16.09.07 – By Vivek Wallace: Prior to the announcement of the November 10th fight between Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto, few realistically put the two names together for a near future boxing showdown. Many Mosley fans awaited a shot at Floyd Mayweather Jr., while Cotto fans awaited a shot at Antonio Margarito. Those plans took a turn when Floyd Mayweather Jr. instead set his sights on a bigger payday, lining up a battle of the undefeated between himself and British Phenom Ricky Hatton.
Adding to that shift in plans was the fact that Antonio Margarito lost his scheduled fight to undefeated Paul Williams.
Most fight fans don’t understand the concept relative to why some fighters make ‘business’ decisions in going with a less popular tune-up fight before a bigger payday, but the ‘warrior’ in Antonio Margarito now has him on the outside looking in as Shane Mosley gets what was supposed to be his opportunity to possibly expose one of the sports up and coming superstars.
When the name Miguel Cotto is spoken, varied thoughts come to mind. Some people view the young Cotto as an ultimate warrior, others view him as a ‘raw suspect’ with a chin that hasn’t truly been tested. My perspective on Cotto allows me to categorically view both assessments as part reality. Looking into that perspective helps to decipher which is closer to the truth, as it relates to his chances against Shane Mosley.
Cotto ‘The Warrior’ Perspective: Miguel Cotto has been viewed by skeptics for quite some time as a ‘sheltered’ fighter, however, for each of the test he encountered, his response was the same. Victory. Some by knockout, others by decision, but none-the-less, they are what they are, which is another one in the “W” column. When he was rocked at the hands of Colombian Ricardo Torres (who was at the time 28-0), he responded with a 7th round KO. When he seemed to be having problems with Zab Judah (TKO11), once again, he stepped up to the challenge. Few thought – prior to the Judah fight – that Miguel could go toe to toe with a fighter with decent power and speed, however, in the end, most questions asked became questions answered.
Cotto ‘The Raw Suspect’ Perspective: Although Cotto has answered many critics with his heart-felt abilities, this ‘raw suspect’ perspective actually has more merit than the ‘Cotto-Faithful’ would ever agree to on record. Granted, Cotto was able to sift through and effectively sort out the tier 2 contenders of the welterweight and light welterweight divisions, but in facing Shane Mosley, Cotto has now legitimately graduated to the tier 1 level fighters in his respective division and getting a guy to quit on his stool like two of his tier 2 contenders did (Quintana and Urkal) won’t be as easy. Before the body blows – including the low ones – began to take a toll on Zab Judah, Cotto seemed a bit confused in terms of how to employ his strategy to win the fight. Mosley is by far a more superior fighter than Zab Judah. The only remote comparison would be speed. Zab’s chin has gotten better but Shane’s was never a question.
There are five categories that ultimately dictate every fight – Chin durability, Speed, Heart, Ring Generalship/Skill Level, and to a lesser degree, Age. The battle of the ‘beard’ goes to Mosley. ‘Sugar’ Shane has taken power shots from the likes of Dela Hoya, Vargas, Winky Wright, and Vernon Forrest, and has never been knocked out, rarely even knocked down. Cotto, on the other hand, has been visibly shaken by many fighters whose power was far less threatening. The ‘Speed’ category easily goes to Shane Mosley. Even at age 35, Mosley remains one of the quickest fighters in the game, in the Welterweight division he remains only rivaled by Floyd Mayweather Jr. The ‘Heart’ category sits about even. Cotto has answered every opponent rally in each of his past fights, while Shane has not only done that, but also went for immediate rematches against the two guys who defeated him, showing no fear factor whatsoever. The ‘Ring Generalship/Skill Level’ category slightly leans towards Shane Mosley. He’s simply been in with better opposition, and has done it for a longer period of time. As far as the ‘Age’ department, it seems to be a virtual shoe-in for Cotto, but that apparent advantage could very well lead to a bitter end for a man standing across from a foe named ‘Sugar’.
To some, age is a loss of youthful progression. For a seasoned vet like Shane, age is an acronym, representing – A Greater Experience. Everyday in the world of sports we see this. Who could forget how in the twi-light of his career, an already unstoppable Michael Jordan abandoned his highlight acrobatics and remained just as deadly by adding a lethal jumpshot. In the NFL we saw this very same thing with Jerry Rice. The sport of Boxing presented us the skills of both George Foreman and Bernard Hopkins as they fine tuned their skill level to get better results when father-time came knocking. Shane Mosley fits in the same mold as he remains a key figure in the hottest division in the sport, despite the fact that it’s run by a ‘battalion of young stallions’. Boxing promoter Bob Arum once stated in so many words that he felt Cotto was ‘ready’ for this fight with Shane based on the way he handled Zab Judah. Apparently Arum never got that memo. The one that boldly states ‘Shane Is No Judah’!. Hence the aforementioned title…..It’s A ‘Shane’. Not a ‘shame’, but a ‘Shane’, because everything about this fight says Shane, and once it’s over, I have a feeling that so will the mouths of all the people who were ridiculous enough to write him off in the first place.
(Got feedback? Write Vivek Wallace at vivexemail@yahoo.com or show some love at myspace.com/anonymouslyinvolved)
(For those that have followed, I decided to pause the Mayweather/Hatton weekly ‘snapshot’ temporarily to review a few other upcoming fights of great anticipation)-(It will resume on the first Monday of November).