Miguel Cotto is Well Worth the Price of Admission By Shaun McComas, Max Boxing (May 5, 2012) Doghouse Boxing - Tweet
For
the past five years, there have been very few pay-per-view events that
have lived up to the price of admission. Floyd “Money” Mayweather may
talk a good game leading up to tonight’s fight via HBO’s “24/7”
and other media outlets but he has never been known for being
particularly entertaining inside the ring. Manny Pacquiao’s latest PPV
outings vs. Juan Manuel Marquez, Antonio Margarito and Joshua Clottey
could be viewed as less thrilling compared to his previous PPV outings
vs. Erik Morales and a younger and fresher Marquez four years ago. Both
of these players are the clear leaders in the clubhouse in terms of PPV
buys because they have gained the greatest crossover appeal throughout
the sport. However, it is the third PPV king in boxing who consistently
delivers the thrills and the drama within the ring, demonstrating the
essence of the warrior spirit. For the last decade, that man has been
Miguel Cotto.
Many
within the boxing public were first introduced to Miguel Cotto in his
championship-winning effort against Kelson Pinto in 2004. His
performance against the former Brazilian champion received praise as he
blitzed and dismantled the much taller foe with the use of his brilliant
left hook to the body. His next HBO outing against DeMarcus “Chop Chop”
Corley introduced everyone to the vulnerability that makes Cotto such a
great TV product. After having knocked down Corley earlier in the
fight, an extremely aggressive Cotto blindly ran into a left hand,
proceeding to do the drunken chicken dance for the remainder of the
round. After dusting himself off, he roared back in the fifth and
stopped Corley, albeit in a very premature fashion, thanks to referee
Ismael Falu. In the same year, in his second fight after displaying
shaky whiskers, Cotto faced the hard-hitting Colombian Ricardo Torres in
a 2005 “Fight of the Year” candidate. Throughout the course of this
fight, it was a back-and-forth affair that saw both combatants touch the
canvas, a first in Cotto’s career. While thrilling, the seven-round
affair ended in a TKO win for the champ, this Arturo Gatti-type
performance only served as fuel to the fire for both his fans and
detractors. It also made him a staple among the premium cable channels.
Exciting
fights against the likes of Paulie Malignaggi and Zab Judah continued
to add to the Puerto Rican’s popularity as a prizefighter. The 2007 bout
against Sugar Shane Mosley served as a blueprint for how he’s dealt
with larger opponents since moving to welterweight. The first eight
rounds of that fight saw Cotto and Mosley fighting in the center of the
ring and exchanging body punches, uppercuts and hooks. After the eighth,
Cotto employed a counterpunching, in-and-out style that seemed to serve
him well. It was at that moment where he made the silent agreement
where he felt fine trying to win his fights on points as opposed to
stopping his opponent. He employed the same tactic in his 2008 bout
against a prime Antonio Margarito, a great fight which Cotto won early
but as soon as fatigue began sinking in (along with the possible illegal
wraps), Cotto could take no more and decided to throw in the towel in
the 11th. The drama surrounding the potentially illegal wraps
served as a great storyline for the rematch and subsequent victory vs.
Margarito last December.
Many
fans insist Cotto is a shell of his former self since his first
professional loss but it still did not diminish his greatest talent,
creating excitement in the ring. In his second fight back from his first
career loss, he faced a very tough out in Joshua Clottey. After having
knocked down Clottey with his shotgun left jab, Cotto received a deep
gash over his left eye for his troubles as a result of an accidental
headbutt in the third round. Even with an eye that was slowly morphing
into hamburger, Cotto bravely fought on toward earning a very close
split decision victory. In his TKO loss to Manny Pacquiao, he came out
of the corner with guns blazing over the first four rounds until the
Filipino buzz saw knocked him down for the second time in the fight.
After that, Cotto tried playing counterpuncher until the fight was
mercifully called off in the final round. A lack of strategy combined
with obvious technical deficiencies in his fight game were exposed more
so in this fight than in his previous loss.
Since
the introduction of Emanuel Steward and, more recently, Pedro Diaz,
Miguel Cotto has begun to employ better movement and angles, improved
defense, educated fight strategies and is less economical with his right
hand (as he is a natural southpaw). So what can we expect from the
fight this upcoming Saturday at the MGM Grand? Essentially, every single
trainer, fight scribe, television personality and fight fan is stating
that Cotto has the same chance of winning as Wile E. Coyote has a chance
to finally catch the Road Runner. Not this guy.
First,
if there is anything Miguel Cotto has developed which may prove to be
most difficult for Mayweather is his left jab from his power hand. Heck,
Oscar De la Hoya almost got a decision against “Money” due to his jab.
True, he is much taller and larger than Floyd but a good jab is very
difficult to counter. Second, other than Jose Luis Castillo almost a
decade ago, no other fighter has really effectively gone to the body
against Mayweather. If the Cotto jab becomes a valuable weapon early on
in the fight, it should allow him to get inside on Mayweather and quite
possibly land couple of solid body shots. The body punching may indeed
make this a more stationary version of the pound-for-pound champ,
slowing down and rendering him impatient at the success of his opponent,
thus creating more openings. Third, Cotto may lure Mayweather into
having to go on the offensive. There is no doubt that Floyd is one of
the best counterpunchers in the past 30 years. His makeup is not that of
an offense-first fighter and Miguel, being a very capable
counterpuncher himself, may benefit in forcing Floyd to punch first.
Finally, he may be past his prime but Cotto has performed well against
fast and elusive boxers before. Although Mayweather is indeed a master
in his own way, Cotto’s improved defense makes him much harder to hit
cleanly. If that’s not enough,
Cotto might be the hardest puncher Mayweather has faced in recent years
with the exception of Sugar Shane.
Do
I think Miguel Cotto is going to win? My heart says yes- but my head
says no. However, I do feel it is going to be a very competitive affair
where Mayweather may be roughed up by the end. Unlike his last several
fights, the Fighter Formerly Known as Pretty Boy is not going to look so
pretty during the post-fight interview. I am calling for a majority
decision in favor of Floyd Mayweather with both fighters getting
seriously buzzed during the fight. If, for whatever reason, Cotto does
pull off the victory, I will be mildly surprised and completely ecstatic
as a fight fan, unlike others, possibly likening this upset to Buster
Douglas beating Mike Tyson. At the end of the day, I know it will be a
very entertaining main event which I will gladly pay to see because of
the dramatics and thrilling action Miguel Cotto has a history of
displaying inside the ring, unlike the brash talk and sparse action we
have become accustomed to experiencing that accompany any Floyd
Mayweather bout.
Feel free to email me at smmccoma@gmail.com with your thoughts and opinions.
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