Mayweather - Cotto May 5th

[JaKob]

I don't see it happening. I see Floyd fighting safe and potshotting his way to victory. Cotto isn't Victor Ortiz and has shown far far greater mental fortitude and a more refined skillset.

If Floyd didn't come out and let his hands go against Oscar in a such way, nor even little Ricky Hatton (who he eventually hurt wading in but never turned tiger and showed real aggression) i can't see him doing it against Cotto. This is a fight where Cotto doesn't have to take the backfoot, doesn't have to surrender the momentum, shouldn't be resigned to just trying to survive. I think he has the durability to eat what shots he has to and press forward.

[Kid Dynamite]

Cotto isnt Gatti. Gatti was shot and was a title holder only due to very good match making and the fact that HBO wanted so squeeze every ounce of him as ratings went through the roof when he fought. Mayweather knew he was fighting a sparring match and that is the only reason why he gave Gatti that beating.

Mayweather is going to pot shot his way to victory.

What I am curious about is how far Mayweather is from his prime. Mayweather was touched a few times by Ortiz even though Ortiz looked like an amatuer in that fight. If Ortiz had a few moments in the ring I wonder what Cotto could do. I thought that the Mayweather that fought Ortiz was very beatable.

[JaKob]

Cotto isnt Gatti. Gatti was shot and was a title holder only due to very good match making and the fact that HBO wanted so squeeze every ounce of him as ratings went through the roof when he fought. Mayweather knew he was fighting a sparring match and that is the only reason why he gave Gatti that beating.

Mayweather is going to pot shot his way to victory.

What I am curious about is how far Mayweather is from his prime. Mayweather was touched a few times by Ortiz even though Ortiz looked like an amatuer in that fight. If Ortiz had a few moments in the ring I wonder what Cotto could do. I thought that the Mayweather that fought Ortiz was very beatable.

I agree. How many guys have fought Floyd at these weights applying real pressure and aggression.

He's fought Marquez, Mosley, Ortiz since his come back. Yet in that period of time he has taken on his invincible status amongst the casual fans.

Marquez being a small counterpuncher stylistically doomed and forced onto the front foot and out of his element. Shane Mosley who no longer can or since pull the trigger. Mosley stood at the end of Floyd's range and got decimated. Ortiz just isn't there half as much as he needs to be mentally. His skillset is still relatively raw and i think by round 2 he was taking the backfoot, moving away, getting tentative, and at points engaging in a chessmatch. Cotto matches up far better than any of these fighters. I absolutely recognise that when we take a step back and evaluate his career as a whole he is superb fighter and his skills are undeniable. I just don't see what he has done in recent years making him deserving of this status he has among the casual fanbase.

I think Floyd will potshot his way to victory i just don't see it being as easy as many do.

[Kid Dynamite]

I agree. How many guys have fought Floyd at these weights applying real pressure and aggression.

He's fought Marquez, Mosley, Ortiz since his come back. Yet in that period of time he has taken on his invincible status amongst the casual fans.

Marquez being a small counterpuncher stylistically doomed and forced onto the front foot and out of his element. Shane Mosley who no longer can or since pull the trigger. Mosley stood at the end of Floyd's range and got decimated. Ortiz just isn't there half as much as he needs to be mentally. His skillset is still relatively raw and i think by round 2 he was taking the backfoot, moving away, getting tentative, and at points engaging in a chessmatch. Cotto matches up far better than any of these fighters. I absolutely recognise that when we take a step back and evaluate his career as a whole he is superb fighter and his skills are undeniable. I just don't see what he has done in recent years making him deserving of this status he has among the casual fanbase.

I think Floyd will potshot his way to victory i just don't see it being as easy as many do.

Agreed, Mayweather hasn't fought a live body with a remote change of beating him since Hatton and we all know how limited Hatton is as a fighter. Cotto is the best he has fought in years but again this is a faded Cotto.

I still rate Mayweather as P4P the best currently but I think he will go down in history as a great fighter but also a forgettable one.

[mrbig1]

Agreed, Mayweather hasn't fought a live body with a remote change of beating him since Hatton and we all know how limited Hatton is as a fighter. Cotto is the best he has fought in years but again this is a faded Cotto.

I still rate Mayweather as P4P the best currently but I think he will go down in history as a great fighter but also a forgettable one.

Kid, I agree with everything. It's not a sure thing that PBF will win. I'm having a hard time picking this fight.

[apollack]

Floyd will win, most likely by a decision. Let's face it, Cotto isn't even the best junior middle in the world. Martinez is, and I'd say second best is Canelo Alvarez, who I think would stop Cotto. So to me the question is whether Floyd is better than the 3rd best jr. middle in the world, and the answer is yes. Pac already soundly beat Cotto. So what if Floyd beats him now? Big deal.

Cotto is too short, does not throw often enough or enough combinations, pretty much has a left only, doesn't take the greatest shot ever, and stands fairly square. Although Cotto has some good footwork and a good left and some pop and speed, he fights cautious like Floyd for the most part, though he isn't quite as fast or as skillful as Floyd, and he does not have the same level of defense as Floyd. Only thing Cotto does better is punch, but Floyd usually fixes it so that you can't find much to hit very often.

Cotto may try a few things and try to sharp-shoot some good crisp lefts and a combo here and there move around and make a color-able attempt to box and make Floyd come to him, and perhaps get some respect with some hard hooks, which might initially frustrate Floyd a bit early on, but at the end of the day I think Cotto is going to come up short of doing what he needs to do to win the bout. Might be interesting and tactical, but that does not make me eager enough to see it to pay for it on PPV.

[mrbig1]

I think that Cotto is a better fighter now. His last few fights he looked something like the Cotto of old. Plus in PBF last few fights vs Mosley and Ortiz he is getting hit clean more and more. Should be a good fight.

[apollack]

Cotto looks better because Margarito was worse, didn't have loaded wraps, and Cotto ran away for the most part. Foreman never had any power at all, nor physical strength, and Mayorga was an old unskilled wild man with no condition. But I agree that Cotto isn't shot or anything, and given that he hasn't taken any beatings since Pac, still has a lot left in the tank.

Mosley may have hit Mayweather solidly twice in the entire fight. Big deal. Ortiz didn't land solid at all, unless you count a head butt. Those were all grazing punches, which frustrated the heck out of Ortiz, which is why he did what he did. Floyd is still very tough to hit clean very often. Jack Johnson went flatfooted as he advanced in his career, but they still couldn't hit him either.

[diggity]

I agree that this fight has the potential for a serious Cotto beating. I don't see Cotto bringing anything that will be trouble for a focused Floyd. Power isn't enough and Floyd hasn't declined enough.

[JaKob]

Floyd will win, most likely by a decision. Let's face it, Cotto isn't even the best junior middle in the world. Martinez is, and I'd say second best is Canelo Alvarez, who I think would stop Cotto. So to me the question is whether Floyd is better than the 3rd best jr. middle in the world, and the answer is yes. Pac already soundly beat Cotto. So what if Floyd beats him now? Big deal.

Cotto is too short, does not throw often enough or enough combinations, pretty much has a left only, doesn't take the greatest shot ever, and stands fairly square. Although Cotto has some good footwork and a good left and some pop and speed, he fights cautious like Floyd for the most part, though he isn't quite as fast or as skillful as Floyd, and he does not have the same level of defense as Floyd. Only thing Cotto does better is punch, but Floyd usually fixes it so that you can't find much to hit very often.

Cotto may try a few things and try to sharp-shoot some good crisp lefts and a combo here and there move around and make a color-able attempt to box and make Floyd come to him, and perhaps get some respect with some hard hooks, which might initially frustrate Floyd a bit early on, but at the end of the day I think Cotto is going to come up short of doing what he needs to do to win the bout. Might be interesting and tactical, but that does not make me eager enough to see it to pay for it on PPV.

He fights cautious against but who? Floyd is a fighter who neither carries concussive power in his hands nor the willingness to open with volume.

His cautious approach is clearly indicative that he is aware of his vunerability. He doesn't have a left only that just isn't true. He absolutely has a straight right, a right to the body, a right uppercut. He carries his power in the left hand but that does not mean his right hand is void of utility. Cotto doesn't have to be tall, nor as skilled, nor as fast. He absolutely doesn't need to fight a tactical fight. That is the antithesis of a solid gameplan for this fight. This is a fight where Cotto can and must show aggression. He must let his hands go in what constitutes an unrelenting smothering attack behind a solid left jab that he doubles up on. This is vastly different stylistic matchup to what he have seen from Cotto in for quite some. He needs to fight much the way he did as a young man. Capturing the momentum on the front foot and grinding away. The kind of pressure Castillo applied with a much better left jab and refined set of boxing skills. The pressure Hatton applied but with superior physical assets, the durabiliy to eat what he needs to, and a vastly better skillset. Apply pressure behind his left hand like Oscar did but without losing focus, putting his jab back in it's holster, and overthinking.

Cotto can not afford to wait on Floyd, to engage in a chessmatch, and give him any room to breathe. He needs to just come forward and let his hands go. I'm not sure whether he will actually do this. Where he is at mentally and physically at this point in his career. However if he does and this is a real possibility i think he could have success. If not he's in for a beating.

[PD99]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVNrSfhQKIM

[Kid Dynamite]

Kid, I agree with everything. It's not a sure thing that PBF will win. I'm having a hard time picking this fight.

I picked Mayweather when the fight was announced. Mayweather wasnt going to get in the ring with a prime Cotto. But you better believe that I will be pulling hard for Cotto.

[PD99]

The security of Mayweather's defense is for real to some extent.

However, like Roy Jones Jr, Mayweather receives compounding advantage from opposition that simply don't pull the trigger on mere suspicion, or opposition that hesitates and tries to beat Floyd at his own reactive game. As such, Mayweather's defense isn't actually challenged as thoroughly as it could be and the opposition actually contributes to the prophecy of their own demise.

Jakob is correct imo. Whether he can win or not, Cotto's best chance is to move aggressively forward, constantly working the left and right down the pipe. Believe me, near misses and grazes will still count. They will force Floyd to shift, move and back up. Miguel will have to accept his eating some leather on the way in but remain faithful to the prospect that his uniform press forward and active hands will pay him increasing dividends as the fight wears on. There is no logic in hesitating with your shots lest you be countered because Mayweather will land random and easy shots on an opponent who just stands there anyway. Simply standing still for a shoot out feeds into Mayweather's advantages in speed and reflex. If you're to be hit either way, you might as well back Floyd up and try to get your own shots in and unsettle Mayweather at the same time.

Too many fighters want to be instantly gratified with success otherwise they drop tools well before time. It's been far too long since we've seen a fighter stick exactly to the best strategy available to him throughout the course of a whole fight.

Monzon is a great example of a guy who engaged faster and more skilfull guys but Monzon simply stuck to his own, steady and methodical game plan and, over the longer haul, it always paid off. Monzon clearly had complete faith in his game plan eventually coming to fruition but it required perfect belief, discipline, patience and focus.

[walshb]

I'd be suprised if PBF can get a KO here. He isn't the type of fighter to lay down a ot of leather and aggression. This is what Cotto does not like. Marg and Manny both are pretty intense. Cotto is also no dummy. He won't simply be beaten up all night. He is well capable of defending, moving, duckin, diving, spoiling and even running. I see Floyd pot shotting to a clear win. Maybe he will up the pace and volume and we'll be in for a good action fight and a masterclass. I really hope Cotto tests Floyd and at least gives it his all. Hope he throws plenty of good and clever punches and applies some pressure to at least make Floyd respond intensely.

[HE Grant]

First off this 24/7 was so boring I could not make it through the second episode .. I signed off with Team Cotto on the go -carts .. just too ridiculous ... as far as the fight goes I think in many ways this is Floyd's toughest opponent ... Cotto is flying high after rebuilding his career and Floyd is not a huge puncher ... Floyd is four years older, not juiced up like Paq and fighting him at the division limit opposed to a catch weight. That being said at the end of the day Floyd , even at 35, seems better conditioned, mentally stronger and still hungrier ... for all he has made, putting aside his very difficult to stomach personality, he is a all time great champion in every way ... the best we might have is a sort of Camacho-Rosario but more likely Floyd potshots him and swells him up over the distance and takes a decision ...

[hagler04]

I think some people are forgetting Cotto is not Carmen Basillio in the chin department. He's not going to be able to be an aggressive volume puncher b/c he will be too hurt by Floyd's counters, and probably get badly wobbled at some point early in the fight. Sure his chin may not be as bad as it was in his drained days at 140 but it's definitely not good enough for him to take 3 to land 1. He also hasn't fought that way for the past 4-5 years. His new "boxing" style plays right into Floyd's hands.

[jim glen]

my heart says Cotto, my head says Floyd...

like to see him put down and put away, fed up with these champions NEVER fighting, 1 fight a year or less in many cases. This IS NOT Boxing and it is certainly not what we expect from Champions.

Cotto has what it takes, but 2 or 3 rapid could just as easily end him too. So is Money Mouth due a Karmic Fall (for being such a twit), or will this be another Hard Luck day at the office for Cotto?

I'll give my £20 to anyone of you guys to bet for me, that's how uncertain I am.

C'mon, COTTO!!!

[satsukinob]

my heart says Cotto, my head says Floyd...

The same thing happened to me while the fight was on the way. Unfortunately my heart didn't win.


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Boxing is my sport and boxing gloves is my protection