Does Cotto deserve a title shot against Foreman?
January 16th, 2010
By William Mackay: In the past couple of days there has been news of former World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Miguel Cotto (34-2, 27 KO’s) getting a title shot against WBA junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman (28-0, 8 KO’s) in June of this year. How in the heck does Cotto deserve a title shot given that he’s coming off of a vicious 12th round stoppage loss to Manny Pacquiao in November?
Granted, many of these fighters’ names aren’t recognizable to many boxing fans, but they’re still ranked in the top 15 in the WBA, unlike the recently beaten Cotto who is only ranked in the welterweight division. Doesn’t Cotto have to prove himself in the light middleweight division by picking off a top 15 fighter or two before he gets a shot against Foreman?
That makes sense to me. If Cotto wants a title shot against Foreman, let him beat Martirosyan and Angulo. If Cotto can get by those two fighters, and I don’t know that he can, then I would be alright with him getting a title shot against Foreman. I know people will say that Cotto is an elite fighter because he’d held a title previously, whereas the top 15 contenders in the WBA haven’t.
However, Cotto has lost two out of his last four fights and an argument can be made that Cotto should have lost three out of his last four because of his controversial 12 round split decision win over Joshua Clottey in June 2009. Even if we just look at Cotto’s two losses that would seem to me to be enough to disqualify him for a title shot against Foreman.
I don’t think Foreman is the greatest fighter even, but he’s a champion and he deserves to face contenders that have worked their way into a title shot rather than have had the shot given to them on a silver platter. I think Cotto can beat Foreman without too many problems, because I see him as the weakest of the four champions in the light middleweight division.
But Cotto should still have to at least knock off two top 15 contenders before he gets a title shot against the Foreman. I know that Foreman is making a voluntary defense of his title, but there should be a rule where the champions are required to defend their titles against top fighters in their own division and not fighters out of their class.
Because it seems only fair, because otherwise you have fighters picking and choosing smaller or weaker fighters to get an easy pay day against during their non mandatory defenses and it makes it a long wait for contenders in that particular division to get a title shot.
Tags: 33 Responses to “Does Cotto deserve a title shot against Foreman?”
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Man what are you talking about. You don’t know nothing. You are criticizing Cotto but what Pacquiao did to deserve a title shot when he move to 130 or 135 or 140 or 147? NOTHING. He just move in weight challenging the champion. That means that you are a superstar and you can do anything because you are the one bringing money to the table is that simple. So stop talking nonsense. Every superstar do the same.
Real question: Does Foreman deserve the payday he’ll recieve for fighting Cotto.
hell yes!
Anyone who actually watched the Mosely and Clottey fights can clearly see that Cotto won.
What the hell is this word DESERVE? Since when did deserving anything matter in boxing again?
William Mackay is a idiot. Cotto will run through foreman in june. This guy shouldn’t be writing boxing articles. Cotto vs. Foreman will make the most money, and foreman is good but hasn’t faced anyone of the caliber of COTTO.
This is a wind up surely. Even in this era when the ‘legend’ title is over used and often un deserved Cotto is a true warrior, he deserves a shot against any fighter.
I urge all fight fans to look at the recent developments in a non biased way. Margorito cheated, simple and proven.
Then a once tiny and previously defeated fighter turns into Mr Invincible!
er…he’s a world class athlete; former champ; box office draw.
yes he deserves a shot at yuri foreman. who is very average & an absolute nobody in terms of the wider public.
foreman gets more money defending cotto than almost anyone else. do you get how boxing works?
To answer the question: sure, Cotto deserves that title shot. will he get it: unlikely
@ motownhitman
I totally get where you are coming from. Im a big Miguel Cotto fan. I think he is very exciting to watch and always fights the best out there. However, he did just lose his title and he gets a shot at another straight away. Maybe you think a true light middleweight should get a shot a Yuri before Cotto does right?
I agree but it will be Yuri’s 1st defence and im sure after that he will have to fight mandatory challengers that are ranked by his organisation, unless Cotto beats him. And if Cotto does beat him i guess that will answer the question to whether or not he deserved a shot.
One puts on something and the other took something now he is nothing WOW.He deserve not only a title shot but a clean one because some people are right MOSLEY,CLOTTEY FIGHTS HE PROBABLY SHOULD HAD LOST BUT DID NOT BECAUSE THEY WERE CLEAN FIGHTS.THE FIGHTS IN VEGAS AND PROMOTED BY TOP RANK ONLY ARE MOST LIKELY BEING WELL YOU KNOW!! THATS RIGHT. SOME PEOPLE DONT LIKE FLOYD BECAUSE OF HIS MOUTH BUT TRUTH BE TOLD HE HAS A BIG REASON, IS NOT WEIRD HOW 2 FIGHTERS FROM THE SAME PROMOTIONS ARE THE ONLY ONES BEING UNDER SUSPICIOUS ALLIGATIONS.I THINK IS TIME FOR PEOPLE TO OPEN THEIR EYES AND LOOK AT THE NEW DON KING WHERE TWO FIGHTERS FROM YOUR COMPANY ARE ACUSED OF SOME SORT OF CHEATING AND NOBODY IS TAKING RESPONSABILITY AND THE ONE WHO PAY FOR ALL THIS IS NOW NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO GET A TITTLE SHOT.
is this a joke? ur funny man.
William Mackay = DUMB AZZ
once again this article is absurd it plain out sucks. First of all margarito cheated with illegal wraps that could have killed cotto. If he used them against mosley why not use them against cotto who was regarded as the best weltrweight at that time. Second i wont acuse pacman of anything because so far he is clean and i have many thoughts on this case and even facts but this article is not about pacman but i will say this how can some one who spend most of his career between 120-130 pounds move up to 145 with more power than a 147-154 pound great boxer and take his punches very well when he got knocked out before at the lower weight and lost against fighters like eric morales and marquez gave him a super hard time?? Now as far as this article is concerned does any one really think that yuri can beat paqcuiao or margarito? i dont think so. and in a controversial fight versus margarito cotto faught beautifully and had the fight very close and against pacman cotto was hit hard many times and was hurt but he refused to quit, the referee had to stop the fight because cotto at that moment prefered to give it his all and risk dying than to quit. he would not quit he showed the heart of a champion and has been in many wars and faught guys like mosley who would give yuri a nightmare and beat them or gave them more than they could handle and he does not deserve a title shot?? sir with all due respect you know nothing about boxing
TheGuyWhoknows….
We do not know if Margarito cheated in his fight with Cotto…what we do know is having loaded gloves doesn’t allow you to walk through punches like Margarito did Cotto’s punches.
As for Manny who knows if he’s on steroids, your comment is based upon conjecture therefore what we do know is that according to Cotto’s record he has 2 L’s and perhaps should have 3 based upon his fight with Clottey and if Mosley fought a smarter fight Cotto would have lost that one too.
Miguel Cotto still undefeated. He got 2 loses, one against somebody who use something ilegal in his hands and the other one against somebody who have been on steroids who know for how long. Cotto is just 30 years old, How can somebody say that he is done and then act like they know boxing. Well this is life, crazy life.
gio….you lose your WW WBO belt but fight for the WBA Light MW belt in your next fight? Hey I like Cotto..but I do not like the business of boxing…which is what allows for Cotto to get a title shot in his next fight.
battle tested warrior like cotto brings in money. I’m not saying he is more deserving than the other contenders but he has paid his dues and now has the freedom to get any match he wants. Besides, yuri knows that u cant box forever so he needs his payday while he is still champ. Fighting cotto is his best option cuz he will get paid and if he beats cotto he will boost his fame and bring in more high paying fights. Just makes sense. And is cotto deserving of this title match? is that supposed to be a real question? This article just validates the stupidity of the author.
I do not think Cotto should be figthing for a Light Middleweight belt considering he just got destroyed in his last fight at WW. I understand the whole “he’s a big drawn in New York” theory but that does not mean he warrants a title shot. I don’t think Clottey deserves a title shot either. Clotty lost to Cotto fighting for the WBO belt, Cotto loses his belt to Pac and now Clottey is again fighting for the same belt.
Another question is..anybody wonder why Cotto was matched up against Michael Jennings for the vacant title? Since the Cotto fighth Jennings has fought a guy who was 6-0 and another guy who was 35-26-2…WTF?? How do you go from fighting for the vacant WBO WW title to fighting a guy 6-0 then a guy 35-26-2?? Yet Clottey came up short and is getting a crack at the same belt his next fight and Cotto is getting a shot at the WBA light middle weight belt.
I love boxing.
I live in Brooklyn- really proud of Yuri. Cotto is awesome- he can draw more people than anybody ahead of Puerto Rican day in New York… he has built a decent history of that now. Hats off to both of them! This will sell well in New York.
This article is just plain B/S……………….
Jack T, could not agree with you more buddy!
Foreman is the champion and deserves a fight that will make him money, and the Cotto fight makes him money!!
Just look for a sport for you, like artistic ice skating.
Cmon dude, you truly believe that nonesense?
Your dumb if that’s the case than cotto should have never had to fight pacman at a catch weight and pacman should have been forced to fight at 147 the weleterweight limit and if anyone desirves a shot its cotto he has put in real work with great fighters who no one else would fight he did so get your facts straight first before you talk down on a great champ like cotto
cotto still an elite fighter thus he deserve to fight any of the jr. middle weights.. pacquiao is just an exemptional fighter..
Been reading boxing websites for a while now. I have to question how the writers are chosen and how their story choices are overseen by editors. Some is good and informational, but most stories seem to belong more in an absurd manufactured Superstars of Wrestling type world. A story like this is ridiculous. This is clearly not the writer’s actual opinion, but just something written to stir up the readers.
This is what happens when you have four belts and none of them really mean your are champion of that division. Paper titles! The only champion of a division is the one Ring magazine declares. Who cares about some belt??? Yea, you can chase history, Roy Jones beating Ruiz for the heavyweight title, Holyfield trying to be the oldest, Manny trying to get more, but all it means is you beat someone in the top 15 of that division. A real champion combines titles, but people like Manny don’t even defend their belts most of the time! This will be his first title defense against Clottey in something like 10 or 15 years! Cotto deserves a title shot a lot more than Clottey!
Absolutely!If other fighters can come-out of retirement and jump in front of the line for a title fight.Cotto definitely
is a bigger draw than Foreman.If the money is there why not,
that is how the modern boxing dynamics works.
Cotto isn’t just a former champion, he’s an unbelievable fighter. Isn’t it unfair to say he should’ve lost three out of the four fights without mentioning that there is a very good chance Margarito cheated in his fight with Cotto? Cotto has proved himself enough in the welterweight division to fight Foreman. There are other titles those middleweight contenders can go after, and if they don’t want to fight someone else because they think it would be too hard, they don’t belong in boxing.
He gets a shot because he’s a much bigger name than foreman and a much bigger name than all of the fighters in the light-middleweight division.
Your an idiot.
Becauze he is a champion, also becauze he can drew good amount of audience in new york, becauze the day of the fight is memorable to the puerto ricans, I’m not a Puerto Rican, but I know that if a day is important to your culture, you want the best of that day to come.
Thank you,
Taeyang