As the world awaits the showdown between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather, Jr., another super fight looms nearly a month later. On June 9th, Miguel Cotto and Zab Judah meet for a portion of the welterweight title on HBO PPV. In terms of box-office attraction, there is no way the matchup between the #3 ranked welterweight in the world (Cotto) and the #5 ranked welterweight (Judah) can match De La Hoya-Mayweather. However, in terms of atmosphere, venue, matchup, and significance, Cotto-Judah exceeds De La Hoya-Mayweather in terms of overall quality.
Here are the four reasons I believe Cotto-Judah is a better event than De La Hoya-Mayweather:
ATMOSPHERE Cotto-Judah will take place on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day in New York City. Need I say more? The huge Boriqua contingent will cheer on their native son (Cotto) with fanatical zeal on the eve of Puerto Rico’s biggest annual event, creating a “World Cup-like” atmosphere inside Madison Square Garden. Zab “Super” Judah will also have his share of fans, as his Brooklyn backers are a Metro-Card swipe and few subway stops away from the event. This has the makings of an explosive fight scene – a throwback to the good ole days, when New York City was home to some of the biggest boxing events. De La Hoya-Mayweather is similar to Cotto-Judah, in that one fighter (De La Hoya) will be fighting in front of a largely partisan Latino crowd (in Las Vegas) against a fighter who now calls the city his home (Mayweather). In terms of celebrity attraction, De La Hoya-Mayweather will have as many stars as that famous sidewalk in Hollywood. As a result, this event will rival a small entertainment awards ceremony.
ADVANTAGE COTTO-JUDAH If anyone remembers the atmosphere during a Trinidad fight in Madison Square Garden, get ready for an eruption like no other on June 9th when Cotto and Judah face off. Any sports scene that has similarities to a soccer match gets my vote over a celebrity-filled sporting event like De La Hoya-Mayweather. Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather will tangle in the modern center of the boxing universe, the MGM Grand Arena. Its impressive seating, casino, and overall modernity make it the perfect place to hold a boxing event today. However, one can not discount that the “world’s most famous arena,” Madison Square Garden is arguably the most recognizable entertainment venue on the planet. Historically, no boxing arena can match it, with legendary prizefighters named Louis, Robinson, and Ali among its alumni.
ADVANTAGE COTTO-JUDAH I’m a sucker for nostalgia, so Madison Square Garden gets the nod. For all of the MGM Grand Arena’s modern marvel, nothing beats a good ‘ole prize fight in the original Mecca of boxing.
MATCHUP Here is where it’s a no contest. When Miguel Cotto and Zab Judah meet, you have two fighters who have explosive offensive arsenals, with obvious defensive holes (i.e. chins that have been more than shaken). Cotto is a vicious body puncher with uncanny ring generalship for a fighter still relatively young. What he lacks in super fight experience, he more than makes up for in consistency, focus and heart in the ring; qualities that Zab Judah has often lacked in big fights in the past – most notably in his losses to Kotsa Tszyu and Carlos Baldomir. Despite these apparent weaknesses, Cotto will be facing the fastest and hardest puncher in his burgeoning career. On June 9th, you will have two fighters with significant power and questionable chins – this may be boxing’s answer to the Dallas Mavericks versus the Phoenix Suns. Whoever gets (in) the last big shot will win. I have spoken at length in a previous article on “Why De La Hoya Mayweather is Bad for Boxing.”
ADVANTAGE COTTO-JUDAH This is probably the factor that most separates Cotto-Judah from De La Hoya-Mayweather in terms of potential fight quality. Ask any boxing fight which fight they think will be more entertaining, and the answer will be resounding-in favor of Cotta versus Judah.
SIGNIFICANCE To use a film analogy, Cotto-Judah has the makings of an underground, independent hit while De La Hoya-Mayweather is the major Hollywood studio release. However, as we all know, that does not make one fight superior to the other. Cotto-Judah has major implications on who will reign at welterweight, while De La Hoya-Mayweather is a classic clash of superstars – one, young, brash and in his prime (Mayweather) versus a recognizable, albeit past-prime, household name in the world of sports (De La Hoya). Every few years a fight comes along that brings boxing near the forefront of the sports world – and De La Hoya-Mayweather does that, regardless of what one may think of the matchup.
ADVANTAGE DE LA HOYA-MAYWEATHER This fight may not have the biggest Ring Magazine ranking implications, but there is no doubt that this matchup will garner attention of the boxing universe as well as some general sports fans who do not regularly pay attention to boxing. This is one of the rare opportunities for the sweet science to prove its “legitimacy” as an organized sport – a sport which has sported more black eyes than an overworked sparring partner. Cotto-Judah, although probably a better pure matchup, is merely an appetizer when matched against De La Hoya-Mayweather-case closed. So there you have it…on my unofficial scorecard, Cotto-Judah wins via unanimous decision over De La Hoya-Mayweather. I’ve been wrong before, but don’t count on it (smile).
