The long-awaited showdown between World Boxing Council middleweight champion Miguel Cotto and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez is close to being finalized, and boxing experts are already giving their take on the proposed bout.
Former world champion Bernard Hopkins predicts a close showdown between Cotto and Alvarez. He said the fight could go either way, but he believes Cotto has a slight advantage over Alvarez because of his experience.
Alvarez has an impressive 45-1-1 record with 32 knockout victories, but the 24-year-old is often criticized for lack of fights against big-name fighters aside from Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Cotto, on the other hand, has been in big fights since starting his illustrious professional boxing career in 2011. Hopkins thinks Cotto's experience will make him a 60-40 favorite against Alvarez, who is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, where Hopkins is a shareholder.
"I mean Canelo is with us but that's a 50-50 fight. It might be 60-40 Cotto's way because of experience," Hopkins told BoxingScene. "Some people might be a little shocked because I'm saying this but I keep it real."
Hopkins said he is not counting out Alvarez because he believes the former world champion has all the tools to win against Cotto, but it will not be a walk in the park. In the end, Hopkins is convinced the Cotto-Canelo showdown will give fight fans the kind of showdown they are looking for.
"Whether Canelo wins - which I am hoping and I am pretty sure he has the tools and I know he has the skills to do it - is it going to be a cakewalk? Is it going to be handed to him? Hell no. It's a tough, real, great fight," Hopkins said.
Retired professional boxer Jamie Moore echoed the prediction of Hopkins. Moore told Sky Sports that the Cotto-Canelo fight will be a huge bout, but he also thinks Cotto's vast experience will work well into his favor.
"I just personally feel that Cotto has more experience at a higher level and will go in to the fight with great confidence," Moore said. "He'll be flying because he beat the linear middleweight champion having moved up from light-middleweight. I think size-wise, these two match up evenly but I think Cotto just has the experience to nick it."
The camps of both fighters are currently negotiating for the fight, but recent reports revealed that the fight will take place on November 21 either in Las Vegas or New York.
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