This kind of started up on another thread but I wanted to get a fresh one started before it developed further.
I'm goin with Abdu & Casa and I'll be back to lay it out.
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This kind of started up on another thread but I wanted to get a fresh one started before it developed further.
I'm goin with Abdu & Casa and I'll be back to lay it out.
See the header/\
These two fights are gonna be competitive-much more so than that Tyson PPV garbage.
I don't have a problem with anyone picking any fighter; I like Cotto in a tough one and Casamayor in a tough one as well.
Karl
I hope people out there understand what a potentially fun card this will be.
Cotto/Abdulaev
I really believe Abdulaev & Cotto should be running somewhat parallel careers right now but due to an unfortunate circumstance for Abdulaev, it didn't quite happen that way. This fight was always going to be an anticipated matchup due to their amateur history together but as a result of the way their career's have unfolded, this showdown's been forced a lot sooner now. The only reason I can think of for Cotto's camp to jump on this fight now is because they think it is better sooner than later to face Abdulaev. This is most likely because he's essentially been passed over as a result of the Clottey fight & he has really not had the opposition since that would make him as dangerous as say if he continues a successful comeback and gets more wins under his belt (which is extremely likely)....& secondly, this is a fight that Cotto will get up for (the perfect medicine for his almost near disaster with Chop Chop).
The strategies for this fight will be very interesting. Abdulaev is a sound fighter. He has good speed, a mixed attack, a sound defense & throws just about every punch well. Sometimes he can get a little wild & leave punches out there a tad long but for the most part he fights fairly disciplined with an occasional willingness to trade at times. He is pretty durable, not afraid to get rough and certainly has no problem trying to end a fight.
What can we say about Cotto? There's not much he does wrong other than get left hook happy at times. He seemed like a picture perfect Puerto Rican fighter up until he was sent reeling around the ring for an entire round by a feather duster. I also felt he was in a little more trouble in the Ndou fight than people would like to let on. I like Cotto but I can't help but be skeptical, maybe its HBO hype backlash...who knows. All I know is he would be better served by not listening to his hype and get back to business.
Abdulaev is not your typical 20 bout fighter. A gold medalist & amateur wins over Williams and Cotto are not flukes, but I'm wondering if Abdulaev will notice a bit more zip on the 5 years more mature Cotto this time. I'm also wondering if Abdulaev falsely thinks that he will be facing the same guy he squared off against years ago.
Since I think their skills and experience are somewhat of a wash, I am going to pick the hungrier fighter which I believe to be Abdulaev in a mid fight KO. I not only think he is hungry, I think he is desperate and most importantly mature enough to execute a gameplan in a tough fight. Cotto's Chop Chop flub was just a little more than a chink in the armor IMO. There are club fighters who know how to finish fights better than Chop Chop. Kudos to Cotto for surviving that round but that is not saying much in that particular fight. This is his first fight since then & that experience may still come back to haunt him in some form. If not mentally, it will also help boost his opponent's confidence to go after Cotto now that it's been seen he can be shaken up like that.
I think it will be an entertaining fight and one I will be happy to be wrong about if it turns out that way.
Casamayor/Diamond
Not as much to say here. Interesting fight to take for both camps but Diamond is about to be pounded back into coal IMO.
Diamond is pretty durable & strong but I see no way he can catch Casa, let alone catch and permanently hurt him. I expect Casa to box circles around him, maybe take a flash KD when he gets too cocky but basically punish Diamond for most of the ride. Diamond does not have the greatest footwork in the world and I can't imagine how he will fare against such a crafty southpaw and veteran who knows every trick in the book. Diamond will need a little luck here, this is not Gogoladze by a long shot. Casamayor was already getting into this kid's head in their first press conference, someone like Casamayor may ruin this kid. This should be a fun fight and another example of why not to matchup a youngster with a vet too quickly (see Cintron).
I'm picking Cotto and Casamayor.
From what I've seen of Abdullaev he throws a lot of punches and has solid skills, but he also gets hit quite a bit, and I think Cotto's power might just be too much for him. Should be a very interesting fight though.
The Casamayor fight has just come too soon for Kid Diamond and he'll probably get schooled as a result. I'm sure he'll be brave and have his moments, but Casa just knows too much for him at this point.
I'm with Dig on this one. Abdullaev beats Cotto, possibly by stoppage. I didn't like the fact that Chop Chop hurt Cotto so bad, that was very telling. If Abdu doesn't get him someone will. May as well be now for the second-coming of Vargas (Cotto).
As for Kid Diamond, he's going in with a real pro and badass. Casamayor wins a decision here. Would love to see the new kid on the block pull the upset, but I gotta go with my mind and not my heart here.
Not that my mind has done particularly well as of late on the predictions! But hey, I did call Lamon Brewster over Wladimir Klitchsko (cheap reminder in lew of the CBZ disaster).
And this card ROCKS. The best double-header in terms of even and exciting match-ups that I can remember. Enjoy it guys and gals.
Shawn
Abdullaev TKO8 Cotto
Casamayor UD Diamond
I think Joel Casamayor is the wrong style match for Kid Diamond. Casa is probably too slick and too experienced for a still green Kid Diamond as far as I can see. Casa is the definition of a slick southpaw - and add to that all of his dirty tactics - and he's a tough night for anybody. A strong arguement could be made that Casamayor deserved the decison over Freitas, Corrales in their second fight and also in his fight with Jose Luis Castillo. A couple of rounds the other way on the judges scorecards and Joel Casamayor is an undefeated fighter with a 34-0 record. Two things, however, with Casamayor that are beginning to effect him are his advancing age and his desire. I saw some signs against Castillo that both of those factors are beginning to come into play with him. Diamond will need to strike early, strike hard and strike often if he wants to avoid a decision loss.
I think Cotto will ultimately prevail over Abdullaev. Since Abdullaev lost to Emmanuel Clottey he has been relatively inactive and his opponents since the Clottey loss have a less than impressive combined 39-13-3 ledger. My guage as to whether a guy is even a "good pro" is when he has at least 100 rounds of pro experience - Abdullaev has only 73 rounds of pro experience and only 16 fights. Cotto on the other hand has 118 rounds of pro experience in 23 fights. Cotto has also fought the much better opposition. I think Cotto was beginning to become complacent but the scare against Chop Chop Corley has probably awakened him and made him realize every fight is important and every opponent needs to be taken seriously. I look for Cotto to be impressive and win decisively.
I think Cotto is a heavy favorite for a reason. Abdulaev has been inactive and has been fighting lousy competition. Cotto hasn't looked great, but N'dou, Corley, Pinto would mop the floor with the guys Abdulaev has been fighting. If I recall correctly, the fight against Godoy was just one punch and done. Abdulaev didn't look like he was in charge or that comfortable in there.
On the Casamayor front, I love to watch the guy. I thought he won the second Corrales fight and is one of the savvier fighters I've ever seen. But a lot of guys that I respect seem to think the Kid is just going to be too much for him. I don't see how that could be after Joel got thru 42 rounds with Freitas and Corrales and Castillo, but I'm not all that smart. So my head is going with Casamayor 10-2, which means the Kid will probably blow him out.
Cotto by TKO 7
Casamayor W PTS 10, or 12, whatever the sceduled distance
There's little reason to pick King Diamond. I saw him getting slapped around by a completely shot Lamar Murphy on the MAB-EM III undercard until he landed a perfect combo and KO'd Murphy. People are gushing about his power -- is 12 KO's in 20 wins that scary? And who has he been stopping? I hate when people say "Unless X gets old," but that's my feeling with this one. Casa should win, but those 48 rounds against monsters could start to get him. Casamayor by UD.
I like Cotto to win a close decision. No way he's losing in NYC on the night before the Puerto Rican Day parade.
Cotto, Abdullaev square off in WBO title bout
NEW YORK (AP) - Miguel Cotto has forgotten the past, especially the lone blemish on his boxing career.
The undefeated WBO junior welterweight champion from Puerto Rico will defend his title Saturday night in a 12-round bout at Madison Square Garden against the only man to beat him - Muhammad Abdullaev of Uzbekistan.
Cotto has won all of his 23 pro fights, 19 by KOs. His lone defeat came as an amateur, at the hands of Abdullaev in the opening round of the 2000 Olympics. He lost a 17-10 decision.
Abdullaev, now living in Germany and ranked No. 5 by the WBO, is 15-1 with 12 knockouts.
``The Olympics is an old story,'' Cotto said. ``Saturday night will be a new chapter and a different result than when I fought him in the Olympics.
``And when I march in the Puerto Rico Day parade up Fifth Avenue on Sunday, I will be leading it still as the world champion.''
Cotto last defended his title on Feb. 26 with a fifth-round TKO over DeMarcus Corley.
Abdullaev won his first 11 bouts before losing to Emmanuel Clottey in 2003 because of a timing mixup. After getting into trouble in the 10th and final round, Abdullaev took a knee. He then mistook the referee's count and was still down at the count of 10.
``I said after that loss that I would never lose again,'' the 31-year old contender said. ``Since I beat (Cotto) once, I know I can do it again. There will be a new champion Saturday night.''
Undefeated Almazbek Raiymkulov, a 2000 Olympian from Kyrgystan who fights under the name Kid Diamond, faces former world champion Joel Casamayor in a WBA-sanctioned lightweight title elimination bout on the undercard.
Raiymkulov is 20-0 with 12 KOs and is ranked No. 7 by the WBA. Casamayor, 31-3 with 19 KOs, was an Olympic gold medallist for his native Cuba and went on to win the WBA super featherweight title in 2000.
I like Cotto by mid to late round TKO. He is more experienced and has fought a better class of opposition than Abdullaev.
Casamayor-Diamond is closer to call but I would pick Casamayor by decision. Perhaps this fight has come a little too early for Diamond.
My buddy once fought in a tournament in Bulgaria in the late 1980's and Casamayor was there (he was then a flyweight). Casamayor came into my friends room in the hotel and offered to swap, by sign language, his Cuba training top for a pair of nearly new bag gloves. My friend accepted, Casamayor took the gloves and then started rooting through my mate's bag and was grabbing jeans and anything he could get hold of. My mate wrestled him off and Casamayor stormed into the bathroom. My buddy followed him and saw him in the mirror stealing the toothpaste!! A crazy guy.
Both guys were under 139:
LINK
Boxingnut:
That was great story about Casamayor. Good stuff!
GorDoom
Ya gotta wonder how much of that 139 in Abdulaev was his noggin
Cotto may be too strong now for the somewhat hittable Abdulaev but I'm still stayin with the pick. Cotto has not looked great when his opponent wasn't game for getting walked down all night, Abdulaev won't be backin down much.
If you caught the weighin pics, Cotto was under by 1.5 lbs and looks as lean as Floyd. He must be really serious about this fight.
Casamayor W10 Diamond
Cotto KO4 Abdullaev
My first prediction on CBZ... I think I'd feel better about placing big money on the fight than looking the fool here...
Going with the house Joel by UD big and Cotto by late stoppage.
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