Last night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, Miguel Cotto successfully defended his WBA junior middleweight crown with a punishing 12th round TKO over trash-talking Ricardo Mayorga. The fight was a chance for Cotto to show off the new wrinkles in his game that he has picked up since teaming up with new trainer Emanuel Steward and he seemed completely within himself the entire night.
During his days at 140 and even 147 pounds, Cotto was somewhat of a bruiser, the type of fighter that would physically impose himself on his opponents while attempting to break their will. Such fighters as Cesar Bazan, Paulie Malignaggi, Mohammed Abdulaev, Zab Judah, Carlos Quintana and countless others can attest to the overbearing strength of Cotto on the inside and the debilitating effects from his wicked body punches.
<--- Slideshow: Massive gallery of Miguel Cotto's destruction of Ricardo Mayorga
But now that he is at 154 pounds we are seeing a different side of Miguel Cotto. He is no longer able to win on sheer strength alone and will have to utilize all of his skills like never before now that he is dealing with customers who are much more stout and durable. This was on display against Mayorga as he boxed effortlessly while picking the Nicaraguan apart with stinging jabs and crisp left hooks.
Cotto wasn’t on a seek and destroy mission, however, as he was perfectly happy to box from a distance and let the moment come. In the 12th Miguel unleashed a left hook from hell that caught Mayorga flush on the chin, forcing him to his knees and all but ending the fight. It was another triumph for Cotto and I personally can’t wait to see what the future holds, as the rumors now seem to be geared towards a summer rematch with Antonio Margarito.
For a behind-the-scenes look at the Cotto-Mayorga event, including images of Juan Manuel Marquez, Team Mosley, Marco Antonio Barrera, Antonio Margarito, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Evander Holyfield, as well as up close shots of all the Cotto-Mayorga action please check out the Massive Cotto-Mayorga slideshow gallery
