Me as a Cotto fan: His recent opposition isnt the greatest....

You gotta understand the facts bro.. This is NSB..every fight with the exception of a very very very few is a mismatch in the eyes of these stan boys..yet they bicker and whine about why one fighter is a bum and the other is the 2nd coming of Christ..if their.mind is set..and the winner is clear as day why are they tuning in when it can be watched for free the next day on youtube or on HBO the following week.. It seems like people don't watch boxing for the entertainment, the displays of will, heart and desires of victory anymore..its all about popularity and whos on the d!ckriding bandwagon, so they can go to work, school or online to brag about a victory that they didn't put any work toward..its sad really..but its the reality of this generation of so-called "Boxing fans".. http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lztrvpZH8x1ql2o5m.gif

This fight was signed what seemed like ages ago and I shipped off to Basic Military Training so now I finally have the chance to post my usual TintaBoricua style post on the fight. Now, mind you, I'm a diehard Miguel Cotto fan but I'm not a fanboy either. Here's my take on the whole affair. Floyd Mayweather has the distinction of having an extremely high accuracy and, not only that, but his accuracy is also complemented by his opponents’ low connect percentage, a by-product of Mayweather’s great defense. Mayweather, who has had a 15-plus year career in the sport, has seldom been in fights where he has been pushed or visibly punished. The only examples that could come to mind are perhaps his first fight with José Luis Castillo, in which he slugged more than he boxed, and paid the price doing so, as he was awarded a debatable unanimous decision. In another fight, he fought Emanuel “Augustus” Burton, a fight where both fighters took their fair share of punishment and Mayweather’s nose became bloody as he had limited success using his defense against the ropes. In both fights, he was successful and it could be said that his punishment was minor, but considering the standards to which Mayweather is now held, it serves as the unique insights into Mayweather’s vulnerabilities, however long ago they were. It is remarkable to think that in the last 5 years, Mayweather has only fought 5 times (now 6 with Cotto). In each of those five outings, Mayweather outpointed them with little to no effort, his closest brush with a loss was against Oscar de la Hoya, where he eeked out a split decision victory and then, three years later, he was badly hurt in the second round by a Shane Mosley right hand after which he seized control of the fight. The bottom line of this whole affair is that, no matter if he’s being carefully stalked to be hammered into submission or being timed in order to be outboxed, Mayweather always finds a way to adapt to the situation and overcome it. He relies on his quickness and precision to frustrate his opponents, which in turn leads them to make more mistakes, and thus the decline begins. For one reason or another, they all fall short. Whether it’s inexperience on the big stage, nerves, failing to stick to the plan, being overzealous, not opening up enough, they all fail. Now 35, Mayweather confronts junior-middleweight champion Miguel Cotto, whose only two losses came against Antonio Margarito, who he beat in a rematch this past December, and Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather’s arch-nemesis in the eye of the public. Miguel Cotto is not an easy task for anybody. The experienced fighter has had his share of grinding battles throughout years coming up the ranks and has beaten a slew of undefeated fighters throughout his ascension towards his first championship. The fighters he has fought include the likes of Zab Judah, Paulie Malignaggi, Shane Mosley, Ricardo Torres, and Joshua Clottey. His only losses? Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito. The latter being avenged this past December, perhaps exorcising what was considered Cotto’s demon as it was his first loss in brutal TKO fashion. With his apparent confidence restored and his new approach in his fights now more boxer than slugger, Cotto is chosen as Mayweather’s next opponent. It’s a bold choice: Cotto’s last three victories coming by way of TKO, all against legitimate 154 pounders. Mayweather, upping the ante, schedules the fight at the full 154 weight limit, which means there is no handicap on Cotto, who has fought the last two years at 154 pounds. So how does Miguel Cotto compare to Mayweather’s other opponents in their lead-up to him? They all have one common characteristic: they were all coming off of a win. Before their fight with Mayweather, Oscar had TKO’d Ricardo Mayorga, Ricky Hatton crippled José Luis Castillo with a body shot, Juan Manuel Márquez had knocked out Juan Díaz in a fight of the year, Shane Mosley pulled off a big upset in dispatching Antonio Margarito, Victor Ortiz had just been in an exciting back and forth fight with Andre Berto, and now Cotto is coming off of a TKO stoppage over his former nemesis, Antonio Margarito. No doubt that it LOOKS like an attractive fight and, to be fair, it is. Both Floyd Mayweather and Miguel are bonafide moneymakers in the sport. While Mayweather is one of the key figures of boxing at the moment that brings in high amounts of revenue, Cotto has a large fanbase as well, stemming from his country and hardcore fans of the sport itself. As far as finances go, it would make sense for them to get together and make this match. As far as skills go, you cannot criticize Floyd for picking someone like Miguel Cotto despite what skeptics say. Miguel Cotto has been more active than Oscar de la Hoya in 2007, more calculated in his offense than Ricky Hatton, bigger/heavier than Juan Manuel Márquez, younger than Shane Mosley, and not intimidated by the big stage like Victor Ortiz (or hot-headed for that matter). Of course each of those fighters may have something that Cotto does not have, but Cotto has his own strengths as well. He has a severely overlooked jab and has decent boxing skills when he chooses to do so. The only problem (and this is where most people illogically turn on Floyd) is that Floyd is just too good for Cotto to offer any real challenge. There are two obstacles. Number one is that Floyd, at 35, is not as good as he was, no matter how “God-gifted” he says he is or how much he trains and never mind the fact that he doesn’t smoke or drink either. He is much healthier than most fighters by the time they’re 29 or 30, but some things fade over time (no matter how firmly you try to hold back the hands of the clock). In addition to Father time, the other factor against Mayweather is inactivity. He fought recently, but the abrupt ending of his last fight meant that he didn’t get enough rounds in for future fights. Cotto, on the other hand, has been more active yet he has taken a lot of punishment in his career. His fights with Ricardo Torres, Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito, Joshua Clottey, and Manny Pacquiao are some of the more physically punishing ones. Your ability to take punches goes down, your skin gets cut more easily, etc. In addition, Cotto isn’t the most “stay fit” person when not fighting. He likes to drink and balloon up. Mind you, it is not drastic as former fighter Ricky Hatton, but Cotto is known to have a soft spot for drinks. And finally, while he HAS looked good in his last three fights, he may be falling into the same trap that Mosley fell into (eerily similar). Cotto and Mosley both took on Mayorga and Margarito in their lead-up to Floyd Mayweather. Mosley took Mayorga out in 12, Cotto in 12. Mosley took out Margarito in 9, Cotto after the ninth. The action in those fights provided some great highlight reels and were entertaining overall, but let’s be honest…Mayorga and Margarito are not Mayweather. And you could argue, “Well, there’s no one out there like Mayweather, period.” Yes, that’s true. But my point is that they’re nowhere near as skilled as Mayweather. They’re not in the same vicinity, they’re not in the same neighborhood, they’re not in the same state. Hell, they’re not even in the same world as Mayweather. Mayorga…Margarito…seriously. Good, impressive wins for both Cotto and Mosley but the fact of the matter is that they’re not fighting a slugger now, they’re fighting a boxer, and a highly talented one at that. What I see in the end, given Mayweather’s natural talent, retention of fundamentals, defensiveness and accuracy, his strengths will compensate for any weaknesses or bad habits he may have. Cotto, having been in too many wars and having become accustomed to easier strategies will look increasingly perplexed as the fight goes on and Mayweather begins to pick Cotto apart en route to an 11th round stoppage. Cotto at best will only win three rounds. Other than that, Mayweather is just stopping by his workplace to collect the annual multi-million dollar paycheck, and we will all be tuning in regardless of who we are rooting for or expecting to happen. So how goes that novel you been working on? Man I usually don't read posts that long but that was a good read. Great post.

Ive been hearing all this talk about "Cotto beat easy guys, he's gonna lose to Mayweather." I am all Cotto, been on the Cotto War Train for a while, I want him to brutally KO Mayweather, but I do have to admit, his recent opposition hasnt been the greatest, but you can't say he has ZERO chance based on his last few fights. Yes I know Marg and Mayorga and Foreman are trash now, but Cotto did what he had to do in those fights to win and get the KO's in all three. Just like Floyd beating Baldomir, I dont think people thought floyd would lose his next fight just because he beat a crap fighter. Same thing with Cotto, just because he didn't fight P4P fighters there doesn't mean he will suck in his next fight. He beat them, which is exactly what you would expect a better fighter to do to less caliber fighters. I may count his defense or Mayweathers speed as risky factors in this fight, but I wont say that just because he fought lesser fighters it means hes on the same lower caliber as they are. This fight was signed what seemed like ages ago and I shipped off to Basic Military Training so now I finally have the chance to post my usual TintaBoricua style post on the fight. Now, mind you, I'm a diehard Miguel Cotto fan but I'm not a fanboy either. Here's my take on the whole affair. Floyd Mayweather has the distinction of having an extremely high accuracy and, not only that, but his accuracy is also complemented by his opponents’ low connect percentage, a by-product of Mayweather’s great defense. Mayweather, who has had a 15-plus year career in the sport, has seldom been in fights where he has been pushed or visibly punished. The only examples that could come to mind are perhaps his first fight with José Luis Castillo, in which he slugged more than he boxed, and paid the price doing so, as he was awarded a debatable unanimous decision. In another fight, he fought Emanuel “Augustus” Burton, a fight where both fighters took their fair share of punishment and Mayweather’s nose became bloody as he had limited success using his defense against the ropes. In both fights, he was successful and it could be said that his punishment was minor, but considering the standards to which Mayweather is now held, it serves as the unique insights into Mayweather’s vulnerabilities, however long ago they were. It is remarkable to think that in the last 5 years, Mayweather has only fought 5 times (now 6 with Cotto). In each of those five outings, Mayweather outpointed them with little to no effort, his closest brush with a loss was against Oscar de la Hoya, where he eeked out a split decision victory and then, three years later, he was badly hurt in the second round by a Shane Mosley right hand after which he seized control of the fight. The bottom line of this whole affair is that, no matter if he’s being carefully stalked to be hammered into submission or being timed in order to be outboxed, Mayweather always finds a way to adapt to the situation and overcome it. He relies on his quickness and precision to frustrate his opponents, which in turn leads them to make more mistakes, and thus the decline begins. For one reason or another, they all fall short. Whether it’s inexperience on the big stage, nerves, failing to stick to the plan, being overzealous, not opening up enough, they all fail. Now 35, Mayweather confronts junior-middleweight champion Miguel Cotto, whose only two losses came against Antonio Margarito, who he beat in a rematch this past December, and Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather’s arch-nemesis in the eye of the public. Miguel Cotto is not an easy task for anybody. The experienced fighter has had his share of grinding battles throughout years coming up the ranks and has beaten a slew of undefeated fighters throughout his ascension towards his first championship. The fighters he has fought include the likes of Zab Judah, Paulie Malignaggi, Shane Mosley, Ricardo Torres, and Joshua Clottey. His only losses? Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito. The latter being avenged this past December, perhaps exorcising what was considered Cotto’s demon as it was his first loss in brutal TKO fashion. With his apparent confidence restored and his new approach in his fights now more boxer than slugger, Cotto is chosen as Mayweather’s next opponent. It’s a bold choice: Cotto’s last three victories coming by way of TKO, all against legitimate 154 pounders. Mayweather, upping the ante, schedules the fight at the full 154 weight limit, which means there is no handicap on Cotto, who has fought the last two years at 154 pounds. So how does Miguel Cotto compare to Mayweather’s other opponents in their lead-up to him? They all have one common characteristic: they were all coming off of a win. Before their fight with Mayweather, Oscar had TKO’d Ricardo Mayorga, Ricky Hatton crippled José Luis Castillo with a body shot, Juan Manuel Márquez had knocked out Juan Díaz in a fight of the year, Shane Mosley pulled off a big upset in dispatching Antonio Margarito, Victor Ortiz had just been in an exciting back and forth fight with Andre Berto, and now Cotto is coming off of a TKO stoppage over his former nemesis, Antonio Margarito. No doubt that it LOOKS like an attractive fight and, to be fair, it is. Both Floyd Mayweather and Miguel are bonafide moneymakers in the sport. While Mayweather is one of the key figures of boxing at the moment that brings in high amounts of revenue, Cotto has a large fanbase as well, stemming from his country and hardcore fans of the sport itself. As far as finances go, it would make sense for them to get together and make this match. As far as skills go, you cannot criticize Floyd for picking someone like Miguel Cotto despite what skeptics say. Miguel Cotto has been more active than Oscar de la Hoya in 2007, more calculated in his offense than Ricky Hatton, bigger/heavier than Juan Manuel Márquez, younger than Shane Mosley, and not intimidated by the big stage like Victor Ortiz (or hot-headed for that matter). Of course each of those fighters may have something that Cotto does not have, but Cotto has his own strengths as well. He has a severely overlooked jab and has decent boxing skills when he chooses to do so. The only problem (and this is where most people illogically turn on Floyd) is that Floyd is just too good for Cotto to offer any real challenge. There are two obstacles. Number one is that Floyd, at 35, is not as good as he was, no matter how “God-gifted” he says he is or how much he trains and never mind the fact that he doesn’t smoke or drink either. He is much healthier than most fighters by the time they’re 29 or 30, but some things fade over time (no matter how firmly you try to hold back the hands of the clock). In addition to Father time, the other factor against Mayweather is inactivity. He fought recently, but the abrupt ending of his last fight meant that he didn’t get enough rounds in for future fights. Cotto, on the other hand, has been more active yet he has taken a lot of punishment in his career. His fights with Ricardo Torres, Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito, Joshua Clottey, and Manny Pacquiao are some of the more physically punishing ones. Your ability to take punches goes down, your skin gets cut more easily, etc. In addition, Cotto isn’t the most “stay fit” person when not fighting. He likes to drink and balloon up. Mind you, it is not drastic as former fighter Ricky Hatton, but Cotto is known to have a soft spot for drinks. And finally, while he HAS looked good in his last three fights, he may be falling into the same trap that Mosley fell into (eerily similar). Cotto and Mosley both took on Mayorga and Margarito in their lead-up to Floyd Mayweather. Mosley took Mayorga out in 12, Cotto in 12. Mosley took out Margarito in 9, Cotto after the ninth. The action in those fights provided some great highlight reels and were entertaining overall, but let’s be honest…Mayorga and Margarito are not Mayweather. And you could argue, “Well, there’s no one out there like Mayweather, period.” Yes, that’s true. But my point is that they’re nowhere near as skilled as Mayweather. They’re not in the same vicinity, they’re not in the same neighborhood, they’re not in the same state. Hell, they’re not even in the same world as Mayweather. Mayorga…Margarito…seriously. Good, impressive wins for both Cotto and Mosley but the fact of the matter is that they’re not fighting a slugger now, they’re fighting a boxer, and a highly talented one at that. What I see in the end, given Mayweather’s natural talent, retention of fundamentals, defensiveness and accuracy, his strengths will compensate for any weaknesses or bad habits he may have. Cotto, having been in too many wars and having become accustomed to easier strategies will look increasingly perplexed as the fight goes on and Mayweather begins to pick Cotto apart en route to an 11th round stoppage. Cotto at best will only win three rounds. Other than that, Mayweather is just stopping by his workplace to collect the annual multi-million dollar paycheck, and we will all be tuning in regardless of who we are rooting for or expecting to happen.

You gotta understand the facts bro.. This is NSB..every fight with the exception of a very very very few is a mismatch in the eyes of these stan boys..yet they bicker and whine about why one fighter is a bum and the other is the 2nd coming of Christ..if their.mind is set..and the winner is clear as day why are they tuning in when it can be watched for free the next day on youtube or on HBO the following week.. It seems like people don't watch boxing for the entertainment, the displays of will, heart and desires of victory anymore..its all about popularity and whos on the d!ckriding bandwagon, so they can go to work, school or online to brag about a victory that they didn't put any work toward..its sad really..but its the reality of this generation of so-called "Boxing fans".. Right on the money!

You gotta understand the facts bro.. This is NSB..every fight with the exception of a very very very few is a mismatch in the eyes of these stan boys..yet they bicker and whine about why one fighter is a bum and the other is the 2nd coming of Christ..if their.mind is set..and the winner is clear as day why are they tuning in when it can be watched for free the next day on youtube or on HBO the following week.. It seems like people don't watch boxing for the entertainment, the displays of will, heart and desires of victory anymore..its all about popularity and whos on the d!ckriding bandwagon, so they can go to work, school or online to brag about a victory that they didn't put any work toward..its sad really..but its the reality of this generation of so-called "Boxing fans"..