By Matt Stein: Seeking the path of least resistance, former World Boxing Association welterweight champion Miguel Cotto (32-1, 26 KOs) will be facing Michael Jennings (34-1, 16 KOs) for the vacant WBO welterweight title on February 21st at the Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. For Cotto, 28, who was stopped in the 11th round in his last fight in July against Antonio Margarito, it looks as if he’s jumping from the frying pan straight into the fire with his choice of the 31-year-old Jennings as his next opponent.
In most cases, a fighter that suffers a loss as bad as Cotto experienced at the hands of Margarito, typically take it easy for awhile before stepping it back up. However, Cotto doesn’t appear to be interested in resting on his laurels and is getting right back into the thick of things with a fight against Jennings, the number #3 ranked welterweight in the WBO, and a fighter with superb boxing skills.
Indeed of the welterweights in the division, Jennings may have the best overall skills than any other fighter in the division, better movement, great punch variety, good endurance and an excellent jab to go along with it. What Cotto doesn’t need right now is a fighter that he’ll have to go after and chase down to try and score a victory.
Jennings will definitely make him do just that, while peppering the short, squat Cotto with jabs while he attempts to corner him. Jennings is perfectly suited to a fight on the outside, and won’t be lured into fighting with Cotto on the inside where he would be much less suited.
At 5’10”, Jennings will be coming into the fight with a three inch height advantage over the 5’7” Cotto, and will clearly be using his height and reach advantage to keep Cotto from getting to him and banging him with hooks at close range.
For many Americans, they’ve heard little about Jennings and will be seeing him for the first time against Cotto, but they’re probably going to be wondering what was going through Cotto’s head in selecting a tough fighter like Jennings so soon after a beating like the one the one that was handed down to Miguel by Margarito.
This is a fight that Cotto may wish he hadn’t taken so soon, because Jennings will be hitting him a lot, and though it won’t be with particularly hard punches, he punches plenty hard to take Cotto out if he can land enough times. Something that isn’t being factored into this bout is Cotto’s chin.
He was hurt a number of times in his fight with Margarito, and in the 10th and 11th rounds, Cotto was badly shaken by a series of shot uppercuts from Margarito, leading to Cotto taking a knee twice and then quitting. My fear is that his punch resistance will be way down for this fight, and that punches that he previously was able to take without any problems before his fight with Margarito, will now hurt him and put him in trouble.
You can be sure, if he gets hurt by Jennings, he won’t be able to survive. Jennings is faster, and more of a precise puncher than any other fighter that Cotto has faced in his career up until now, and he’ll take advantage of it if he can get Cotto in trouble.
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