Miguel Cotto’s brutal points win over Joshua Clottey in New York City sees the Puerto Rican superstar jump up to third in our latest ‘pound-for-pound’ ratings.
Cotto has rebounded well after that stoppage loss to Antonio Margarito last July and after pasting Michael Jennings earlier this year has now also vanquished Clottey to move just ahead of Bernard Hopkins in our latest list.
Cotto was a betting favourite against the man from Ghana but boxing insiders knew he was in for a real test against the African known as the ‘Grand Master’.
Clottey had not lost since his 2006 reverse against common foe Margarito (he was actually winning that fight before injuring his hand in the fourth) and came into the Cotto bout after busting up former ‘pound-for-pound’ standout Zab Judah last year.
It was another gruelling, epic encounter with both fighters having their moments. Cotto had Clottey down in the first round but the African, who might just have the best chin in boxing right now, roared right back into the fight and had Cotto cut and hurt in the mid rounds.
It’s difficult to judge how much the cut impeded Cotto, who was boxing beautifully until being sliced open, but he showed true grit and a champions heart to claim the win at Madison Square Garden, which is fast becoming his second home.
Cotto is a real thrownback. A fighters’ fighter. Magnificent skills, genuine power and the man simply has no quit in him.
It looked as though Clottey was taking over in the final third of their fight but the Caguas star bit down on his gumshield and stole the last two rounds to punch out a deserved, split decision verdict.
The Margarito loss hasn’t affected him as much as some people would have you believe and given the fact that the Mexican is now serving a ban from the sport for trying to use illegal handwraps, there are massive question marks now as to whether or not the Tijuana Tornado’s win over Cotto was legit.
Whatever, the 34-1 Cotto has rebounded well and is rumoured to be considering a catchweight fight with ‘pound-for-pound’ numero uno Manny Pacquiao later this year.
Both fighters work with Bob Arum so the fight, in theory anyway, should be relatively easy to put together. However Cotto is a welterweight (and a big one at that) and the word is he’s reluctant to come back down to 140 while Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach insists his man won’t box above light-welter. One hopes they can resolve the matter amicably and the fans don’t miss out on what would surely be a can’t miss thriller.
There was mixed news elsewhere on the ‘pound-for-pound’ beat with comebacking Floyd Mayweather shelving his proposed July 18 return to the sport after picking up a rib injury while training to box Juan Manuel Marquez.
‘Money’ Mayweather had been in London along with his Mexican opponent to drum up interest for the fight and it remains to be seen if a new date can be found or whether that fight is now dead in the water.
On a more positive note ‘pound-for-pound’ rated Mexican Israel Vazquez has been given the green light to resume his career after retina surgery.
Human highlight reel Vazquez, best remembered for his three wars with Rafael Marquez, could now meet fellow ‘pound-for-pound’ star Juan Manuel Lopez in a classic unification showdown at super-bantamweight. Lopez is down to defend his WBO belt against undefeated Canadian Olivier Lontchi later this month and provided he comes through that, which I fully expect him to, the drums will start to sound for a Vazquez – Lopez fight either late this year or early next.
There is still no word on the next move either Hopkins or Britain’s Ricky Hatton will make in their respective careers.
Hopkisn was last seen taking Kelly Pavlik to school in October of last year and he has been linked with the likes of Carl Froch, Tomasz Adamek and Chad Dawson since then.
‘The Executioner’ isn’t ruling anyone out or anyone in at this stage but admits he will go where the best deal is. And at 44 who can blame him?
Hatton is in a different boat altogether and must decide whether he even wants to carry on in the sport after his humbling at the fists of the irrepressible Pacquiao.
Hatton was cold-cocked by the Filipino in Las Vegas recently and after such an emphatic loss, and having made his money from the sport, he has to decide whether he wants to carry on?
There are big fights there still out there for him (Amir Khan and Junior Witter in the UK for a start) but with every passing week it seems more and more unlikely that we’ll see ‘The Hitman’ in the ring again and so his place in the ‘honourable mentions’ section this month is taken by hard-hitting Aussie-Armenian Vic Darchinyan, who goes in with Jospeph Agbeko for the IBF bantamweight crown next month.
Sportinglife.com pound-for-pound world top 10:
1 – Manny Pacquiao
2 – Juan Manuel Marquez
3 – Miguel Cotto
4 – Bernard Hopkins
5 – Shane Mosley
6 – Chad Dawson
7 – Israel Vazquez
8 – Paul Williams
9 – Kelly Pavlik
10 – Juan Manuel Lopez
Honourable mentions: Vic Darchinyan, Juan Diaz, Mikkel Kessler, Joan Guzman and Ivan Calderon.
