by James Slater – Last night, at Madison Square Garden, New York, Miguel Cotto passed his first acid test since losing to Antonio Margarito, as he sucked it up and came through to win on points against the dangerous Joshua Clottey. Prevailing by a split verdict, the 28-year-old from Puerto Rico got the win by scores of 116-111 and 115-112. 32-year-old Clottey from New York by way of Ghana, was deemed the winner by a margin of 114-113 on the third card. “Junito” is now 34-1(27). “The Grand Master” is now 35-3(20).
The fight, for the first eight-rounds at least, was crammed full of drama. With pound-for-pound king and possible future opponent for the winner Manny Pacquiao sitting ringside, Cotto and Clottey gave their all in an excellent fight that fell short of being a real classic due to the way the last four-rounds saw the pace slow somewhat.. Still, this is maybe nitpicking; for the fight was indeed a good one to watch.
One thing that was instantly noticeable was just how massive Clottey looked. The older man’s broad back and shoulders gave the impression that the WBO title challenger was at least ten or maybe fifteen pounds above the 147 limit. Cotto was strong himself though, and a battle of attrition was soon on. However, on two or three occasions it looked as though the fight might not last too long at all.
After a fairly cagey opener, which saw both men feel one another out, Cotto suddenly got inside Clottey’s guard with a sharp and short left hand to the chin. Clottey never saw the shot, and down he went. Up quickly and not too badly hurt, Clottey heard the bell go a second later. Still, it was a shock to see the reliably-chinned challenger on the mat.
More drama came in the 3rd round, as Cotto was cut by a head-clash that was deemed accidental by referee Arthur Mercante Junior. Turning away after the two had banged heads, Cotto was cut badly; the blood pouring out of the gash above his left eye. It looked like a fight-ending injury, but thankfully the bout continued (thanks in large part to Miguel’s cutman).
In the 4th, Clottey really went for it, sensing his big chance. But Cotto, showing real heart and refusing to panic because of the blood that was clearly bothering his vision, came roaring back. It was a great round of two-way action!
In the 5th, Clottey began to unleash his right hand – a weapon he had saved until this point in the fight. Catching Cotto to the head a number of times, the 32-year-old looked more dangerous than before. Then, in a corner, Clottey went down hard on his face. From the replay it is tough to tell, but either Clottey slipped or he was helped along by Cotto. In real pain and down for some time, Clottey eventually got up and signalled how his right knee was bothering him. Given time to walk it off, Clottey ignored the pain and went back to work.
Already, the fans had had enough drama for their money.
By the 6th round, a war was shaping up. Stuck on the ropes for long periods of the round, Clottey was under real fire, but he also threw shots back as he felt the ropes on his broad shoulders. “The Grand Master” was definitely hurt at least a couple of times in this round.
Clottey came back well in the 7th and 8th rounds, arguably having his best period of the fight. In the 7th, a right uppercut to the chin landed for Clottey, and two more right hands to the head also scored as Cotto used plenty of movement. The 8th saw Cotto’s chin really tested, as a huge right hand crashed into his head. It was noticeable how Clottey was slipping a little on the canvas – was it simply water, or was the challenger’s knee still bothering him? Cotto again pinned Clottey on the ropes in the 8th, but for some reason let his man off. Was Miguel tiring?
The last third of the fight was quieter and Cotto seemed content to cruise to the final bell. Feeling he was up on points, the champion back-pedalled, fired out flurries, occasionally switched to southpaw and boxed smartly. Clottey, who continued to come forward, simply did not let his hands go enough. The rounds were still close, however, and the final result was in doubt all the way.
Two more brief moments of controversy came in the 12th and last round, as first Clottey was hit on the back of the head as he spun around, and then as the challenger complained about being hit low. Was Clottey trying to get a point taken off Cotto? Maybe, but Mercante Junior wasn’t going for it.
At the bell Clottey raised his hands instantly, believing he’d done enough to win. Cotto gave his rival much respect and the two embraced.
Afterwards, Clottey said he wanted a rematch, and he claimed he’d won the fight. Cotto could celebrate, though, having come though his toughest battle since the loss to Margarito. Have all demons from that loss been exorcised once and for all? It looks like it.
A gruelling and at times punishing fight, it remains to be seen if either Cotto or Clottey will want to fight again this year. October – the date Manny Pacquiao fights again – certainly looks too soon for last night’s winner to get back in the ring. But we will see.