legend Julio Caesar Chavez has gone from boxing royalty to boxing punchline.

But what if all that's about to change?

Sure, the younger Chavez has shown signs of being a troubled kid, but kids grow up. Even overgrown kids eventually do sometimes. They become mature, responsible and serious. They shed the shackles of their Augustinian youths and move on to more laudable endeavors.

What happens if that's the case with Chavez Jr? What if the young Mexican steps into the ring in California on Saturday and does to the rugged and talented Andrzej Fonfara what Adonis Stevenson simply wasn't able to do when he fought Fonfara last year?

What, in short, will happen if Chavez looks GOOD this weekend?

For starters, I think the criticism will dry up considerably. That's the thing with boxing. Fighters are generally one profound act away to improving their reputations. No one's accusing Floyd Mayweather of being a ducker anymore. What's more, Robert Duran ceased being called a quitter after redeeming himself in a hard fought loss to Marvin Hagler.

Boxing is simply one of those endeavors that has a way of wiping the slate clean.  It's one of the things that makes the sport a truly noble endeavor. Will Chavez Jr. wipe his own slate clean on Saturday? I personally hope so. The Twitter mob can be far more harmful than any opponent in the ring, after all.