Popular boxing trainer Robert Garcia believes that Miguel Cotto will win against Saul "Canelo" Alvarez if the showdown between the two superstars happens in May.
Garcia told BoxingScene that both fighters are tough, but he sees Cotto winning over Canelo because the Puerto Rican is more experienced than Alvarez having faced the best boxers in the world like Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
"Honestly, maybe I'm wrong in saying this but I pick Cotto," Garcia said. "Cotto is experienced. He's been in there with the best. He's lost to great warriors, great champions. He's done it all and beaten great champions too."
Cotto, who holds a 39-4 record with 32 knockouts, is coming off a sensational 10th round knockout win against Sergio Martinez in their World Boxing Council middleweight title fight in June last year.
Alvarez is one of the biggest draws in boxing today in terms of pay-per-view numbers. But Garcia said that Canelo has not been tested fully because the only big fight that he had before was his record-setting showdown against Mayweather in September 2013, where the Mexican took a majority decision loss.
"Canelo, the only big fight that he had was against Mayweather and he failed," Garcia said. "Fighting Perro Angulo and against [Erislandy] Lara was a great test, and a lot of people thought he lost to Lara - and that's why, and I might be wrong, but I pick Cotto."
Garcia and Cotto will likely collide on May 2, especially if the rumored bout between Pacquiao and Mayweather fails to happen again.
Previous reports indicated that Cotto's title will be at stake and the winner will be forced to defend the title against Gennady Golovkin, the reigning World Boxing Association and International Boxing Organization middleweight champion.
Garcia is familiar with Golovkin having trained Marco Antonio Rubio against the unbeaten champion last year. The veteran trainer said that Golovkin needs more big fights to be considered as one of the best boxers in the world, but Garcia said that Golovkin is already ripe to beat both Cotto and Alvarez in a title unification bout this year.
"Golovkin is going to have a problem because there are no opponents, but either Cotto or Canelo would give him a good fight," Garcia said. "I don't see them beating Golovkin, but they give him a good fight."
