When studying the career of Puerto Rican superstar Miguel Cotto there is a “Before Pacquiao” and an “After Pacquiao”– and the difference between the two Cottos is like night and day.
For those who recall, the Cotto who tore up the junior welterweight division and brutally marked his territory at welterweight was a feared and deadly warrior. Armed with quick hands, the best body game in the business, and fire in his eyes, Cotto walked through the likes of Paulie Malignaggi, Carlos Quintana, and Alfonso Gomez. He showed ultimate professionalism in outboxing Shane Mosley. He went to war against Antonio Margarito and Joshua Clottey.
Through it all– wins, losses, easy times, tough times– the Boricua battler never stopped being the blue collar warrior who seemed to live to give the fans thrills and excitement. He never stopped being the champion of his people.
And then came Manny Pacquiao.
Cotto was forced to bend to the will of the cash cow from the Philippines. He had a catchweight imposed on him of 145 lbs., two pounds below the welterweight limit of 147. And when he balked at defending his WBO welterweight title at a weight not in line with the welterweight limit, the WBO imposed their will on him by threatening to strip him of his belt.
As we all know, Cotto put up a good struggle against the surging Pacquiao, but he was beaten up pretty badly and stopped in the twelfth round. It’s quite possible that the catchweight and the imposition of the WBO had no effect on the outcome, but it had to register in Cotto’s mind how he was pushed around and forced to bow to the will of others.
After the Pacquiao fight, it seemed as though Cotto made a conscious decision to never put himself in that type of situation again (except against Floyd Mayweather several years later when the money was just too good to resist).
After Pacquiao, Cotto flexed his muscles as one of the sport’s biggest draws, took advantage of his star power, and fought a lot more soft touches. And even when he did take on tough challenges, like Sergio Martinez and Saul Alvarez, he made sure that he got the preferential treatment associated with being the “A-side” The beating suffered at the hands of Pacquiao, under conditions not of his choosing, made him cognizant of his need to protect himself– even if it meant looking bad in the eyes of the fans.
One can say that the entire Pacquiao incident “ruined” Cotto– at least the Cotto the world used to know and love. However, Cotto and his people may argue that the ugly loss woke him up and turned him from a fan-friendly battler destined for a short career to an old pro reaping the rewards of playing the boxing game to his benefit.
And now, signed to face tough but limited Japanese former welterweight fringe contender Yoshihiro Kamegai this August (in the first of a multiple fight deal with Golden Boy) Cotto is still playing the role of jaded old pro.
It’s easy to dismiss the man and chastise a career that’s now clearly being overplanned and carried out without much regard for the fans’ wishes. But take a look at the boxing life lessons learned from a man who once WAS a good little soldier toeing the company line and eager to appease the often unappeasable hardcore fans.
As the good little warrior, Cotto made good money, but he also absorbed horrendous beatings, professional indignities, and the “what have you done” indifference of fans way-too-eager to cast him aside at the drop of a hat. Who can blame Miguel for looking after Miguel?
