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BERT SUGAR'S PRE-FIGHT ANALYSIS. (strengths/weaknesses)
by Bert Randolph Sugar with Steve Small
STRENGTHS OF BOTH FIGHTERS
MIGUEL COTTO
• Continues to improve every fight, adding a powerful jab (who thought he could outjab Sugar Shane Mosley?) and the ability to fight off the ropes to his devastating left hook to the body.
• Is faster of foot and hand than Margarito.
• Possesses a steady, workmanlike style, economical and efficient, which tends to wear down his opponent.
• Can alter the pace of his attack, something Margarito has shown no evidence of being able to do, combining both offense and defense like alternating currencies and using his jab to dictate the action.
ANTONIO MARGARITO
• Is relentless in his attack, his workrate and aggressiveness more than that of Cotto.
• Has a physical advantage over Cotto. A tall, rangy welterweight, Margarito is five-eleven to Cotto’s five-seven and has a reach superiority of six inches, 73” to 63”, enabling him to dictate the action from the outside.
• Is one of the most powerful punchers in the game today, Ring Magazine naming him one of the “Top Punchers” in boxing.
• Can take a punch. Although his record shows five losses--three of those coming in his first 12 fights at the age of 16, one on a technical decision to Daniel Santos and the last a close decision loss to Paul Williams after giving away the early rounds--in none of those losses was he ever hurt.
• Margarito’s best punch is his left uppercut, and with Cotto the shorter fighter with a tendency to lean over, it might be the “determinator” of the fight.
WEAKNESSES OF BOTH FIGHTERS
COTTO
• Tends to lower his left hand and left shoulder when he throws a hook leaving himself vulnerable to right-hand counters.
• Cotto has literally no head movement and leads with his head every time he wades in, making him an inviting target for Margarito’s left uppercut, his best punch.
• Cotto holds his hands to the sides of his head like earmuffs, which may allow Margarito, who has equal power to the body as Cotto, to get to his body.
• Questions still remain about Cotto’s chin. Wobbled by Ricardo Torres and Chop-Chop Corley and hurt by Zab Judah, Cotto seems, since he moved up to welter and gained seven pounds, to be able to take a punch better. But there’s still the question as to whether he’ll be able to weather Margarito’s heavy punches.
MARGARITO
• Margarito’s style is one-dimensional. Fighting flat-footed and planting himself in front of his opponent in a “take-one-to-give-one” manner will give Cotto a chance to outmaneuver him.
• Speed bothers Margarito, as witnessed by his fight with Paul Williams. And Cotto’s superior speed will give Margarito problems.
• Margarito throws punches from every angle, sometimes wide, which gives Cotto an opportunity to counter him with straight punches, particularly on the inside.
• With no head movement at all, Margarito will be “there” for Cotto’s counters.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
• Cotto cannot go toe-to-toe with Margarito, but must find the fight range to get inside Margarito’s longer arms and not remain at the end of his reach.
• Cotto must keep the flat-footed Margarito off-balance with his jabs and move away from his lethal right hand.
• Margarito, a slow starter, cannot afford to give away the early rounds, as he did with Paul Williams, but must engage Cotto from the git-go.
• Ironically, despite his height and reach advantage, Margarito only fights well on the inside and must move inside to make a “war” of it.
• If the fight goes more than five or six rounds (Cotto’s fight), look for Margarito’s “take-one-to-give-one” style and left uppercut to turn the tide of the battle.
*my last thread before the fight.. have fun tonight guys!
STRENGTHS OF BOTH FIGHTERS
MIGUEL COTTO
• Continues to improve every fight, adding a powerful jab (who thought he could outjab Sugar Shane Mosley?) and the ability to fight off the ropes to his devastating left hook to the body.
• Is faster of foot and hand than Margarito.
• Possesses a steady, workmanlike style, economical and efficient, which tends to wear down his opponent.
• Can alter the pace of his attack, something Margarito has shown no evidence of being able to do, combining both offense and defense like alternating currencies and using his jab to dictate the action.
ANTONIO MARGARITO
• Is relentless in his attack, his workrate and aggressiveness more than that of Cotto.
• Has a physical advantage over Cotto. A tall, rangy welterweight, Margarito is five-eleven to Cotto’s five-seven and has a reach superiority of six inches, 73” to 63”, enabling him to dictate the action from the outside.
• Is one of the most powerful punchers in the game today, Ring Magazine naming him one of the “Top Punchers” in boxing.
• Can take a punch. Although his record shows five losses--three of those coming in his first 12 fights at the age of 16, one on a technical decision to Daniel Santos and the last a close decision loss to Paul Williams after giving away the early rounds--in none of those losses was he ever hurt.
• Margarito’s best punch is his left uppercut, and with Cotto the shorter fighter with a tendency to lean over, it might be the “determinator” of the fight.
WEAKNESSES OF BOTH FIGHTERS
COTTO
• Tends to lower his left hand and left shoulder when he throws a hook leaving himself vulnerable to right-hand counters.
• Cotto has literally no head movement and leads with his head every time he wades in, making him an inviting target for Margarito’s left uppercut, his best punch.
• Cotto holds his hands to the sides of his head like earmuffs, which may allow Margarito, who has equal power to the body as Cotto, to get to his body.
• Questions still remain about Cotto’s chin. Wobbled by Ricardo Torres and Chop-Chop Corley and hurt by Zab Judah, Cotto seems, since he moved up to welter and gained seven pounds, to be able to take a punch better. But there’s still the question as to whether he’ll be able to weather Margarito’s heavy punches.
MARGARITO
• Margarito’s style is one-dimensional. Fighting flat-footed and planting himself in front of his opponent in a “take-one-to-give-one” manner will give Cotto a chance to outmaneuver him.
• Speed bothers Margarito, as witnessed by his fight with Paul Williams. And Cotto’s superior speed will give Margarito problems.
• Margarito throws punches from every angle, sometimes wide, which gives Cotto an opportunity to counter him with straight punches, particularly on the inside.
• With no head movement at all, Margarito will be “there” for Cotto’s counters.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
• Cotto cannot go toe-to-toe with Margarito, but must find the fight range to get inside Margarito’s longer arms and not remain at the end of his reach.
• Cotto must keep the flat-footed Margarito off-balance with his jabs and move away from his lethal right hand.
• Margarito, a slow starter, cannot afford to give away the early rounds, as he did with Paul Williams, but must engage Cotto from the git-go.
• Ironically, despite his height and reach advantage, Margarito only fights well on the inside and must move inside to make a “war” of it.
• If the fight goes more than five or six rounds (Cotto’s fight), look for Margarito’s “take-one-to-give-one” style and left uppercut to turn the tide of the battle.
*my last thread before the fight.. have fun tonight guys!
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