by James Slater — Not long to go now until welterweight talents Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey climb into the ring at Madison Square Garden, New York in their WBO title showdown. For Cotto, the fight will be his first real test since sensationally being stopped by the subsequently disgraced Antonio Margarito, and for Clottey tomorrow night’s fight represents the big opportunity he has been craving since losing a decision to common opponent Margarito.
Was Cotto damaged long term by the hammering he took late in his July 2008 loss to the Mexican? Is Clottey clever enough to be able to defeat the Puerto Rican star? Accra-born Clottey is certainly tough enough to have a very good chance of winning, and the man who gave up the IBF 147-pound belt he won by stopping Zab Judah (another common opponent of the two) so as to get Cotto in the ring is convinced he is faster than Cotto also..
Speaking to Spencer Fearon of Setanta.com recently, Clottey said he feels his body attack will be something Cotto will not like – claiming that the 30-year-old has shown his displeasure at being hit in the midsection before.
Clottey even went as far as to say Cotto is just a “normal” fighter.
“He’s a normal guy,” Clottey said of his upcoming foe. “He’s not speedy, he’s not fast, he’s just a normal one-punch fighter. He’s not a combination puncher. I have never thought he was better than me. I know he’s not faster than me, I’m faster than him and he doesn’t like body shots.
“I have no special game-plan. All I’m thinking is getting there and winning the fight. You need to get to the ring relaxed. I pray that when I get to the ring I will feel as I do in the gym, then I will be fine.”
Clottey is certainly one of the physically strongest, if not the strongest, welterweights Cotto could have wound up fighting. Known to enter the ring as high as 156-pounds or so on fight night, “The Grand Master” will likely do so again tomorrow night. But then, Cotto is huge for welterweight also. This fight really could end up being a really hard and gruelling battle for both men – and it’s also possible that neither guy will feel like fighting again this year after such a draining effort.
A stoppage looks unlikely either way, if you ask me. But a hugely entertaining war that elevates both men is what we will get over the full 12 rounds.
The winner will almost certainly be looked at as a near future opponent for superstar Manny Pacquiao (who will be ringside) – but what will Cotto and Clottey leave behind in the ring on June 13th, and how much will either man have left afterwards?
This one will be rough!