World Boxing Council middleweight champion Miguel Cotto is already getting bruises on his face while training for his title defense against the Mexican warrior Saul "Canelo" Alvarez on Nov. 21 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Is "El Juanito" training too hard for the said title fight against the 25-year-old boxer?

A video uploaded by Hoop Jab on YouTube shows how the WBC champ's face looks like these days, revealing his tremendous effort for his next fight.

The presence of these bruises could also indicate that he may not be too strong against his sparring partners, per ongoing rumors, and that he is "being pushed around" by these boxers, Boxing Scene noted.

However, Cotto denies these speculations and says that he is really preparing well for this showdown with "Canelo."

"I'm a fighter. If I didn't like getting hit, I would find myself in the wrong sport. [The bruises are] just the kind of hard work that we've being doing. Every fight is different. I'm taking Canelo very seriously. I will give the maximum [amount of effort]and beat him on November 21," Cotto said.

Cotto is indeed serious about this upcoming fight in November, as he even stated that he is actually preparing for a "war," a separate Boxing Scene article informed. The Puerto Rican champ surely knows how much a victory against the young Mexican means to him and his country.

Cotto vows to do his part and let his country shine in the boxing battle that will showcase the great rivalry between Puerto Rico and Mexico.

"I'm preparing for a war. Every fight is different. I'm taking this fight with Canelo seriously. I am not evaluating the best fights that Canelo had to shape my workouts or our game plan. I'm working on what we believe we need to work on to win," the veteran boxer added.

Cotto is Dominating Younger Sparring Partners

Cotto, who will turn 35 years old this Oct. 29, per BoxRec, may just be really putting his heart into his training and not actually being hit easily by his sparring partners. His conditioning coach Gavin McMillan already mentioned, per another report from BoxRec, that his fighter is dominating boxers 10 years younger than him.

The WBC champ's devotion is really evident in his preparation, as observed by his world-class trainer Freddie Roach.

"That's what Miguel is all about...he'll sacrifice anything to win," Roach told Fight Hub.

If Cotto has prepared this much, "Canelo" should be really sure to match this dedication, too.

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