Miguel Cotto, fighting out of the red corner in red trunks trimmed in white and teal, came into this fight with something to prove?
Saturday night at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, former three-division champion Miguel Cotto (33-4, 31 KOs), from Caguas, Puerto Rico, stopped Delvin Rodriguez (28-7-3, 16 KOs), from Danbury, Connecticut, by way of Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, at 2:42 of round three.
Cotto, fighting out of the red corner in red trunks trimmed in white and teal, came into this fight with something to prove. He had lost his last two fights, to Floyd Mayweather and Austin Trout, and if his boxing obit hadn?t been written, it was in the process of being composed.
Fighting out of the blue corner in red trunks with blue and silver trim, Rodriguez was presented with the opportunity of a lifetime. If he could put a dent in Cotto?s momentum, which appeared to have stalled, he had a chance of flirting with the upper echelon.
At the opening bell Cotto came out swinging. Dictating the pace behind the jab, Cotto established at once that he was back, that he meant business, and that he had brought his arsenal with him. Cotto?s thunderous hooks to Rodriguez?s body were reminiscent of the good old days. He staunchly refused to let his opponent find a rhythm. Delvin was too busy trying to avoid Cotto?s bombs to land anything consequential of his own.
With Freddie Roach advising Cotto to keep up the ?pressure, behind the jab? and to ?throw in a little head movement,? the punch stats for round one said it all. Cotto landed 24 of 52 punches thrown to Rodriguez?s 7 of 29.
