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Cotto vs Martinez: Freddie Roach looking for Cotto to do what Chavez wouldn't

Freddie Roach says he's got the game plan to beat Sergio Martinez, but the first time around, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr didn't listen. This time, he's hoping Miguel Cotto will.

Ethan Miller
Scott Christ is the managing editor of Bad Left Hook and has been covering boxing for SB Nation since 2006.

Freddie Roach believes he's already had the strategy in place to defeat reigning middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, but when he got a chance to have it executed in 2012, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr couldn't -- or wouldn't -- pull it off.

The Hall of Fame trainer gets another crack at the Argentine champ on June 7, when Miguel Cotto faces Martinez on HBO pay-per-view. Cotto, Roach believes, will do what Chavez did not:

"I had the game plan to beat him once before but my guy Chavez just didn't want to listen. He almost got him at the end but he just waited a little too long. ... I love this fight. I have the game plan for this fight and me and Cotto have talked about it."

The most significant difference between Cotto (38-4, 31 KO) and Chavez is size, as Chavez is a far bigger man, but the second-most significant difference between them is talent, and Cotto has that all over Junior. He's a better, smarter boxer, and he'll be facing a version of Martinez (51-2-2, 28 KO) who hasn't fought in a year due to some rather serious injuries, including a knee surgery.

Can Cotto do what Chavez didn't? Will he benefit from a potentially rusty and worn-out Martinez?

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