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Matthew Sanderson
02/22/2005 - United Kingdom
In boxing, we tend to overuse the word \"great\" when describing fights and fighters. A cursory look at the young prospect/contenders of today reveals that few are destined for authentic greatness.
The odds may be against Jermain Taylor, unless his career can outlast Bernard Hopkins’ shadow. The same can be said for Ricky Hatton, unless he manages a strong showing indeed against Kostya Tszyu. But there is an exception in the case of Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto. Despite fighting from the deepest weight class in the sport, his composure under fire and hurtful counter punching persuade many to tip him for an illustrious future at the highest level.
After a decorated amateur standing, garnering a number of prizes at various international competitions and boxing in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Cotto turned professional the following year with a stoppage of Jason Doucet. Following five quick wins in 2001, interrupted by car crash injuries that kept him inactive for a year, Miguel’s promise developed on the undercards of several Top Rank shows, including high profile fights such as Barrera-Morales II, Morales’ win over In Jin Chi, and the rematch between Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosley. Wins over experienced Justin Juuko and former lightweight champ Cesar Bazan among others proved confidence builders on an advancing stage.
Appearing on HBO, his following soon amplified, and good wins against the experienced Demetrio Ceballos and unbeaten Carlos Maussa to close 2003 steered him toward a showdown with Victor Sosa to commence 2004. Fighting on the historic Erik Morales-Jesus Chavez card – in which “El terrible” won his third world title in as many divisions – Miguel easily despatched a foe who had taken pound-for-pound entrant Floyd Mayweather, Jr. the full twelve rounds, albeit in a lower weight class.
A fight with South African Lovemore N’Dou in May 2004 took him into the top 10. N’Dou, crucially, was a natural light welterweight. A significant step, because Cotto’s best opponents prior to this were super feathers and lightweights, with the handy excuse that Miguel was considering moving down to lightweight. Acquitting himself well, Cotto won a sensible fight on points (ending a seven fight KO streak) and was then matched with fellow prospect Kelson Pinto, who had beaten him as an amateur. Brazilian Pinto shared an identical 20-0 record, and was only the second undefeated opponent that Cotto had faced.
When they squared off in a Puerto Rican ring, it was the first fight that Cotto had ever headlined. But Pinto’s amateur success and Miguel’s developing professionalism conspired to make this a relatively one-sided bout from the start. A disciplined Cotto operated from behind a rigid guard with keen clusters of hooks and rights. Mixing to the body and head, he dropped Pinto in the second, jarred him throughout, dropped him again in the fifth and closed the show the following frame exactly when necessary.
The victory was a significant one, given that Miguel demonstrated patience and maturity to beat the most determined opponent of his career. Unlike most young fighters who believe in their power, Cotto works hard to create openings and makes his shots count, as opposed to trying too hard to land and telegraphing punches. Another encouraging sign is his ability to endure rough spots. When the taller Pinto stopped fighting like an amateur and shortened his punches, an unruffled Cotto waited for his man to make a mistake and then pounced.
As such, it was the perfect showcase of action and level-headedness necessary if one is to make it at the highest level, and earned him the WBO light welter crown. Although there’s a plethora of quality champions, including WBC champ Arturo Gatti and WBA titleholder Vivian Harris in the 140lb division, as well as the great Kostya Tszyu of the IBF, there is trepidation as to whether Cotto has yet reached this level.
Indeed, he’s still been coming along fairly slowly, and a subsequent (albeit impressive) win over top 60 Randall Bailey on the Klitschko-Williams PPV card verifies that he has another step or two to make. Although an impressive offensive fighter who can also protect himself, Cotto, now 24, appears a little vulnerable when backing off. Put simply, a good pressure fighter should be able to jump on him when he’s figuring out how to make necessary adjustments. His transitions from attacking to defence can easily be detected and capitalized on.
In spite of this, many tout him as the heir apparent to the greats of Puerto Rican boxing, such as Wilfredo “Bazooka” Gomez, Edwin “El Chapo” Rosario and of course Felix “Tito” Trinidad. While enduring images of these men include Gomez jumping all over Carlos Zarate (KO5), Rosario blasting out Livingstone Bramble (KO2) and Trinidad unloading his artillery on Ricardo Mayorga (TKO8), Cotto is far more circumspect, and is eager to do things his own way.
“I am not the next Tito because there was only one. But it is very nice to be compared to him. Every young boxer fighting out of Puerto Rico knows and wants to be like Tito Trinidad. I have always felt good (about comparisons) because Tito is loved and admired in Puerto Rico. But I want people to know that I am Miguel Cotto. I want to ***** for who I am. Tito is a legend of the sport, but we want to be Miguel Cotto.”
A sensible attitude, given that despite their vast talents, Cotto’s distinguished countrymen all at one stage or another fell in love with their one punch power, leaving themselves vulnerable to sharp tacticians. Rosario’s power shots were totally nullified by Chavez’ slip-and-counter tactics in the pocket; Trinidad’s need to set his feet leaves him vulnerable to movement, as was the case against Bernard Hopkins (LTKO12); and Gomez, by far the best of the bunch, was taken to pieces by expert counter puncher Salvador Sanchez (LTKO8).
Cotto’s abilities, when fully developed, should identify a versatile craftsman able to adapt to class opponents rather than imposing his will on all and sundry (as Gomez did after reaching his peak). Miguel and his team, thus, seem to be going in the right direction. Everything seems to be taken care of tactically, which is exactly why Miguel will face Demarcus Corley on the 26th of this month.
Southpaw Corley always acquits himself well, but is the measuring stick of a top-level fighter – if you can’t beat him, you aren’t the best. This will make or break Cotto, who is nonetheless expected to win. More significantly, Miguel is continuing to size up Floyd Mayweather, Jr. from every angle. It is widely known that Mayweather opponent Henry Bruseles has been used extensively for sparring by Cotto, and that Floyd beat “Chop Chop” on points last year.
The immediate concern is that Cotto is wasting his time with Floyd. Miguel could well soon be ready to step up, but Mayweather, given his self-sabotaging personal life, may not be able to step in. There are, however, plenty more top fighters around. Just ask Hatton, Tszyu and Harris.
02/22/2005 - United Kingdom
In boxing, we tend to overuse the word \"great\" when describing fights and fighters. A cursory look at the young prospect/contenders of today reveals that few are destined for authentic greatness.
The odds may be against Jermain Taylor, unless his career can outlast Bernard Hopkins’ shadow. The same can be said for Ricky Hatton, unless he manages a strong showing indeed against Kostya Tszyu. But there is an exception in the case of Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto. Despite fighting from the deepest weight class in the sport, his composure under fire and hurtful counter punching persuade many to tip him for an illustrious future at the highest level.
After a decorated amateur standing, garnering a number of prizes at various international competitions and boxing in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Cotto turned professional the following year with a stoppage of Jason Doucet. Following five quick wins in 2001, interrupted by car crash injuries that kept him inactive for a year, Miguel’s promise developed on the undercards of several Top Rank shows, including high profile fights such as Barrera-Morales II, Morales’ win over In Jin Chi, and the rematch between Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosley. Wins over experienced Justin Juuko and former lightweight champ Cesar Bazan among others proved confidence builders on an advancing stage.
Appearing on HBO, his following soon amplified, and good wins against the experienced Demetrio Ceballos and unbeaten Carlos Maussa to close 2003 steered him toward a showdown with Victor Sosa to commence 2004. Fighting on the historic Erik Morales-Jesus Chavez card – in which “El terrible” won his third world title in as many divisions – Miguel easily despatched a foe who had taken pound-for-pound entrant Floyd Mayweather, Jr. the full twelve rounds, albeit in a lower weight class.
A fight with South African Lovemore N’Dou in May 2004 took him into the top 10. N’Dou, crucially, was a natural light welterweight. A significant step, because Cotto’s best opponents prior to this were super feathers and lightweights, with the handy excuse that Miguel was considering moving down to lightweight. Acquitting himself well, Cotto won a sensible fight on points (ending a seven fight KO streak) and was then matched with fellow prospect Kelson Pinto, who had beaten him as an amateur. Brazilian Pinto shared an identical 20-0 record, and was only the second undefeated opponent that Cotto had faced.
When they squared off in a Puerto Rican ring, it was the first fight that Cotto had ever headlined. But Pinto’s amateur success and Miguel’s developing professionalism conspired to make this a relatively one-sided bout from the start. A disciplined Cotto operated from behind a rigid guard with keen clusters of hooks and rights. Mixing to the body and head, he dropped Pinto in the second, jarred him throughout, dropped him again in the fifth and closed the show the following frame exactly when necessary.
The victory was a significant one, given that Miguel demonstrated patience and maturity to beat the most determined opponent of his career. Unlike most young fighters who believe in their power, Cotto works hard to create openings and makes his shots count, as opposed to trying too hard to land and telegraphing punches. Another encouraging sign is his ability to endure rough spots. When the taller Pinto stopped fighting like an amateur and shortened his punches, an unruffled Cotto waited for his man to make a mistake and then pounced.
As such, it was the perfect showcase of action and level-headedness necessary if one is to make it at the highest level, and earned him the WBO light welter crown. Although there’s a plethora of quality champions, including WBC champ Arturo Gatti and WBA titleholder Vivian Harris in the 140lb division, as well as the great Kostya Tszyu of the IBF, there is trepidation as to whether Cotto has yet reached this level.
Indeed, he’s still been coming along fairly slowly, and a subsequent (albeit impressive) win over top 60 Randall Bailey on the Klitschko-Williams PPV card verifies that he has another step or two to make. Although an impressive offensive fighter who can also protect himself, Cotto, now 24, appears a little vulnerable when backing off. Put simply, a good pressure fighter should be able to jump on him when he’s figuring out how to make necessary adjustments. His transitions from attacking to defence can easily be detected and capitalized on.
In spite of this, many tout him as the heir apparent to the greats of Puerto Rican boxing, such as Wilfredo “Bazooka” Gomez, Edwin “El Chapo” Rosario and of course Felix “Tito” Trinidad. While enduring images of these men include Gomez jumping all over Carlos Zarate (KO5), Rosario blasting out Livingstone Bramble (KO2) and Trinidad unloading his artillery on Ricardo Mayorga (TKO8), Cotto is far more circumspect, and is eager to do things his own way.
“I am not the next Tito because there was only one. But it is very nice to be compared to him. Every young boxer fighting out of Puerto Rico knows and wants to be like Tito Trinidad. I have always felt good (about comparisons) because Tito is loved and admired in Puerto Rico. But I want people to know that I am Miguel Cotto. I want to ***** for who I am. Tito is a legend of the sport, but we want to be Miguel Cotto.”
A sensible attitude, given that despite their vast talents, Cotto’s distinguished countrymen all at one stage or another fell in love with their one punch power, leaving themselves vulnerable to sharp tacticians. Rosario’s power shots were totally nullified by Chavez’ slip-and-counter tactics in the pocket; Trinidad’s need to set his feet leaves him vulnerable to movement, as was the case against Bernard Hopkins (LTKO12); and Gomez, by far the best of the bunch, was taken to pieces by expert counter puncher Salvador Sanchez (LTKO8).
Cotto’s abilities, when fully developed, should identify a versatile craftsman able to adapt to class opponents rather than imposing his will on all and sundry (as Gomez did after reaching his peak). Miguel and his team, thus, seem to be going in the right direction. Everything seems to be taken care of tactically, which is exactly why Miguel will face Demarcus Corley on the 26th of this month.
Southpaw Corley always acquits himself well, but is the measuring stick of a top-level fighter – if you can’t beat him, you aren’t the best. This will make or break Cotto, who is nonetheless expected to win. More significantly, Miguel is continuing to size up Floyd Mayweather, Jr. from every angle. It is widely known that Mayweather opponent Henry Bruseles has been used extensively for sparring by Cotto, and that Floyd beat “Chop Chop” on points last year.
The immediate concern is that Cotto is wasting his time with Floyd. Miguel could well soon be ready to step up, but Mayweather, given his self-sabotaging personal life, may not be able to step in. There are, however, plenty more top fighters around. Just ask Hatton, Tszyu and Harris.
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