Razor Thin Fight Cotto Was Going to Get Jobbed Regardless

[hectari]

I had it 115-113 Canelo. Cotto could've won all 12 rounds convincingly and still would have lose. It's evident the fix was in.

I can agree with that split score going either way, but wtf at one judge only giving cotto one round

[BoloPuncher1]

Obviously you are a Cotto fan, and I would again stress that I have no horse in this fight, I like both guys. They both get too much stick in my opinion, but a Canelo domination is not what happened. Cotto mostly outboxed him for 6 rounds until he started to slow down, it wasn't like he nose dived either, he slowed down 15-20% not much, but just enough for Canelo to take the rounds. Canelo hurt him in the 8th and 12th, but not seriously wobbled. Cotto actually came back and won the 11th. It was a close fight.

I just don't understand what I'm reading on these boards. I too saw a very close fight that I scored 7-5 Cotto. Each fighter had segments in the fight where they were quite effective, but as you mentioned the fight has to be scored on a round by round basis. You can't just use the excuse that "he finished stronger" or even "he landed the harder punches", it's about who won the most rounds.

[Dirk Diggler UK]

I don't generalise fights like that, it is clear that at the end of the fight Cotto had less in the tank, had been more beat up and had absorbed more punishment. But scoring is round by round, and Cotto banked rounds by making Canelo miss, outworking him, and controlling Canelo with his jab. I had it 104-103 going into the last and Canelo closed the show. I have seen both versions, I thought Boxnation were more on point, if slightly giving Cotto too much credit in the first half of the fight.

I never got the impression that Cotto was ever controlling anything. Canelo controlled pretty much every exchange they had and made Cotto miss with good head movement before whacking him with cleaner harder shots.

I'm generalising because I struggled to give Cotto rounds but I can see why people thought it was close. Canelo wasn't beating him up in every round but he was just that bit superior in most of them

[CubanGuyNYC]

Alvarez was taking a conservative approach I believe due to his bad rep for phasing out late in fight's. Thus fighting in more calculating spurts.

I agree, Canelo won but the scoring was too lopsided.

That could well be so, but I'm not convinced. Between rounds, Canelo looked like he had been out for a stroll. That never really changed. Cotto, by contrast, became increasingly weathered as the fight progressed.

[EdWins]

Why are people acting surprised by this? This isn't the first time this has happened, judges with unacceptable scorecards...

just be happy the right man won, because we all know Canelo won this fight.....

[Jsmooth9876]

I just don't understand what I'm reading on these boards. I too saw a very close fight that I scored 7-5 Cotto. Each fighter had segments in the fight where they were quite effective, but as you mentioned the fight has to be scored on a round by round basis. You can't just use the excuse that "he finished stronger" or even "he landed the harder punches", it's about who won the most rounds.

And which rounds did you have Cotto winning to get to the 7 rounds won?
I couldn't give him 7 rounds if I gave him every close round probably.

[Dirk Diggler UK]

And which rounds did you have Cotto winning to get to the 7 rounds won?
I couldn't give him 7 rounds if I gave him every close round probably.

Same here, I was almost giving Cotto rounds out of sympathy.

I don't know what people were watching to say he controlled the fight or outboxed Canelo. It was completely the other way around.

[Pac=Duran]

I am yet again surprised at how one sided everyone here thinks the fight was. I am a fan of both guys, in fact I picked Canelo by close UD, so got the result fairly accurate.

Why do so many of you get influenced by commentary? I wish more of you had a brain of your own. This was a close fight, why? Because when Cotto boxed especially early, Canelo couldn't do anything about it. Landing one or two flashy counters doesn't win rounds, Cotto was more consistent, outworked, and jabbed Canelo's head off in certain rounds. In other rounds he didn't do enough especially later in the fight, although I still gave Cotto a round or two in the second half of the fight. I implore you to watch the fight again if you think it was one sided.

Cotto made a mistake in the 8th round by standing and trading, but I think he only did that because he was comfortable at that point in the fight and I think he wanted to test Canelo in the trenches, he got his answer, which was that it was not a good place for him to be as for the first time he genuinely got out punched and stung a little. I think as Cotto tired, what was effective boxing in the first 6, looked more negative and less effective in the last 6. But Canelo was still not so effective. I remember thinking in about the 5th round, if this kid ever wants to be great he needs to put his foot on the accelerator right now...it never came. He could only do what Cotto allowed him to do, Cotto was in a fight with his own gas tank, yes he occasionally had defensive lapses and Canelo picked some great single shots, some counters and some leads, undoubtedly the harder shots, but Cotto was more consistent and quite often answered those singles with combinations. I had the fight even going into the last, which Canelo won and gave him the fight on my card, but I am so disappointed with his performance. He doesn't know how to force the issue and take control of the fight, he has all the moves, pull counters, good jab, lead uppercuts, great right hand, literally everything in his arsenal, yet he can't put any of it together. He got outboxed for large portions.

The other point I wanted to make was that everything stunk about the night. The scorecards, the HBO commentary, even the teleprompter showing the replays. It felt like the result was preordained and Cotto would have to dominate to get a split decision. It might seem like I am defending Cotto, and "butthurt" about the result, I can assure you I am not. Just really disappointed about the politics in the sport, again. No matter what happened before the fight, sanctioning bodies, belts, step aside money, the competition should be fair and just. As I said Cotto was never going to be allowed to win that fight, I thought the scorecards were a disgrace, an embarrassment to a very good fight and soured it once again for me.

Cotto won the first 6 except for one close one, think it was the 3rd. I thought he won tbh, or else a draw. It was close, but I think if someone deserved to win it was Cotto.

[bluebeam]

I never got the impression that Cotto was ever controlling anything. Canelo controlled pretty much every exchange they had and made Cotto miss with good head movement before whacking him with cleaner harder shots.

I'm generalising because I struggled to give Cotto rounds but I can see why people thought it was close. Canelo wasn't beating him up in every round but he was just that bit superior in most of them

That's exactly the fight I was watching.

116-112 canelo

I can even respect a 115-113 card for canelo

[HardSpar]

I picked Cotto to win, but I thought Canelo clearly won and I didn't have it that close scorecard wise. Some of the rounds were quite close but Canelo was snatching most of those rounds.