what improvements has cotto shown that says he can deal with tonys pressure??

[AllEyesOpen]

Cotto traded many big shots with Mayorga,who is a harder puncher,punch for punch than Margarito.Besides Margarito came into his last 3 fights without the power that he had before running into atom bomb called Sugar.

Marg doesn't have much power, he's a volume puncher, problem was Mosley and Pacquiao kept him from being able to sit on his punches. I don't think Cotto can do this, Cotto is there for the hitting, and Marg will be there.

[King Ju-Ju]

everyone has the vision of tony whipping cottos ass in the first fight. u can pressure a fighter all u want but if u aint hitting him hard, it wont effect him. i wanna see how hard margaritos punches are the night of the rematch. lampley said when tony fought mosley that margaritos punches didnt sound like the "thudding blows" he was hitting cotto with.

[freedom213]

stay off the mother****in ropes..that's what Cotto needs to do.

and use the right hand more.

absolutely, I think that would make a great deal of difference. Thats Tonys bread and butter, Cotto will have to stay off those ropes or he may get stopped.

[120]

Better jab, more relaxed. Tony will be eating that jab all night long. Also, everytime Mayorga got close, Cotto clinched which will also help. If tony can't hurt Cotto the way he did in the first, Tony is in for a long night. If he does, then its vice-versa

[da_beast]

The main improvements are dont walk back in straight lines.. Turn him,.. Clinch when in trouble.. Mke sure his corner check margaritos gloves pre fight and make sure his corner is actualy able too give him some sound advice and that he trusts that corner and stays relaxed.. Cotto is not the fighter he was but he is not as shot as margs.. Margs has not been the same since the beatdown cotto gave him

[BorderPatrol]

what changes has he shown that says he can deal with margos constant pressure..not to mention at 154 cotto doesnt look as good as he did at 147..

what game plan can cotto use to beat margo?

If tony can't make Cotto hesitate without his plaster wraps, his "pressure" might not be an issue. I think more than anything, Cotto was bewildered by Tony's odd power. Take the wraps out of the equation, and Tony might not have that respect he had in the first fight.

[Steak]

none. but Margarito is more shopworn than him. I expect a Cotto win.

[studentofthegam]

stay off the mother****in ropes..that's what Cotto needs to do.

and use the right hand more.

Definitely this as first order of business. Everyon that beat Margarito attacked him. If cotto keeps it in the middle of the ring and starts out agressive (rather than trying to flee and getting caught at the ends of punches). He's a better in fighter than Margs so stay close and go to the body. Defend the uppercut when inside. Tony will go into a defense position and let him wail away at some point so he has to make that time count with ripping shot to the body and uppercuts. Everyone keeps saying he should clinch but thats not something he's effective at doing and you cant just pick it up in a training camp. I think smarter offense will benefit him more than better D. He wins with Steward.

[freedom213]

Steward has improved Cotto. He has him throwing in combinations, thinking a bit more and really using his jab. It also looks like Cotto will commit to use the right hand more, against margarito all this will help but he has to be careful of moving backwards too much and stay off the ropes period. The only time Margarito hurt pac was when he was against the ropes. Look at the guys stoppages or KO's almost all of them are when he as his opponents against the ropes.

[Evil Abed]

These are what I see:

Better positioning -- He is more upright and has better form. He is not hunched over, absorbing those upper cuts. This has improved his stamina and defense.Although Mayorga got his touches, he was limited.

Improved footwork -- In that fight, he moved in a back line, allowing Tony to simply move forward, expending no energy and hitting at will. He is moving laterally now and hasn't crossed his feet as much. He was able to turn Mayorga in the center of the ring and land combos.

Use of jab -- He always had a powerful and impactful jab, however he mainly used his power to just overwhelm his opponents. Fighting under Steward has allowed him to just use his jab to set up the body attack and control the pace of the fight. In the Mayorga fight, he used the jab to stop Mayorga's onslaught and keep Mayorga from clubbing him. Mayorga is a bigger and stronger fighter than Tony, and Cotto keeping Mayorga off of him with the jab and body attack is a pleasant improvement.

Endurance -- Those three points already discussed in my opinion has greatly increased his endurance as a result. In Foreman and Mayorga, he fought two fighters that should have tested his endurance. Against Foreman, he had to keep up with Foreman's movement, and against Mayorga, his size and strength can overwhelm alot of fighters who are smaller, but his improvement in fundamentals allowed him to be just as strong in the later rounds as they are in the beginning.

Right Hand -- It looked strong against Mayorga, and its been an issue with Cotto for a long time, so we'll be seeing ti against Tony

Tony has never looked 'good' at 154 either, so for that, I give the edge, or at least a wash to Cotto. I don't think the weight for this particular fight matters.

I can't predict a winner, but all I do know is that I don't think either of these two guys are "shot" like everyone throws out. They are still upper echelon fighters who can beat most guys. These two hate each other in a way that you can't script. They will battle and try to murder each other. If Cotto keeps to the plan and controls the action, I think he'll win. But if he loses his nerve, he'll lose. Its going to be an awesome battle that will live up to the original

Excellent post.