By Vivek Wallace: In this weeks ‘Call Em Out Fridays’ segment we take a look at two men who suddenly find themselves with quite a bit of weight on their shoulders. For the last few years, the welterweight division has been the deepest in the sport and every step of the way these two men have played very intricate roles. Despite both fighters being reserved in demeanor, oddly enough, the paths taken to reach this point has been vastly different. For Miguel Cotto, his rise to fame came on the shoulders of a nation that has long awaited a new heir-apparent to take the mantle in the absence of yester-years Felix ‘Tito’ Trinidad. For Joshua Clottey, the sports proverbial ‘man-so-smooth-in-a-world-so-rough’, the surrounding hype and mainstream fan support has remained a bit minimal despite great efforts, making his level of opportunity an arrested development. Cotto enters the ring on the heels of nearly a full year of pure chaos, stemmed with everything from a brutal loss, to family violence which stripped him of his only career trainer, and more. Clottey, on the other hand has had a smoother ride, but failure to seize a landmark opportunity has kept him from center stage. Considering the given perspectives, this fight receives a rating of P.D., for another setback for either man can indeed result in PERMANENT DAMAGE..
In the case of Miguel Cotto, few bring a more feverish passion in the sport, and some would go on record in saying that none bring his dedicated will to destroy the body. Once viewed by some as an over-protected fighter, his resume currently removes most doubt. After a solid jr. welterweight campaign where he destroyed the likes of Ricardo Torres, Paul Malignaggi, and others, Cotto took his show on the road to the welterweight limits and slowly became a formidable contender after defeating the likes of Zab Judah and Shane Mosley. Without the possibility of landing a showdown against perhaps the sports most notable figure – Floyd Mayweather jr. – Miguel Cotto decided to roll the dice on Antonio Margarito in a fight that many feel may have changed him forever. Despite being suspended and currently out of the sport, the name Antonio Margarito remains a relevant one in this matter because he stands as one of the lone mutual opponents among the two men. In the case of Joshua Clottey, although his resume isn’t quite as defined, solid victories of the late Diego Corrales (R.I.P.), and Zab Judah somewhat helped accent his loss against Antonio Margarito – a fight in which he nearly failed to complete. Many insiders felt had he not been injured in that fight, (as evidenced in the corner between the fourth and fifth rounds), Clottey was well on his way to defeating Margarito in an effort that proved he could withstand the same level of pressure that Miguel Cotto failed to handle. What makes this fight a dangerous one is the fact that despite there being no headlines to boast it, this in some ways could mean do or die, in terms of the relevancy of both men. After being humbled, losing his trainer/uncle in a family feud, and a hand full of other questionable moves away from the ring lately, some have began to wonder can Miguel Cotto keep it all in tact and remain a perennial force? For Joshua Clottey, after being little more than a shadow emerging from the dark, many questions loom over his head relative to his ability to actually thrust himself into the spotlight by seizing such a moment.
A rare glimpse into a widely unknown perspective came when Miguel Cotto defeated Michael Jennings earlier this year. Based on the victory in the ring, it appeared to be Cotto’s night, but behind the scenes, it was Clottey’s, as evidenced deep in the bowels of New York City’s Madison Square Garden where Clottey emphatically yelled “my prayers were answered….it is now my time”! His sentiments stemmed from the fact that Top Rank chief Bob Arum promised him “a shot at Miguel Cotto next”. The chilling effects of that passionate outburst paralleled only one other memory in my deepest recollection. That memory was when Antonio Tarver failed to seal the deal against Roy Jones jr. in their first fight and thought that he would never get another crack at an opportunity he coveted for practically his whole life. In a huge parallel, Tarver was given that one shot to redeem his name. After the opportunity came to fruition, Tarver prepared himself like never before and entered the ring confident, mentally blocking out the magnitude of his opponent, as well as his nay-sayers. One flush shot allowed him to do something in less than six minutes that it had taken him a whole lifetime to achieve, and when it was all said and done, the rest was history….for both men….forevermore! I don’t see any knockouts in the cards here and I’m not ready to go out on a limb and say Clottey wins, but considering his passion for this once in a lifetime opportunity, paired with the fact that he knows he may never get it again, I think we have a dogfight on our hands. We know Cotto won’t back down either, so clearly the stage is set for early fireworks. All I can say is gentleman, protect yourselves at all times!…..It’s about to get nasty! And for the loser, no doubt about it and no way around it…..Permanent damage will be sustained. Stay tuned.
(Check out tomorrows Keys to Victory, Four to Explore, and Final Predictions)
(Vivek Wallace can be contacted at: vivexemail@yahoo.com, 954-292-7346, Facebook, and Myspace).