Miguel Cotto has scored a knockdown a few times in his career with his left-hand-dominant jabbing capacity. But it was particularly special to see him in a major world title fight with a rock-chinned, championship level fighter with a world class defense, planting his opponent on the canvas in the first round with that jab. That night, Joshua Clottey's risk aversion instincts were as much his opponent as Cotto, but the decision victory for Cotto was still so well contested that it went to a controversial split decision. There were many heated exchanges, some of which made Cotto look like he was on the way to being stopped.
This 2009 welterweight battle was one for the books as part of the long story of the rich division. "Grand Master" Clottey possibly earned as many fans as he frustrated that night, coming so close but stepping back at times when it looked like he could've possibly ended it. It all depends on how you see it. A jab knockdown in the first for Cotto, a throw-down in the fifth against Clottey, a hellacious headbutt cut against Cotto, a controversial decision-this fight had so much going for it. I applauded both fighters for getting through a very grueling match that tested their chins, their skin, their wits and their will, in the way championship boxing is supposed to be. Their match turned nine-years-old this month.
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Gennady Golovkin has been the Ring-ranked number one contender for three years. Through three different champions. Sergio Martinez, Miguel Cotto and Saul Alvarez. Young Mr. Alvarez feels he's being rushed into this match. This is an embarrassment to boxing.
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Recently, I realised something that I can only call humourously depressing. It relates to a joining of two quotes across space and time that sheds light on the utter farce that is the middleweight division and its dealings with Gennady Golovkin, the universally regarded number one contender, to Miguel Cotto, the true, lineal middleweight champion. Abel Sanchez and Freddie Roach seem to suggest an incredibly close natural weight to their fighters, as does Golovkin's own Tale of the Tape. Why Freddie even made his mention, God only would know. Here's what I mean, points A-D:
Point A:
Abel Sanchez, to Hustle Boss, issued the third of July, 2013, after Golovkin's match with Matthew Macklin:
"We had a great camp. He didn't have to lose that much weight. He came at 167, when he first came in, two months before the fight."
Conceivably in fluctuation, but odd in being slightly heavier, Golovkin was unofficially weighed by HBO on fight night at 170, the same as Macklin.
Point B:
Gennady, in May of 2015, nearly two years later, against Willie Monroe Junior had another unofficial weight taken by HBO. 170, to Monroe Junior's 172. Same. No lower than 170 pounds in the ring. A very standard ten-pound rehydration.
Point C:
Here is where it gets amusing. What exactly did Freddie Roach say about Miguel Cotto's weight ahead of fighting Daniel Geale, just a month after the Golovkin/Monroe Junior match?
"It was a calculated weight. . .Miguel will climb to 166 pounds. He had a fabulous preparation. Geale showed that it cost a lot to make the agreed upon weight."
Point D:
What was Miguel Cotto's *official* weigh-in weight for Daniel
Geale? Considering that his own trainer estimated he'd be coming in at 166 pounds when hydrated, and considering that his own negotiated catch-weight was 157 pounds, did he come in just at or just under 157, like
Geale? No,
instead, he came in just under the Light Middleweight division limit instead, at 153.6. And, for some reason, like normal, HBO did
not get an unofficial rehydration weight for him, even though they got it for Geale. What is the point of points A-D?
Cotto's dehydrating himself supposedly by coincidence more than he actually needed. Why would any fighter do that? What
did Cotto say after the contest with Geale? Max Kellerman decided to ask the Middleweight champion of the world if he was a Middleweight. What Cotto said makes it almost certain that the weigh-in wasn't just a comfortable coincidence, in my view. He cites his offical weigh-in, 153.6, then asks Kellerman if he thinks he's really a Middleweight. Kellerman says it doesn't sound like it. Then Cotto says "I'm not." Does it strike anyone else as a coy weigh-in strategy for show? I know from the forum comments that it certainly isn't just me.
He's obscuring the fact that he's almost the same fighting weight as his number one contender and he didn't want to fight his number one contender. He fought one of that contender's victims as a voluntary, and after sitting on the title for a year. Then, he claimed he wasn't a member of his own weight class. His team are now, after making Golovkin wait and watch this act, supposed to fight Saul Alvarez, who is apparently, by his technical weigh-in weights, not a member of any official weight class, actively, either. Apparently, these guys and their teams would like a weight class that is between where Golovkin does and does not fight. How confusing for them!
Miguel, your trainer is claiming you were assumed to come in four pounds lighter than the definitive number one contender last weighed in. You are suspected by fans around the world to have come in lighter than you needed, to look like you didn't belong at the weight in which you are the champion, by choice. Champion, by choice, dehydrating extra, by choice. You have people accusing your number one contender of an unfair size advantage, astoundingly. As if it's not his business to call out the champion of his own division. So, if this is as deliberate as it seemed, it worked on some, I guess. But Golovkin is not Chavez Junior-sized and you are not a bloated or musclebound little man, nor are you not within reasonable Middleweight range on fight night with your non-bloated, non-musclebound physique. You are coming in to the weight class as naturally as Floyd Mayweather Junior comes in to Welterweight, it would seem.
If you'd have us believe as some of the fans now believe, that Golovkin is unfairly large for you to fight at your own chosen and full weight class, and much larger in the way a Chavez Junior would be, again, as for instance, then I would say this: Rehydrating to no more than 165 pounds, Sebastian Zbik fought the notorious weight-cutter, Chavez Junior, at a 15-pound weight disadvantage, which was somewhat predictable as a rehydration weight. A definitive non-puncher dealt with that disadvantage at your current weight class. Golovkin's whole history shows him to be a natural, unforced Middleweight fighter, you'll find. Everything corroborates this, that I am aware. You were likely as your own trainer claimed: Within four pounds of your number one contender's fight-night weight. If you have an issue with your own weight class and not who wants your belt, it's an issue Sebastian Zbik apparently didn't have. Please, stop this charade.
You're hurting your division. You're hurting your great reputation. You're hurting boxing. You say you have paid your dues to fight who you want. Without a title to defend, this is as true as it could ever be. You can fight whoever you want without that title, but you're blocking a man who has paid his dues in your division from fighting who he wants-whoever it takes to establish him as the real champion of his own division. He is openly a Middleweight and out of the closet as such. If it's about weight, we know it's negligible. If it's about height, it's nothing you haven't seen before. If it's about money, we know you'll make a star PPV payday with Alvarez as easy at any weight class with or without a title. If it's about legacy, you would not have opted for Geale instead of his former conqueror. This just looks like it's about grandstanding when you never wanted anything to do with the general consensus best man you can fight in this division so you don't have to vacate a title you earned. It also looks like a hysterical proximity.
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Full Hustle Boss interview with Abel Sanchez for quote source:
(This
was quoting an interview with El Vocero de Puerto Rico, but we're using Boxing
Scene for assumed English readers, to follow to the Spanish language
directly, click here: http://elvocero.com/miguel-va-a-noquear-a-geale-roach/)
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Working as commentator, during a Top Rank broadcast of Miguel Cotto VS Paulie Malignaggi, in the seventh round, George Foreman says:
"Those body punches - sounds like a heavyweight throwing shots. Cotto can punch."
That quote came from a major world title match at light welterweight, almost exactly nine years ago. Thanks to the catch-weight agreement between the fighters and Geale's enormous unofficial weight from HBO, there is some controversy over last night's display of power from Miguel Cotto. Many fans find it hard-telling if a healthy Daniel Geale got a taste of Cotto's heavyweight-sounding punches and couldn't take them any better than he could take Gennady Golovkin's, or if a badly weight-drained Geale got to where he couldn't take hard shots off of anybody. With that said, Cotto looks to still be a true puncher at middleweight, just like he was at light welterweight. A true puncher is dangerous no matter who he's punching.
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In a Boxeo Mundial Interview, posted the 25th of October, 2009: "I know for a fact, out of the guys I fought, Miguel's the hardest puncher I've fought. I know for a fact. Nobody came close. Not even Ricky Hatton."
It doesn't get much plainer than "Nobody came close."
Full interview:
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"If Manny Pacquiao beats Miguel Cotto, I'm telling you, man, he might be the best fighter ever."
In a Boxeo Mundial Interview, posted the 25th of October, 2009, Paulie
Malignaggi was asked to breakdown the upcoming ubermatch between Manny
Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto. The breakdown, in retrospect, contains at
least one highly surprising quote. Maybe, I should say instead that it's particularly surprising if you've only been aware of Malignaggi's comments
on Pacquiao in the past few years, which have become notorious and
negative. Here is the full quote:
"If Manny Pacquiao beats Miguel Cotto, I'm telling you, man, he might be the best fighter ever. I'm telling you. At this point, he's beaten Oscar, he's beaten Ricky, and I
don't think Ricky's as good as people give him credit for, even though
you're gonna say 'Oh, he killed Paulie' but, you know what? I'm telling
you. Paulie, for two years, wasn't Paulie. You know what I mean? You
know? I needed to get away from my ex-trainer Unfortunately, I realised
that a little too late. But, regardless of the fact, if Manny Pacquiao beats Miguel
Cotto, you have to consider him maybe the best fighter in history, man,
because, now he's done it. And it means he's done it all. Really, he's
done it all. I mean, this is a welterweight who might be the best
welterweight in the world in Miguel Cotto-and legitimately.
Legitimately. He's definitely the strongest. You know what I mean? And
he probably should be undefeated. You know, we saw what happened with
Antonio Margarito, and, uh, you know, it probably happened in the Cotto
fight.
One thing about Cotto though: He's not unbeatable. Anybody can
beat him. Obviously, we're all human, and we can all be beat. The thing
about Miguel Cotto is that you will be in a fight to beat him. Whether
you beat him, or you don't beat him, it's a fight. And even Margarito,
who did beat him, was in a fight to beat him. I don't know if Manny has
the size and the kind of body to withstand an assault, to be in a fight
with Cotto. It might be a fight. You know what I mean?
Can he withstand that? Because, Cotto is a strong fighter.
Cotto's a dirty fighter. And he's not just a guy who comes forward, like
Ricky. Ricky just comes forward, walking into punches. You know what I mean? Manny was too smart and too skilled for that. You know, and not that he's not too smart and too skilled for Miguel, because, I think, at times, Manny's going to show some good moments. I just think, um, at the end of the day,
the size and the strength is just going to be a little too much for
Manny to deal with, and, um, and people shouldn't look down at Manny for
it though. You know what I mean?"
Some interesting thoughts from Paulie Malignaggi came from this
interview. Especially, considering Paulie has now spent years of
Pacquiao's career helping to heap suspicion upon him and downplay his
continually demonstrated abilities throughout. The suspicion, of course,
is largely based on PED's, although, I am not sure which
performance-enhancing drug would make Paulie point to Pac's success with
smartness and skillfulness. That doesn't mean Paulie's suspicions since
then have been wrong, but I'm certain some of his arguments have been
(pointing to imaginary size increases, for instance), and it's certainly
interesting to look back on how well he rated Pacquiao before these
controversies. His "might be the best fighter ever" is not something I
think he said lightly.
It is a shame for the sport that those tests weren't agreed to, immediately, upon initial request, and that one of the best commentators in the
sport, in my opinion, has developed this very public disdain for one of
the sport's best fighters. It's not something that benefits boxing, and
it is maddening that the major sanctioning bodies haven't gotten on one
page, years ago, and said "Here is the testing, you take it or you don't
get sanctioned to fight, and you don't get to pick your personal choice
of testing agency. This is THE agency, these are THE
tests. This is not for you to bicker about amongst each other." To do
that, have a unified front, and also have the tests be reasonably
clever, so that we don't have storylines like this developing the way
they did, I don't see how it's that much to ask for a major
international sport. A sport that boasts some of the highest-paid
athletes in the world, and the single highest-paid athlete in the world.
Sort of like, why instant replay for contested referee calls on
televised fights seems like an obvious one. But, that's another can of
worms we can open on another day!
''As I said earlier, Margarito has no respect for Miguel, even though Miguel is one of the best punchers I have ever trained. For whatever reason, Margarito has no respect for his punching power. At all."
~Emanuel Steward, as HBO commentator, during the Miguel Cotto VS Antonio Margarito rematch, December of 2011.
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"I would be stunned if he freezes like Guerrero did. I would be stunned if shows the amount of respect that Cotto did. I would be stunned if he becomes as frustrated and absolutely lethargic as Alvarez did. All three of those, I think, should have done better. Guerrero I fancied to really push him. This kid won't be bothered, Jim. He is not bothered. He is not phased, and it's not an act. Will he win? I doubt it. Will he hurt him and catch him? I can guarantee you he will. I'm absolutely convinced."
~Steve Bunce, on the BoxNation broadcast of Floyd Mayweather Junior VS Marcos Rene Maidana, shortly before the match began.
During Miguel Cotto's TERRIFIC HBO war with Ricardo Torres, way back in his light welterweight days, the 24th of September, 2005, there was a great exchange. It was about the concept of faking a foul and/or over-exaggerating its effects. This concept is obviously one that generates plenty of discussion in many sports. The exchange occurred right after the unofficial HBO scorer, Harold Lederman, voiced his displeasure at what he perceived to be faked low blows landed on Ricardo Torres and is one of those priceless George Foreman sticking points as a commentator. Here it is:
Jim Lampley: And, I am told that our interpreter, Jerry Olaya, heard the people in Torres' corner, between rounds, telling their fighter "If he hits you low again, go down, and make an act out of it. Try to get a point deduction." Which makes sense, incidentally. George Foreman: It only makes sense if you don't have a lot of dignity. Jim Lampley after a few moments of calling the action between them: Yeah, you're right, George. I agree. It makes a certain competitive sense but not honourable sense.
George Foreman: Nah. This is all about honour, what it all boils down to. Win, lose or draw. . .Get some honour into it.
George Foreman always kept commentating interesting, in my opinion. You didn't have to agree with him, and Jim Lampley didn't have to get along particularly well with him, but he was always a character to behold.
Miguel Cotto in surprise stare-down with MMA fighter, former pro American footballer and Miguel Cotto fan Brendan Schaub, from Youtube's eckotv channel.
While taking a second look recently at Miguel Cotto getting what I thought looked a slightly premature but likely inevitable stoppage over Delvin Rodriguez, I couldn't help but want to spotlight one of the more awkward attempts I've seen to make a poetic lead-in to a fight.
"Delvin Rodriguez grew up on a farm in the Dominican Republic until he was nine years old and came to this country. And they ate everything they grew and slaughtered, and I asked him if he was ever affected by slaughtering an animal or watching one be slaughtered. He said "No. It was a way of life." Except for one time. The first time he saw a bull slaughtered. Because of the amount of blood, because of the human sound the bull made as it lay dying. If he beats Miguel Cotto tonight, that sound you hear is of the old bull dying-the career that once was Miguel Cotto's. I don't think he can sustain another loss and remain on top."
~Max Kellerman, on HBO, in the lead-in to Miguel Cotto VS Delvin Rodriguez
Jim Lampley's face was priceless. I cannot describe it.
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