The Miguel Cotto vs. Shane Mosley fight is one of those events in which everything seems so perfect you start wondering what will go wrong. In one corner we have Cotto (30-0, 25 KOs), a young, tough, hard punching fighter with a defense that?s just leaky enough to make things exciting.
In the other corner stands Sugar Shane Mosley (44-4, 37 KOs) who is probably stronger, definitely faster, but, just to keep things interesting, nine years older.
In other words, it?s an even fight.
The difference in age shows up in their respective records; there is but a single common opponent between them?the diminutive, but tough as nails John Brown?who took Cotto, 27, the distance while Mosley dispatched him in eight. For two fighters that are almost universally rated in the top five in their division, the lack of common opposition is unusual, and for those who are trying to find some nugget from which to handicap the fight, frustrating.
Another reason for the lack of common opponents is that Mosley spent most of the last four years above 147 lbs, beginning with Raul Marquez in February of 2003 to his second fight with Fernando Vargas in July 2006, a total of eight fights. Back in 2003 Cotto was still a carefully protected fighter facing the likes of Cesar Bazan and Joel Perez.
Unable to compare common opponents, the industrious soul might compare quality of opponents to get a read on the fight.
At 140, Cotto faced solid competition from men like Lovemore N?Dou and Paulie Malignaggi, while more or less blowing out Randall Bailey, Demarcus Corley, Mohamad Abdulaev, and Gianluca Branco?although Corley provided Cotto?s corner with a few nervous moments. The WBA champ has had only three fights as a welterweight, from a vacant title winning effort against Carlos Quintana, to his bloody, knock-down-drag-out 11th round TKO over Zab Judah this past June.
Mosley hasn?t just fought the bigger names, but the bigger talents as well: from Philip Holiday, John John Molina, and Jesse James Leija at 135 to Wilfredo Rivera, Oscar De La Hoya, Antonio Diaz, Vernon Forrest, Winky Wright, Fernando Vargas, and Luis Collazo at welter. But then again, he lost two each to Forrest and Wright.
So, it?s back to what they can do now that will probably tell us the most about what they will to each other on Saturday.
Judah, a fighter with speed and power, especially early, rocked Cotto early but saw his moment pass when Cotto tried denting Judah?s cup. Jack Mosley told TigerBoxing that he?s convinced it?s something Shane needs to be prepared for.
?He (Cotto) goes low when he gets hurt,? said the elder Mosley. ?He did it twice against Judah and if it happens in the fight Shane?s going to hit him right back. We?re prepared for that.?
Low blows aside, Cotto stayed in Judah?s face for the rest of the fight, pounding him with hooks to the body and ringing shots to the head. Just under eleven rounds of Cotto-styled punishment was all that Judah was good for. Cotto had given the fans a little drama, and earned himself a victory. But all that blood didn?t go un-noticed by Jack Mosley.
?Shane?s too fast and too strong. Cotto got busted up by Judah, he?ll come in trying to land something and when he gets hit, he?ll change. If he doesn?t, Shane will bust him up.?
It wasn?t that long ago Mosley didn?t look to fast or too strong for anyone. In fact, many boxing writers, this one included, were convinced that the pounding he took from Forrest in their first fight plus his advanced years had taken the steam out of what was once a 135-lb freight train.
Then he racked up a couple wins over Vargas?who is either a badly faded fighter himself, or has had to struggle too much to make 154 pounds; we?ll have a better idea on November 23rd?and last February he dominated a fast, talented, and much younger fighter in Collazo. Mosley seems to have stuck around long enough to have a career second wind. All Cotto sees is his age.
?I don?t think at the age of 36 Shane Mosley can handle Miguel Cotto,? said Cotto on a conference call. ?And the question about the dirty fighting?this is a fight, this is professional fighting. You do what you have to do to win and so things that happen in the ring are going to happen. And whatever it takes, that?s what I?you know, whatever it takes in the ring, I?ll do?and a?to get a win and I will do it.?
