History's Darling: Cotto vs Mayweather

No no no, I don't think highly of Dzinziruk, trust me, he's a good boxer though. Just that he, in my opinion, would have more going for him in a match up against Martinez than Cotto. Dzinziruk, what I noticed from him was that the only thing moving were his hands, hardly any upperbody movement, or verity in his punches. Well, thing is...Martinez knows how to control distance, his reach is 76', add in the movement and I can't see how Cotto can build up an attack, he'd be at a serious disadvantage. Sergiy atleast got within range at times, but failed to amount any kind of damage because he isn't a puncher. Sergio fights a way that invites fighters to fight. He allows them to get in close so he can close the trap. How long will his amazing athleticism keep it going? He has reach, but doesn't use it to his advantage, so I see it as a wash. Just like PWill, the dude has a stupid reach advantage but fights hunched and invites danger. Same for Sergio

I think it'll be electric. I think Cotto has that sneaky speed on people because of his methodical approach to fighting. I just hate Martinez's hands down routine. I think he'll be eating that jab all night. I would rate Cotto as being a bit faster than Dzini and will be able to land better. We'll see, it certainly wouldn't be easy, and if I was a betting man, I would bet on Martinez because of all his attributes. But I think it will be alot more competitive than most observers. Dzini's size meant little. He fights too upright and sterile. To flat footed and lacked the strength to do anything with it. I see him as a more polished, less powerful Pavlik. His defense was horrid against Martinez, and I feel that his level of opposition was very bare and we didn't get the whole picture. I respect that you think highly of Dzini, I just wasn't thrilled about him based on YT vids. But I will give credit to Martinez for giving him a shot. he's a virtual unknown, and those are the types of guys that are too damn hungry and will get that win. Martinez didn't have to fight him, and he did, so much respect. I do want to see Dzini back in the ring though, but at 154 and maybe see the qualities in him that you do. While I wasn't high on him before the fight, I give him made love for the heart he showed. A lesser fighter wouldn't have kept getting up No no no, I don't think highly of Dzinziruk, trust me, he's a good boxer though. Just that he, in my opinion, would have more going for him in a match up against Martinez than Cotto. Dzinziruk, what I noticed from him was that the only thing moving were his hands, hardly any upperbody movement, or verity in his punches. Well, thing is...Martinez knows how to control distance, his reach is 76', add in the movement and I can't see how Cotto can build up an attack, he'd be at a serious disadvantage. Sergiy atleast got within range at times, but failed to amount any kind of damage because he isn't a puncher.

Cotto doesn't have the durability to consistently attack Martinez's body, I do agree that Martinez has stamina issues, not alot of posters mention it, but nonetheless he does fade. But before Cotto gets to the body he's gonna be eating alot of shots and Martinez can punch, I don't see how Cotto can challenge him, or even get started to be perfectly honest. Dzinziruk has size, better defense, even with that he has more going for him than Cotto. Cotto really isn't a Jr MW, didn't look like one at the weigh in. I think it'll be electric. I think Cotto has that sneaky speed on people because of his methodical approach to fighting. I just hate Martinez's hands down routine. I think he'll be eating that jab all night. I would rate Cotto as being a bit faster than Dzini and will be able to land better. We'll see, it certainly wouldn't be easy, and if I was a betting man, I would bet on Martinez because of all his attributes. But I think it will be alot more competitive than most observers. Dzini's size meant little. He fights too upright and sterile. To flat footed and lacked the strength to do anything with it. I see him as a more polished, less powerful Pavlik. His defense was horrid against Martinez, and I feel that his level of opposition was very bare and we didn't get the whole picture. I respect that you think highly of Dzini, I just wasn't thrilled about him based on YT vids. But I will give credit to Martinez for giving him a shot. he's a virtual unknown, and those are the types of guys that are too damn hungry and will get that win. Martinez didn't have to fight him, and he did, so much respect. I do want to see Dzini back in the ring though, but at 154 and maybe see the qualities in him that you do. While I wasn't high on him before the fight, I give him made love for the heart he showed. A lesser fighter wouldn't have kept getting up

Mayweather people forget about his body of work before becoming a self absorbed scum bad he destroyed very good fighters,just look at what he did to Corrales dead or alive a sure fire hof.beat castillo badly after winning a close fight with him and moved up in weight all the way to 154 and beat a semi shot dlh at his best weight at the time.Cotto is a very good fighter but every time he fights the elite he loses,i see Mayweather beating both Margarito and Pacquiao sadly it will all be speculation he is now 34 and past his prime honestly the man should retire for good.even past prime if they were to face off this year he beats both. The only elite he lost to was Manny and he beat Judah and Mosley (4 years before Manny or Floyd even fought him.) On topic, I think at some point people will legitimately look at Floyds resume and simply not be impressed at all, he never really fought anyone. Sure, he beat Castillo and Chico, but neither guy is what I would call an elite fighter. Its not that he has a bad resume, but its just lacking compared to all the other WW's in his era and thats his biggest issue IMO. Floyd has great NAMES that he's beaten but he doesn't really have any good fighters on there. I think people will look back at Floyd and say "what could have been." That personally is the last thing I want to hear about someones legacy because it means they really didn't care and it was all for the money contrary to how much Floyd would make you think its for legacy. As far as Cotto, people always hate on him because he sucks, he's overrated and I can keep going. People then also hate on others for ducking certain fighters like Floyd. Well... Cotto never ducked anyone and because of it he did look vulnerable at times, but thats what happens when you fight THE BEST all the time, you're going to look bad at times. No one seems to care or notice this, but it is what it is. I think Al Bernstein hit the nail on the head after the Cotto/Mayorga fight when he basically said "Cotto will leave a legacy of a entertaining fighter, who never ducked anyone and who fought the best at a very high skill level." To me, I'd rather say hear at least he had the balls to face anyone and everyone and didn't worry about looking bad, he just wanted to prove how good he was to himself and the world, and he didn't need his mouth to convince anyone otherwise.

A Martinez win for Cotto would be tremendous. I don't think it would be enough to surpass Floyd but it would ensure a shrine in Canastota. I wouldn't rate a Margarito win that highly though. Tony will always be a tough matchup for him but he hasn't beaten a decent opponent in three years.

I don't think Martinez needs to avenge the fight because it happened when they both were nobodies and Martinez is reaching a new stratosphere. It'd be like Pac going after the boys who first beat him. Cotto on the other hand, the fight is still fresh in people's mind, and you don't talk about Cotto unless you talk about Margarito, and vice versa. Their careers will always be intertwined. True rivals in every sense of the word. Both. I think Cotto presents a stylistic problem for Martinez. Pavlik is just too slow for Martinez (Pac/Margarito), PWill was a knockout waiting to happen based on his style. And Dzinziruk, honestly, I've seen a few of his fights on youtube, but other than a jab, I didn't see anything in his game that would trouble Martinez. Like a consistent body attack, or a variation of hooks and uppercuts. Cotto doesn't have the durability to consistently attack Martinez's body, I do agree that Martinez has stamina issues, not alot of posters mention it, but nonetheless he does fade. But before Cotto gets to the body he's gonna be eating alot of shots and Martinez can punch, I don't see how Cotto can challenge him, or even get started to be perfectly honest. Dzinziruk has size, better defense, even with that he has more going for him than Cotto. Cotto really isn't a Jr MW, didn't look like one at the weigh in.

By the way Cottos boxing skills are better than Martinez.with the right plan Cotto can beat him just watch out for the left!!

Alot of people seem to overlook the fact that Miguel Cotto is still in his prime.only that now he is using his boxing skills more then ever.With Steward he can only get better.He had some very tough fights against 3 very top welters.Margo(cheated point blank),against Clottey he fought a brave fight with a nasty gash over his eye that would make any average fighter quit.And lost against the best fighter in the world.Beating Margo will strengthen his confidence.Now about Mayweather did he fight any top prime fighter lately??.I don't think so call him cherry picker,*****,or whatever but I'm an old school type of boxer.Fight every top guy of your division no matter the pay.Now to leave 30 to 40 million on top of the table and say you a price fighter?? There's something funny but one thing he's not going downhill he's just inactive!

Yeah maybe historically, but really...doesn't do much. I'm more with Martinez in how he views the possibility of avenging his lost to Margarito, he sees it as nothing but a lose in his column, he knows Margarito doesn't have much left, so it's pointless. I wouldn't knock Cotto if he wanted to head that direction, wouldn't knock him one bit. I don't think Martinez needs to avenge the fight because it happened when they both were nobodies and Martinez is reaching a new stratosphere. It'd be like Pac going after the boys who first beat him. Cotto on the other hand, the fight is still fresh in people's mind, and you don't talk about Cotto unless you talk about Margarito, and vice versa. Their careers will always be intertwined. True rivals in every sense of the word. Maybe not the skill set of Cotto but Pavlik, Paul Williams and Dzinziruk hold attributes that make them more threatening an opponent than Cotto, especially now. Also when you say 'as good, do you mean as challenging? or as accomplished? Kind of confused there. Both. I think Cotto presents a stylistic problem for Martinez. Pavlik is just too slow for Martinez (Pac/Margarito), PWill was a knockout waiting to happen based on his style. And Dzinziruk, honestly, I've seen a few of his fights on youtube, but other than a jab, I didn't see anything in his game that would trouble Martinez. Like a consistent body attack, or a variation of hooks and uppercuts.

Mayweather people forget about his body of work before becoming a self absorbed scum bad he destroyed very good fighters,just look at what he did to Corrales dead or alive a sure fire hof.beat castillo badly after winning a close fight with him and moved up in weight all the way to 154 and beat a semi shot dlh at his best weight at the time.Cotto is a very good fighter but every time he fights the elite he loses,i see Mayweather beating both Margarito and Pacquiao sadly it will all be speculation he is now 34 and past his prime honestly the man should retire for good.even past prime if they were to face off this year he beats both. I strongly disagree with that part. Cotto only has two losses, one to Pacquiao and the one against Margarito, a fight that still has an asterisk. On the other hand, Cotto holds victories over top or former top welters like Carlos Quintana, Shane Mosley, and Joshua Clottey, plus victories over solid fighters like Malignaggi, Judah, and others. Cotto might not be perceived as P4P now, but he sure was a few years ago and still has the potential to crack the Top 10 again.

Mayweather people forget about his body of work before becoming a self absorbed scum bad he destroyed very good fighters,just look at what he did to Corrales dead or alive a sure fire hof.beat castillo badly after winning a close fight with him and moved up in weight all the way to 154 and beat a semi shot dlh at his best weight at the time.Cotto is a very good fighter but every time he fights the elite he loses,i see Mayweather beating both Margarito and Pacquiao sadly it will all be speculation he is now 34 and past his prime honestly the man should retire for good.even past prime if they were to face off this year he beats both. You make it sound like Cotto has losses on his record like De La Hoya or something. He lost to Pacquaio, who will most likely be remembered as the best fighter in this generation (although I'll always favor Hopkins). So I don't see a problem with Cotto losing to Pac. He lost to Margarito, which will go down as one of the greatest fight in the last decade. He lost, but gets a chance to right that wrong this year hopefully. I think its too close to call and all depends on their activity from here on out and who beats who. But right now, Mayweather may be the greatest in his own mind, but the guy just wasted the last 6 years, which he could have pummeled Cotto, Margarito, Mosley and others while they were top dogs.

Margarito still has his toughness and of course the mental edge over Cotto. It may not mean much in today's rankings, but historically, I think it would be good for Cotto. Margarito was a good-to-great Welterweight who popped Cotto's cherry the first time around. Cotto winning it I think would bode well for him, especially when people in 10-20 years start talking about Hall of Fame, ATG Welterweights, and this generation's best group of fighters. Also, who has Martinez beaten or fought that at any point is on Cotto's level? He fought Margarito 10 years ago, Pavlik and PWill. Out of those three, Margarito and Pavlik are the best ones. He lost to Margarito (even if they were both pups) and Pavlik has been through some ****, and he lost to, in my opinion, the best fighter in the last 15 years, which is no shame. And Pavlik, with all things being equal can never carry Cotto's jockstrap, neither can PWill. Yeah maybe historically, but really...doesn't do much. I'm more with Martinez in how he views the possibility of avenging his lost to Margarito, he sees it as nothing but a lose in his column, he knows Margarito doesn't have much left, so it's pointless. I wouldn't knock Cotto if he wanted to head that direction, wouldn't knock him one bit. Maybe not the skill set of Cotto but Pavlik, Paul Williams and Dzinziruk hold attributes that make them more threatening an opponent than Cotto, especially now. Also when you say 'as good, do you mean as challenging? or as accomplished? Kind of confused there.

mayweather will be looked at as the best boxer in his era as far as skill goes. but he has been a fighter that thinks of himself and making money rather than what the fans want to see. he has also ducked people and while saying he has fought the best in the world, and he has but not through out his career. cotto has always been a fan friendly fighter. he has fought however his promoter puts in front of him and usually putting on a dominating performance. he grew from a slugger to being a pretty good boxer. for me when i started to get back into boxing i always liked watching cotto because he didn't just get decisions he punished people. i took a while for me to appreciate mayweathers style of boxing.

This is one of those unfortunate situations where a great fight never happens. I remember the days of Cotto being the #1 guy to fight Floyd, but admittedly, Cotto wasn't that "star" that you "needed" to be to fight Mayweather at the time (who had just beaten Ricky Hatton). To me, and people will be quick to throw it down, I always thought Cotto had a shot to beat Mayweather circa 2008. Did Cotto have defensive flaws? Yea, but he also had a way of adjusting mid fight and was (is) really crafty with the way he got his shots off and had a good amount of speed in comparison to Floyd's previous opponents since the Zab fight. What Cotto also wouldn't have a problem with in this fight is being pressured. That isn't Floyd's forte' more than trying to counter and select his shots and keep it moving. Cotto was a pressure fighter, but he was also a very underrated boxer who can mix it up and just surprise you with shots you don't see coming (again, a 2008 version of Cotto). I think it would've been something like Castillo vs Mayweather I (maybe better). All in all, I believe Mayweather might've had an edge in the fight and quite possibly could've won with his ring smarts, but Cotto to me has always been a difficult guy to fight and in comparison to De La Hoya, Hatton, and even skipping to JMM and "that" version of Mosley, Cotto (2008) was still much better opposition. Who knows, maybe they'll fight one day (hopefully before 40 lol). It was and still is a great fight, if it happens now or in 2012. But if it doesn't happen, historically, how would both fighters measure up if Mayweather retires, with his last 5-6 years intact, and Cotto finishing 2011 strong? I'm assuming that Cotto/Martinez pops off after the Margarito fight, and he perhaps win.

Cotto isn't in his prime anymore, but he has alot more left in him than Margarito, honestly at this point...beating Margarito doesn't mean much, I expect Cotto to stop him. He'll soften him up by boxing in the early to mid rounds, then take him out late. If he beats Martinez, especially at 160, hard to express how great of an accomplishment that would be, I doubt that happens though. I disagree with Cotto being the best guy Martinez has fought, strongly disagree. Margarito still has his toughness and of course the mental edge over Cotto. It may not mean much in today's rankings, but historically, I think it would be good for Cotto. Margarito was a good-to-great Welterweight who popped Cotto's cherry the first time around. Cotto winning it I think would bode well for him, especially when people in 10-20 years start talking about Hall of Fame, ATG Welterweights, and this generation's best group of fighters. Also, who has Martinez beaten or fought that at any point is on Cotto's level? He fought Margarito 10 years ago, Pavlik and PWill. Out of those three, Margarito and Pavlik are the best ones. He lost to Margarito (even if they were both pups) and Pavlik has been through some ****, and he lost to, in my opinion, the best fighter in the last 15 years, which is no shame. And Pavlik, with all things being equal can never carry Cotto's jockstrap, neither can PWill.

This is one of those unfortunate situations where a great fight never happens. I remember the days of Cotto being the #1 guy to fight Floyd, but admittedly, Cotto wasn't that "star" that you "needed" to be to fight Mayweather at the time (who had just beaten Ricky Hatton). To me, and people will be quick to throw it down, I always thought Cotto had a shot to beat Mayweather circa 2008. Did Cotto have defensive flaws? Yea, but he also had a way of adjusting mid fight and was (is) really crafty with the way he got his shots off and had a good amount of speed in comparison to Floyd's previous opponents since the Zab fight. What Cotto also wouldn't have a problem with in this fight is being pressured. That isn't Floyd's forte' more than trying to counter and select his shots and keep it moving. Cotto was a pressure fighter, but he was also a very underrated boxer who can mix it up and just surprise you with shots you don't see coming (again, a 2008 version of Cotto). I think it would've been something like Castillo vs Mayweather I (maybe better). All in all, I believe Mayweather might've had an edge in the fight and quite possibly could've won with his ring smarts, but Cotto to me has always been a difficult guy to fight and in comparison to De La Hoya, Hatton, and even skipping to JMM and "that" version of Mosley, Cotto (2008) was still much better opposition. Who knows, maybe they'll fight one day (hopefully before 40 lol).

**Real Boxing Discussion Please** These two fighter's careers are winding down. Mayweather may not come back, and if he does, history suggests that he'll fight only once and step out of the game for another long duration. I will say, as of now, I don't see Mayweather fighting in 2011. Mayweather is 34, and this inactivity eventually will catch up to a fighter, like it did Oscar. The last five years have completely wasted his prime and nobody knows if he has the heart to fight on. Cotto, having been through several wars is on his way out. 2011 may be his last year, or even more likely, 2012. It all depends on how 2011 ends up for him. Cotto has some serious competition looming for him and has a chance to go out with a bang. First up, is most likely Antonio Margarito in July. Cotto has made it known his desire to face Sergio Martinez, which could happen in November. So I ask this NSB, if Cotto finishes 2011 by beating, Margarito and Martinez, pushing him to 38-2, capturing a championship in four divisions, and avenging his first defeat... Will history favor Miguel Cotto or Floyd Mayweather Jr. Discuss **Disclaimer** In an effort to minimize the trolls, I do not favor Cotto over Martinez, however I must note that Martinez does seem to fade late, worse than Cotto does and leaves himself open for hits. Lastly, Cotto will be the best fighter Martinez will have ever fought, which must be accounted for. This is just all hypothetical. Cotto isn't in his prime anymore, but he has alot more left in him than Margarito, honestly at this point...beating Margarito doesn't mean much, I expect Cotto to stop him. He'll soften him up by boxing in the early to mid rounds, then take him out late. If he beats Martinez, especially at 160, hard to express how great of an accomplishment that would be, I doubt that happens though. I disagree with Cotto being the best guy Martinez has fought, strongly disagree.

kfc >>>> cotto Yet you refer to him as KFC Do you have actual insight?