30.11.06 – By Eddie Velez: There have been certain times in everyone’s life that we have made bad decisions/choices and have reaped the consequences. We look back and say to ourselves, “What were we thinking?” Life is pretty unforgiving and when you’re involved in the brutal world of boxing, that can be ten-fold.
This Saturday night, Miguel Cotto will make his first run in the welterweight division and will be fighting his fellow countryman Carlos Quintana for the Vacant WBA Welterweight Title. However, by choosing Quintana as Cotto’s opponent, they have put Miguel in a no-win situation, in my opinion.
That’s right, a no-win situation. If Cotto wins, which I don’t think he will, it will prove nothing. The boxing community will continue to search for his flaws and Miguel’s talent will continue to dwindle away. Top Rank, which has been Cotto’s promoter’s since day one, instead of making the big fights with Hatton or Mayweather and trying to make Cotto the star that they claim he is they have fed him one insignificant fight after another, such as Malignaggi, Branco, Torres, Abdulaev, all of which are not house hold names and outside the boxing world are virtually unknown. To add more fuel to the fire, a Cotto victory on Saturday will then set-up a mega fight between Cotto and Oktay Urkal. The boxing community will be drooling for that one, I bet.
When factoring Quintana in the equation, Cotto’s current no-win situation gets even more complicated. Quintana is a fighter who I have followed for years and believe me folks this guys is the real deal. A slick south-paw with power, solid skills and hunger. Quintana has been in the shadows for years, until just recently when he dismantled Joel Julio, who was supposed to be boxing’s next sensation. Quintana is the last guy you want to fight, unless there is something major to gain and the WBA (Trinket) Title is not it.
Expect Quintana to begin cautious and gradually open up as the fight progresses. He will give Cotto a boxing lesson and may even be able to score a late TKO. Cotto will try and land some good shots but he will not come close to Victory. The loss will be huge, more then Cotto & Top Rank can ever imagine.
Not all the blame should go to Top Rank, however, Cotto shares some responsibility, too, since as a fighter you must push your promoter do get you the big fights. Cotto’s response each time he has been asked who he wants next, has always been the same, “My promoter picks the fighters, I just do the fighting.” Unfortunately after Saturday, many the die hard Cotto fans will possibly be saying “the would of, could of and should of,” while the Cotto haters will be out in force shouting “I told you so,” leaving Top Rank and Team Cotto wondering, “What were we thinking?”