I stumbled upon this old article from 07' and thought I'd post to see what you folks here think.
Miguel Cotto, the answer to the Mayweather myth.
By George Ulrich:
After watching theMayweather/Hatton, Cotto/Mosley fights I’ve come to two conclusions about the Mayweather Myth. 1. Mayweather can be beaten. 2. Miguel Cotto is the one to do it. If the fight with Ricky Hatton had taken place at 140 I think the Brit would have been able to sustain what he was having success with in the early rounds. He was coming in jabbing and grabbing, then he was going to the body and using short hooks to try to wear down Mayweather. On my card I had him winning all of the first four rounds. Right up until the point deduction..
I thought the game plan for Hatton early was a good one, but as soon as he dispensed with his jab coming in, Mayweather took advantage with sharp decisive punches that were dead on the mark almost every time. I’ve seen Mayweather in many fights,but none where he was hit and basically roughed up like this. His speed and defensiveprowessare unmatched, but his power wasn’t a real threat to his previous three opponents. He had to fight a Jr. Welterweight to get a KO. Until I watched theCotto/Mosleyfight,I didn’t think that anyone in the world could beat Mayweather……but I think I may have been wrong.
Miguel Cotto is the one fighter in the welterweight division that would beat Mayweather. I wouldn’t have said that before the Mosley contest, but since watching that fight I’ve had a changeof heart. I neverthought I would see someone throw a faster jab than Mosley could defend. Cotto’s jab might have been what won him the fight. While I thought he ran just a little too much for my taste in the last four rounds. I recently revisited this fight and came to the realization that while he was definitelymoving backwards, hewas also picking his punches carefully and using a pair of very quick hands to counter and jab Mosley to the point of frustration.
Cotto is naturally very strong, and his hand speed is much greater than I once believed. Watching him put together very effective accurate combinations against Mosley leads me to believethathewould beableto usethose weapons in a fight with the pretty boy. Add all of that to his very strong body punching, never say quit attitude and you have a young, hungry fighter that has every tool necessary to beat the pound for pound king. Miguel Cotto could take Hatton’s plan and add a few things to it. Given Cotto’s size he could sap a lot more of Mayweather’s strength in the early goings. His faster, stronger jab would find the mark often and would be effective in bothering Mayweather.
Cotto’s willingness to let his hands go would also be helpful in keeping Floyd on the defensive. Something that also surprised me in the Mosley fight was his ability to counter punch so effectively. Using effective counterpunching would also benefit him greatly. If I were Miguel Cotto, I would be outsideof Floyd’s gym everyday calling him out. I would talk to every media member, every network, and every other fighter. I would attend every press conference he ever had and make sure that he knew I was looking for him. Mayweather is looking for a way to cement his legacy asthepound forpound king. Heneeds to look no further than a fight with the monster known as Miguel Cotto.
During the first half of Cotto/Marg I was positive that if Cotto could win that one, he had the style to beat Floyd.
Now, its still possible but I favor Floyd. I believe Cotto had something taken out of him against Pacquiao, he changed his style and beat a few guys sure but the style he had in the first Marg fight is the one that beats Floyd. Also, would've been at 47, up at 54 is a mystery. Cotto is a tad slower and more calculating, Floyd as fierce as ever. Still, a modern boxing classic in the making. cheers to both athletes, they have defined their era for sure. its "the best" against "the last man who takes all comers." Reminds of of Robinson-Lamotta.
Cotto better get his head to the side and push that jab up and out, threaten constantly with the left hook even if it hits arm and then duck and spin out clockwise. Wish I had the money and time to see this one live
I concur. This post is on point.
it's funny, people who sit around here and wanna be keyboard warriors and give their predictions on why Cotto will beat Floyd are only giving reasons for why Floyd will lose, and are refusing to look at the more telling part of the equation: why Floyd will MOST LIKELY win.
sure, you can humor yourself and believe that Cotto will do this and that to beat Floyd, but what will Cotto do to prevent Floyd from doing what he does? Who would you bet on in this fight, if you had to choose which fighter is most likely going to be able to execute THEIR game plan? hmmm?
Is Floyd just all of the sudden going to not be able to defend himself anymore, or do any of the things that make him an elite fighter, while Cotto miraculously becomes 5 years younger, and learns how to move his head?
it's like you people have never watched Cotto OR Floyd fight, by reading your posts haha
I wanted to say something more like this, but am not as articulate. :(
Well put.
Thanks man. Im a huge Mayweather fan but I will not underestimate Cotto at all. I give Cotto the edge due to the fact that Floyd has been rather inactive in the ring... And by that I mean he hasn't been in a grueling match since Oscar. Maybe we'll see that tail that Nazeem was talking about or maybe the pressure will burst a pipe or two. Can't wait to see what happens May 5th.
During the first half of Cotto/Marg I was positive that if Cotto could win that one, he had the style to beat Floyd.
Now, its still possible but I favor Floyd. I believe Cotto had something taken out of him against Pacquiao, he changed his style and beat a few guys sure but the style he had in the first Marg fight is the one that beats Floyd. Also, would've been at 47, up at 54 is a mystery. Cotto is a tad slower and more calculating, Floyd as fierce as ever. Still, a modern boxing classic in the making. cheers to both athletes, they have defined their era for sure. its "the best" against "the last man who takes all comers." Reminds of of Robinson-Lamotta.
Cotto better get his head to the side and push that jab up and out, threaten constantly with the left hook even if it hits arm and then duck and spin out clockwise. Wish I had the money and time to see this one live
It's not that hard an equation.
People sleep on Miguel but at one point he was the #1 Prospect in the game for a real reason. He does have an amazing jab and has always fought both forwards and backwards, picking the best shots. People see Cotto vs Clottey with a cut in his eye and think he has no defense. They see him vs Cheato and don't think how much smaller he is or that he is boxing beautifully on the back-foot.
Floyd has fought a lot of safety first fights. A poster on here has a quote on his sig from him saying he preserves himself for himself, screw anything else. Fine. But Cotto has always been the one to do it. He was derailed by the cheater but it's all lined up now. Floyd seems to know he can lose. The jail thing is no good for him. Ortiz was landing good combos without a single jab. He also has no defense. Floyd doesn't run so much. I honestly think this fight will be hard - Cotto will have to find Mayweather, but he will be with him all the time - but it would have been harder when Floyd ran a lot. Now, it will be a long, bruising battle. Similar to Mosley or to Judah. I always said this. And Cotto just came out saying this might be like the Mosley fight in certain strategic instances. Cotto knocks out guys that come in Middleweight and has no real weakness. He isn't the best defensive guy but he had ****ty confidence for several fights because of Cheato, including the Pacman fight, which was soley for money - a huge gamble like that - no trainer, catchweight, etc. - always is. Thanks for sharing. May 5th that 0 will go and we will see Cotto has been severely underrated and Floyd overrated as all hell.
cotto does NOT have an 'amazing jab', smh.
He's grown, matured, taken a beating or two, changed trainers, bounced back and is at the biggest stage in his life. He has nothing to lose and everything to gain. I love Mayweather's skills and intellect in the ring but Cotto's tenacity and confidence are at an all time high which lead me to believe that despite the fact that he may not be the beast he was viewed as before his first defeat, this fight will be quite the treat to every boxing fan and may possibly be one of the biggest upsets in this past decade. Mayweather is expected to walk through Cotto. Cotto is expected to fold and show the wear and tear he's acquired in recent years. Expect the unexpected.
I wanted to say something more like this, but am not as articulate. :(
Well put.
He's grown, matured, taken a beating or two, changed trainers, bounced back and is at the biggest stage in his life. He has nothing to lose and everything to gain. I love Mayweather's skills and intellect in the ring but Cotto's tenacity and confidence are at an all time high which lead me to believe that despite the fact that he may not be the beast he was viewed as before his first defeat, this fight will be quite the treat to every boxing fan and may possibly be one of the biggest upsets in this past decade. Mayweather is expected to walk through Cotto. Cotto is expected to fold and show the wear and tear he's acquired in recent years. Expect the unexpected.
Thanks for the read
It's not that hard an equation.
People sleep on Miguel but at one point he was the #1 Prospect in the game for a real reason. He does have an amazing jab and has always fought both forwards and backwards, picking the best shots. People see Cotto vs Clottey with a cut in his eye and think he has no defense. They see him vs Cheato and don't think how much smaller he is or that he is boxing beautifully on the back-foot.
Floyd has fought a lot of safety first fights. A poster on here has a quote on his sig from him saying he preserves himself for himself, screw anything else. Fine. But Cotto has always been the one to do it. He was derailed by the cheater but it's all lined up now. Floyd seems to know he can lose. The jail thing is no good for him. Ortiz was landing good combos without a single jab. He also has no defense. Floyd doesn't run so much. I honestly think this fight will be hard - Cotto will have to find Mayweather, but he will be with him all the time - but it would have been harder when Floyd ran a lot. Now, it will be a long, bruising battle. Similar to Mosley or to Judah. I always said this. And Cotto just came out saying this might be like the Mosley fight in certain strategic instances. Cotto knocks out guys that come in Middleweight and has no real weakness. He isn't the best defensive guy but he had ****ty confidence for several fights because of Cheato, including the Pacman fight, which was soley for money - a huge gamble like that - no trainer, catchweight, etc. - always is. Thanks for sharing. May 5th that 0 will go and we will see Cotto has been severely underrated and Floyd overrated as all hell.
Idk if I agree with how he scored Hatton vs Mayweather. But a jab is important to beating Floyd if it is going to happen. Sure he can counter it, but keeping him focused on defeding himself instead of being offensive all the time is important too. All in all, I agree with some points in the article. I think Cotto can beat Money May, but clearly I'm in the minority.