21.05.08 – By Vivek Wallace: With contracts signed and a buzz in the air, needless to say, the only thing fight fans are talking about at this point is the upcoming welterweight war between Mexican Antonio Margarito and Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto. The more emails and questions I read from fight fans, the more intriguing this fight becomes. Adding even more gas to the flames is the fact that the true Mexican and Puerto Rican fans have come out strong already, filling up my email box with fiery words for their competitor.
I’ve never been one to support racial division on any level but I must admit, Mexico -vs- Puerto Rico in the game of Boxing is more or less the epitome of all those things the average fight aficionado ever desires. Heart, courage, per serverance, and oh, by thew way, let’s not leave out pure guts because laying down is never an option either way. Every week on the “Left-Hook Lounge” we take an in-depth look at fan questions and give them an in-depth analysis. This week is no different…So with no further ado….here we go:
Hiram Rivera (Bronx, NY): I’m a HUGE Miguel Cotto fan of Puerto Rican descent and I’ve watched him get better with every fight. Do you think that he has peaked as a fighter, and do you think it will take an even better effort to beat Margarito in July?
Vivek W. (ESB): Honestly Hiram, I don’t think you can gauge a fighters ability (or lack thereof) based on fighters he fought in the past. Granted, it’s very true, we’ve seen Cotto get better in every fight, but the flip side to this argument is that he must be able to take what he learned in those previous fights and apply them to the task at hand in this fight. For example, he’s become brilliant at using his reflexes to match an opponents perceived speed advantage. No one can argue that he was EVER considered to be faster than Mosley but that didn’t stop him from beating Mosley to the punch all night long in their fight last November. That being said, despite him learning to use reflexes to beat a faster guy to the punch, does that help him at all if he can’t dig into that mental archive and remember how he learned to break down a fighter with height and reach advantages in the past since that’s what he’s up against this time? Absolutely not. To answer the question directly, I do think we will see a far more disciplined, and far more competitive Cotto than we’ve ever seen before, but that doesn’t gaurantee a victory. His physical conditioner, (Phil Lindman), came as close as I’ve seen thus far in identifying the true determining factor relative to whether or not Cotto actually wins this fight. That factor is Cotto’s conditioning, which determines his ability to “go those 12 rounds with the same intensity and stamina, particularly in the late rounds”, as stated by Lindman. No matter how great the gameplan is, if Cotto can’t handle the onslaught and deliver his own for 12 full rounds, he won’t win this fight. And anyone who’s seen Margarito fight knows that he comes for the full 12, unlike Cotto who does, but in a more measured and methodical way. There are many scenarios that can play themselves out but I guess my point is that no matter how many extra ‘gears’ Cotto can elevate his game to, if he doesn’t have the stamina to maintain, it all becomes irrelevant.
Hector Choyo (West Covina, CA): As a huge Margarito fan, I think he has the power to knock Cotto out within 6. What are your thoughts on that possibility?
Vivek W. (ESB): My thoughts on that prediction, personally, it makes me wonder if you’ve recently been involved with some ‘herbal essence’ that left your mind a bit cloudy. (Smiles). Honestly, I’m well aware of the chronicled chin issues of Cotto from the past, but few have been able to succeed in hurting him, let alone knocking him down or out as a welterweight. I won’t say it’s impossible, but the only way that I see Cotto ‘star-gazing’ that early in the fight, if at all, is if Margarito’s flustering activity gets him off balance early and causes him to forget everything Team Cotto gameplanned for . Possible, but highly improbable. Anyone underestimating Cotto’s ability to prepare for this fight, and his teams ability to put the best sparring partners around him as he prepares for this fight is obviously not grasping the true spectacle that this fight really is. To be honest, I think Margarito’s best chances for an early KO would be if he came out with a more measured gameplan by just jabbing and boxing, then occassionally turning the heat up sporadically, keeping Cotto guessing in terms of what offensive rhythm he would consistently employ. Ricky Hatton taught us in his fight against Mayweather that constant pressure can often mean very little against a superior boxer. There’s no doubt here that Cotto is the superior boxer and there’s no way that Margo will beat him at that game so if he mixes his assault and keeps Cotto off balance, he could very well catch him when he least expects it. No matter what the strategy, I don’t think Margo catches Cotto and actually ends it this early but stranger things have happened.
Robert Salinas (Orlando, FL): Why do you think Arum chose to make such a huge fight with NO rematch clause?
Vivek W. (ESB): I’m not sure but I love it. It sets the proverbial “Winner takes all” tone if I’ve ever seen one. It’s a bold statement from Arum that says to both guys very loud and clear: “Make the most of this opportunity because when it’s over, the show must go on and only one man will go with it”! That show of course being an all-out effort for a fight with Floyd when he finally gets done with Oscar. Personally, I find it a bit odd that there was no rematch clause here but I can’t come up with a more legitimate reason than the fact that Arum and the winner will make an immediate bee-line to the Mayweather camp to put an official offer on the table. There’s really not much else out there – at least on this level. He certainly isn’t rushing to get Cotto a rematch with Mosley. He certainly isn’t trying to get Margarito a fight with Oscar De La Hoya. There’s really nothing else out there so I can only interpret it as a bold statement that he plans to keep his operation moving en route to a true face off between the divisions elite.
Mario Jiminez (El Paso, TX): With so many welterweights in the mix, what significance does this fight have over the long term?
Vivek W. (ESB): I think it’s safe to say that this fight goes a long way in terms of letting fight fans know who the true front-runner to eventually face off against Floyd Mayweather Jr. is, but other than that, I think the welterweight division is what it is — which is basically a group of formidable fighters who all have the potential to outshine one another on any given night. Consider this….Aside from the top 3 (Mayweather/Cotto/Margarito), you have Paul Williams, Joshua Clottey, Andre Berto, Zab Judah, Shane Mosley, Carlos Quintana, Kermit Cintron, and Ricardo Mayorga. Of all of those fighters, you could reasonably argue that any of them are capable of defeating the other. Mayorga is clearly not the better boxer of the group, but in my observation, he stops Kermit Cintron in a 12 round fight easily, and perhaps one or two others with no doubt. Paul Williams was beaten by a guy who only lasted a few rounds with Miguel Cotto (Carlos Quintana), yet many in this list would catch pure hell trying to get past his constant activity and reach advantage. So this is a group of 11 boxers whose names you could put in a jar and conceivably have equal luck at locating the last man standing. Mayweather has what is viewed as the best pure skills and Cotto is a close second, but after those two, it’s safe to say any of those guys could compete against one another. So to say that this one fight alone plays a significant role, I think it would depend on what significance we’re talking about. One thing for sure, after reviewing all of this talent, we sure as hell had better not find ourselves waiting for matches to be made again. This crop is enough to keep us busy at least for another few years.
Marco Ortiz (Miami Lakes, FL): If Shane Mosley is victorious in his next fight, is it possible that we see him face off against Floyd Mayweather Jr. after the Oscar De La Hoya fight?
Vivek W. (ESB): I don’t think any scenario would pin Mosley against Mayweather anytime soon. Styles make fights and the speed and skill of these guys would make for a great fight but my advice for anyone wanting to see it any time soon, hate to go Italian here, but ‘Fu-get Abawt It’! Even if this fight was closer to reality, I would not favor it any time in the near future because I think in order for Floyd Mayweather Jr. to solidify his P4P status as well as his status as the welterweight king, he has to not only immediately face, but also soundly defeat the Cotto/Margarito winner. Shane Mosley’s lost to Miguel Cotto put him closer to the back of the line than I think he truly cared to be, and as it stands, there are no ‘quick-fix’ options to get back up front for him. By the time that Floyd faces De La Hoya again, possiby an England showdown against Hatton again, and the Margo/Cotto winner on the tail end, all of a sudden, Mosley is another year + older and probably closer to a sitting duck that would be easily picked apart by a young lion like a Williams. I just don’t think that Mosley has time on his side at this point and as some of the other guys begin to make a name for themselves, his chances of facing Mayweather in my opinion shrink slimmer and slimmer.
(Got Questions Or Feedback?: Write ESB’s Vivek Wallace at vivexemail@yahoo.com or show some love at www.myspace.com/anonymouslyinvolved)
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