As far as talent goes : Cotto is still the best at 147lbs

whats ya breakdown for cotto vs margarito II bro? As long as Cotto is able to avoid heavy exchanges, and keep his ass in the center of the ring, he can take it. But Margarito is probably going to be even stronger the second time out, knowing that he's capable of breaking Cotto's will. I think it will be an almost carbon copy of the first fight, with less time spent on the ropes for Cotto. It will likely go to the cards IMO. its starting to become comical how people continually refer to margarito as a C level fighter the guy isnt the most skilled but his monstrous stamina, chin and workrate are second to none C level guys dont beat a fighter the calibre of miguel cotto, having great skills isnt the only thing which qualifies you as a great fighter That's debatable. Though i agree the term "C Class Fighter" gets thrown around way too often. I think Jim Lampley sumed it up best about Margarito in saying something along the lines of "Margarito knows how to box, he'd just rather fight. He's a high class brawler." It was probably the only sensical thing Lamps has ever said on air. I still wouldn't rank Tony among the best in terms of talent at 147lbs though. If you take away his iron chin, and ungodly conditioning, he's another Gatti on his best day. But it's that workrate and chin that makes him stand out. He's very similar to Hatton in that respect, only with Hatton, it's his fanbase that makes him stand out. Take that away, and he's just another slightly above average fighter. Perhaps B level fits Tony best when describing his skill, but I wouldn't put him in the Ace category.

you thinking Margarito is a C-level fighter show's your ignorance. Floyd's win over DLH recently became insignificant as Pacman shut him out.... something FLoyd couldnt do. Two seperate fights and fighters. Oscar one+ year ago and fighting at 154 with a weigh-in hydrated weight of 164+ vs. Oscar one+ year later fighting in a division he had not fought in 7 years because he struggled to make weight. Oscar showed up on fight night at a total weight of...147. For Margarito: LOL at people calling him a C- level fighter. The guy may not be Tommy Hearns level as far as boxing skills, which is what I guess people are saying, but he makes up for it with relentless pressure, bringing a power in both hands and a hellova chin. Maybe this doesn't work in higher weight classes if he moves up, but he is kind of like Diego Corrales in that regards even though I think Diego should have fought "taller" and fought behind the jab.

Agreed but Amir Khan is one of the most talented fighters at lightweight. You cant train for heart or chin. I was gonna mention Khan myself haha he is super gifted but lacks punch resistance.

Considering that you think Marg is a C-level fighter, I guess you have to consider that Floyd was fighting F-level fighters in Baldomir, Judah, Gatti, Shramba etc... Castillo x2, Corrales, DLH, Hatton....It's really hard to hate on Floyd's resume as a whole. At WW it's weak, but his stint at WW was to a pit stop to an Oscar fight.

let's see cotto beat a c-level figther in margarito first:peeright: Considering that you think Marg is a C-level fighter, I guess you have to consider that Floyd was fighting F-level fighters in Baldomir, Judah, Gatti, Shramba etc...

Remember Cotto was winning the fight till round 10, his problem was the nose, he could not fight well because of the blood running. Margarito lost 10 rounds, this time Cotto will outboxe him again, and will not make the mistake of going to the ropes the way Evangelista told him not to do it. sorry, i stop reading after that...why do people lie to themselves? margo was winning on the cards leading into the 11th. cotto was not winning...he looked great early(who doesn't against margo), about the six and seventh round(also lets not forget the second round where cotto just got smashed, and then landed something big at the end of that round, after being smashed the whole round), the whole fight turned...so NO! cotto was not winning up until the tenth... you know what? maybe he was...but who cares?!?! does that change the outcome?

let's see cotto beat a c-level figther in margarito first:peeright: you thinking Margarito is a C-level fighter show's your ignorance. Floyd's win over DLH recently became insignificant as Pacman shut him out.... something FLoyd couldnt do.

Remember Cotto was winning the fight till round 10, his problem was the nose, he could not fight well because of the blood running. Margarito lost 10 rounds, this time Cotto will outboxe him again, and will not make the mistake of going to the ropes the way Evangelista told him not to do it. Dude Tony didn't lose 10 rounds. After 10 two judges actually had him up 96-94 and one had it a draw at 95-95. Some of those later rounds were hard to score cause Tony was applying the pressure but Cotto was landing a lot of clean punches, but it was in no way as one sided as your saying.

Remember Cotto was winning the fight till round 10, his problem was the nose, he could not fight well because of the blood running. Margarito lost 10 rounds, this time Cotto will outboxe him again, and will not make the mistake of going to the ropes the way Evangelista told him not to do it.

its starting to become comical how people continually refer to margarito as a C level fighter the guy isnt the most skilled but his monstrous stamina, chin and workrate are second to none C level guys dont beat a fighter the calibre of miguel cotto, having great skills isnt the only thing which qualifies you as a great fighter I read that and said the same exact thing. Margarito's skills aren't up there, but he mixes his punches well and never stops coming forward. If he was just C level, he would have never made it this far. Yes he has losses, but what does that have to do with it? Undefeated records are too appreciated here.

I totally agree. But I have trouble calling Tony a C-class fighter. I mean the dude's resume at 147 is very impressive. He's got the kind of style that's going to give anyone that can't match his workrate or isn't phenomenal boxer trouble.

At least until Floyd comes out of retirement. In terms of actual skill and technical ability, I think Cotto is the best guy at 147lbs, even with the Margarito loss. At 147lbs you basically got Cotto, Margarito, Williams, and the rest of the guys are second stringers. Maybe Clottey, but I'm still not sure how good (or bad) this guy is because he hasn't been able to showcase his abilities to their fullest potential. Margarito is a walking brick wall. He fights like a robot, just winging shit at you in pure volume to break you down over the course of the fight. He's a bit of a better boxer than most give him credit for, but he's basically an average fighter with an above average work rate and chin. Williams isn't really even in the picture at 147lbs. He's doing his best Roy Jones impression by jumping up in weight, and fighting low-class opposition for title straps to make his name. Judah moved down to 140lbs thankfully. Oscar retired and was damn near shot anyways. Mosley is at the tail end of his career and I think Margarito is going to wreck him next month. All that's left is Cotto, and in my eyes, he's the most technically skilled fighter of the Welterweight division. If you've been following him at all you can see the amount of experience he's gained just in the last 2 years alone. Agreed. Cotto can be his own worst enemy thou, if he can get his shit together there is no stopping him.

So the thread starter is saying: Cotto and Margarito might be the same as Foreman vs. Frazier...except Margarito has better control of his stamina compared to the young George; Old George learned from his mistakes. Ali said Frazier was the more talented fighter than Foreman...So why did Frazier lose? Styles and the ability that Margarito, like Foreman, possessed against Cotto/Frazier.

its starting to become comical how people continually refer to margarito as a C level fighter the guy isnt the most skilled but his monstrous stamina, chin and workrate are second to none C level guys dont beat a fighter the calibre of miguel cotto, having great skills isnt the only thing which qualifies you as a great fighter i'm with you on that. i don't see how folks can still call him a C level fighter...i want to say HATE, but i think it goes deeper than that...and that is scary. i agree with all you wrote, the bold and underline mostly.

Talent wise he is definatley the best and for my money even after the Marg loss he is the best in general coz i see him winning the rematch

let's see cotto beat a c-level figther in margarito first:peeright: That's pretty sad that the man in your avy was afraid of a "C level" fighter then. wins over Clottey and Cotto, and a close fight with Williams.. shit, that's one hell of a "C Level" fighter.

we've seen it many times in boxing, skills don't always pay the bills! ESPECIALLY when you have a determined guy with a giant heart and granite chin in front of you. I hope Miguel pulls the upset in the rematch, whether he can or not is something that goes through my mind now every time I think about it.

At least until Floyd comes out of retirement. In terms of actual skill and technical ability, I think Cotto is the best guy at 147lbs, even with the Margarito loss. At 147lbs you basically got Cotto, Margarito, Williams, and the rest of the guys are second stringers. Maybe Clottey, but I'm still not sure how good (or bad) this guy is because he hasn't been able to showcase his abilities to their fullest potential. Margarito is a walking brick wall. He fights like a robot, just winging shit at you in pure volume to break you down over the course of the fight. He's a bit of a better boxer than most give him credit for, but he's basically an average fighter with an above average work rate and chin. Williams isn't really even in the picture at 147lbs. He's doing his best Roy Jones impression by jumping up in weight, and fighting low-class opposition for title straps to make his name. Judah moved down to 140lbs thankfully. Oscar retired and was damn near shot anyways. Mosley is at the tail end of his career and I think Margarito is going to wreck him next month. All that's left is Cotto, and in my eyes, he's the most technically skilled fighter of the Welterweight division. If you've been following him at all you can see the amount of experience he's gained just in the last 2 years alone. great post. you hit on all the points.

Real walkie talkie. And as far as Cotto, I think he has the most well rounded skills out of anybody at 147. Anybody dismissing him because of that loss against Margarito are out of their minds. I think he will adjust, and have more then a fair shot at avenging his loss to Margarito when the rematch happens. Agreed, on all points. So long as his conditioning is up to par, he'll have no problem taking a decision from Tony. But he needs to learn to keep his ass off the ropes.

I've worn thin on the whole Williams vs. anyone stuff at 147lbs. Though you are right, a lot of times Paul is flat out denied a match with the best at 147lbs. I wish Williams the best, and I do like watching him fight. But the dude needs to change his nickname to "bubonic plague" the way people are avoiding his ass. Real walkie talkie. And as far as Cotto, I think he has the most well rounded skills out of anybody at 147. Anybody dismissing him because of that loss against Margarito are out of their minds. I think he will adjust, and have more then a fair shot at avenging his loss to Margarito when the rematch happens.