By Chris Williams: I read a number of articles from so-called writers that said that Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28 KO’s) dominated former WBA light middleweight champion Yuri Foreman (28-1, 8 KO’s) in Cotto’s 9th round TKO win on Saturday night at Yankee Stadium. Well, I saw the fight and I don’t have the foggiest idea what these people are talking about. Cotto didn’t dominate anyone. I had the fight even 3 rounds to 3 at the time that Foreman hurt his right knee after it collapsed under him in the 7th round.

Yeah, I agree that Cotto dominated Foreman once he was injured, but certainly not before the injury. And I didn’t see any improvement in Cotto’s game either. Cotto looked the same way he always does – wide open defensively and unable to block any right hands to save his life. Before the injury occurred, Cotto looked to be right on his usual pace of fading badly by the 8th.

Cotto is more of an eight round fighter nowadays than someone who can go 12 rounds. He’s extremely fortunate that Foreman’s right leg gave out when it did, because Cotto would have faded in the later rounds and probably would have gotten stopped. As it was, Foreman hurt Cotto with two huge right hands in the 3rd that staggered Cotto.

I never thought that Foreman would be the harder puncher in the fight but it sure looked that way to me. Foreman looked sensational up until the injury in the 7th, boxing beautifully, landing fast punches and making the slow-footed Cotto miss repeatedly. Foreman looked to be well on his way to tiring Cotto out when the injury occurred. I have no doubts that he would have beaten Cotto in the later rounds of the fight.

I was amused after the fight when Bob Arum, Cotto’s promoter, said that Cotto was back on top as one of the elite fighters in the division based on this win. Is he kidding? Cotto proved nothing, other than he can beat a fighter that injures himself at the halfway point of the fight. I don’t give Cotto any chance at beating the other top light middleweights Sergiy Dzinziruk, Alfredo Angulo, Sergio Martinez or Kermit Cintron.

Of course, Cotto won’t be fighting those guys because he’s looking for a rematch with Pacquiao. Arum could also put Cotto in with Antonio Margarito in a rematch of a fight against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. I think Cotto loses badly to Margarito. I think Cotto can probably beat Chavez, cause that guy is slow, has poor stamina and no defense.

But as far Cotto’s win over Foreman, I wasn’t impressed one bit in that victory. Cotto looked like the same fighter that lost to Pacquiao. The only difference is that Foreman wasn’t throwing a lot of punches like Pacquiao was in his slaughter of Cotto. Foreman never does throw a lot of punches and instead likes to attack in short bursts. But it wouldn’t have mattered if he hadn’t injured his leg because he was upping his work rate each round and starting to get to Cotto at the time the injury occurred.