By Robert Jackson: R&B singer George McCrae released hit song “Rock Your Baby” in the 70’s and on the B-Side of the 45 rpm record was the song “I Get Lifted”. Rock Your Baby went on to be McCrae’s biggest hit and one of the biggest hits of the year! Afterwards that 45 was flipped over and “I Get Lifted” got a lot of radio play and established itself as a another hit for McCrae, almost as big as the first. The fight Saturday night featured an A-side and B-Side, Miguel Cotto coming into the fight with the albatross of Antonio Margarito around his neck against Joshua Clottey trying to prove that he belonged amongst the elite of the 147lb division.
What was amusing about Clottey was his response to HBO’s Max Kellerman’s question as to whether he could get a ‘decision’ victory in Madison Square Garden, Clottey responded that both him and Cotto were under the Top Rank banner as fighters and that a ‘decision’ would be no problem. When Clottey said that this writer wondered who was advising Clottey?? I knew that Clottey had to get a KO or TKO to win! That answer lead me to believe that Clottey had the wrong mindset to win. I also could not believe that ‘boxings powers that be’ wanted anything to derail the possibility of a Pacquiao-Cotto match up. A match-up necessary to diminish Mayweather’s monetary demands for a crack at Pacquiao.
What was amusing about Cotto was how he was bashed from pillar to post by Clottey and still pulled out the victory. Cotto was not himself on Saturday nite and was in full retreat for most of that fight almost like he had track shoes on, also he only fought in spurts. Noticeable was Cotto’s lack of confidence in his abilities, I attributed this to his rookie trainer’s inexperience in his corner. Cotto’s body languauge and fighting spirit was similar to that shown during the Margarito fight.
That said, the ghost of Margarito still haunts Miguel Cotto.
Manny Pacquiao sitting at ringside Saturday Night seeing Cotto fight had to be salivating over the prospect of getting Cotto into the ring at any weight including 147lbs, and the details of that fight are probably being worked out as we speak. Floyd Mayweather Jr. getting hurt while training has made Pacquiao/Cotto a done deal. Joshua Clottey once again has failed to become an elite fighter, failed to seal the deal, and should seek a bout against Andre Berto or perhaps Shane Mosley.
George McCrae never achieved higher heights then the A-Side hit “Rock Your Baby” and follow up hit “I Get Lifted”, and his career faded into relative obscurity. Cotto may never be able to achieve more than his victory over Shane Mosley and against Pacquiao, Cotto will undoubtedly be the B-Side.