By Charles Barrett: With bravery above and beyond the call of duty Miguel Cotto some how made it to the 12th rd, only to be stopped 55 sec’s later. In truth it had stopped being competitive from the 6th rd, but even though the battle was lost the warrior refused to concede defeat.
Boxing can be the cruelest of sports and many had questioned the heart of Cotto after the Margarito surrender.
The Peurto Rican had something to prove, not to the fans, not to his trainers but to himself.
On this night the fighter would go out on his shield.
The supreme fighting machine that is Manny Pacquiao seems to get better and better.
Not just physically gifted but technically and mentally brilliant. He said to his opponent you cannot out speed me but more crucially he said you cannot hurt me but I can hurt you, psychologically for Cotto that realization would have been crushing.
As the rounds flew by, the face of Cotto began to change shape the chiseled features were being lost behind a mask of welts, swellings and blood.
By the 10th rd it was as only a mater of time, but the pocket dynamo took his foot off the gas, Cotto was in full retreat but was still defiant.
As the bell rang for the 12th we were just hopping Cotto could see things through to the end, but ref Kenny Bayless had seen enough after Cotto had shipped another big left hand he jumped between the fighters and waved it off,
In truth Cotto could have probably carried on but that was not the point, the third man is there to protect the fighter whether it’s the 1st or the last round.
So as one star fades and another grows even brighter, and somewhere across the wide expanses of America, another fighter who’s yet to taste defeat looks on, his name Floyd Mayweather.
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