It is rare that a fighter finds himself in the boxing spotlight for his entire career. Miguel Cotto is one such fighter, and has found that blinding spotlight to be both a blessing and a curse.
A 2000 Olympian representing his native Puerto Rico, Cotto entered the professional ranks with much hype and high expectations from all who saw his potential as an amateur. With many of his early fights televised, Cotto became accustomed to the scrutinizing eye of the boxing public during the prospect phase of his career. It wasn’t long before Cotto’s name was mentioned as a potential successor to the great Puerto Rican fighters from years past. This attention was certainly a catalyst in his accelerated rise to stardom.
Cotto’s career has also seen the hardships the spotlight can bring. Following his high-profile loss to Antonio Margarito in 2008, Cotto has seen his stock plummet from being considered a potentially great fighter to a just another welterweight in a loaded weight division. The fact that so many fans and boxing insiders are choosing Pacquiao to triumph over Cotto this weekend is a testament to that.
A closer examination of Cotto’s attributes as a fighter shows that he is still a dangerous fighter, and certainly still deserves to be considered among the best welterweights in the world. The question rests on whether greatness is still within his grasp.
Power:
Even when he was at junior welterweight, Miguel Cotto was never considered a one-punch knockout artist. Since moving up to the welterweight division, Cotto’s knockouts have continued to come by an accumulation of punishment.
However, it would be unfair to Cotto to characterize him as just an average puncher judging by his welterweight r?sum?. Consider that three of his recent opponents were of the anvil-chinned variety: Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito, and Shane Mosley. It would take an extraordinary puncher to pierce the armor of those fighters.
While Cotto is not a prodigious welterweight puncher, his punches are of the clubbing, bruising variety. When they land, his punches have the thudding impact of a sledgehammer instead of the cracking of a whip. This is most evident when observing Cotto’s body attack. His power-punches reflect his overall fighting style: methodical, purposeful, and effective.
Usually, when a fighter is described as a cumulative-effects puncher, it’s a nice way of saying they’re a light hitter. Cotto is definitely not in that category. When firing on all cylinders, the effects of Cotto’s punches stack up quickly. For proof, look no further than his fights against Carlos Quintana, Alfonso Gomez, and Michael Jennings. Granted, those aren’t world beaters, but they’re good enough to show that Cotto is a destructive force when he is able to unload.
