What can we take from Cotto the past weekend? He looked good, composed and showed very good movement. With the win on Saturday, he was able to win another title and look good doing it. Should you now go out and buy stock in Cotto based on his recent win? Although the victory may have been enough to convince the diehard Cotto fans, personally, I’m going to need a bit more convincing. I think the win against Foreman may work against him should he continue to campaign at 154. To me, Cotto seems a bit too small to bang with some of the physically bigger guys in the division. He may have been okay against the light-hitting Foreman, but I’m not so sure his smaller stature will hold up against bigger punchers.
I noticed that Manny Pacquiao was in attendance for the bout. I sincerely hope that a rematch with Manny Pacquiao isn’t on the horizon should a super-fight with Mayweather fall through. I dont think that will ever be a winnable fight for Cotto. I also don’t like the idea of a rematch with Margarito. Why? Because despite the notion that he may have had plaster in his gloves on the night of their fight, Cotto landed virutally everything he threw on Magaritio, and yet, the Tijuana Tornado kept coming right at him. No amount of plaster can help the chin or body of a fighter. No matter the amount of punishment that Cotto brought to the table, Margarito was able to walk right through it. A rematch would likely produce the same outcome.
I think it would be best for Cotto to forego the notion of facing any of the big names and stick to the likes of Cory Spinks or Alfredo Angulo, two very winnable fights that will give him some much needed work and confidence. A guy like Paul Williams would physically be too much to handle and Sergio Martinez is just too slick and too fast for Cotto to figure out. Is my assessment of Cotto wrong? Maybe, but I do think he would be wise to take his time and choose his opponents wisely if he chooses to continue campaigning in a division with fighters that will likely always be bigger than him.
We also finally witnessed a successful return to HBO by Roy Jones Jr., though this time his success came outside the ring. Much has changed over the years for Roy, but one thing he hasn’t lost is his ability to call a fight. I have always had much respect for Roy’s God-gifted abilities inside the ring, however, I also feel his talent as a commentator by far makes him the best candidate to fill the vacant position on the HBO staff. Let’s hope that HBO can look past the bad years they had with him during the peak of his boxing career and bring back the more humble Roy for another go around.
