Cotto vs Lara at 154

[GMAN SUPREME]

lara dominates and stops cotto.

[otrocubiche]

Lara beats cotto easily, but that fight is never gonna happen

[Eff Pandas]

There seems to be issues with Haymon & Jay Z thus this fight is going nowhere first off, but I don't think this is a great matchup for Cotto. I think Lara is too crafty for him. I think this fight would go just like the Trout fight went. People talk about how well Cotto did vs Mayweather, but I felt like Mayweather fought Cotto's fight & still won 9 rounds or whatever he won.

[-PBP-]

Lara picks that boy apart and leaves him running out of the ring crying.

Let's be real. Only reason to want to see this fight is if you're a Lara fan and want him to get a big name on his resume for if you're a Cotto hater and want to see him get embarrassed.

[SunSpace]

To the contrary, I believe Cotto fought Mayweather's fight, 100%. Cotto is a way more versatile fighter than he showed in that fight. Putting his chin on someone's chest and ****ing away, over and over again, while following them around, has been a style I've never seen from Cotto before or since then. It suited Mayweather's style, because it was basically an extremely dangerous "mitt" session. Mayweather didn't have to work for any of his shots; he just had to go crazy throwing them to avoid being run-over by Cotto. And, in the round Cotto actually gave Mayweather a tiny bit of movement, Mayweather was in trouble. He even acknowledged Cotto's skills by respectfully nodding at him, as if to say, "Damn!"

I don't think that was even part of Cotto's game-plan, either, more like Cotto reverting to his more natural instincts throughout the fight. He then went back to what the plan was and gassed a bit from pure work-rate (he admitted that his conditioning was not top notch, after experiencing a Roach camp,) leaving Mayweather to take the 12th round. In my opinion, that fight was more like a draw than those crazy scorecards the judges gave, but whatever. Cotto rarely gets the benefit of the doubt from either HBO or the judges, as we saw in the Canelo fight.

Had Cotto fought with Roach in his corner, I'm confident that, even now, Cotto would win by KO. Roach, unlike most of Cotto's previous trainers, knows how to use his skills better. Cotto, at his best, is JUST as much of a stylist as he is an attacker. His boxing skills are extremely underrated, in my opinion. He fought a beautiful fight versus Margarito, and we all know about Margarito's wraps. To think he could do that, under those circumstances, is incredible. Even Mayweather would've crumbled before Cotto did that night. What helped Cotto last so long was his own power mixed in with his boxing skills.

I never understand why people assume Cotto's just a slow brawler or something. That makes me think they don't really know about his career. This guy can defeat the best of the sport on any given night.

I know Lara is a big hit in the forums and such; he's a beautiful boxer as well, but I believe Cotto takes it by KO. Fighters who box, despite what the facade of the Trout fight may lead people to believe, are right in Cotto's wheelhouse. That's his game. And he'd beat Lara at it, because of his intelligence mixed in with the power differential. Cotto is not Angulo.

I wish Lara the best of luck, though; I enjoy watching him fight. The Cuban boxing style is amazing.