By Cliff Rold
Joshua Clottey had to wonder what kind of night it would be early on. There he was, winning the first round and then he’s on the floor in the final ten seconds off a jab. Whatever the expletives are in Ghana, the angry-at-myself look he wore in the corner said most if not all of them were running through his mind. When an accidental headbutt opened a nasty gash above Miguel Cotto’s left eye in the round three, speculation on press row questioned how long the fight would go past the fourth round, the invisible line between a no-contest and an official decision.
The speculation went nowhere.
The fight went all the way and more.
It was a moving twelve rounds where both men left everything they had in the ring…
…but it’s not just about what you leave. It’s about what you earn. And even with odd circumstances throughout the night, Clottey appeared to win more than enough rounds for an earned victory.
He didn’t get it in front of a rabid Madison Square Garden crowd on Puerto Rican Day weekend.
Let’s go to the report card.
Pre/Post-Fight Grades
Pre-Fight: Speed - Cotto B; Clottey B/Post-Fight: Same
Pre-Fight: Power - Cotto B+; Clottey B-/Post-Fight: Same
Pre-Fight: Defense - Cotto B; Clottey B/Post-Fight: Cotto B-; Clottey B
Pre-Fight: Intangibles - Cotto B+; Clottey B/Post-Fight: A for both
The scoring question might as well be gotten out of the way. This wasn’t a horrible decision and there were varying takes along press row.
There was though a highly questionable card.
With one scorecard turned in at 116-111 for Cotto, one has to wonder what fight was being watched (the others were a more reasonable 115-112 for Cotto and 114-113 for Clottey while this scribe saw it 115-112 for the Ghanaian). The ‘…and still WBO Welterweight’ titlist Cotto (34-1, 27 KO) lost almost all of the second half of the fight before a huge man up in the twelfth. It is possible to say Cotto pulled out the fight but argued here as unreasonable to have him winning four of the final six rounds.
Speaking with Clottey following the post-fight press conference, the narrowly defeated man was disappointed by the lopsided score. “I don’t even know where he get that from…these judges are unbelievable. They know how to do this. Sometimes when you are from very far away, it’s difficult to come away with victory. So I think, you know, it’s part of these things.”
While disagreeing with that scoring, it was understandable why his Puerto Rican fans love Cotto so much. It was a champion’s final round and he weathered tremendous storms from rounds 7-11 after forcing a massive gut check from Clottey (35-3, 20 KO) in round six. In a sense, analysis of this bout starts and stops with the intangibles displayed in the described stretches. It was a war of attrition which should elevate both men.
Clottey showed focus and poise. He didn’t get rattled from the knockdown, the cut to Cotto, or even the odd tangled foot tackle in the corner during the fifth. During the sixth, he blocked more than he took during Cotto’s corner surge and countered well enough to keep Cotto honest. It was round of the year candidate. Clottey made the mistake of losing his jab a bit late in the fight; it may have cost him during late rounds he needed dearly, but he showed heart and courage which was a credit to him and the beauty of the game.
Cotto did as well.
There were moments in the eighth and ninth round where it looked like the 2008 Margarito loss was playing out again but the Puerto Rican would not succumb. He came up with rallies to try and steal rounds and never left his feet. Any rumors of a spent force or damaged goods after Margarito were proven false, hyperbolic, and almost silly. There he was again with a world class fighter in a world class fight, as good as he’s ever been, and battling through vision blurred by blood all night.
Even before the cut, Cotto was getting hit more than he needed to but there was also substantial glove blocking and subtle head movement employed as he circled the ring. Clottey was looser with his arms than usual, taking a few more than he’d like but in better position to counter. He fought an offensive fight.
They both did.
The speed and power from both was what one could expect. Both men are quick enough to land but not possessing of speed that can overwhelm. Some of the shots they landed could be heard even over a crowd that stayed in the fight. Cotto’s power kept Clottey honest when the African began to come one. Clottey’s power was not enough to finish the breaking down of Cotto and he leaves still with only one stoppage win since 2004.
It also didn’t help Clottey that whatever shoes he had on were a consistent impediment. As Cotto struggled with the cut, so too did Clottey miss out on scoring opportunities in round after round because he could not get traction on the slick ring paint. Perhaps he could have chosen better footwear; there definitely needs to be a different paint used. Last night, a magnificent fight could easily have ended on a twisted ankle which does no one any good.
No matter how one scored it, it was the sort of fight which reminds us, no matter the occasional sour tastes left behind, that this remains a science sweeter than any in sports when done right.
Going Forward
Looking ahead for both men, the options for Clottey will likely be one. He’ll want, should want, a Cotto rematch. No one who saw Saturday’s bout could be against the idea.
This was a special fight.
Unfortunately for Clottey, Cotto is a star and stars have something a ‘just’ really good fighter doesn’t: options.
In the house on Saturday was the current Jr. Welterweight Champion of the World Manny Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KO). It is a potentially great fight. A rematch of a 2007 near-classic with Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KO) is as well, and as a bonus would clear up the who part of the vacant lineal Welterweight crown. They are fights every bit as threatening as Clottey with better pay. Boxing is a business and it’s not hard to figure out where the business decisions lead.
Could we see Cotto-Clottey II one day? It’s possible; just don’t expect it on Cotto’s next day in the ring. Given the legacy of wars he is building in his career, the world will watch either way.
And all those exposed to Clottey on this new, bigger stage can be expected to tune in again for him as well.
Cliff’s Notes: Ringside Extra…
Not sure if it will be out there in web land, but if it is be sure to find Saturday’s prelim battle between Jr. Featherweights Jorge Diaz (9-0, 5 KO) and Guadalupe DeLeon (7-7, 4 KO). It’s not often that a six rounder gets the crowd roaring and out of their seats. This one did and more with the underdog getting up from the deck twice in the first to make a war of it. Diaz is definitely one to keep an eye on…Borrowing from New York Post columnist Cindy Adams, “Only in New York kids.” In between the preliminary action and the Ivan Calderon-Rodel Mayol bout, members of the NY Police and NY Fire Department were introduced for a boxing tournament planned for the Garden in September. With an atmosphere of heel and face reactions more suited to pro wrestling, the fire fighters were rabidly cheered while the police blew kisses from mid-ring while echoing, if winking, boos rained down from the stands. It’s the little things in the arena…Ivan Calderon seemed to do a better job of making Rodel Mayol miss then he did in landing his own shots Saturday. Fellow BoxingScene scribe TK Stewart, sitting next to me through the bout, had it 58-56 Mayol at the close; this scribe had it the opposite going for Calderon. It was that kind of fight and Calderon’s is that kind of style…During the Matt Korobov fight, a group of Clottey fans skipped around the arena with a Ghanaian flag to some angry jeers. Ballsy and entertaining…The passionate noise generated for Cotto prior to the fight was spine tingling. Home court advantage may have factored into the will Cotto showed late…Finally, congratulations to TK, Dave Greisman, and Jake Donovan for their award wins at this year’s BWAA dinner. All three deserve any and praise earned via sharp and always poignant pens. It was an overall great weekend in NYC.
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
