Mayweather will totally dominate Cotto

By Boxing News - 02/08/2012 - Comments

Image: Mayweather will totally dominate CottoBy John F. McKenna (McJack): When World Boxing Association (WBA) light middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (37-2, 30 KO’s) enters the ring on May 5 against WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (42-0, 26 KO’s) at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas boxing fans from around the world will be focused on what kind of a fight Cotto gives Mayweather.

Will Miguel push “Money” to a point no fighter in years has been able to do?

Just like all boxing fans, this writer is no exception in hoping for a hotly contested competitive fight. After Cotto suffered a devastating TKO loss to Antonio Margarito in July in 2008 and another TKO loss to World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Manny Pacquaio there were many boxing pundits who felt that Miguel’s career was on life support and that it would be difficult for him to bounce back from those losses.

After the loss to Pacquiao, Cotto bounced back to win the WBA light middleweight title in June 2010 when he scored a TKO win over Yuri Foreman. Miguel followed up with another TKO win over Ricardo Mayorga in March of 2011. After those two victories Cotto avenged his loss to Margarito with a TKO win last December.

There is no doubt that Miguel Cotto is still a very good fighter. He is not however the fighter he was five years ago. The Miguel Cotto of five years ago may have offered “Money” Mayweather a very competitive fight. That is no longer the case.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the finest defensive fighter of his generation. Quite possibly he is among the best defensive fighter of any generation. In addition at the age of 35 Floyd does not appear to have lost any of his blazing speed, and in that area has a significant edge over Cotto.

Margarito was a fairly easy fighter for Miguel to prepare for. He predictably bores right in and attempts to inflict damage by unloading his heavy artillery. It was fairly easy for Cotto to make the necessary adjustments. Move laterally and target Antonio’s damaged eye when he attempted to get inside. It was a foregone conclusion that the ringside doctor would call a halt when Mararito’s surgically repaired eye began to show any signs of damage.

A victory by Cotto over Margarito proves little. And by no stretch of the imagination does it indicate that he belongs in the same ring with Mayweather. Floyd studies all his opponents before he signs the dotted line. He will frustrate Miguel with his shoulder roll defense and start inflicting damage with his precise razor sharp counters to Cotto’s face. It is unlikely that Miguel will be around long enough to hear the bell for the final round.

And to Mayweather and his legions of fans he will have achieved victory without the benefit of a catchweight by Cotto.



Comments are closed.