By CompuBox

Miguel Cotto, 28-0, 23 KOs, returns home to Puerto Rico as he makes the first defense of his version of the welterweight title against the 37-year-old Oktay Urkal, 38-3, 11 ko’s, who’s 0-3 in title fights.

Cotto made his much-anticipated move to 147-lbs in December and in the process took apart Carlos Quintana in five rounds to cop the vacant WBA strap.  After weathering Quintana’s opening assault (102 punches in round one and 74 in the second), Cotto outlanded Quintana 37-18 in power shots in rounds four and five, including 27 of 58 (47%) in the fifth.  Quintana, who gave one-time super prospect Joel Julio a one-sided beating six months earlier, was down twice in the fifth and stayed on his stool prior to the sixth.  Cotto’s body attack was relentless and he played some D as well. 

Quintana landed just 9% of his jabs and just 20% of his total punches.  Cotto averaged 56 total punches thrown per round.

Prior to the Quintana shellacking, Cotto silenced Paulie Malignaggi last June, fracturing an orbital bone on Paulie’s pretty face in the process.  Cotto, fighting his last fight at 140 lbs in a shoe-box of a ring at New York’s Madison Square Garden, dropped Malignaggi in round two, then proceeded to land 40% of his power shots (169 of 425).  Overall, Miguel averaged 50 total punches thrown per round, while Paulie, gallant in defeat, landed just 24% of his total punches and only 19% of his jabs.

Nine months earlier, Cotto displayed a champion’s heart (and maybe a suspect chin) in his seventh round KO over the previously undefeated (28-0, 26 ko’s) and then-unknown Ricardo Torres, who now holds a version of the 140-lb title.  Cotto chose to bang with the banger and it nearly cost him. 

After dropping and outlanding Torres 21-8 in round one, Cotto, who was also buzzed in round one, continued his assault in round two.  Trading bombs with the Colombian, Cotto was dropped midway through the round and pummeled for most of it's three minutes.  When the smoke cleared, Torres had landed 40 of 105 total punches, including 39 of 89 power shots- the most punches landed (in both categories) against Cotto in 18 of his fights tracked by CompuBox. 

Cotto hammered away at Torres’ body in rounds three thru six (he landed 55% of his power shots), outlanding the challenger 125-47 in total punches in those four frames.  As Cotto looked to finish off Torres, he again walked into a straight right hand in round five that nearly dropped him again.  Showing a dangerous inability to clinch when hurt (as he did in the second round as well), Cotto made it out of the round by retreating away from Torres on unsteady legs.

The fight was out of Torres by round seven, as Cotto landed 17 of 31 power shots (55%), the last blow put Torres on the canvas for the fourth and final time.  Overall Cotto landed 195 of 426 total punches (46%) to 102 of 359 (28%) for Torres.  Fighting like he was double parked on Atlantic City’s Boardwalk, Cotto averaged just 22 jabs per round after getting off 40 per round in his stoppage of Mohamad Abdullaev three months earlier.  Cotto was originally scheduled to fight Branco in September, but a hand injury forced the Italian to cancel.

In March of ’06, Cotto stopped the disinterested Branco in the eighth round on his home turf.  

Eleven months earlier, also in Puerto Rico, a crowd of 11,000-plus showed up at the Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum thirsty for a Cotto knockout vs. southpaw survivor Demarcus Corley. 

They almost got one-in the third round and it wasn’t Corley who nearly went to sleep.  Cotto, entering the ring at 157 lbs. on HBO’s unofficial scale, came out blazing from the opening bell.  Totally abandoning his jab, he landed 28 of 73 total punches in round one, (27 of 68 power shots) dropping Corley in what looked to be an easy night’s  work.  He kept the heat on in round two, landing 24 of 62, including 22 of 52 power shots before a right hook from the light-hitting Corley early in round three landed high on Cotto’s head.  Cotto’s legs turned to jelly, out on his feet, he somehow survived the round and was actually throwing punches at the bell to end what could have been a nightmare round.  He was outlanded 20-16 in the third by the knockout-challenged Corley.

Cotto got his legs back in the fourth and proceeded to pick up where he left off in round two-though a bit more cautious.  He landed 24 of 56 total punches in the fourth (21 of 50 power shots) and 25 of 58 (24 of 56 power shots) in the fifth.  Corley, badly hurt and looking to go home, went down in the fifth.  He then took a knee to avoid further punishment, prompting clueless homer referee Ismael Quinonez to stop the fight -preventing Cotto from scoring a clean KO. 

Cotto threw just 23 jabs in five rounds vs. Corley after averaging 21 per round in his previous 11 fights.  As a result, Corley landed 36% of his power shots (non-jabs), including 47% in the second round and 43% in the third. 

Urkal, who was born in Berlin to parents from Istanbul, Turkey, won a silver medal in the 139-lb weight class at the ’96 Olympics representing Germany.  He was victorious in his first 28 professional fights before traveling to Connecticut for a challenge of Kosta Tszyu and his 140 lb. titles.  Tszyu, four years removed from his shocking KO loss to Cool Vince Phillips, was still considered one of the top pound-for pound fighters in boxing.

Despite fighting with a broken jaw, he was outlanded just 277-199 in total punches by Tszyu.  Urkal  managed to box effectively enough to avoid Tszyu’s pressure (74 punches thrown per round), however, he was so preoccupied with defense, that he may have neglected his offense.  Urkal threw just 50 punches per round, landing 33%. 

He was even outjabbed by the power-punching Tszyu, who landed 123 of 518 (24%) to 80 of 258 (31%- 22 per round) for Urkal.   Tszyu also had a 154-119 edge in power connects, landing 41% to 35% for Urkal, who never was able hurt Tszyu.  It wasn’t a blowout and the scores showed it - 115-113, 116-112 and 116-113, all for Tszyu. 

With the jaw fully healed Urkal rattled off six consecutive victories before challenging 140-lb title holder Vivian Harris in April of ‘04, who followed the money trail, traveling to Urkal’s Berlin, Germany in defense of his belt. 

The hard-punching Harris (especially early in a fight) started fast, dropping Urkal in the third.  Urkal, with the help of a Harris low blow in round eight that cost him a point, boxed his way back into the fight before tiring in the later rounds.  Urkal blamed the fatigue on a broken nose that occurred in round ten.  The result was a majority decision (114-112 2x & 113-113) win for Harris.

They laced them up again six months later, again in Berlin.  Harris again started fast, while the cautious Urkal (only 38 punches thrown per round) stayed on the outside.  Harris was ahead 97-93; 98-92 & 96-95 thru 10.  An uppercut early in the 11th dropped Urkal before the end came at :56 of that round.  Overall, Urkal was outlanded 163-128 by Harris.  Urkal also avg’d 26 jabs per round, but landed just 19%. He again blamed “nose issues” on his late rounds demise.

Cotto, no longer drained by having to make 140 lbs, should be breathing fire when he enters the ring at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente.  Urkal, 37, has only been KO’d once in 41 fights.  He’s also never faced a  body puncher like Cotto, who’s been taking golfing lessons from Puerto Rican legend Chi Chi Rodriguez. 

The retreating, light-hitting Urkal doesn’t throw enough punches to steal rounds- especially on Cotto’s home turf.  Look for Cotto to tee off on Urkal’s body and head with carefully selected power shots.  The only question is can Urkal make it to the 19th hole?…Doubtful, Cotto by late round stoppage.