It’s Monday. Welcome back for another edition of Observe and Fight, The Boxing Observer’s compilation of observations and random thoughts from the week that was in boxing. Get caught up on some of the most recent events you may have missed out on, including Golden Boy’s attempt to takeover boxing, Miguel Cotto’s potential downfall Saturday night, the other big rematch on Saturday, and much more. Without further ado, check out the latest observations from The Boxing Observer.
Golden Boy’s takeover is slowly beginning. Earlier this week, ESPN.com was the first to report the rematch between Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto will take place on Showtime instead of HBO. That’s a big blow to the HBO sports department and new head-man, former Showtime Sports mastermind, Ken Hershman. Showtime’s brilliant hire of Golden Boy Promotions’ former lead legal council, Stephen Espinoza, is nothing more than a play for GBP to use Showtime as a showcase network for its promotional company and its fighters. Would Ken Hershman have shelled out $2.25 million for the Ortiz vs. Berto rematch if he was still at Showtime? Probably not. HBO only offered $2.15 million. Where is that money coming from? Let’s be real here. Golden Boy is making some serious moves.
Miguel Cotto’s switch to a new trainer will be his downfall Saturday night. When the rematch was announced between Cotto and Antonio Margarito, most, including myself, immediately thought Cotto would get his redemption for the beatdown he incurred at the hands of Margarito three years ago, but reality soon began to sink in. The first fight was at 147 and Margarito walked through Cotto’s punches. Are we to believe Cotto can hurt Margarito at a higher weight? Cotto demanded the rematch take place at a catchweight of 150 pounds (it was eventually settled for 153 pounds). Sounds like a lack of confidence to me. And the kicker…Cotto left hall-of-fame trainer Emanuel Steward for a relative unknown in Pedro Diaz, the former head trainer of the Cuban national team. While the Cubans have a history of success, Diaz has openly admitted he is still new to professional boxing. Is Cotto training for this fight to “score points” instead of using his experience and aggression? If so, expect the same result as the first fight. Early Cotto success while Margarito continues to barrel forward eventually breaking Cotto down to the point of exhaustion. Remember, it was Margarito who stated he was willing to die in the ring. Cotto’s response, “That’s stupid.” Doesn’t sound like a winning game plan if you ask me.
