Cotto vs. Foreman: Is Miguel running away from the welterweight division?
February 21st, 2010
By Jim Dower: On June 5th, the smallish 5’7” Miguel Cotto (34-2, 27 KO’s) will be moving up in weight to take on World Boxing Association light middleweight champion Yuri Foreman (28-0, 8 KO’s) in a championship bout at Yankee Stadium, in New York. Depending on who you ask, Cotto is either running away from the welterweight division, where he has lost two out of his last four fights and struggled badly in a third fight, looking to win an easy paper title or setting himself up strategically to possibly get a second fight against Manny Pacquiao in the future.
To be sure, Cotto still has enough talent to compete with the very best welterweights, but it’s probably safe to say that Cotto will never be able to beat a fighter like Pacquiao. Cotto would also likely have huge problems against Floyd Mayweather Jr. if they were to fight. I also have my doubts that Cotto can beat Andre Berto and probably not even Shane Mosley, even though Cotto has beaten him once previously in 2007.
So is Cotto moving up in weight to find easier opponents in the light middleweight division so that he can somehow extend his career? If so, it might work for Cotto on the short term because if Cotto can beat Foreman for what many boxing fans consider a paper title, Cotto would be in the perfect position to defend that title against a pretty much weak top 15 for awhile.
The top six in the WBA light middleweight consists of generally obscure fighters by the names of Austin Trout, Nelson Linares, Zaurbek Baysangurov, Joachim Alcine, and Daniel Santos. Although Santos is well known, he looked horrible in losing to Foreman in November. Cotto, as bad as he looked against Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito and Pacquiao, could probably easily beat Santos and the rest of those guys.
However, it’s hard to see how much credit Cotto would get by beating him and those wouldn’t be huge mega fights because those guys are big stars like Pacquiao, Mosley and Mayweather. And sooner or later, Cotto would be forced to fight a guy like Alfredo Angulo, who throws a lot of punches and has even better power than Margarito, and I see Cotto being destroyed by Angulo. If Cotto decides to stay at light middleweight, he’s going to have problems because of his limited height. Even if he wins, he’s going to take a certain amount of punishment form these bigger fighters and it could add up very quickly.
If Cotto is being positioned to try and get a rematch with Pacquiao by beating Foreman, then I can understand him moving up in weight to take on the bigger fighter. I don’t know who on earth would want to waste their time and money seeing a Pacquiao-Cotto rematch after watching the first fight, but I can see why it would be a smart move for Cotto to try and capture Foreman’s title so that he could position himself for a rematch against Pacquiao.
Tags: 23 Responses to “Cotto vs. Foreman: Is Miguel running away from the welterweight division?”
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cotto could beat foreman with out even looking at him.. Everyone who saw the fight with him and manny notice the difference and manny does have steroid power and speed but hes also so short is like tom trying to catch jerry. LOl … Seriously though who the f*** could really beat this guy without cheating.. I for one dont blame margarito he was scared of death facing miguel and said f**k it i need to cheat cause if not its going to be another paul williams fight.. Foreman is a joke without skills.. And we could never forget where the fights taking place people..NEW YORK where cottos undefeated till date.. Hes got way to much support there so its like the undertaker in wrestle mania where even though thats fake its real when u have that advantage in ur mind.. Im a boxer and mentally thinking ur gonna win is always a win.. Its all a mental game as fisical as it is.
Any enthusiast knows Cotto RUNS FROM NOBODY.. even Bums with Bricks in thier hands had trouble beating Cotto who epitmizes what a Class Act Boxer should be not to mention his Warrior Mentality which stems from the fight culture All puerto ricans are embedded with at birth. Both of Cottos losses are shrouded with controversy even Pacman is accused of using roids which i can say either way until theres real evidence like when Mosleys Trainer saw chunks of plaster fall from his wraps b4 his fight with MargaCheatO. Cotto has faced the best and wanted to face the best each and every time.. The WW division has nothing left for him…Moving up will give him a chance to show is capabilities at a higher wight without that Catch weight B/S (IMO should be abolished!) catch weights are for Fighters like (pacman) who need any type of advantage and i do mean any to win. I dont think I ever heard Cotto asking for a catch wight lol not the warrior. You say we would be Destroyed By Angulo? a Bum that comes into the ring with a dog collar around his neck whos boxing skills are 10 years behind cotto. Are you serious? GTF outta here with youre baseless analysis and go do youre homework buddy. Cotto will put on a good show against Foreman..If Williams or Santos wants some after that hell be ready with open arms..if PBF wants to move up and fight him hell be ready and willing and if Pacman wants to prove himself without catchwieghts and controversy and Challenge cotto at a higher wight where Pacman wont have any advantage Cotto will be Liccing his Chops..Thats Why i love Cotto Theres not Controversy or Politic B/S with him HE JUST WANTS TO FIGHT!
I think cotto is a natural middleweight.Cotto is used to diet to maintain the weight at welter.And Miguel Cotto is a Tough tough fighter easy win over foreman
Angulo has only fought one fighter who can even pretend to be “A” class, Cintron, and he lost badly. He has heavy hands and a good work rate but little skill and Cotto has already shown he can box.
I love Cotto, but he has taken much too much damage. I say beat Foreman and retire for the sake of his health.
how is cotto runing? he has never rejected a fight. he has wanted to fight mayweather while he ran. Cotto has not recovered properly from the margacheato fight and he still fought manny pacquiao taking him to the 12 round not giving up. He is just moving up because there is no one to fight at welterweight against berto who is running from the big guys and made an excuse to not fight mosley. not only that but cottos body cannot keep taking low catch weights. it is a fact that he struggles to make anything less that 147 and even 147 can be a bit of a challenge since he is naturally a heavy guy. moving up would secure no more foney catch weights and if pacman wabts another title he can come get it at a catch weight of 150 lowest 147 which is cottos range and will allow him to fight great and win. also it should be easier on his body and he said he will retire soon so why not retire with a tittle comfortably instead of punishing your body with lower weight that hurts you. cotto does not run
no, no , no, u can’t predict the future, but you can steer toward it
after the first pac /cotto , people and the power that be is clamoring for a pac/cotto ii, only if there is a compelling reasong for it, so you position your chess pieces in the right direction hoping things will evolve in the right direction with the right contrivance and if things work in accordance to planning and probabilities
The only person whos running i reckon is P.Williams , i might be wrong but that guy got out of that division , and all he does is moan about no-one wants to fface him , well obviosuly moving out of the welterweight division, where he had major fights against Mayweather,Mosley,Cotto,Pacquiao coming doesnt really make sense to me. I think he saw the resurgance in star-power and decided to move out, before his rep got scared . his got nothing to worry about now that Cottos in his ddivision, if his great, hell fight cotto and show what a fighter Williams really is, and stop complaining about Ducking. if he wants to prove himself, all he has to do is lose 8 pounds and fight in the welter division. Cotto Will destroy most people ,especially Foreman, i think Miguel should fight Sturm and Williams and show critics he aint finsished.
Dower,You need a shower.Cotto moving up for another easy title,And a nice payday,puertoricans all ways support him on the holiday.he also mention to retire at 30.I figure one more big fight,And its a rap.
I’m Sorry , Miguel is an elite fighter , you cannot seriously say his running away , when nobody wants to fight him , PBF has been ducking him for years , Clotteys been dismantled by him , Okay he lost to Margarito and Pacquaio , but the guys still got wins over Judah, Malignaggi and Mosley , there’s no one left to fight except Berto , who again seems to be ducking the big-time , I think this is a smart move , Move up-to Light-middle division and resurrect his career, and beat Foreman who people are calling the favourite to win , give me a break , Cotto is going to beat Foreman , and go on to probably take over the division.
Perhaps this time around, Cotto is the kind of fighter who’ll teach Foreman a few lessons in boxing. Foreman is the type who clinches a lot, as if he were dancing cheek-to-cheek, as in his fight with Santos, who was obviously out of shape. Cotto had all the guts in the world to face Pacquiao, and for that I give him a lot of credit. Who knows, Miguel might be able to redeem himself by beating a clincher like Foreman. Good luck, Miguel. Buena suerte y pegalo bien!
I’m a Pacquiao fan, but have a lot of respect for fighters who are willing to face our “little guy”.
Cotto faced undefeated Quintana (after beating PW), Malinaggi (undefeated), avoided AM (cheater),Clottey, & Mosley!!! Roach himself said Cotto wasn’t he the same fighter after AM & Manny stated that making weight is always a issue t’s aking a lot out of you due to lack of nutrients along with hydration. I don’t beleive Cotto was effected badly by the 2 pounds especially after coming off the fight with Clottey. But Cotto was the champ & deserved the 147 limit. Roach like any descent trainer looked for every advantage. The AM fight Cotto was looked great until the plaster hardened. The Clottey fight looked great until he got cut & you can tell he wasn’t the same mentally IMO because he always used to switch up to south paw being hes naturally a lefty. It would have servrd him well time to time protecting his cut & letting him see more coming. He looked alright against Manny but his walk to the ring said it all. He looked like he already lost but opened the fight well. He gave Manny to many opertunities to land combonations & Manny is so fast accurancy that more than compliments his descent strength making him stronger than really is. Once Cotto got tagged with that crazy right to the chin that put Hatton out that was it. Cotto’s punches were wide & not as strong yet he hung in there giving it his all. Your morals are twisted to believe that Cotto is a runner when he always took on the best. Do i want him to fight Hatton, AM, Berto, Mosley, Mayweather, & Manny at 147 of course but he has to prove as far as his willingness to compete against anyone.
Cotto runs from no one. He’s fearless. Almost anyone in the welterweight would’ve fallen against him on Nov14th given how good he looked in the first 6 rounds. And I’m getting tired of people saying Cotto didn’t do anything in that fight. the first three rounds of Cotto-Pac were compared to Hagler-Hearns: the MOST exciting three rounds in boxing history. And while we’re on the subject, let me point out how, Cotto lasted more rounds that the last two of Pacman’s opponents did TOGETHER.
Respect Miguel Cotto.
Only MAYWEATHER IS A RUNNER!!!! PACMAN FIGHTER OF THE DECADE by Boxing writers of America! I Rest my case!
Pinoy Pacman is a straight-up cheat. Was offered A 14 day cut-off point and he refused. He wants to use roids to train as he knows that with roids he may have a tiny chance. Cotto will beat Pac at 147 easily. 145 was always too much. Cotto will be champ at 154 and will beat catch-weight Pacman in a catchweight at 150
mate if he was running he would try go back down a weight . its a bit of a strange match sort of come out the blue, good luck cotto you deserve to extend your legacy.
LISTEN!! Miguel Cotto Runs From nobody, He can beat anyone on the JR. Middleweight Division….Williams, Cintron, Angulo, Martinez??? Come on Guys think…and he lost twice, so what?? the first defeat was a contraversial with illegal Hand Wraps and now his second loss is questionable with Pacman on ROIDS…Nobody has really beaten Cotto without being accused of something…And Pacman is on Drugs Cause He suffered More Than Cotto with a Broken Hand, Busted Ear Drum and a Black eye. Miguel Cotto was Just Swollen he was fine..so you tell me that pacman didnt feel any pain??? Boxing is Bit in this time, But is Fighters Like Cotto Who Keep it Alive 100% pure Fighter No Drugs, No Scandals, No Nothing He is the Best Welterwieght Cotto and Mayweather thats It!!!
@manny
Hey man this is a boxing website Not no gossipin shh and blogging you have no right to say that about PAC if u sayin that is because u hatin on him n u wish u were in his position and maybe he beat down one of your boxers and u still mad but dnt critisize him without facts
to answer the question i think yes.
and i think he gonna struggle at light middle the same as hatton struggled at welter,he`s not big enough.
Why would Cotto want to fight Pacquiao again? The first time was bad enough. He has gone as far as he can in the welterweight division so why not move up? He could have the chance of winning a belt in another division.
I believe Cotto is being positioned by Arum to take the light middleweight title from Foreman. Foreman is not a great champion, and his fight with Santos was awful in my opinion, since Daniel Santos has really fought much in the last 2 years. By Cotto securing the light middleweight title, he will secure the division if in case Floyd Jr decides to go back to light middleweight. Floyd will have to face Cotto for which Floyd doesn’t want to take on. It is smart for Arum to position Cotto where if Floyd wants to take a light middleweight, Cotto would be the guy he should challenge.
I think it is a smart fight for Cotto. He is a good guy and has received quite a bit of punishment over the years because he had the balls to take on the best in the business (unlike some others). Foreman is a powder puff and I can’t see him landing anything like what Manny was able to in Cotto’s last fight. If Cotto has anything left I think he will easily account for Foreman and maybe he can make something out of his new division. Cotto deserves a nice payday and this fight in New York should make him some nice money with far less risk and potential for punishment then any of the top guys at welter. Who knows if he impresses he could have a crack at Williams.
Cotto runs from no one and thats why he is a true warrior don’t slag him off he has more guts that anyone. Who cares if he loses he is a true champion.