Your road-weary editor will be attending Saturday evening’s welterweight collision between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito, and No Mas’ Large has reviewed the former’s ’07 bouts against Zab Judah and Shane Mosley, along with tapes of Margarito’s fights with Kermit Cintron, Joshua Clottey and Paul Williams. The verdict? “Cotto is in a different league, a league that right now I think may only have one other occupant, and it sure as hell ain™t Margo. It’s Money-O”
Cotto/Mosley was contested at such a high level in almost every facet at which a fighter can excel that it makes Margarito™s bout with Cintron seem like Toney/Rahman. At one point during the middle rounds of Cotto/Mosley, Jim Lampley says something like, œthis is one of those fights where you just sit back and think that it™s simply amazing that human beings can do this, and to that I say hear hear. The shit is absolutely mindblowing.
Meanwhile, Margo was outspeeded by Josh Clottey and Paul Williams, crafty fighters, neither of them in Judah or Mosley™s league. I™ll give you my two cents right now – I don™t know about Zab because you never know how he™ll fare late into a fight, but I really don™t think Margarito could beat Mosley, not the Mosley who came to fight Cotto last November. Honestly, I think he™d get killed. I don™t think he™d get knocked out, but I think he™d get schooled and lose a lopsided decision. The speed exchange rate is horrifyingly to his deficit.
I’m sure the promoters of Saturday’s card at the MGM Grand are well aware they’re going head to head with a Brad Penny bobblehead giveaway at Cashman Field, yet strangely, they’ve done nothing to adjust ticket prices. I’m equally certain the Dodgers would allow their PCL affiliate to give away the living-breathing Jason Schmidt at Saturday’s game were it legal to do so.
We’ll all find out on Saturday if you are right. I for one, feel the closely contested bout between Mosely and Cotto speaks volumes…but not as you describe it. Mosley is and was at the time of this fight a former great fighter who is now just good. He’s not 1/2 of the fighter he used to be. So what does it mean that Cotto and Mosley battled it out with Cotto winning? I don’t know what it means…it doesn’t tell me much at all about Cotto. As for Zab Judah…come on…he’s 5’6 and very quick but as you stated, you never know what you’re going to get from Zab. What I do know if you get 5’6″ of him…not 5’11” of Margarito!
Let’s just see how the fight on Saturday plays out. If Cotto dominates as you seem to think he will, then maybe your analysis is right. If however, Margarito wins…let’s not forget your analysis. Let’s give Margarito his proper due for beating as you put it… ““Cotto is in a different league, a league that right now I think may only have one other occupant, and it sure as hell ain’t Margo. It’s Money-O†IF Margarito wins…”IF”…he does it, give him his due and proper credit for the victory. “IF” he wins, maybe we’ll also have to evaluate Kermit Cintron and his only 2 losses.
Enough for now…let’s see how it plays out. If your analysis proves correct, my hat is off to you. I feel Margarito’s size, strength, and flat out determination to win will prove to be the difference. I think he’ll win by mid to late KO! This isn’t an over the hill figher or a 5’6 fighter who will be in there Saturday. It’s a 5’11 beast who has learned and grown since his loss to Williams. He may be slower…no…he “IS” slower, and he may not be as good of a pure boxer…no…he “ISN’T” as pure a boxer as Cotto but…I believe he is a tougher, nastier fighter who will take everything Cotto has to offer and not flinch! I believe he’ll impose his ‘will’ on Cotto and as the fight progresses, he’ll beat him down. I see him wearing him down with body shots and uppercuts and finishing Cotto’s suspect chin off with a vicious uppercut that will be lights out for Cotto’s undefeated career!
We’ll all find out on Saturday who is correct!
J –
I cannot stress strongly enough that the opinions express above regarding Cotto’s attributes versus those of Margarito are those of No Mas’ Large.