Cotto: Geale agreed to catchweight, I hope he can make it

Miguel Cotto makes no apologies for defending his WBC middleweight title at 157lbs instead of the division limit of 160lbs. Being that Daniel Geale often has some difficulty getting down to 160lbs, the three added pounds he needs to shed is looking to be an increasingly daunting chore - so much so that both Daniel Geale and promoter Gary Shaw spent much of Tuesday's final press conference talking about it. Cotto, though, thinks the whole thing is being overblown as he himself has been subjected to fighting at catchweights in the past, notably in his 2009 fight with Manny Pacquiao.

"I think that people are making a big issue where there does not need to be a big issue with catchweights. Freddie, back in 2009, made me go down from 147 to 145. Did anyone hear anything about Miguel Cotto disagreeing with the catch weights? No, I was a gentlemen the whole way," said Cotto.

Freddie Roach chimed in to say that Gary Shaw has been around the block more than a few times and knows how to read a contract, a contract that both sides signed back in April to make this fight happen. Naturally, there are going to be people who fall on both sides of the fence on this issue. Yes, catchweights have been around for a long time. Yes, they can be used to put one fighter at a disadvantage. Yes, they can often suck (especially in title fights where they defeat the purpose of having established weight classes). And yes, in this and pretty much every other instance, both sides knew what they were signing up for. Whether or not you hate it, love it, or are simply indifferent - it's just part of the business of boxing.

"Catchweights were our main point to make this fight happen. Daniel and his team agreed to going down to 157 and I hope he can make weight on Friday. I hope to see everyone there on Saturday night," said Cotto.

The tone these hard-bitten comments suggest that Cotto may pull out of the fight if Geale doesn't make weight. And of course, that disposition isn't going to endear Cotto to many fans out there - but let's face it, Cotto doesn't really care. He freely admits that he's fighting solely for the benefit of his family and himself and says that any fighter who isn't thinking the same way just doesn't have the correct outlook on the sport of boxing. That kind of sentiment will be sure to rile up fans who will argue about the guts and the glory, but the bottom line is this: over the years, for better or for worse, Cotto has transformed from fan-beloved fighter into a strictly shrewd businessman through and through.