Miguel Cotto will likely face Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in his next fight after Daniel Geale instead of engaging in a title unification bout with unbeaten middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin.

Golovkin, who is the reigning International Boxing Organization and World Boxing Association middleweight champion, is the mandatory challenger to Cotto's World Boxing Council middleweight title.

Cotto could lose the middleweight title he took from Sergio Martinez in June last year if he declines to defend it against Golovkin unless the latter agrees to a step-aside deal.

When asked about Cotto's next fight if the Puerto Rican successfully defends his title against Geale on Saturday, Roach said that his fighter will likely face Alvarez because they believe it is the better option at this point.

"After this we'll talk to both camps and see what the best offer is. Canelo is the likely next," Roach told BoxingScene. "He does more pay-per-view. Its Puerto Rico vs Mexico, it's a bigger fight right now."

Roach also admitted that Golovkin is making a name for himself after his string of knockout victories, which makes him believe that unbeaten Kazakh is worthy of a fight against the winner of the Cotto-Alvarez fight. He quickly added, though, Cotto's next fight will still depend on his fighter and his adviser Gaby Penagaricaño.

"Golovkin's making noise," Roach said. "He's coming around, he's a good puncher. I think the winner of Canelo-Cotto would have to fight him for sure. Gaby's the negotiator, I'm just the trainer, and I get him ready."

In an interview with Tha Boxing Voice, Cotto echoed Roach's statement. The 34-year-old said Alvarez has proven he can handle big-name opponents before, but Golovkin has yet to prove his worth against a top fighter.

"Alvarez had his moment to shine against Mayweather and everyone knows what happened there," Cotto said. "Golovkin is a guy who never faced in my opinion, class A opponents and people still asking for those kind of fights. Miguel Cotto been here for 14 years facing everybody. After Saturday, we'll see what happens in my career."

Alvarez, who is a former junior middleweight champion, holds a 45-1 record with 32 knockout victories. The 24-year-old Mexican is coming off a big third-round knockout win against James Kirkland last month in Houston, Texas.

On the other hand, Golovkin improved to 33-0 with 30 knockout victories after stopping Willie Monroe Jr. in the sixth round of their title showdown on May 16 in Inglewood, California. The Karaganda, Kazakhstan native has knocked out his last 20 opponents, including Geale in July last year.