Miguel Cotto's History in Title Fights
by Scott Christ on Nov 10, 2009 5:19 AM EST
in Boxing History
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In preparation for this weekend's super fight between WBO welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto and world junior welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, Bad Left Hook will look back on the major title fight histories of both men.
Pacquiao's is very interesting (and perhaps a bit more limited than you might expect, as he wasn't always fighting for major titles), and Cotto's is really strong, and might hopefully wake people up to the fact that maybe, just maybe, Miguel Cotto isn't some schlub that the mighty Pacquiao will bulldoze past.
We are considering only fights for the Ring Magazine championships, as well as the titles of the WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF.
September 11, 2004: Miguel Cotto TKO-6 Kelson Pinto (Vacant WBO Junior Welterweight Title)
Cotto was 20-0 at the time, and the Brazilian Pinto was a perfect 21-0 with 19 knockouts. Also take into account that Pinto had twice beaten Cotto when the two were amateurs, and this one was no gimme. Pinto, a shade under six feet tall and huge at 140 pounds, was ripped to pieces by the Puerto Rican machine. He was wobbled early, knocked down in the second, and when he was floored again 32 seconds into the sixth round, his corner mercifully halted an entirely one-sided beatdown. Pinto landed 11% of his punches in the fight and could stop nothing Cotto threw at him.
For those that think Cotto's post-Margarito career is what it looks like when a guy has been beaten up bad and "lost it," it's not. It's Pinto after Cotto. The Brazilian fought four more times, winning three of them against guys who had a combined three fights between them, and losing a technical decision to Vince Phillips. Pinto's last fight came in 2006.
December 11, 2004: Miguel Cotto TKO-6 Randall Bailey (WBO Junior Welterweight Title)
Bailey, who's still around with his cannon right hand keeping him in the game, was stopped on cuts. Cotto put him on the canvas twice. Bailey's never had a chin, and like Pinto he couldn't find any way to slow Cotto.
February 26, 2005: Miguel Cotto TKO-5 DeMarcus Corley (WBO Junior Welterweight Title)
A more contested fight than Pinto or Bailey, as Corley came out and traded shots with Cotto early. Corley disputed the fifth round stoppage, saying it was early. Both fighters were docked points for low blows and Corley hit the canvas three times. Corley's complaining about the stoppage is also a bit questionable itself, as he willingly took a knee under heavy assault, which prompted the referee to stop the bout.
June 11, 2005: Miguel Cotto TKO-9 Mohamed Abdullaev (WBO Junior Welterweight Title)
Abdullaev was another old amateur foe of Cotto's. The former Olympic gold medalist took Cotto out of the competition in the first round at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. As with Pinto, Cotto got his revenge in the pro ring. Abdullaev had some success against Cotto, but ultimately had his eye swollen so badly that he couldn't continue.
September 24, 2005: Miguel Cotto KO-7 Ricardo Torres (WBO Junior Welterweight Title)
In my view, the most underrated, overlooked great fight of the decade. Sure, those that saw it know it's a great one, but it rarely comes up too quickly when discussing the great scraps of the 2000s.
Cotto and the ultra powerful Torres went toe-to-toe in a vicious battle, and though Cotto had eaten some good leather from previous foes (particularly Corley and Abdullaev), he had never faced someone as strong or good offensively as Torres.
Torres went down on a left hook in round one, but roared back to start an assault that culminated with a knockdown of the Puerto Rican in round two. Cotto somehow survived the storm. A body shot knocked Torres down again in the fourth, and though the Colombian never stopped swinging for the fences, the momentum had absolutely shifted. Torres hit the mat again in the sixth, and for a fourth and final time in the seventh. An overjoyed Cotto struck the famous celebration pose in the photo to the right. It was a phenomenal fight, all action to say the least.
March 4, 2006: Miguel Cotto TKO-8 Gianluca Branco (WBO Junior Welterweight Title)
The Italian veteran Branco, 35 at the time of this fight, was mostly known in the States for giving Arturo Gatti a pretty decent fight in 2004. Cotto dominated seven rounds, and Branco pulled out 49 seconds into the eighth with a shoulder injury.
June 10, 2006: Miguel Cotto UD-12 Paulie Malignaggi (WBO Junior Welterweight Title)
To be stereotypical, Paulie Malignaggi never looked like a tough guy, never really acted like one, and certainly didn't (and doesn't) punch like one, at least by pro boxer standards. But there's a lot more John Wayne in Malignaggi than meets the eye, and that's what we found out with this fight. Malignaggi wound up with a fractured right orbital bone and a pretty serious jaw injury, and overall took a fairly horrific beating from Cotto. But the New Yorker did not back down, and both men came out of an exciting, dramatic fight bigger stars than they were before. Cotto won an unanimous decision, the first time in a major title fight he was taken the distance.
We continue with Cotto's welterweight career after the jump.
December 2, 2006: Miguel Cotto RTD-5 Carlos Quintana (Vacant WBA Welterweight Title)
Fellow Puerto Rican Quintana was unbeaten and coming off of a pretty big upset of Joel Julio, a red-hot prospect many expected would be a major star himself by now (he's not). With Quintana as one of the world's best welterweights and Cotto moving up in weight, there was some intrigue going on. Cotto punished Quintana early and often, and after a nasty fifth round body shot, Quintana decided to not come back out for the sixth, making Cotto a two-division titlist.
March 3, 2007: Miguel Cotto TKO-11 Oktay Urkal (WBA Welterweight Title)
Veteran Urkal used every cheap trick in the book to keep himself in this fight, when it was clear to anybody watching that he was hopelessly outgunned. The fight was rather kindly stopped in the 11th round, getting an inevitable result over with. Cotto led 100-89, 97-92 and 98-91 on the official scorecards. Urkal didn't come to win, he merely came to exist and cash his check.
June 9, 2007: Miguel Cotto TKO-11 Zab Judah (WBA Welterweight Title)
One of the better fights of 2007, and the last time Judah showed any real guts in the ring. Cotto's reputation for being a dirty fighter largely stems from this fight, as he popped Judah with some pretty wicked low blows in the first and third rounds. Judah had wobbled Cotto in that opening round, and that was his receipt. Judah hung around as long as he could, but eventually was overcome by the younger man. Cotto forced Judah to a knee in the ninth, when he knocked Judah down hard in the 11th, the referee stopped the fight.
November 10, 2007: Miguel Cotto UD-12 Shane Mosley (WBA Welterweight Title)
A spirited, super competitive fight between two men who gave their very best. Mosley was thought to have seen his best days go by him, but after two beatings of Fernando Vargas, he decided to drop back down to 147 pounds, and he made it clear he was far from finished. He gave the unbeaten Cotto as good a fight as anyone ever had, and lost a close but clear decision, on scores of 115-113 (twice) and 116-113. Cotto and Mosley looked like fighters that could have become great rivals, but it hasn't played out that way.
April 12, 2008: Miguel Cotto RTD-5 Alfonso Gomez (WBA Welterweight Title)
To be honest, a disgusting mismatch from the moment it was made, as for whatever reason Top Rank decided that Cotto needed an easier bout, and HBO approved Gomez, one would assume, because of his status as a popular fighter from "The Contender." What no one counted on was the fact that "The Contender" wasn't really that popular to begin with, and people certainly didn't stick around to follow the post-show careers of those pugs.
Gomez, who fights on the Cotto-Pacquiao undercard against Jesus Soto Karass, was game as always but frighteningly out of his league. Cotto stared him down at the end of round one and I remember being almost afraid for Gomez. The fight should have been stopped at least two rounds before it was. The fight shouldn't have even happened.
July 26, 2008: Antonio Margarito TKO-11 Miguel Cotto (WBA Welterweight Title)
We all know this one, know how great a fight it was at the time, and know the asterisk it carries today. Let's leave it at that.
February 21, 2009: Miguel Cotto TKO-5 Michael Jennings (Vacant WBO Welterweight Title)
Cotto got a rebound fight with the unqualified Jennings, who had climbed the WBO's ridiculous rankings for whatever reason you may wish to assign. Jennings was a bit better a matchup than Gomez and a bit less of a stinker than Urkal, but he was no match for the world class fighter. Jennings did the best job he could staying away from Cotto early, but once Miguel found him, it was all over.
June 13, 2009: Miguel Cotto SD-12 Joshua Clottey (WBO Welterweight Title)
The people that spent all their time complaining that they felt Clottey won this fight missed a hell of a lot, I feel. First of all, it was a terrific fight, hard-fought on both sides. It made Cotto, who fought through a bad cut to pull out a tight win, look better. And it made Clottey look better yet again. Both of them had their A-game. I felt Cotto did enough to win, as did the judges.
Total Record: 14-1, 11 KO
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Damn
Boy has got game there is no doubt about that. I’m not sure if I have really heard many solid boxing fans picking pacman to destroy Cotto. Most casual fans feel that way but that seems more of an uneducated viewpoint (i.e. see past performances above). I think power and experience are going to win this fight.
COTTO BY MUSTACHE EXORCISM 10
(Need to channel battle…)
I think power and experience are going to win this fight
Pacquiao has terrific experience against world class opposition so I don’t feel that experience will be a deciding factor in the fight. Power on the other hand probably will be. However it’s worth remembering that Cotto was seriously bothered by Judah’s speed and got hurt because of it. Pac is faster and smarter than Zab and I’m not convinced that he hits much softer. Still can’t decide who’ll win! So many factors!
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Nov 10, 2009 12:26 PM EST up reply actions
Great read.
Just one small correction, if I may; You’ve referred to Corley as “Bailey” in that segment of your article.
Please feel free to delete this comment when you’ve seen it. :)
Boxing is the beginning of all sports. I'm willing to bet that the first sport was a man against another man in a fight. (Omar Epps)
cool article
The Mosley fight I feel is on the short list for best fights this decade, as is the Torres fight which is just incredible to watch (and rewatch).
Um...
More important correction: Cotto won a split decision, not a unanimous, over Clottey. Split, as in one judge got it right.
Sorry, dude.
I’ve scored that fight 3 times; once on fight night, once with a few beers in me the day after, and once stone sober this past weekend, and I’ve come up with the exact same card all 3 times: 114-113 Cotto. Rounds 1 (10-8), 3, 4, 6, 11 and 12 to Cotto, Rounds 2, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10 to Clottey. If any of those rounds could have been scored another way, it was round 10, which would have made it 115-112 Cotto.
My biggest problem with calling it a “robbery” is that Clottey got knocked down in the first, had 2 rounds in the middle (4 and 6) where he got the crap kicked out of him, and did virtually no work in the last 2 rounds. So, to call it a robbery, you have to belive that Cotto had absolutely no argument for winning any other round in the fight. And that’s bullshit, he clearly had an argument in rounds 3 and 10. Just because you scored it differently doesn’t make it a robbery.
Cotto won the fight.
"Karma - there it was. The meaning of life, straight from Carson Daly's lips to my morphine-laced ears." -Earl Hickey
That knockdown was absolutely huge, because I think Clottey had that round in the bag until it happened. So we’re talking about a three-point swing, so if the fight felt like a 7-5 Clottey win to you excluding the knockdown, then Cotto won.
Sometimes KDs are big like that
I would have had Agbeko-Perez a draw without the KD. Three point swing there as well.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
also he low blowed his way to a KO of judah
The Dude Abides
by battle axe of doom on Nov 10, 2009 11:53 AM EST reply actions
There are some brutal beatdowns in there. I remember Jim Lampley, immediately after reciting his famous line that “Cotto doesn’t just beat you, he beats you up,” noting that more than half of Cotto’s last X number of opponents at that time hadn’t fought since.
Cotto-Bailey was probably the most brutal, in my opinion. I winced multiple times every round. I think it was even worse than Cotto-Gomez.
cotto-gomez was more pathetic mismatch than it was brutal. LEGITIMATELY (meaning not clottey) knocked down by a jab for christ’s sake
The Dude Abides
by battle axe of doom on Nov 10, 2009 12:45 PM EST up reply actions
btw blame corrales-castillo I for pushing the torres fight into obscurity. saw it again recently, amazingly brutal throwdown. all-time classic
The Dude Abides
by battle axe of doom on Nov 10, 2009 12:44 PM EST reply actions
Question
I have heard people say that Cotto has a “history of dirty fighting”. There were 2 low blows versus Judah (which I feel definitely warrant an asterisk for that W) where the ref gave Zab time to recover. Freddie Roach says there were 5? I didn’t see that. I know boxers sometimes will hit each other in the thighs, but I didn’t see that either.
And then there was the European guy who complained that Cotto was hitting him in the back/kidneys.
Some blame him for “throwing” Clottey, but in my eyes, Clottey kind of jumped onto Cotto.
Can someone shed some light on Cotto’s “history”?
Ricky Hatton came closer to beating Manny Pacquiao than Marquez did to beating Floyd.
-SC
by The Lethal Haze on Nov 10, 2009 3:30 PM EST reply actions
there’s some more in the article. the bailey fight he was docked points for DQ, cotto landed some low blows in the torres fight (even to the point where the torres corner told him to go down every time cotto hits low which obv served him wrong since the ref gave him a count). he’s a dirty sumbitch, but like casamayor once said (i think he did at least), everyone in boxing is a little dirty but cotto is beyond a “little dirty” just not bhop or casa dirty
The Dude Abides
by battle axe of doom on Nov 10, 2009 3:40 PM EST up reply actions
It’s worth noting that in the Judah fight, the second low blow came when Cotto wasn’t at all in trouble. Cotto was stunned twice: in the first and second rounds. The low blows, however, came in the first and third rounds. So it wasn’t as if the second low blow gave Cotto any particular advantage. Judah didn’t have any momentum to speak of at the time, he was given time to recover, and Cotto was deducted a point. (The first low blow was a different story, but the story does get exaggerated at times by being conflated with the second one.)
On a side note, what a great fight that was. Just a great atmosphere.
Comment on Low Blows
If you are known as a serious body puncher, you are going to also be known as a dirty fighter for low blows. Refs are always inconsistent with beltline calls and there is also a lot of acting going on there too. If you are trying to go to the body, the guard will generally be protecting the head, moving down when a body shot is coming. Therefore most glancing blows will be redirected down into low blows. Also forcing a guys head down in a clinch, which i don’t see happening in this fight, will result in inadvertent low blows.
Do I think Cotto is really dirty? No its not who he is. Will some low blows happen in this fight? Yes, its how life is for a body puncher. (Analogous situation: In baseball, if you are trying to get under the ball to hit a HR, you might miss slightly and end up hitting a pop up. Did you mean to hit a pop up, no it just sometimes happens)
by Waldo Rastel on Nov 10, 2009 4:43 PM EST up reply actions
Some blame him for "throwing" Clottey, but in my eyes, Clottey kind of jumped onto Cotto.
It’s worth remembering that Clottey looked like he was gaining an edge over Cotto just before that happened. we could argue about whether or not it was intentional but there would be no point in that. I think it was, you don’t. meh.
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Nov 10, 2009 5:23 PM EST up reply actions
Clottey was no angel in that fight. It was a two-way street.
Bad Left Hook
"Well Howie, I think I'm going to stay outside and outjab him." -- Tex Cobb telling Howard Cosell how he would approach Larry Holmes
by Scott Christ on Nov 10, 2009 5:51 PM EST up reply actions
Both sides were certainly to blame there
Cotto-Clottey was just a dirty fight in general. Both guys were breaking the rules left and right. That said, Cotto has enough of a history of breaking the rules that I think he’s earned a reputation of being a dirty fighter. Not always (the Mosley and Margarito fights come to mind), but the Judah, Urkal and Clottey fights were pretty obvious.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
I didn’t see it as Clottey was gaining momentum and Miguel bodyslammed him in response. Cotto had backed Clottey into a corner, and was about to tee off. Clottey could have just clinched with Miguel but he literally jumped forward and rapped his arms around Cotto’s. It was very weird.
Ricky Hatton came closer to beating Manny Pacquiao than Marquez did to beating Floyd.
-SC
by The Lethal Haze on Nov 11, 2009 12:32 PM EST up reply actions
A sincere thank you
For everyone who replied to me. Yall definitely gave me some food for thought.
Ricky Hatton came closer to beating Manny Pacquiao than Marquez did to beating Floyd.
-SC
by The Lethal Haze on Nov 11, 2009 12:27 PM EST up reply actions
Cotto - Torres fight is relative here...
The Cotto vs Torres I feel is very relavent here. That fight was brutal and Torres hit like a truck. If Torres can’t KO Cotto how will Pac? I may be wrong, I’m no Feddie Roach thats for certain but it just doesn’t seem possible.
Pac had some of the heaviest hands the flyweight division ever saw, he was a monster but as he has moved up in weight thats disappeared so KO’s are becoming less of an option though he seems to have retained a large amount of his speed.
On the other hand even when Cotto isn’t engaged in a Torres type fight he will hang back and pick his shots. The man likes to beat up his opponents if he is forced into the long haul and his fists are like sledgehammers.
I don’t think anybody in the welterweight division can take a good Cotto the man has fought so many types of fighters and his entire resume is build on seeking out the guys everybody else is avoiding with a few exceptions.
I think if it’s competitive Cotto will TKO Pac in 9. If it’s not competitive he will KO him in 5.
When Manny Pacquiao picks Cotto to win
I guess I know where I should be putting my money.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
by Brickhaus on Nov 11, 2009 11:36 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
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