Cotto vs. Martinez: My Two Cents

By Jay McIntyre - 05/23/2014 - Comments

cotto667Writer’s Note: This article is an abbreviated one, for the full article, please visit: http://a-neutral-corner.blogspot.ca/2014/05/my-two-cents-martinez-vs-cotto.html

By Jay McIntyre: A year ago nobody would have used the names Sergio Martinez (51-2-2, 28 KO’s) and Miguel Cotto (38-4, 31 KO’s) in the same sentence, but on June 7th, 2014, they will be stepping through the ropes of the same ring in Madison Square Garden. That’s boxing. Don’t read too much into it, instead just enjoy it. It’s not often that we get to see two incredible boxers match their wits and skill against one another due to promotional rivalries and protective managers. 

Sergio Martinez, an established champion and ranked #7 on The Ring’s pound-for-pound list, must defend his crown against the dangerous usurper that is Miguel Cotto. Aside from his bout against Delvin Rodriguez, Miguel Cotto has been fighting in championship fights since 2005. While Martinez has not been terribly active since 2011 due to vaious injuries, he still demands respect – a respect that he feels has not been extended to him by his opponent. Cotto has sought to use his reputation to leverage some amenities that are usually accorded to reigning champions: his name appears first on all promotional work, and he will be the last to walk out to the ring. Cotto has flatly stated that he is the “A side” to this fight because he has fought “A side” competition, and sold out the Madison Square Garden nine times. In terms of business, Miguel Cotto is a known quantity. Sergio Martinez contents that he is the “A side” to this fight, and he’s got a legitimate claim since he is the reigning champion and ranks rather high on most pound for pound lists. In terms of prestige, Sergio Martinez is a known quantity. However, on June 7th, what will really matter is what both men bring to the ring.

Praise: power in both hands, well-rounded, deep resume, adjusts style over course of fight.

Concern: stamina fails him in closing rounds of title fights, struggles with boxers that have superior ring generalship.

Miguel Cotto is battle-tested, versatile, and severe in the use of his punches. In many ways, Cotto is about as complete as a boxer can get. He is technically sound, moves his head, mixes up the level of his strikes, sets them up, has power, and knows when to fight aggressively or defensively. This skillset has let him overcome very capable fighters like Randall Bailey (30-5, 27 KO’s), Demarcus Corley (29-4, 18 KO’s), Paulie Malignaggi (21-0 5 KO’s), Zab Judah (34-5-0-2, 25 KO’s), Shane Mosley (44-5-0-1, 38 KO’s), Joshua Clottey (35-2-0-1, 21 KO’s) and Antonio Margarito (38-7, 27 KO’s) – their posted records indicating their wins/losses at the time of their fight with Cotto. His defeats have come at the (plastered) hands of Antonio Margarito, the buzzsaw that is Manny Pacquiao, the veteran strategist Floyd Mayweather Jr. and the (at the time) surging Austin Trout. Each time Cotto steps through the ropes, he has made his opponents earn every inch of their victory. This time however, he moves up a weight class to middleweight (160 lbs.) and will test his mettle against the seasoned veteran that is Sergio Martinez.

Converted Southpaw

A converted southpaw is a boxer whose left hand is their dominant hand but they stand in an orthodox stance. Traditionally, a boxer fights with their dominant hand trailing and their weaker hand leading – hence a right hander will place his left hand forward, and his dominant hand back. A southpaw, of course, reverses this stance for the sake of their more dominant left hand. Why then, would a boxer convert their stance and place their power hand in the land, and have the weaker hand trail behind? Sometimes trainers have no idea how to train southpaws and rewire them to fight orthodox. Other times, the switch is to gain a stylistic edge, whereby their dominant hand gets used more regularly and gives its relatively soft touch, some serious bite.

Every great boxer knows the value of a good jab. Some even go so far as to pride themselves in theirs at the expense of another. Larry Holmes, upon hearing someone praise Lennox Lewis’ jab, indignantly replied that “Lennox Lewis doesn’t have no jab” – a statement emphasizing as much about a boxer’s pride in their jab as it does about the confusion of double negatives. When Miguel Cotto jabs, it has the authority of a power punch. His timing, body weight, and overall coordination with his dominant hand all contribute to a very damaging and very effective jab. Although some of the best jabs in the history of the sport are also some of the fastest, this does not preclude other attributes from contributing to its success. Cotto’s jab is not fast, but he times it and pushes it into his opponent’s face in a manner that cannot be easily swept aside nor easily absorbed.

What sort of analysis of Miguel Cotto would be complete without some attention to his left hook? While Cotto has had no problem landing this punch when pressing his opponent against the ropes, he was equally at his best finding a way to land it in the centre of the ring against quality opposition. It is his most powerful punch, and one of his sharpest in terms of accuracy. His opponent’s know this, so landing this marquee strike requires set up. In his 2007 unanimous decision win over Shane Mosley, Cotto was able to land the hook by doubling it up in combinations and using other punches to set it up.

Versatility

If you have spent much time watching Cotto fight you will observe that he can fight aggressively, pushing the pace, just as effectively as he can circling on the outside, picking his shots. Cotto is a complete boxer.In his rematch against Antonio Margarito we observed a patient, elusive boxer that denied the slower Margarito from lining him up in his cross-hairs. By punching and moving – continually turned him left and right – he picked apart the bigger stronger brawler and won an 11th round stoppage. Earlier in his career, in his fight against Zab Judah, Cotto showed that he could stalk and fight on the inside if he felt that the occasion warranted it. The difference in both fights was the opponent. Margarito is a plodding power puncher that wants to drag you into a phone booth, lean on you with his forehead, and start scoop punches into your body and face. Getting in his way is hazardous to your health. Zab Judah, on the other hand was fast, and quick moving, but lacked the lethality in his punching to give Cotto reticence in his attack. It has often be quoted that when boxing “you don’t chase a puncher around”, and Cotto was able to stalk Judah without fear of reprisal, slowly wearing his down with vicious hooks until a late stoppage in the 11th round.

Within a span of twelve rounds, Cotto can and will adjust his style to meet the needs of the fight. Alternating between highly aggressive, and patiently evading his opponent, Cotto will vary his approach to confuse his opponent. If you have ever seen Miguel Cotto’s win over Shane Mosley, you will have perhaps noticed the moments where he pressured effectively, and moments where boxed on the outside effectively. To make an opponent think defensively and fight on the back foot, only to change your rhythm and force them to be the attacker is smart strategy and prevents the opponent from getting comfortable in the ring. For all of Mosley’s ring craft he lost – albeit very closely – a unanimous decision to Cotto.

Cracks in the Armour

If there are two things that have plagued him throughout his career it is his stamina and the scar tissue on his face. What this means is that the longer the fight goes, the more it will favour Martinez. Cotto was getting lit up by Floyd Mayweather Jr. during the closing rounds of their fight in May of 2012. Although Cotto made a strong case for himself in the middle rounds, his response time and pressure began to wane and Mayweather – always won to budget the expenditure of his stamina – was able to take control. His fight against Austin Trout in December of 2012 bore similar resemblances.

One tendency that Martinez can exploit is Cotto’s willingness to stand just outside of range and not move his head. Yes, he moves. Yes, he works angles. Yes, he had head movement and counter-punching ability that must be respected. But he also gets tagged at long range by the power hand of his opponent when he thinks he is just out of range. Zab Judah, proved this, as did Floyd Mayweather Jr. Austin Trout could have gotten away with using his left hand with greater frequency, but it was clear he was content to safely box on the outside and clinch urgently on the inside. A boxer with fast hands, thinking he has Cotto just outside the range of the power hand, can find a home for this punch. It’s not a tendency that can be exploited or repeated with much regularity, but it is something a fast punching sharpshooter like Martinez can exploit.

Lastly given the number of wars he has been through, and the damage he has taken over his storied career, Miguel Cotto has developed some fragile scar tissue over his brow which adversely affects by clouding his vision and swaying the perceptions of the judges. Cotto will want to operate behind a high guard – as he usually does in his fights – in order to prevent his skin from breaking open.

Recipe for Success

Given Cotto’s tendency to hit hard, and Martinez’s recent string of injuries, Cotto will want to make this an uncomfortable experience for Martinez. Since Martinez moves so well and there hasn’t been much of a blueprint to defeat him, Cotto and his team will have to come up with a near perfect game plan. Forcing Martinez to the ropes with his jab and then digging in body shots will level the playing field in the long run. It will also serve to make Martinez fight at a range he is least comfortable with. If Cotto can invest in that body work early, then he may not find Martinez to be such an elusive target later on. It has been a while since Martinez has fought an opponent who uses the jab to set up their aggression.

Knowing that tired athletes are more inclined to suffer injuries, I wouldn’t be surprised if Cotto’s stratagem involves body punching and inside work: two areas where Martinez is perhaps at his weakest.

Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez

Praise: great stamina, fast hands, maintains composure under duress, good combination puncher and pot-shotter

Concern: inside game not very developed, injury prone.

Martinez has been the quiet king of the middleweight division for the past several years but – for whatever reason – has not been able to leave an indelible mark on the memory of the fans. It would be a mistake to say that he is not appreciated, but the truth is that he has not been terribly active over the past several years and this has prevented him from exploiting the attention he gained by defeating the WBC champion Julio Caesar Chavez Jr. He controls the space of the ring effortlessly, he punches quickly, and he tirelessly works angles to frustrate and deny his opponent. In looking at his strategy we must understand that it is predicated on an intelligent application of his speed and stamina.

Dropping his hands

What looks to be an unusual, deadpan stare with his hands hanging lifelessly by his side, is in fact a calculated risk meant to maximize Martinez’s advantages. A willingness to drag the fight into deep waters, and move constantly means that one must use every little tick to stay sharp for twelve rounds. Dropping the hands keeps the shoulders from having to keep the arms up. It gives them a much needed rest and helps Martinez keep his hand speed well into the later rounds. It also – while looking like utter disdain toward his opponent’s offense – serves the purpose of drawing the lead from the other boxer. Whenever you throw a punch you expose a part of yourself and leave it at the mercy of your opponent.

Lateral Movement and Angles

Before being a high-level boxer, Martinez used to be a high-level cyclist and soccer player. Both of those past hobbies required a deep reservoir of energy and Martinez maintained this attribute when he transitioned into his boxing career at the advanced age of twenty.

When dealing with side to side movement the general rule is that you never circle into your opponent’s power. This is obvious in that your body’s motion will shorten your reaction time as you move closer to their arm and also you will force a collision between your head and their punch. These rules, however, are steeped in exceptions, and we must keep this in mind when understanding the southpaw angles.

The ‘outside angle’ is something that both the orthodox and the southpaw seek to achieve when landing punches with little fear of reprisal. Stepping one’s lead foot on a forty-five degree angle to the outside of your opponent’s lead foot will bring you closer to them, while also keeping you relatively safe. Why? Well, the southpaw boxer is stepping off his opponent’s line of attack, but because of the dominant position of his body, you are still able to land pretty much whatever you want. There is a counter to this which means the orthodox boxer simply pivots counter clockwise to re-establish their line of attack and thus thwart their opponent’s chances of hurting him. This, however requires a fair degree of timing, speed and in some cases, prescience.

The ‘inside angle’, on the other hand requires the southpaw boxer step laterally (usually) and to the inside of the opponent’s lead foot.

So, what does all this mean? Combining his awkward ‘hands down’ style, with his relentless use of movement left and right means that Martinez is either drawing an attack from his opponent, working an angle to land his own attack, or using a combination of the two.

Let’s not forget that Miguel Cotto struggled against Austin Trout and lost by decision. Sergio Martinez is bigger, faster, and more experienced than Austin Trout. Every fight is different and styles certianly do make fights. But Martinez is more used to operating with these southpaw angles, than Miguel Cotto is experienced in dealing with them. A split-second of timing against a lightning fast puncher can mean everything when so much is at stake.

Cracks in the Armour

While being an effective mover and puncher, one thing that, stylistically, Martinez has never been quite proficient at is the art of in-fighting. Part of the reason for this is that he has always fought bigger men who were more powerful, but also more cumbersome. When he slowed down in the twelfth round of his bid for the WBC title against Chavez Jr., he was trapped and punched to the floor. Not only did this induce a near fateful injury, but also demonstrate Martinez’s weakness on the inside. Cotto is much faster than the typical stock of middleweights and this speed may surprise Martinez initially. The more Cotto is able to get inside and be abrasive the more likely Martinez will become another KO victim of some a reputed puncher.

Recipe for Success

Martinez will want to “stick and move; pick and choose”. Letting Cotto pin him along the ropes is a surefire way for him to accrue damage that he can’t afford to absorb. While Julio Caesar Chavez Jr. was a larger, more powerful opponent than Miguel Cotto is, he lacked the speed and overall boxing skill. When fighting Cotto, Martinez will need to strafe the scar tissue on Cotto’s brow to draw blood, and bury straight lefts into Cotto’s midsection to tire him out. Opening torrents of blood along the brow of Cotto will sway the judges, blind Cotto’s eyes, and induce the referee to stop the fight. Cotto often adopts a high guard when he fights and this brings his elbows up, leaving his body exposed to body punches. Given that Cotto has a tendency to tire in the later rounds of a fight, Martinez should make early investments so that it can pay big dividends later on. Straight lefts to the body, while stepping off to the outside of Cotto’s lead foot will allow him to potshot, drain stamina, and get out of harm’s way.

One thing that Manny Pacquiao was able to do so well against Cotto was use his footwork to turn him. On more than a few occasions Pacquiao stepped to Cotto’s left, landed a punch or two, and then stepped to Cotto’s right and fired so more punches. Due to Pacquiao’s speed, Cotto had to turn to his left to face Pacquiao, and then to his right to face him again, without being able to land anything decisive. The consequence of this was that Cotto was always a half-beat behind the sharp southpaw and actually turned into Pacquiao’s punches as he tried to re-establish his line of attack. Martinez is obviously a quick fighter (though not as quick as Pacquiao), so learning from this and turning Cotto before he can unload his combinations, will make Martinez’s ability to sharp shoot that much easier.

In December of 2012, Austin Trout was able to score a win over Cotto by using a strategy similar to what Gene Tunney employed against Jack Dempsey. Tunney was at his best boxing on the outside, and Dempsey was at his best hooking his opponent’s head and body. Tunney knew he stood no chance against a strong power puncher like Dempsey. Tunney also had complete faith in his composure and stamina (two things you can control when fighting). He boxed along the perimeter of the ring and tied up Dempsey’s arms whenever Dempsey was able to get inside. The result was a patient, one-sided win for Tunney. Martinez would do well to heed the deeds of his ancestors.

Prediction

Sergio Martinez will win an entertaining unanimous decision. Martinez hasn’t KO’d a top notch opponent since Paul “Lefty” Williams in 2010, so don’t expect him to knockout a skilled veteran like Miguel Cotto. That being said, who can accurately play Nostradamus when the injury plagued Sergio Martinez steps through the ropes? His last two fights have seen him persevere through tremendous injuries which have paradoxically demonstrated both the frailty of his body and the resolve of his mind. Cotto is a dangerous opponent for anyone and he will make it close in the early portions of the fight, but Martinez will outlast him. It is a dangerous gambit for Miguel Cotto to move up in weight against such a skillful opponent. He struggled against Austin Trout and Trout – although skilled in his own right – is not cut from the same cloth as Martinez. Cotto is a great boxer, but he may indeed have bitten off more than he can chew on June 7th. Both men are at a crossroads. It was choice that brought them here, but willpower alone won’t be enough to dictate the outcome in the ring and under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.

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