Timothy Medina

Boxing.... There are those who see it as just a sport. They think it is all about two guys inside of a ring with gloves on punching each other. There are also those who see it as just violent and barbaric. Then.... there is us boxing fans. We see boxing as the most beautiful thing on this planet. It impacted our lives and gave us memories we will never forget. Boxing is so beautiful because of the lessons it taught us. This sport showed us things that we thought were impossible. When we watch boxing, we watch nobodies stars, stars become champions, champions become warriors, warriors become legends, and legends becomes heroes. We either cheer for them or despise them. However, we love what they do. We love what boxing gives us.... Never ending memories. Boxing will live forever and as long as this sport lives, we will live.

Cotto-Martinez: Is it happening too late or has it come at the right time?

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martinez7676(Photo credit: Sumio Yamada) By Timothy Medina: Tonight at Madison Square Garden, 4-time world champion Miguel Cotto (38-4, 31 KO’s) will be swapping leather with the middleweight kingpin Sergio Martinez (51-2-2, 28 KO’s). Both men are in the final stages of their hall of fame careers. When mentioning the careers of both Cotto and Martinez, the numerous rings wars they have been through come to mind. As every boxing fan knows, ring wars take a toll on a fighter.

It is clear that these two warriors are battle-worn and now that they are close to meeting each other inside the squared circle, one question still remains. Is this fight happening too late or has it come at the right time?

Can Collazo claim a second world title?

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collazo66By Timothy Medina: On Thursday at the Barclays Center located in Brooklyn, New York, Luis Collazo (35-5, 18 KO’s) retained his WBA International Welterweight title against Victor Ortiz (29-5-2, 22 KO’s). Collazo winning the fight was no surprise to me. What surprised me was how Collazo won. The fight ended much earlier than anyone had expected when Collazo landed a thunderous right hook on Ortiz’s chin that would leave Ortiz on his knees, unsure of what he got hit with, at the end of the second round.

Collazo’s victory over Ortiz was alarming and he has once again made himself noticed in the welterweight class. Even though he disposed of Ortiz, he has not made his mark in the welterweight class. Collazo has defeated a once very good fighter, yet, Ortiz had not fought since June of 2012, and is not the same as he was three years ago.

Boxing is not a dying sport

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canelo323By Timothy Medina: For a few years many people have been saying boxing is not exciting like it used to be in the early 2000s. Many people have even considered boxing as a dying sport. As a boxing fan, last year I even agreed that the sport was not exciting as it was in the previous decade. The one thing I could not agree with was that boxing is dying. This sport is what I love dearly and so many fans of it can say the same thing. It is impossible to lose hope for boxing or any sport when you have so much passion towards it.

In 2013, boxing made its way back to the top as the elite combat sport, Boxing was back in the spotlight that UFC had been in for years. 2013 has been the most exciting year for boxing in recent years. It is difficult to say who was boxing’s fighter of 2013 or what the fight of 2013 was because there are many strong candidates for both categories. So many great things happened in the sport in just one year and at the perfect time too.

The problem with Broner

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broner9991By Timothy Medina: Last night in San Antonio, Texas at the Alamodome, a new champion emerged from the welterweight class. Marcos Maidana (35-3, 31 KO’s) triumphed over Adrien Broner (27-1, 22 KO’s) to be crowned the new WBA Welterweight champion. Maidana is the one who was able to solve “The Problem” and now he reigns supreme in his weight class.

Broner transformed himself into boxing’s biggest villain with all of his trash talking, the mind games he played with past opponents and the cockiness he displays in and out of the ring. These tactics had drawn a lot of attention to him which was very smart of him to do. Yet, it created a lot of hatred towards him as well. Many boxing fans were hoping for a fighter who could finally solve “The Problem”. In the eyes of many including myself, Paulie Malignaggi had solved him though the judges did not see it.

Who will Cotto fight next?

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cotto5By: Timothy Medina After last October 5th, Miguel Cotto (38-4, 31 KO’s) had set himself up for a mega-fight in 2014. There have been rumors of a fight between Cotto and Saul Alvarez (42-1-1, 30 KO’s) being set up for March 8th of next year and that it is almost a done deal.

Then there are rumors that it seems Cotto will move up a weight class to fight Sergio Martinez (51-2-2, 28 KO’s) for his WBC Middleweight title on June 7th of next year. Cotto has been offered $10 million to face Alvarez by Richard Schaefer and supposedly he has been offered $15 million by Top Rank Promotions to face Martinez.

Judah-Malignaggi: Battle in Brooklyn this Saturday

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08 Malignaggi_Hopkins_Judah IMG_0676(Photo credit: Casino/Showtime) By Timothy Medina: This Saturday at the Barclays Center a battle between two Brooklyn natives will be taking place. The two fighters clashing for supremacy of the borough are Zab Judah (42-8, 29 KO’s) and Paulie Malignaggi (32-5, 7 KO’s). Redemption is what they both seek after coming off losses earlier this year. This bout is likely to be exciting and memorable especially for New Yorkers yet, it is unlikely that a victory for either fighter this Saturday will earn them a mega-fight in 2014.

Last April 27th, Judah fought Danny Garcia for his WBA/WBC light welterweight straps. “Super” Judah was not so super against the young champion from Philadelphia. Garcia controlled the tempo of the fight from rounds one through nine and even sent Judah to the canvas in round eight. Judah was hanging on for dear life, trying to stick around for all twelve rounds. It was clear Garcia had already won the fight. However, Judah placed an exclamation point on the ending stages of the fight as he all of a sudden came to life.

What last night meant for Pacquiao

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pac93By Timothy Medina:  Last December, all boxing fans were anticipating the fourth fight between Manny Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KO’s) and Juan Manuel Marquez. The fourth fight seemed like it would put an end to the Pacquiao versus Marquez saga. It was a fight surrounded by controversy and Marquez was hoping to have his arms raised in victory to end the saga.

The fight ended sooner than anyone had expected, and it ended in the most surprising way. A right hand by Marquez at the end of the sixth round snapped Pacquiao’s head back and down to the canvas he went. It was thrilling while terrifying due to the fact that Pacquiao was laid out for a few minutes until finally sitting up completely unaware of what hit him. Many boxing fans including myself asked the same question that Larry Merchant asked after the knockout. “Will Manny Pacquiao ever be seen in the ring again?”

Cotto or Quillin as next opponent for Martinez?

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martinez2By Timothy Medina: Sergio Martinez (51-2-2) is the current WBC middleweight champion. Martinez is a big target because of the gold he is holding. There are two fighters that have spoken out this month about wanting to fight Martinez for his title. Those two fighters are Miguel Cotto (38-4) and Peter Quillin (30-0). Both Cotto and Quillin had TKO victories in their last fights. They are both deserving of facing Martinez in 2014 and I can see either one of them putting up a great fight against him.

On October 5th, Miguel Cotto faced Delvin Rodriguez which was a fight that would determine how the remainder of Cotto’s career would end. Many people were questioning how much gas was left in Cotto’s tank due to all the damage he has received over the years, and his mentality after suffering two consecutive losses in 2012. Rodriguez is obviously not the toughest opponent Cotto has fought, but he was seen as a fighter who could go the distance with Cotto. However, with the help of Freddie Roach, Cotto went back to his roots which is being a spectacular body puncher and disposed of Rodriguez within three rounds.

Cotto is back in prime form

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cotto900By Timothy Medina  Since December 1st, 2012, many people have claimed that Miguel Cotto is not the same fighter he once was and that he is washed up. With two consecutive loses in 2012, it seemed to most boxing fans that Cotto’s career was over. Cotto only had one last chance to prove those who doubted him wrong in a bout against Delvin Rodriguez. Last night at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida it only took Cotto three rounds to prove them wrong.

Rodriguez’s advantage in height and arm length did not matter last night. Cotto was able to take every punch Rodriguez threw at him, and just walked right through them. Everybody who was watching the fight was seeing the Cotto that we have not seen in years. From the first round, Cotto was already displaying one of the most devastating punches of the past decade and what made him successful through most of his career. I am speaking of Cotto’s famous left hook to the body.

Everything on the line for Cotto tonight against Rodriguez

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cotto023By: Timothy Medina  Tonight in the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, Delvin Rodriguez (28-6-3) faces Miguel Cotto (37-4-0). While this is simply a tune-up fight for Miguel Cotto, this is going to be the biggest fight in the career of Rodriguez.

Even though this fight is bigger for Rodriguez than it is for Cotto, this fight will determine how the legacy of Cotto will end.

Cotto is one of the biggest fighters of the past decade and a future Hall of Famer. He has been in many wars and has been victorious against men such as Paulie Malignaggi, Carlos Quintana, Zab Judah, Shane Mosley, Joshua Clottey, and Antonio Margarito. It is hard to imagine Cotto losing to the likes of Rodriguez, but with the damage Cotto has taken over the years, it is possible for Rodriguez to pull off a miracle tonight.