Alas, after a few weeks of one-sided fights and meaningless alphabelt face-offs, June 13 can’t come sooner. For 
my Boriqua friends and many others, the day will be a festive moment, landing on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City. For my fellow boxing fans, it represents an annual show at Madison Square Garden, starring Puerto Rico’s leading boxer. Felix Trinidad started the tradition in the 90’s and Miguel Cotto (33-1, 27 KOs) has carried on the tradition.
This all sounds like a little too much for the Ghanaian-born Joshua Clottey (35-2, 20 KOs) to overcome, right?
I think so, but it may not be as daunting as it appears. Although Clottey will be facing Cotto in his "home away from home" at the Garden, he won’t be too far from his adopted hometown of the Bronx, NY. Expect Clottey’s rooting section to be easily drowned out by Cotto’s fans, but don’t expect him to be psyched out fighting in the heart of New York City on the eve of Nuyoricans’ biggest party.
Clottey’s biggest concern will be between those ropes, not with the crowd. In Cotto, he’ll be facing the most skilled opponent of his career. Cotto will also be the hardest puncher and most accomplished fighter that he’s faced. A resume that includes Antonio Margarito (who they both lost to) and victories over current or former champions including Ricardo Torres, Paul Malignaggi, Carlos Quintana, Zab Judah (Clottey owns one too), and Shane Mosley is surpassed by few.
Cotto is a solid favorite in this fight but he’s facing a legitimate, strong welterweight in his physical prime in Clottey. It will be interesting to see how Cotto responds to his first real challenge since his blood-letting at the "illegally wrapped" hands of Antonio Margarito. His tune-up against the over-matched Michael Jennings in February was merely a televised sparring session. Clottey is no sparring partner. He will actually punch back, and with bad intentions. He will block punches. His "ear-muff" defense is often tighter than security around President Obama.
However, when it’s all said and done, I predict that Miguel Cotto will be too dynamic an offensive fighter for the often-methodical Clottey to overcome. And the partisan Madison Square Garden will give him a significant "home-ring" advantage if the fight goes to the scorecards.
Miguel Cotto Will Emerge Victorious Via Hard-Fought Unanimous Decision Over 12 Rounds. What do you think?
i think you are right. clottey is too defensive, and will loose the decision. this too is a safe fight for cotto, and puts in position to chalange for the title.
tom, methinks clottey could conceivably pull off the upset if cotto is still “messed up” from the margarito drubbing, but my gray matter tells me otherwise.
Do not trust your grey matter!
Look what happened to my house and marriage!
I think this prediction will go as well as your other one:
“Cotto will defeat Margarito easier than expected”
I know. Dude, I feel you – I am less and less confident in my pick as the fight approaches. Like you, I am scared of losing everyhting that I have worked for Joe!
Damn, it’s a tough call. It’s up to Clottey if he wants to mix it up inside or control with distance. Both are tough to do against Cotto though. Clottey has a good chin, strong enough to stun with straights, solid jab, and quick enough to get around to the side of the head with hooks. Good power both hands. Cotto will not be able to walk him down and find spots to work him over. If they’re standing chin to chin in the middle of the ring, I think Clottey will take it. If Cotto does a little more boxing, is his hand speed going to be the difference maker? Remember Cotto v. Mosley, I was surprised by Cotto’s handspeed, did not know he could get down like that. But, Clottey does have a little bit of a reach advantage and knows how to use it. Tough, tough call. We have a cobra and a mongoose in the ring. I say Clottey late round tko.
This is what boxing should be like! A match that has us going, “hmmm.” Man, I can see Clottey winning but would be mildly shocked by a stoppage.
Yes, but who could have predicted that Margarito would become Mr. Master Plaster. I mean, Cotto is damn good. But he had no shot against Antonio “Manos de Plaster Of Paris Margarito”…or Margacheato as he will for now on be known as.
@Joe:
I think Clottey will win by a KO and pull the biggest upset of the year.
I think Cotto will win this its a win he very much needs & he knows that! Clottey is a tough puppy & in no way is a push over but Cotto is a better quality fighter so he needs to prove it & needs to be back on top!
I think he learned a lot from that Plasterito loss (plaster of paris aside) I believe he took to many shots from him he needs to do what mosley did & not run just tie him up rest & get back to dropping bombs to the head & body. If he does that I see him winning very impressively..
Same here man I hope he’s not like a lot of the other fighters in history that suffered thier 1st loss & never seem to get it back together again but I think he’s a special breed but we will soon find out.
I said he’s no push over I know he’s tough but I just don’t see him winning. Hopefully this thread will still be open after the fight so we can all come back here & discuss the outcome. Some of us will be saying “I told you so” hopefully that will be us Cotto supporters. Lol
It could happen, but I doubt it plumber dude.
Agreed, I just think Cotto does more things better than Clottey. My biggest concerns with him in this one is how he responds to the strength and pressue applied by Clottey. Since Clottey is shorter, it should not have the same type of impact that Margarito’s had on him.
“777,” that’s a fair assumption. I just hope the remnants of that loss to Marga(likely)cheato aren’t lingering when Cotto enters the ring.
Yes we will, rumble young men, rumble. I’m already stocking up on the Coronas.
It is easier said than done. Joshua did not cross the atlantic ocean to see skycrapers. He came to the Bronx for a mission, and that will be accomplished on June 13. Both fithers are hard-hitters, but who defends better than Clottey? The whole world will witness the next Azuma Nelson on the 13th. Though not easy, Joshua shall carry the day.
That’s high praise, calling him the next Azumah Nelson. Let’s see him at least become the next Ike Quartey. We shall see Edward. Clottey is a good fighter, no doubt. But he’ll need to be great next Saturday. If he has it in him, props to him.
I just like my posts to get people talking…I try not to pick favorites, except when it comes to predicting the winner. ha, ha I’ll let you know who my favorite fighters later? For the record, I like both these guys in the ring.
@Ja Dawson:
Let me tell you the difference between Ike and Joshua. Ike could not take punches. Joshua can; Ike did not dodge. Joshua does; Ike was not hamble outside the ring, and so did not get support from all Ghanaians. Joshual has support from even unborn Ghanaians both home and abroad. These are the reason why I call Clottey the next Azuma not just because he is a good boxer. He is the next to lift the image of Ghana just as Zumzum did.
Cotto is far from being a boxer who is doing this for money or for himself as well.. He has the full backing of his “boxing crazed” island of Puerto Rico backing him & he as well fights for purpose not money even though this is definitely a nice payday for him.
@Edward Boahene
I did hear that Ike was not the friendliest guy. I do not think Ike dodge fighters though. For years he was avoided until Oscar finally fought him, in a fight MANY ringside observers felt he did enough to win. After that, he fought notables like Fernando Vargas, Verno Phillips, Vernon Forrest (a fight many felt he won as well) and Winky Wright. And you say he couldn’t take a punch? Sure, he could be dropped but he never stayed down. I wouldn’t dismiss Ike so easily. Clottey, although I think he’s a damn good fighter, has not met/exceeded Ike’s accomplishments. In my opinion, if he beats Cotto and wins a few more fights, THEN we can start speaking about Azumah!
@Ja Dawson:
I agree 1001% with you in terms of who Ike faced and how far he went. Maybe the word “dodge” was not appropraite. What I meant was that Ike did not cover his face well to block punches, and he was so vonerable. He was not a pound for pound fighter. Anyone who rushed Ike in a ring brought him down. Clottey can take the heat even to the point when he broke his hand. Do not get me wrong, Ike was good. My prediction is that Clottey will be better than him in terms of lifting Ghana’s image. This is just the beginning for Joshua. The support for Joshua alone is more than a power punch that can take opponents out of the ring. Remember this: people who do things for their country always do better than those who do for themselves. Ike was for himself, Joshua is for Ghana. He wants to unify these 2 belts for Ghana not himself though he makes his money.
I respect your Ghanaian pride, interest in this fight and for commenting on my blog, but don’t let that get in the way of being totally objective in terms of evaluating said fighters. Good luck Clottey. He’ll be up against a very desperate fighter (wanting to erase the specter of his loss to Margarito and land a match with Manny Pacquiao) in front of a very pro-Cotto crowd. I’m hyped.
Clottey will punish Cotto in this fight. 9th round ko or tko.
I could see that happening but I ain’t picking it to Dbow.
“Joe the plumber” is not me.
I am forced to become “Joe not a plumber”.
Both are well polished fighters, but I still see Clottey winning.
Juan, why do you see Clottey winning?
As crazy as your prediction may be I have to agree & side with you on that. I have given this fight much thought & can’t help to come to this conclusion as well.. Early or late stoppage Miguel by tko..
I applaud everyones response, to this forum. There are a lot of interesting post I have seen thus far. Here is my opinion on it. Styles make fights, true? I agree that clottey’s defense is hellllla good. He holds his gloves very tight, “BUT”, he has them super up all the time, leaving him wide open for cotto’s left hook to the body. Wich is cotto’s best punch. On the other hand Clottey’s best punch is the short upper cut. Which seems to be cotto’s weakness. Another notable, is that clottey fades severly in late rounds, and thats when cotto starts to break down his opponets. So, that being said, and I know you guys are going to think im crazy, but I see Clottey being stopped for the very first time in his career because of the beating he will take to the body. The only way i see clottey winning is if he tkos cotto, (because of a bad cut), we all know he sure as hell is not going to win a decision. He just doesnt have the tools to outbox cotto.
Cant wait for the fight, that’s sort of how I see it, without the Clottey being stopped part.
Ja Dawson. In my opinion, Clottey is going to fade in the late rounds because he losses so much weight for each welterweight bout. He is going to end up around 170 on fight night. Cotto, if smart will tear that body up and force clottey to take the knee in the late rounds. But anyways Ive read one of clottey’s interviews today and thought you guys would be interested . I want to hear what you guys think about this. Clottey had stated, and i quote “I have no respect for cotto’s boxing skills”, “maybe he will make me respect his heart” (in other words, he doesnt think cotto has one). “I will make him quit four or five rounds into the fight”. When I read that article, I was like WOW. Powerful statements there buddy. Here is the website where i read them. http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=20137
Site is not letting me post my comments. Just incase you guys didnt get them. I wanted to know what you guys thought about this article I read on clottey. Clottey stated that he had no respect for cotto’s boxing skills, or heart. And that he will make him quit 4, to 5 rounds into the fight. Here is the link. http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=20137 . Tell me what you guys think.
“Can’t wait,” your comments are now live. There was a little blip for a second (my bad). Clottey is talking tough (which he should). I don’t put much stock in pre-fight boasts. Most fighters do it. Let’s see what happens when he gets hit hard or his hands start hurting (smile). Clottey is a confident dude, and that will serve him well fighting in front of the pro-Cotto crowd next week. It should be a barn-burner!
@boxinganalist777 well sorry in advance cos cotto will be KOed
Thanks Ja Dawson. To all those who are quick to say that clottey will ko cotto needs to reconsider what your predicting. I mean clottey is a good fighter, but some people are just giving this guy to much credit. Where did all this Knock out power come from? TKO’ing Judah. Who doesnt KO judah. Clottey is not a knockout fighter, nor an offensive fighter. And as far as I know, Cotto’s chin is not as soft as people think. At 140 he was weight drained. At 147 he has not been severly heart besides the baseball bats that Margarito had in his gloves. And he took that for 12 whole rounds. Not to mention, he took the best Mosley punch. Not to many fighters could say that.
@Cant wait for the fight
Yes, I don’t see it, but I think many people are presuming that highly-motivated, physically-strong Clottey may be able to hurt Cotto, especially since Miguel is coming off a blood-letting at the hands of Margarito. I think the reality is that a leopard (in Clottey) rarely loses its spots. Clottey has never been a super-hard (he’s got decent pop though) puncher, nor a boxer who throws a lot of punches. And as you said, Cotto was more chinny at 140, although he had some mildly scary moments against Mosley (in the later rounds) and against Judah (in the early rounds). We all know what happened to him against Margarito. And that’s the x-factor that has me unsure (even though I am picking Cotto) is what Miguel really has left (disregard his win against Michael Jennings) and how much Clottey will bring on the biggest stage in his career (he’s performed admirably each time he’s faced top competition in Baldomir (DQ L), Margarito (UD L) and Judah (W TD). Each of these fights showed the good (solid win against a focused Judah), bad (loss in which he faded against Margarito and complained of bad hands) and ugly (got disqualified against Baldomir in a fight that he was winning). We shall see. I’m hyped for the fight 4’sho.
@ Cyril I highly doubt it… but we will see what happens & ill post in here again after Cotto wins by tko…
Great Points Ja Dawson.
I strongly agree with you.Clottey will cause a surprising victory
Those who don’t know Joshua Clottey would get to know him better after this fight. He is a wrrior and whoever fights him must prepare very well. Clottey will definitely suprise the boxing world come June 13th, 2009. Cotto is in for trouble and I am more hopeful he will quit boxing after this fight. Clottey will knock him out on the 9th round.
LOLOLOLOL @ Zekey
@zekey That is real confident talk, especially considering that Clottey rarely stops folks lately. I think Clottey can win, but do not think he will. Even if he were to win, a KO win seems even less likely. But we’ll see.
Clottey by split-decision. I don’t think that Cotto looked that great in the Jennings fight. I don’t see Cotto wearing down Clottey at all. Miguel’s head is there to be hit all night long and Clottey, a speedy puncher, will be popping it with more regularity and accuracy than Margarito could manage. I think Clottey wins by 4- 5 rounds but ends up taking it Split (its an Arum show and Cotto’s an Arum fighter!).
But I can actually see Cotto being stopped as late as the 12th….
We’ll see…….
Man you Clottey fans are hilarious! Haha where the hell did you all come from anyway? Oh & mark my words COTTO WILL NOT LOSE!!! So just enjoy this little exposure he’s getting for now cause after this he’s going back to being a highly uknown b grade boxer..
Cotto will win this Fight no doubt about it… i think cotto biggest fight will be with Manny Paccio
Cotto VS Manny will be one of this Biggest Fight in History… Cotto will Take out Clottery….
@boxinganalist777:
well, i simply cant wait for the fight. in ghana, all classes and ages are behind clottey. fact is, cotto is a brilliant boxer, and knows the craft inside-out. clottey is also in the know and that makes prediction a lil difficult. for now, i an counting the days and will sit back with a pizza and juice- then a bottle of beer in the 5th round – by which time it will be clear who is going up and who is dropping his record. i m down for clottey though
sorry all ya cotto funs, clottey’s goin to spoil the party. i will advice they get some real fun on the 12th of june because, hey, 13th is going to be ugly courtesy clottey. mark my word, i say it proudly!!!
yes
OK here is my unbiased prediction: I like both fighters equally and think both would beat Pac-Man, and give Mayweather all he could handle. That being said: here we go DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS and Boxing Matches. Floyd, Winky,B-Hop,Sweet-Pea, understood the great science of defense and won a lot of boxing matches because of it. Neither of these boxers are huge one punch KO artists, both are warriors who come to fight with much heart and bravery. Hit and not be hit–wins boxing matches hands down. Cotto will get hit more than Clottey. Clottey should win by decision, but nothing suprises me in the world of boxing. Cotto is the cash cow for Arum, so Clottey better be domonite if not he losses a split decision to Cotto in a Robbery of the Century! Watch and see.
@ jgwhitez That is indeed possible…but probably will NOT happen.
I pick Cotto to win by UD. The first half of this fight will be even. Judging by Clottey’s previous fights, he tends to slow down as the fight progresses. Clottey is hard to hit in the face due to his defensive style. If Cotto mounts a body attack early in the fight, I can see him winning a competitive fight by decision. I have not ruled out a late stoppage by Cotto. Let’s remember that plaster or not, Cotto is a harder puncher than Marga-cheato.
I think this is a good match up and will be a good clean out for Cotto. I also think this is a good opportunity for Clottey in the sense that he wants to be in the top crop
cimment for jgwhitez your views are welcome but I don’t think Clottey can beat the pac man his skills and being able to face a fighter of the pac man’s pedigree will be too much for him. On the night cotto will beat clottey it may even be KO. I think Cotto’s pwer will significantly trouble the pac man and will prevail over him.
lets keep it real cotto had not lost any fight he fought a cheat who had his hands laced.
@shugay-gh:
good night clottey
For a great analysis of the fight go to youtube and type in ‘clottey cotto dwyer’. The guy is an excellent judge of fights and I’m sure he’s got this one spot on!
Chris Kyle, I hope he has Cotto winning! ha, ha
Let me come out of my character and say, THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL CLOTTEY CAN WIN A DECISION OVER COTTO. NO WAY. And for those who think it is possible, you do not know boxing. Clottey throws about 12 punches a round first of all. Secondly, like i have been saying, he fades in the late rounds. He is a speedy puncher correct, but he is not very skilled with it. The only way he can beat cotto is by tko. Which is very possible, because Cotto gets cut often, and Clottey opens up a lot of his opponets. He doesnt have the power, nor the quantity of punches to bring Cotto down. Ask Sugar. (Mosley)
@Cant wait for the fight:
Hey can’t wait for the fight. Check this out man. Sugar Shane got beat by (Winky Wright twice) defense kinda similar to Clottey’s D. I’m not asking Sugar nothing, styles makes fights. Cotto’s chin is questionable ask Torres or mabey Chop Chop……….both of those 140 rocked Cotto but good. and Paulie M. went the distance with the mighty Cotto. I cant wait to come back to this pro-Cotto room after the fight………can’t wait for you guys to eat crow………lol……..
@jgwhitez Fair points BUT Cotto’s chin (Margarito fight aside; where it was more of him getting beat down than hurt or starched per se) has been fairly sturdy at 147. Again, Cotto is the more well-rounded fighter, and the favorite for a reason, but my biggest question mark about him in this fight has more to do with what Margarito did to him (and what he has left) rather than what Clottey may be able to do to him (as strange as it sounds). Look, I love Clottey’s grit and relentless fighting style, but as someone mentioned earlier, I do not think his activity (or lack thereof) will do the trick in a fight that I see likely going the distance.
I see what you are saying and I admit too that cotto is the better boxer if he wins I hope he fights the pac-man and then gives gayweather his first lost…….@Ja Dawson:
hahah, why not a rematch with mosley? 🙂
Ja Dawson said it best. Thanks for the back up. lol. Let me ask a retorical question. Would this even be a debate, if this fight was made two years ago? NOPE.
cotto fades late in fights also @Izzy-J:
jgwhitez, with all due respect, Cotto’s chin troubles diminished markedly after he didn’t have to make weight at 140. I can see CLottey’s style giving Cotto some problems early in the fight, but I think he will adapt and win. I don’t think Malinaggi’s fight is a good example. After Cotto reconfigured his face early, he got up on the bycicle the rest of the fight. Cotto should emerge victorious form that fight, but I have to say that in a fight anything can happen, so I have not written Clottey off entirely. Like you say: Styles make fights.
This post has many great boxing fans (and not the typical “f you if you don’t agree with me” a-holes on other forums).
Props to the praising of the sport and not shooting at the mouth.
With the fight, I keep changing my mind.. and as a Cotto fan, I am a little worried. Clottey can seriously change the way the boxing world looks at him if he can pull this off. I’ve never been one to shoot down Clottey either, even when he fought Margarito. If I had to choose, I would say Cotto by UD, but I wouldn’t be surprised or upset if Clottey gets the nod. Unlike Mayweather(s), this is what a real role model looks like.
Can’t wait!
@jgwhitez:
I think Cotto fades a little, but he prepares well for his fight. So does Clottey. The reason I say anything can happen is because Cotto can be hit, so he will take some punches, especially in the last part of the fight. I think physical conditioning will have a lot to do with who wins. The thing that really worries me about Cotto is his corner. I was not crazy about Evangelista Cotto, and Cotto’s new corner does not have experience in championship fights. I think we will all see tomorrow night. I can’t wait either.
@Boxing Fanatic We try to stay true…we are indeed sweet scientists here! 🙂 Damn, Mayweather on your mind? This is a Cotto-Clottey post! haha
Hey J. Dawson the only reason I mention Mayweather or Mosely is because finally after this fight tonight we are going to be closer to one true Welterweight Champion(one of the best weight classes in the division) and those guys that I mentioned are in the mix. I understand, and boxing is my life. So with that, enjoy the fight tonight fellas this one is gona go down in history as a great one just like Ali-Frasier, Ward-Gatti and the late Diego Corrales-Costiillo; all fights that this one has the potential to be like. I truely can’t wait!!!!!!!!!! Boxing is back baby @Ja Dawson
YES FINALLY!! I can’t wait man only 10 hours to go I’m stoked! Win or lose (still rooting for Cotto) it doesn’t really matter with Cotto you always win he puts on one hell of a show & gives true boxing fans their money’s worth.
Lol @ Ja Dawson I hope not let’s see though anything is possible in boxing.
@boxinganalist777 Alas, it’s (almost) on…tick…tock…tick…tock…boom, Cotto goes down! just kidding
777, It may surprise you that Ghanaians support their boxers by no reason or rational BUT IT WORKS!. The same ratings came for Azumah vs Jeff Fenech in their back yard; the analysis did not enter the ring nor throw punches. To answer an earlier question, we’ve been there all this while Visit BUKOM in Ghana where they churn out the boxers you know. This is not a discovery by Christopher Columbus – it would be the world oudoing THE HITTER! Go Clottey.
Tonight all the no sense comments, written by some of the people that showed they dont know nothing about boxing… will show, I know more about Boxing than them……Cotto by Tko in the six!
YEAH!!! I knew it!!! Cotto woul & did win!! There was no way in hell Clottey would win if it went to the cards! Cotto is the man he fought with a terrible cut & won! Cotto is a beast & that’s why I agreed Cotto would win but Clottey fought a very admirabe fight & much props to him but cut or no cut Cotto was the better man as expected.
@RED:
Im amazed how everything gets extrapolated- no doubt Margarito had illegal wrappings but everybody that wants to jump on that band wagon to excuse Cotto getting thumped should consider that everyone one associated with that fight has categorically stated that the gloves were inspected and nothing found-convenient excuse for Cotto fans to “speculate” and then pronounce it as though it were fact. Sounds like Hopkins and his “I was robbed” every time he gets an L added to his record. Get real armchair officianados. My prediction is that unless Cotto can land the big one and put Clottey down it will be a war of attrition that Cotto has already shown he can’t stand up to. Great fighter Cotto-but they all have their day.
I don’t think he lost what put him ahead was that early knockdown.. Clottey fought very well but I believe if it wasn’t for that early clash of heads Cotto would have handed him his first tko loss after already giving him his first knockdown in a big fight.. Mad props to Cotto for continuing to fight like a true warrior after such a nasty gash & much props to Clottey for giving it his all!! Great fight Cotto is back!
@boxinganalist777 Cotto, showed MAAAD heart and proved my prediction right, but I think he lost that fight. It seems that whenever he fights a physically stronger fighter (Mosley, Margarito and now Clottey), he moves (and sometimes runs) a little too much, and it gives the appearance that he’s yielding. So hard to score the rounds when he puncher appears to be the mover. It was a close fight, but the punch stats and Miguel’s face pretty much showed he shoulda come up on the short end. Very good night for boxing though, save that 116-111 score. That was preposterous.
@boxinganalist777 Not sure if Cotto is totally back. He showed some good things, but moved too much for my liking in spots w/out punching, got out-landed, and was still wide open for uppercuts. I agree that the head butt set him back a bit, but I find it HIGHLY doubtful that Clottey woulda been stopped, given that he has still never really been hurt (including this flash knockdown) in a fight that I know of. Good night for boxing though.
Ja daws, your my buddy. But im going to have to disagree with you. Just because he had that huge gash on his face doesn’t mean anything. It was caused by a headbunt. If not for that gash, cotto would have won easily. I have never seen clottey so bothered by someones power. You can tell in part of the fight, just like emanual stewart said, that clottey seemed uncomfortable, when cotto was diggin those shots. I have never seen clottey get hit with that many clean punches in his career. That being said. Great fight. And I really hope that they give clottey the chance at more big fights. He deserves it. Really impressed me yesterday. But yea, that 116 111. Wtf. No way. I had it 114 113. Clottey had the chance to make it a draw, but he had nothing in the tank last round. Again, if it wasn’t for that gash, cotto would have one big on the score cards. Clottey really could not touch him until the headbunt. Great fight. Cotto vs pac man. Clottey vs mosley. Make it happen. P.S STAY WAY FROM PAUL WILLIAMS! Lol
I meant to say stay away from paul williams lol. Typing from my phone sucks.
Oh, he was bleeding from the nose and mouth as well. I wasn’t even talking about the eye gash. 🙂 It was a close fight, and like another tough NYC-area fighter, Luis Collazo, Clottey did just (not) enough to lose a close decision.
I agree with Disismusic on everything he said right down to losing to Pac if he fights that way.. As far as the Margacheato thing with Cotto its over & done Cotto is just fine enough with the Marg bs already he came he fought he conquered plain & simple & despite all the obstacles in this close tough fight Cotto proved that Marg shit is in the ast & has moved on now so should some of you…
On the Real… If Cotto would of never got cut on his Left eye Clottery would of Been Knocked out ill say by the 8th or 9th Round… and i also think that clottery was a little dirty fighter and complained to much. When cotto with landing those punchs clottey was quick to huge cotto… next fight Cotto Vs Pac…. ill say one thing if Cotto Fight like that with Pac he will Lose that fight….. cotto need to train well for the Fight with PAC…….
@DJjuniordakidd@aol.com That is highly unlikely – that Clottey would have been stopped, considering that he’s never been close to have been stopped, and even in this fight (despite being knocked down), was never really hurt. Also, it’s not like Cotto was dominating him even before the cut. Not sure where that logic comes in, that Clottey woulda been stopped late. Right now, I think PacMan would defeat Cotto – for some reason, he does not seem the same. Maybe it’s the lingering effects of Margarito.
boxinganalist777 I would love to move on, but I am just going on what I am “seeing” when I look at Cotto’s body language, etc. But COtto does deserve a measure of credit for passing the Clottey test…it’s just hard for me to be TOTALLy comfortable with the sight of Cotto bleeding and retreating, which he has now down in his last two big fights. We’ll see. He’s fun to watch regardless.
I agree with Ja Dawson. It wasn’t that Cotto won, but that Clottey loss the fight, you guys wrere right he didn’t throw many punches in the last two championship rounds. He had Cotto in big trouble in the middle of the fight. Cotto showed heart, but did not look impressive to me. He better get better or Mosely or Mayweather is gona beat him next……………..peace @Ja Dawson:
@Ja Dawson:
@jgwhitez:
I agree with both of you gentlemen. I would like to add that Cotto needs a new corner, a world-class trainer that can take him to the next level. I believe that Evangelista Cotto and now his new trainer cannot offer anything else that he cannot do with his natural talents. I heard the corner’s advice (I speak Spanish) and they were giving Cotto pure crap for strategy. If Cotto fights two more grueling fights like this, I seriously think that he will need to retire. Cotto gets hit too much, especially towards the end of the fight. I mean, how many punches can someone take, for crying out loud?
Yes yes yes! Agreed! I would however not like to see Manuel Steward train Cotto id much rather see a Naseem Richardson (I think that’s his name) train Cotto & show him how to “swim without getting wet”. And no @ jadawson I don’t think its too late for Cotto to get a new corner he’s very talented & id say he will do much better (defensively).
Lol your saying that like Cotto is 35 years old or something he’s only 28 & like I said before he’s very talented & just all around a special breed athlete there’s not many people let alone fighters like him in the world..
agreed (Izzy-J), re: cotto and his trainer. however, at this stage of his career what could even manny steward do, ya know? but i do think if cotto were to fight pacquiao, he’d likely be stopped.
analist, a leopard rarely loses its stripes, i.e. this late in the leopard’s life.
In boxing 28 can be 38, when you add the mileage of a decorated amateur career (that he had), all the rounds in the gym, and all the wars in his early career (Torres, Mosley, Margarito and now Clottey, to name a few). “777,” we both know that even the best fighters RARELY make significant adjustments when fighting a certain way has generally been successful for them throughout their career. Marco Antonio Barrera is a rare exception.
Cotto had a great fight like always…all the people that are sleeping on Cotto did not win because Clotely had a poor match are somehow exagerating…this is how it go in sports, especially in boxing – we are saying that in any domain it’s pure luck, but in boxing it’s pure punch. 😛 Too bad I found this topic so late, I also did a small bet on Cotto and could have gone for more if knew how many people are sleping on him. Thanks Dawson!
Anyone who rewatches this fight without blind love for Miguel Cotto will realize that Clottey clearly won this fight. He outlanded Cotto overall, and in 8 of the 12 Rounds. He landed the cleaner more effective punches. He hurt Cotto often while he was never hurt once in that fight… And as one poster said, there is no way Clottey would be able to win a decision. And some of you are OK with this?