After SO MANY years as a PRO. Why did COTTO not IMPROVE his defence???

[Head-Butter]

You'd think you would get to a stage where you would want to be hit less. As the opponents get harder and harder boxers find their weak spots and improve.

Now you take cotto, he got hit a little too much when facing average opposition. You would think he would say to himself "OK time for me to learn to get hit less, so i can last longer".

Had he said that against Margarito, Wraps or No-Wraps cotto would have been WAAAAAAAAAAAAAy better off!!!!!!!

[warp1432]

He did improve his defense. It was a lot better at 147 then it was at 140. He also kind of learned how to box off the backfoot too. He was very awkward doing it though

[Siggy]

he did. he always kept his hands up in a good defensive position and did a good job blocking and parrying punches. he eventually added using distance and lateral movement as defensive tools.

when he went into defensive mode, he was not easy to hit as seen in the clottey, mosley and pac fights. when cornered or pushed up against the ropes he can even slip punches using anticipation. he just looked deliberate while doing it.

the problem with cotto is that he's just not that gifted in terms of body/foot speed and reflexes. there's only so much he couldve improved his defense. add the fact that he is willing to engage and exchange, it made it seem like his defense was poor, when in actuality it wasnt.

[Bushidō]

HE did improve it but you don't just become a defensive wizard just like that.

[charlieg]

I think Cotto could have been better. He got a long way on talent and desire but he never added the technical expertise and authority to his camp that would keep him on an upward learning trajectory and his boxing skills stop getting better even though the quality of opposition was getting tougher. Had he gone with a Freddie Roach or Nacho Bernstein or something like that, maybe he could have tightened up his defense and added more to his offense. Maybe.

His camp always struck me as 'yes men' - and when somebody didn't want to be a 'yes man' he got cast out.