May/Cotto or Tito/Hopkins: Who has the bigger challenge?

[JmH Reborn]

Simple question worth asking as champs face most likely their biggest challenge (although debatable as to who was a bigger challenge to Cotto, Pac/May, not the discussion though).

Anyways, both PR fighters at this current juncture and the past juncture fought arguably their biggest challenge, so who was facing a bigger challenge?

Cotto v. Mayweather will pit, while both are a little past prime, Mayweather is arguably this generation's best (ironically, paired against Hopkins) and most complete boxer. Cotto is a great fighter who's been through the wringer and will undoubtedly come into the fight a bit less fresher. Mayweather is moving up, although he has reach and height advantages, I don't think the weight is a factor overall, especially considering how big a weight advantage Ortiz had. Cotto has alot of technical disadvantages coming into the fight.

or

Tito v. Hopkins. This fight was a move up in weight class for Tito against a then, budding great fighter, who even at 35 might not have hit his overall prime, arguably. Tito was fighting the MW champ and had impeccable power, albeit at the lower weights. I think in overall frame, they were about equals, but Hopkins holding the customary advantage of being dominant in that class. Tito had alot of technical disadvantages going into that fight, even if he was favored.

So, seeing how both fights are somewhat similar in juxtaposition, who is going to, or has faced a bigger challenge when presented with their biggest career fight, Tito or Cotto?

Discuss

[Spray_resistant]

You have to put things in the context of time, Hopkins was not yet considered the legit MW champion until he beat Tito who was favored to beat Hopkins going in.

[ИATAS]

Tito was not moving up in weight he was a MW title holder. He was a 7-1 favorite. And he was undefeated at 40-0.

So cotto being at the tail end of his career, fighting the #1 fighter in the world who is favored to beat him by a landslide is the opposite of tito's situation.

[JmH Reborn]

You have to put things in the context of time, Hopkins was not yet considered the legit MW champion until he beat Tito who was favored to beat Hopkins going in.

I noted both in the second paragraph, although I think many considered him the legit champ, whether he had pasted Tito or not, although I respect those that didn't give him legitimacy until that fight, I thought he had it.

[Spray_resistant]

I noted both in the second paragraph, although I think many considered him the legit champ, whether he had pasted Tito or not, although I respect those that didn't give him legitimacy until that fight, I thought he had it.

The net didn't exist as we know it now and you couldn't simply watch all of these obscure fighters on youtube so I doubt many did consider him the legit champ because he was largely unheard of until he beat Holmes in a boring fight on HBO the winner facing Tito for the MW title.

[JmH Reborn]

Tito was not moving up in weight he was a MW title holder. He was a 7-1 favorite. And he was undefeated at 40-0.

He had one fight against Joppy. I still considered him a Jr MW

That's like saying Hatton didn't move up to fight Floyd even though he had fought at 147 prior. He was still a Jr WW. Similar interests should be treated similar in my opinion

[ИATAS]

He had one fight against Joppy. I still considered him a Jr MW

He destroyed Joppy and knocked him out and won his title, something even hopkins couldn't do.

If you move up in weight, and decide to campaign at that weight, win a title, you are a MW. You can say he's a small MW if you want but he's a MW title holder.

That's like saying Hatton didn't move up to fight Floyd even though he had fought at 147 prior.

Actually Hatton had 1 fight at 147 (looked like crap against Collazo) then went back down to 140 and fought at 140 two more times before moving UP to fight floyd. Totally different.

Now if Hatton had moved up to 147, campaigned there and won a title, he would be a legit 147 pounder. But that's not what he did (again he fought 1 time at 147 then went back DOWN).

[Cuauhtémoc1520]

Tito was not moving up in weight he was a MW title holder. He was a 7-1 favorite. And he was undefeated at 40-0.

So cotto being at the tail end of his career, fighting the #1 fighter in the world who is favored to beat him by a landslide is the opposite of tito's situation.

Pretty much....obvious answer.

[Kagami Taiga]

He had one fight against Joppy. I still considered him a Jr MW

That's like saying Hatton didn't move up to fight Floyd even though he had fought at 147 prior. He was still a Jr WW. Similar interests should be treated similar in my opinion

u must not have an appreciation for joppy if u make it seem like that wasnt a good achievement for a guy moving up from 147.

[JmH Reborn]

u must not have an appreciation for joppy if u make it seem like that wasnt a good achievement for a guy moving up from 147.

A solid champ, nothing more and nothing less.

It was a good win, not a great win

As far as the odds, Tito was an odds on favorite, but it was clearly inflationary because of the Joppy fight. I look at fights from a matchup perspective and I though Tito was all wrong for Hopkins back then. Objectively speaking