Prime Cotto vs Today's Top Welters

[KillaMane26]

Porter might be too much a dog for Cotto.

Cotto should beat everyone outside of Spence, Crawford, Porter.

Cotto would get a split vs Porter and "maybe" Spence

Those 3 would give Cotto problems, but since we talking pre-Marg Cotto i think he doesn't fold under pressure vs Porter/Spence..

Cotto after Marg, gets stopped by Spence and Crawford or does his best Usain Bolt impersonation

Crawford is too skilled and too much a dog for Cotto, i don't see any version of Cotto beating him!

[Beercules]

Cotto would likely beat the majority but I see most being close fights. Cotto got lumped up and hurt at almost every weight class he was in at least once so I imagine the current 147lbers can do the same.

I see Spence and Crawford giving Cotto a good fight with the southpaw matchup. I also see Porter giving a good account of himself with his pressure style.

I think Porter gives him a very tough fight. Miguel doesn't like to be smothered.

[Mr. Philadel]

Cotto would beat the majority of them imo

[PRINCEKOOL]

One of my favorite fights in this modern era was Migeul Cotto vs Zab Judah 'Cotto seemed very stoic and terminator like in that fight' The atmosphere for a american crowd also seemed really electric.

It was at that point in time, when I thought Cotto was the man to beat Floyd Mayweather Junior.

[Madison Boxing]

Cotto is one of the most overrated fighters ive ever seen but based on their last fights i think hed beat crawford and spence. Hed likely stop crawford.

[billeau2]

Trinidad vs. Cotto would have been a blast while it lasted. I see Tito stopping him in late rounds. Side note, I asked someone who is from the island of PR and a boxing fan how the popularity of Trinidad and Cotto compares...he said it wasn't even close, Trinidad gets way more love from Puerto Ricans.

Yes. Cotto was not nearly as popular as Cotto

[DumpkinsPlus5]

Cotto is the second most overrated welterweight of his generation. 2nd only to Timothy Bradley. I'll confidently say, Crawford and Spence beat him. Thurman/Porter vs Cotto is 50/50 because of his gas tank or lack thereof. I would favor Cotto to beat Danny Garcia only because Garcia has a horrible work rate.

[GhostofDempsey]

Cotto is the second most overrated welterweight of his generation. 2nd only to Timothy Bradley. I'll confidently say, Crawford and Spence beat him. Thurman/Porter vs Cotto is 50/50 because of his gas tank or lack thereof. I would favor Cotto to beat Danny Garcia only because Garcia has a horrible work rate.

How was Bradley overrated? He lacked one-punch power, but made up for it with skill and work rate. All heart. Granite chin too.

[DumpkinsPlus5]

How was Bradley overrated? He lacked one-punch power, but made up for it with skill and work rate. All heart. Granite chin too.

He never earned his position as a top Welterweight but was considered one because of a ROBBERY over Manny Pacquiao. That fight against Manny Pacquiao made Bradley one of the more famous fighters but being known doesn't equal being one of the best.

There was a time when most if not all (except for me) people in the boxing community considered Bradley the third best welterweight in the world behind Mayweather and Pacquiao. Yet he never did ANYTHING to prove it.

He lost to Pacman 3 times. Got a win over an old bloated Marquez. A draw with DIEGO CHAVES. And barely escaped with his life against Provodnikov and Jessie Vargas.

For comparison's sake, Keith Thurman knocked out Diego Chaves when he only had 20 fights. Even when they were green, I always thought Spence, Thurman, and Porter would've beat Bradley. Let alone, the current versions of those fighters. He didn't retire by accident when Spence became his mandatory.

Oh, let's not forget, he ducked Amir Khan at 140. I don't know how long you've been watching boxing, but this is back when Amir Khan was good. So, he never even established himself as the best at 140.

This is why Timothy Bradley is the most overrated welterweight if not fighter of his generation. He should've never been near top 5 p4p.

[emceetns]

Who does he beat, who beats him?

Ok, let's look at the ESPN top 10, and let's assume we are talking about Cotto circa 2006-2008 (pre-Margarito).

1. Errol Spence Jr.
Spence would enjoy a 3-inch height and 5-inch reach advantage and Cotto is actually similar in size to Mikey Garcia. I think Cotto would be way more competitive than Mikey was but Errol has more ways to win. He could box from the outside (although Cotto did have a great jab) or he could carry a fast pace and press the attack with body shots. I say Spence wins a UD 116-112.

2. Terrence Crawford
Crawford is a little shorter than Spence with even greater reach. Bud would enjoy a 7-inch reach advantage against Cotto, however I could see Cotto landing an effective jab in the early rounds. Crawford would probably spend the first half of the fight switching back and forth and fighting cautiously to avoid Cotto's left hook to the body. I see the tide turning in the middle rounds with Crawford turning into a killer down the stretch. This one could go either way in my eyes but I say Bud edges it by split decision (115-113 either way).

3. Shawn Porter
I think that Porter is there to be hit and Cotto would land his jab consistently on Shawn. The question would be whether or not Porter could grind Cotto down over the course of 12 rounds without getting busted up too badly. I say Cotto gets out to a lead and holds on down the stretch to eke out a razor-thin UD 115-113.

4. Danny Garcia
Garcia has slow feet but he likes to counter in exchanges and Cotto would have to watch out for that. I could see this fight being more tactical than the others as Cotto jabs and Danny looks for that big left hook. I think that Cotto at his absolute peak would be a little too dynamic so I see him winning a close but clear UD 116-112

5. Keith Thurman
I think Cotto banks rounds while Thurman looks for an explosive "One Time" shot to end the night early. I think he gets in a few bombs (like Zab Judah did) and maybe even scores a flash knockdown, however Cotto does enough body work to wear Keith down and score a late stoppage.