By Jake Donovan
It began with Jermain Taylor and Kelly Pavlik in late September. Ten weeks later, Floyd Mayweather and Ricky Hatton will help conclude a ten-week stretch that rivals any period in recent boxing history. From, to and in between, we will have witnessed among them:
- The linear middleweight championship
- A lightweight unification bout (for those who still lend credence to alphabet titles)
- The linear super middleweight championship
- The linear welterweight championship
Not to mention a whole slew of matchups that range from intriguing to mouth-watering.
Manny Pacquiao-Marco Antonio Barrera II was a bit pointless, but came with the Repeat or Revenge factor. Plus, the result pairs up with Juan Manuel Marquez' win over Rocky Juarez this past weekend, paving the way for a potential Pacquiao-Marquez II showdown (March 15, once Bob Arum and Richard Schaefer can close the deal, which is expected to be this week or next).
Most of the fights from Taylor-Pavlik to Mayweather-Hatton feature the additional bells and whistles to enhance the promotion. If its not for a linear championship, it was a matchup leading to such a fight in the near future. The payoff was either immediate or within reach.
But not this weekend.
When Miguel Cotto puts his undefeated record on the line against Shane Mosley this weekend (Saturday, HBO PPV, 9PM ET/6PM PT, live from Madison Square Garden), no guarantees lie ahead for the winner – or the loser.
The bout won't determine welterweight supremacy – that'll come next month when Floyd puts his linear title on the line against junior welterweight king Ricky Hatton in a bout with a zillion sidebars attached. The winner won't be considered pound-for-pound the best in the sport – again, that comes with next month's bout. Nor is the winner a lock to next face the last man standing in Mayweather-Hatton – especially if it's Mayweather, as he and Bob Arum still refuse to kiss, or at least shake, and make up.
Nope. Next week is just a damn good fight between two damn good fighters. Yet from the moment it was signed, it became perhaps the year's most anticipated matchup, and one of the best crossroads fights – on paper – in recent memory.
Cotto (30-0, 25KO) is rapidly developing a reputation as one of boxing's premiere bodypunchers, and also among its most relentless stalkers. The chief complaints often mentioned when discussing the 2000 Olympian – lack of personality, and leveling off, competition-wise, after being aggressively matched up as a prospect.
Neither are issues today.
While admittedly somewhat introverted, Cotto appears looser with each passing fight, and also improving his English in efforts to broaden his horizons from a marketing standpoint. It may not be perfect, but Cotto's English is a hell of a lot better than any second language your average American attempts to speak.
Competition? Mosley will be the ninth opponent to have either previously, currently or eventually own a world title of sorts (linear or alphabet), all occurring within a five-year, 18-fight span. In that same period, five fighters watched their "0" go at the hands of Cotto, all either getting dropped or stopped. In fact, Paulie Malignaggi, undefeated heading into their June 2006 showdown at MSG, is the only fighter to go the distance among Cotto's last ten. He paid a heavy price, suffering a second-round knockdown and absorbing a beating so bad that he was shelved for the rest of the year to allow the multiple wounds to heal.
The most recent victim was former welterweight king Zab "Super" Judah, who, while valiant in defeat, absorbed a tremendous beating before being dropped and subsequently stopped in the 11th round of their Fight of the Year contender. The bout confirmed Cotto's status as a rising superstar, pulling in a crowd of over 20,000 and drawing 225,000 PPV buys. It was also the third straight time Cotto would play the main room at Madison Square Garden on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day parade.
This weekend will be Cotto's fourth Garden party, but the first time he enters a prize fight as anything but an overwhelming favorite. Most oddsmakers have the undefeated Puerto Rican at around –150. That a rising star entering the heart of his prime can only warrant consideration as a slight betting favorite in a crossroads bout speaks volumes of what Shane Mosley still brings to the table.
Nine years Cotto's senior and approaching his 15th year as a pro, Mosley still ranks among the world's best welterweights despite having been bumped from the top of the mountain nearly six years ago. The loss came at the hands of Vernon Forrest, in the downstairs portion of the Garden (MSG's The Theatre), where Shane, despite hailing from the Left Coast, established himself as a notable draw. The first fight with Forrest pulled in the largest gate in the history of the Theatre, but also provided disastrous results for Mosley, who suffered the only two knockdowns of his career en route to a lopsided points loss, his first as a pro.
The fight ended a 19-month reign as welterweight king, which began with a convincing win (despite the absurd split decision verdict) against Oscar de la Hoya in June 2000, just his third bout as a welterweight, following a two year stay atop the lightweight ranks.
Three welterweight title defenses later, Shane was on top of the world. He was universally regarded as among the top three in the world, pound-for-pound, and considered to the best on several lists. Then came Forrest, and an ensuing steady decline that would leave Shane 1-4, 1NC over a three-year stretch, all four losses coming against Forrest and Winky Wright. The only win during that stretch – his controversial decision over Oscar de la Hoya in their September 2003 PPV rematch.
It's been five straight for Mosley following his close-but-no-cigar performance in the Wright rematch three years ago. 2005 served as a transition year, with Shane dropping back down to welterweight, but settling for uninspiring decision wins. He moved back up to junior middleweight, first promising to make it a one-and-done deal. That was before his February 2006 fight with Fernando Vargas, a competitive and entertaining bout ending in an 11 th round injury TKO after Vargas developed a balloon for an eye, pulled in 420,000 PPV buys – a result so nice, they had to do it twice. Shane once again stopped Vargas five months later, this time in 6 one-sided rounds, and with 70,000 less homes tuning in, though still a PPV success.
Despite the success at 154, Shane insisted he could still fit into the welterweight costume, dropping back down earlier this year to dominate Top 10 contender Luis Collazo. It wasn't a jaw-dropping performance, but enough to allow Shane to remain a major player at welterweight, easily the sport's deepest division.
Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to entice Floyd Mayweather, Jr. to get in the ring for a suggested September showdown. Such was Mosley's plan after Floyd outpointed Oscar de la Hoya in their May 2007 bout that generated zillion of dollars but very little action. But it didn't stop Shane from maintaining his long-standing reputation as a warrior who never shies from a challenge, as he gladly accepted the offer to fight Cotto this weekend.
In Cotto, Shane encounters his best opponent in three years, not to mention entering the heart of his prime. When all is said and done, Cotto may prove to be the best Mosley will have ever faced. Until that's confirmed, Mosley enters the bout with much greater big-fight experience, and in fact has yet to lose a PPV main event (4-0, twice each against de la Hoya and Vargas). He's also never lost in Madison Square Garden, going 3-0, all by knockout, though this will be his first time playing the main room.
It is there where he encounters the first of several disadvantages. In his other three Garden appearances, Shane was the draw and the overwhelming favorite among the crowd and the oddsmakers. This time, he enters this fight as the betting underdog while appearing in front of an anticipated sold out crowd, most likely 99% of whom will be pulling for Cotto.
However, none of that matters once the opening bell rings. Cotto is suggested to be the physically stronger fighter. Until he can confirm it this weekend, it's still up for debate. Shane is easily the bigger fighter, having spent the past eight years fighting at 147 or higher, while Cotto is only seventeen months and four fights deep into his welterweight campaign. He also boasts advantages in speed, experience, and ring smarts, remaining resourceful enough to carry himself as a 36-year young fighter, enduring very few wars along the way.
The same cannot be said of Cotto, who even in overwhelming his opponents still requires plenty of bandages and stitches at night's end. His biggest wins to date – stoppage wins over Judah, DeMarcus Corley, and Ricardo Torres in an instant classic – all featured anxious moments where Cotto was buzzed at one point or another, including the lone knockdown of his career against Torres.
However, all ended the same way – Cotto recovering and eventually overwhelming his opponents. The moral: Cotto has repeatedly shown the ability to overcome adversity. Something Shane cannot claim, unless you count his having to overcome an early deficit on the cards in the first de la Hoya fight.
How all of the intangibles factor into the final outcome remains to be seen, as does what the future holds in store for both winner and loser.
What can be confirmed between now and then is, the winner remains the top threat to the welterweight crown, and the loser goes home knowing he lost to one of the sport's best. With nothing else at stake, and just suggestions but no guarantees of reaping greater rewards in the immediate future, it's enough to produce, on paper, a great fight.
And at least for one night, it's enough to make this just a great boxing weekend.
Jake Donovan is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and presently serves on the Tennessee Boxing Advisory Board. His column runs every Tuesday on BoxingScene.