As we inch closer to Mayweather/Cotto, boxing scribe Vivek “Vito” Wallace takes a weekly look at the various plots and subplots surrounding the epic showdown we’ll all get a chance to watch on the night of May 5th, in Las Vegas’ MGM Grand. Last week we took a look at Cotto’s chances of upsetting Floyd Mayweather jr. Today, we take a glimpse at the complete evolution of Puerto Rico’s biggest boxing star which has placed him on this big stage.
Years ago as an amateur, Miguel Cotto had already been ordained as the islands “next best” behind the likes of Felix “Tito” Trinidad, Camacho, and others. At the time, a few other greats-in-the-making such as the technical Ivan Calderon popped on the scene as well, but there was something different about “Junito”. In Calderon, you had a very fundamentally sound fighter, yet one whom many found to be a bit too technical, and perhaps a little too small, as most mainstream fans have never truly raved about the lower weight divisions, regardless of strong talent.
Although not as fundamentally sound, the difference in Cotto was that at the time, he was actually viewed as a very good, pure boxer, yet one who also possessed a killer instinct. Many fighters have either the fundamental side, or the head-hunting side, but Cotto was one who showed glimpses from an early point of being able to tread both. Throughout the amateur’s he was a very sound boxer. Early as a pro he was a sound head-hunter. In the aftermath of a few tough defeats and challenging nights, we now see a more diverse, hybrid-like, competitor who has finally mastered the art of putting both those elements together.
Cotto’s pending opponent, Floyd Mayweather jr., was noted by many for being a more spirited offensive fighter in his early days; then suddenly becoming a bit more defensive as he went higher in weight. It wasn’t until recently that many began to feel that Mayweather somewhat went back to that root of more offense/less defense. The transition from the lower weight classes to the higher ones for Cotto was a little different, and perhaps that strategical glitch had a bit to do with why his record contains two losses.
Had Cotto used the pure boxing skills which defined him in his amateur days, one can only wonder how his two losses may have gone. Better footwork and ring mastery at the time would have certainly gotten him past Margarito in the first affair. Padded gloves or not, Cotto found himself ahead on the cards throughout a great deal of the fight, yet began to fade late from severe punishment suffered from too many punches landed. Pacquiao was a different animal and one could never logically assume that Cotto would have ever been skilled enough to dance around Pacquiao all night, but again, better footwork and better ring mastery would have meant less punishment, so the truth may never be known. Some would argue Cotto to be a bit faster than Juan Manuel Marquez, so with a better ring IQ, who’s to say his toughness couldn’t have landed him the same results? This one element is what Cotto has lacked in the past, yet displays today….and that’s what makes this an intriguing affair. Boxing in and of itself is a far more difficult path to tread than slugging it out like most fighters, and boxing on the Mayweather level is a different game entirely. Most fans and media alike would strongly advise anyone against attempting to actually outbox Mayweather, but in the case of Cotto, which is the better plan? Add pressure and potentially get picked apart by the games premiere counter-puncher? Or attempt to outbox him and potentially fail miserably based on less speed and overall skills? Tough call to make, but considering that today’s Miguel Cotto has learned how to utilize both angles, perhaps the most important element of them all will be the ring intelligence in which he uses to apply them. Cuban trainer Pedro Diaz has made a monumental difference thus far in Cotto, and has helped enhance his ring IQ ten-fold. Trouble is, the only person they’ve used this newfound ring intelligence on was a slow, plodding, inactive Antonio Margarito. This time around the stakes are higher and the level of opposition is off the charts. Cotto was able to defeat one man who defeated him. Since he couldn’t land a rematch with the other man who defeated him, he aimed his sights on the man some feel would defeat him. On the night of May 5th in Las Vegas’ MGM Grand, Mayweather plans to “ring the alarm”. As we look at his evolution from the beginning to now, the operative question would be: Is Cotto better prepared today to answer the call? Soon enough we’ll all find out.
