After a very controversial weekend of boxing, needless to say, this weeks ‘Left-Hook Lounge’ will span the presence of primarily three fighters which greatly played a role. (Cotto, Clottey, and now also P4P King, Filipino Manny Pacquiao). No matter which side of the fence you reside on, opinions about the showdown which took place at New York City’s Madison Square Garden last Saturday night are widespread, and with Manny Pacquiao waiting in the wings, a completely new contingent enters the welterweight equation. A Mayweather injury, an opponent-less Paul Williams and a potential return of Margarito certainly adds a few new wrinkles, but in an effort to sort them out, we put an ear to the streets and throw some heavy verbiage direclty from the fight fans on the cutting blocks. Our first question comes from the Northwest, where an avid fight fan wants to know the following:
Leo S. (Seattle, WA): Where do you now rank Miguel Cotto amongst today’s welterweight elite?
Vivek W. (ESB): I think Cotto is still relative but I’m beginning to truly question how much so as it relates to the ‘big boys’ who undoubtedly run the division. I once viewed Cotto as a big welterweight, but I’m quickly learning that Cotto is technically an average welterweight with a big punch that makes him seem bigger than he truly is. Clottey, Margarito, Williams, those are big welterweights.. Cotto has a bigger punch than many in the division, but technically, he isn’t much bigger than the Mayweather’s or Berto’s of the division which greatly neutralizes him, considering some of his other vulnerabilities. Clottey was a bad match for Cotto, but in a sense, he was the best one, because Clottey can at times be too defensive to open up his offense and try to bury the hatchet. Other big welterweights I think would completely demonstrate exactly how effective Cotto is in today’s market. Paul Williams would have ended that fight before round 8 the other night. No doubt. Williams’ work rate and ‘fear-no-man’ attitude would have allowed him to walk through everything Cotto could offer and completely annihilate him. I’m totally convinced about that at this point. Cotto seemed slower, a bit unsure of himself in spurts, and just completely out of sync. Some may say that it was because he was without Evangelista, but my response would be that he’s not coming back, so he’d better back up, regroup, catch a grip and come equipped….fast! Or his career will fade away faster. Overall, He’d probably anchor the top 5, pulling up the rear behind Mayweather, Margarito, Clottey, and potentially even Mosley.
Jhonny L. (Bronx, NY): I think it took a lot of balls to make the prediction you chose for the Clottey/Cotto fight but you were 1000% correct. What did you see coming into the fight to make you feel comfortable enough to make such a bold decision?
Vivek W. (ESB): I’ll start by saying that despite the oddity in my prediction, it was a very easy decision on my behalf to do it because personally, I consider myself a voice of the people, and true fight aficionado’s are neither dumb nor blind. What I said in that prediction is something many other boxing scribes knew well, yet failed to say for ‘political’ reasons – which simply isn’t something that I have any interest in. One thing I do religiously is analyze fight footage. The same thing that led me to pick Margarito against Cotto led me to predict Clottey over Cotto, I just knew that Clottey would never get the decision. Cotto receives the ‘warrior’ mark in its highest form because his effort was valiant, but all things remaining equal, he lost the fight. I knew he could back Cotto up, and a fighter like Cotto who’s use to backing people up – yet can be hurt – will always be in danger when he is forced to back up himself. Margarito has been so effective because before Mosley, no one recently was able to back him up and he’s normally durable enough to hold his own when they try. Cotto has been wobbled a countless amount of times before, and against a bigger guy like Clottey, I had no question he would be forced to fight backwards and would be hurt as a result. Some would say Clottey could have done more to get the nod, but honestly, I think that’s a preferential issue, and this sport like any other is about winning, not only appeasing fans by getting a KO. Think about it…fighters have won fights with less of a connection rate based on aggression, and in contrast, many have won fights based on connection rate without aggression. Cotto out-punched Clottey by 101 punches, yet Clottey out-landed him by 43 (which demonstrates higher connection rate), and was by far more effectively aggressive which gave him the edge both ways, yet he didn’t get the nod? Had the shoe been on the other foot my same point of contention would be raised from the other side. It’s not rocket science, it’s just obvious! Yes, Clottey could have done more, but he won the statistical battle and was by far the more effective aggressor….so did he really need to? Bottomline, between this fight and the Calderon results, this is the type of crap I hate about the sport I love!
Robert R. (Miami, FL): What do you see next for Cotto and Clottey?
Vivek W. (ESB): For Clottey, I don’t see a Cotto rematch under any circumstances, so look for Arum to pin him against either Mosley, or Berto. It will definitely be someone who gives him a chance to land a strap. I wouldn’t rule out a Margarito rematch, but worst case scenario, he may be a potential opponent for Paul Williams. As for Miguel Cotto, there’s no doubt in my mind that Pacquiao and Las Vegas is his destination. After hearing Arum say that he sees the fight as “dead even”, there’s no question where those two are headed. For Arum it’s the best of both worlds, because he gets to clash two of his titans, and have the winner be viewed as the sports most perennial figure, (P4P contention), and take tons of leverage to the negotiations table against Floyd Mayweather jr. Such a move would trap Mayweather, because if Pacquiao wins, he undoubtedly brings great leverage because he will have beaten the man that many feel Mayweather attempted to avoid. If Cotto wins, he will have beaten the sports biggest figure – thus earning the right to ask for comparable money at the least – and Floyd would be forced to face him if he wants a piece of the green pie. So no question about it, Cotto will be squaring off against Pacquiao next. Get ready.
Perry S. (Queens, NY): Who do you favor in a Pacquiao/Cotto showdown?
Vivek W. (ESB): Prior to lastnight, I had Cotto winning based on power, but all things remaining equal, (which they will be at a lower weight – remember how shaky Cotto was at 140) – I think the speed and power of Pacquiao would indeed be a major issue for him. No one on a relative level will back Pacquiao up for 12 rounds, so despite being the naturally bigger man, Pacquiao’s speed and power would give him a very intriguing advantage. And God forbid Cotto’s cut is reopened. He wouldn’t stand a chance because Pacquiao, unlike Clottey, is far more offensive than defensive, and would take full advantage of those openings. I won’t go out on a limb and say that Pacquiao stops him, but if he gets Cotto wobbled, only one word applies….Curtains! That show would be over soon thereafter.
Markey J. (Miami Lakes, FL): Now that Cotto has won the Pacquiao sweepstakes and Mayweather is off the list, where do you think Mosley should go next?
Vivek W. (ESB): Mosley is at a bit of a crossroads. He seems to want megafights, but those opponents who can give them to him don’t seem to want him. When you look at the tier two options that’ll draw a decent non-mega fight type crowd – Clottey, Williams, Berto – he doesn’t seem to want any of those guys either. So keeping all of that in mind, honestly, where can he go next? I’m afraid there just isn’t much out there for Mosley anymore. The public would love to see him face Williams. That fight could have happened, but Mosley is dead set against it. Arum seems to be leaning towards Clottey getting a shot at him – which I think is a good fight for Mosley – but Mosley isn’t interested their either. I’m afraid that I have no answers for Mosley, but at age 37 and facing the proverbial ‘westside’ of his career, he and the Goldenboy crew had better figure it out.
(Vivek Wallace can be reached at: vivexemail@yahoo.com, 954-292-7346, Facebook, and Myspace).