FACE IT: Cotto may NEVER be the same...

[pesticid]

Zoo's night vs Cool Vince? That was - again - a sudden thing. Not a prolonged beating.

This is boxing. Anybody can 'get caught'. That is different than eating 250 power shots and having your face broken up. And having your will broken.

For example, was Diego's will broken?

I'll quit cause you'll weasel for hours. Kostya sustained a beatdown over what was it 11 rounds? Common man, many fighters have sustained much worse beatdowns, especially guys like Benn and Eubank and they've come back. Cotto's body was beatdown, he didn't get hit much on the face. In reality he might be the same, not the same or better and you can't prove it either way. So stop with this bs who has sustained similar kind of a beatdown and has come out the same in the following fights.

[TheGreatA]

That is not a vicious beating. That is one punch that changes a fight. Marco got rocked/KD'd and couldn't recover. Very different than 3, 4, 5 rounds of sustained punishment.

Zab Judah didn't get punished by kostya Tszyu. He got punished by miguel Cotto. Difference.

Well, you could make the case that it was Junior Jones coming back from a punishing KO loss.

Either way, Barrera lost by KO and lost the rematch as well. That's tough to come back from, but he did.

How about a boxer closely related to these two, Kennedy McKinney... He came back from the stoppage loss to Barrera to KO Junior Jones.

To go further back, what about Joe Louis' KO loss to Max Schmeling? Ali took quite a physical beating against Frazier as well, they both did.

[pesticid]

Did you see Glen Johnson fight vs Hopkins. Hopkins killed him and they had to stop the fight. Yet Johnson at 40 is still whooping ass.

[El Dominicano]

I don't think you people get it. Cotto got beat BAD! Blood all over his face a broken nose and had to go to the Hospital. He didn't just get K.O'd he lost knowing that his power didn't have any affect on Margarito. That can seriously **** YOU UP Mentally. MAB didn't want any part of Pac in the 2nd fight...The same might happen to Cotto.

They still don't get it EL, they still don't.

[DIOS DOMINICANO]

Well yeah Malinagi came back well after getting physically dismantled. Has a belt and a couple of outstanding performances.

Malignaggi is an exampe of somebody who came back well.

Still, I don't think that you can say his ring performances lately have been "outstanding". can you? Even he himself admits that he hasn't looked his best recently. In fact, some had him losing TWO fights.

[-Antonio-]

I see alot of fans (mostly Puerto Ricans) saying that Cotto will be back "better than ever".

REALLY?

When's the last time a fighter came back undiminished from that type of physical and mental beating? Name 'em.

I have seen many fighters - including some recently - who were on an upward arc, but had their careers derailed by exactly that type of beating... or a similar thrashing.

Examples:

Hamed post Barrera

Lacy post Calzaghe

Hatton post Mayweather

Taylor post Chavez

Vargas post Trinidad

I'm hopeful that Miguel will be back and will be as good or better. but, as a betting man, the odds are against it.

Hamed just retired probably from embarrassment. He didnt get beat up as bad, just completely outclassed. Taylor went on to be in more brutal fights, and arguably took more punishment. Vargas I agree on, but he took way more punishment as well.

[Shalafi]

Malignaggi is an exampe of somebody who came back well.

Still, I don't think that you can say his ring performances lately have been "outstanding". can you? Even he himself admits that he hasn't looked his best recently. In fact, some had him losing TWO fights.

Excellent point, that's pretty much what I tried to point out in my post.

[DIOS DOMINICANO]

Well, you could make the case that it was Junior Jones coming back from a punishing KO loss.

Either way, Barrera lost by KO and lost the rematch as well. That's tough to come back from, but he did.

How about a boxer closely related to these two, Kennedy McKinney... He came back from the stoppage loss to Barrera to KO Junior Jones.

To go further back, what about Joe Louis' KO loss to Max Schmeling? Ali took quite a physical beating against Frazier as well, they both did.

Yes...and as I've said, the examples are few. When you start going back ten, forty, sixty years, you essentially make my point.

Joe Frazier is an example of a guy who took a Cotto-like beating. Punishment-wise. Still, Joe's mental state was not where Miguel's was. joe was SO ANGRY that Eddie Futch stopped the fight. i think they stopped speaking.

Miguel was retreating and looking for a way out. Agreed?

[Kobe Bryant]

Malignaggi is an exampe of somebody who came back well.

Still, I don't think that you can say his ring performances lately have been "outstanding". can you? Even he himself admits that he hasn't looked his best recently. In fact, some had him losing TWO fights.

That first fight with Ndou I think. I forgot his name but it was for a 140 title. Pretty dominant performance and it was capped off by a knockdown. He also outclassed Ender Cherry. The fight before last was a close call though. And his last fight he came out looking like Cleopatra that couldn't have done well for him.

[DIOS DOMINICANO]

This is coming from a puertorrican. I've watched the Cotto/Margarito fight twice, I think it was a great fight, action-packed, and I look forward to both of their next fights. I wish them the best!

Pen,

i love your post, and i love discussing boxing with guys like you.

As my original post said, I'm hopeful that Migs comes back and is able to be an elite fighter like he was. I just think the odds are against it based on historical precedent.