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‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s patience, among other things, faces test against Cotto

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, left, works out in the ring with head trainer Eddy Reynoso during a media workout on Oct. 29.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, left, works out in the ring with head trainer Eddy Reynoso during a media workout on Oct. 29.

(Denis Poroy / Getty Images)
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Saul “Canelo” Alvarez swears he’s spent the necessary time learning how to bridge the gap between himself and an older, wiser boxer.

The 25-year-old Alvarez faces Miguel Cotto, a studied warrior 10 years his senior, in a much anticipated middleweight title bout Saturday night at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. For Alvarez, this is the boxing equivalent of the SAT.

It’s a test of loyalty. Was Alvarez’s decision to stick with the father-son trainers he’s had in his corner since Day One the right call?

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It’s also a test of patience. Can he solve Cotto and fight through any frustration he encounters in the ring, unlike in Alvarez’s loss two years ago to unbeaten, elusive Floyd Mayweather Jr., when he effectively wrote off the final two-thirds of the bout?

And it’s a test of skill. Can the heavy blows Alvarez landed to knock out the less sophisticated James Kirkland in May be duplicated against the skilled Cotto?

But there’s no simpler truth to this fight than something Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 knockouts) said when he interrupted a training session last month to make a point. “This fight is my opportunity to show the world why I think I’m a champion,” Alvarez said in Spanish through an interpreter.

The World Boxing Council on Tuesday stripped Cotto of the middleweight belt for not paying sanctioning fees and disregarding other rules and regulations. Alvarez, the WBC ruled, becomes champion if he wins.

Alvarez hopes to prove he is deserving of replacing the retired Mayweather as the sport’s biggest draw by beating the four-division world champion Cotto (40-4, 33 KOs). The Alvarez-Cotto matchup also renews the classic Mexico-Puerto Rico rivalry, in a bout that should generate more than 1 million pay-per-view buys.

Since losing to Mayweather, Alvarez has won three straight bouts, including escaping with a July 2014 split-decision victory over the talented Cuban boxer Erislandy Lara.

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Meanwhile, Cotto — a dangerous body puncher — has logged more than 300 rounds of pro boxing in his career and is trained by famed cornerman Freddie Roach.

“I’m very conscious of Miguel Cotto’s career. … I need to do my part on that night to create my own legacy in this sport,” said Alvarez.

By comparison, Cotto was more impressive in his decision loss to Mayweather than Alvarez was. But Alvarez won a decision over Austin Trout, who easily beat Cotto by decision in 2012 and left him near retirement if not for the switch to Roach.

“All of my fights, I learned something,” said Alvarez, who said he devoted five more weeks to his training camp than did Cotto. “We obviously understand the magnitude of this. We must consume that responsibility with hard training. I’m prepared for different things in the ring.”

Roach insists Cotto’s experience will prove decisive, and the trainer’s resume — counting his work with Manny Pacquiao — gives him a stark advantage over Alvarez’s corner of father and son Chepo and Eddy Reynoso.

“From the time we started, we’ve been a great team,” Eddy Reynoso said. “We’re very happy, very good, very comfortable. This is just another level to pass now. The foundation has been built and has taken us step by step to this next obstacle.”

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The focus in camp was bringing more speed to Alvarez’s power punching style.

“We keep telling [Alvarez], ‘Faster, faster, faster,’” said Reynoso, 38, who has seized more day-to-day leadership as his father has backed out of in-ring training because of a leg injury from an accident.

“We need to be very intelligent. We’re developing through the mistakes. …His punches are more crisp and sharp, his defense is better. He’s in a better position throwing punches.”

Reynoso contends that trainers influence only about 10% of a fight. He chided Roach for what he said was a failure to effectively develop fighters like Amir Khan, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Brian Viloria.

Alvarez expressed appreciation for the Reynosos’ attention, recalling how as a teen he thought of mastering their lessons until he fell asleep and dreamed about boxing. “I combined my own style [of natural power] with their technique to become who I am now,” Alvarez said. “I’ll explode the night I fight Cotto … power, speed, head movement, combinations.”

Alvarez knocked Kirkland out cold in the third round in Houston, and he knows Cotto is a less dangerous fighter when wounded.

“I’ve corrected the errors. I’m going to go in there and do what I need to do,” Alvarez said. “Speed, power, agility, stamina, intelligence — everything I need to apply on that fight night.

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“I can’t leave anything out.”

lance.pugmire@latimes.com

Twitter: @latimespugmire

COTTO VS. ALVAREZ

Who: Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33 KOs), Puerto Rico, vs. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KOs), Mexico, in a middleweight title bout (fought at 155-pound catchweight limit).

Where: Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas.

Television: HBO, pay-per-view, $69.95 high definition.

When: Saturday, broadcast begins at 6 p.m. Pacific time.

Undercard: Takashi Miura (29-2-2, 22 KOs) vs. Francisco Vargas (22-0-1, 16 KOs), for Miura’s WBC super-featherweight belt; Guillermo Rigondeaux (15-0, 10 KOs) vs. Drian Francisco (28-3-1, 22 KOs), super-bantamweights; Ronny Rios (24-1, 10 KOs), vs. Jayson Velez (23-0-1, 16 KOs), featherweights.

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