Miguel Cotto takes split decision over Joshua Clottey
by Scott Christ on Jun 14, 2009 12:09 AM EDT
in Boxing Post-Fight Analysis and Results
69 comments
Quick Update: 48-year old Ray Mercer knocked out former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia in 10 seconds with a right hand. Good for you, Papa Ray.
Miguel Cotto overcame a nasty cut that came from an accidental headbutt and wound up outpointing Joshua Clottey over 12 rounds at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, winning a split decision to keep his WBA welterweight title in a gritty, outstanding fight.
Cotto (34-1, 27 KO) won on scores of 116-111, 115-112 and 113-114. Bad Left Hook scored it 114-113 for Cotto on the strength of a first round knockdown more than just about anything else.
Clottey (35-3, 20 KO) feels he was robbed, and by CompuBox numbers he vastly outlanded Cotto. If there is money in a rematch, I wouldn't be surprised to see one made. Top Rank controls both fighters and it's assumedly fairly easy to make happen. But if Cotto is in line to fight Manny Pacquiao in October, Cotto-Clottey II would be delayed at the very least.
It's not controversial, I don't think, that Cotto won the fight. What is bothersome is the 116-111 card from judge Don Trella, which it seems no one feels is defensible. Frankly speaking, I felt it was an absolutely awful card.
The fight had some strange moments. The accidental headbutt happens, but there was a debatable slip by Clottey in the corner that could be seen as more of a Cotto throw/shove, and in the 12th round Clottey was hit behind the head and complained of a low blow. Cotto has certainly had his questionable moments in the past, and tonight doesn't do anything to change that reputation.
Clottey will likely find it no easier to land a big fight now than he did before tonight. He fought hard, many will feel he won, and he gave Cotto all he could handle. He's still not a big star, still provides more risk than reward, and is a tough nut to crack. He showed an excellent defense through most of the fight, outlanded Cotto, and proved out as a top welterweight to be sure.
Cotto may be in line for a huge payday. If he doens't get Pacquiao, a rematch with Shane Mosley seems natural. Whether it happens or not is another matter, but it makes sense.
On the undercard, junior flyweight champion Ivan Calderon drew with Filipino Rodel Mayol after six rounds when the fight was stopped due to a cut caused by an accidental headbutt that opened up an old cut on Calderon. That cut might prove to be the difference in the aging Calderon's career.
We'll have more tomorrow.
0 recs |
69 comments
|
Email
Print
Comments
Clottey Robbed...
I just got done watching this fight. First, Lampley needs to get off Cotto’s balls. He is a good, courageous fighter, but I cannot see how you give him this fight. Second, I feel sorry for anyone who bet on Clottey. I stayed away from this one because I had a feeling Cotto would somehow get a decision from the judges.
Why no mention of the tackle by Cotto or the punch behind the head?! I mean I don’t think Clottey was hurt by the punch, but damn you think SOMEONE would have not ignored it and everyone did. I don’t get the Cotto love by everyone.
Clottey 115-112
I have a feeling posts below will disagree and go crazy over me not calling Cotto the greatest fighter on the planet, but again I was not impressed. Good fight though.
No one here is going to tell you Cotto is the greatest fighter on the planet, don’t worry.
by Scott Christ on Jun 14, 2009 12:26 AM EDT up reply actions
Absolutely. There’s no question about it.
by Scott Christ on Jun 14, 2009 12:38 AM EDT up reply actions
It is important to note that the throwdown by Cotto cost Clottely the next round, and it was blatant, especially if you check the replay. Complete garbage.
Have to check the replay a few more times.
I know life, and boxing is not fair, but it aggravates me to see Cotto get the credit that he will get for this fight. I mean there were two rounds that could have went either way that I gave to Cotto and still had him down three.
Which two rounds could have gone either way?
If you’re only giving Cotto 4 rounds, I assume it’s 1, 4, 6 and 12. I don’t see how any of those could have been scored for Clottey. 2, 4, 7, 8, and 9 were clear Clottey rounds. 3, 10 and 11 were close, and I had Cotto winning 2 of them. That’s no worse than scoring all 3 of them for Clottey, as you did.
"Karma - there it was. The meaning of life, straight from Carson Daly's lips to my morphine-laced ears." -Earl Hickey
Clottey's jump was 'complete garbage'
Clottey put nearly all his weight on Cotto, all Cotto did was turn to the left and shed him. Then, Clottey acted like a bitch, in a title fight. Cotto would have been justified doing it again when Clottey jumped on him again at least twice.
Clotty's Jump..??
Clotty didn’t jump on him. He was reaching to clinch but Cotto was so low to the ground that Cotto came up under Clotty’s arms. Clotty looked like he turned around to protect himself at that point and Cotto pushed him off of him to the ground. It was unnecessary, completely. But no one ever said either of them were clean fighters. But he didn’t just jump on the man.
Clottey kept reaching over Cotto and putting him into headlocks all night
And it was pretty clear he was trying to do it then as well. Not an excuse for the takedown, which I do think was deliberate, but the clinch itself was initiated by Clottey, and it’s pretty clear to see that when you watch it in slow motion.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
I'm sorry, but i'm having trouble with my eyes...
I see Clotty going to grab(which is legal) and then cotto bends down low and come back under clotty’s arms… this instance cotto just happens to throw him to the ground. My point was that he didn’t jump on cotto… he was trying to clench.
Correction,
I should not have said “no mention” of the incidents above, wrong choice of words there, but HBO’s announcer called Cotto’s back of the head punch ‘accidental’. There was nothing accidental about it. During the tackle, I think that Clottey might have slipped on one of those ridiculous advertisements at the same time Cotto shouldered him, making it look worse than it was.
Yeah but
Cotto didn’t “accidentally” punch Josh in the back of the head… but Josh didn’t “accidentally” arm-bar Cotto either, which precipitated that.
"This fight'll be the nastiest thing you'll ever see. I been sober for six weeks, and that makes me vicious."
-- Randall 'Tex' Cobb
Yeah but if you watch the tape… just when Cotto was about to land the punch, Clottey turned to the side.
"Penelosa is not human." -Max Kellerman on Gerry Penelosa during the Juan Manuel Lopes-Gerry Penelosa bout.
This
And, the punch was nothing. And Clottey, the man fighting to win a title in his biggest ever fight, in a once in his lifetime opportunity, hit his knees like he got shot in the back of the head.
Then he did it again when he got literally ‘tapped’ on the cup. That’s how you win a title?
I had it scored 114-113 in favor of Clottey
I had little problem with the decision, but Trella’s card is worthy of protest.
It was a great and entertaining fight, even if it was a complete mess. The things that eat at me after this one: 1. 116-111, which is insane 2. 115-112, which is not insane, but completely wrong, and 3. The tackle in the corner.
I am willing to admit someone could see this as a 114-113 Cotto win, even if I completely disagree. I can’t accept either of the Cotto scorecards, which is why I hate the outcome.
As far as the HBO team, I have mixed feelings. They are always entertaining, but I have problems with them. Emmauel and Lennox are not very good on the mike, though they offer good insight if they could ever get it to come across. Lampley is the sports lead voice, but tends to overboard. I like Max Kellerman down the line, I think he is a great boxing commentator.
I thought the right guy won, and in my opinion, Clottey shouldn’t whine after that 12th round. He did NOTHING. I mean people try to say Winky Wright didn’t do enough in the 12th in his fight with Taylor, but he worked roughly 10 times as much as Clottey did. That stupid cut almost ruined the fight. You could tell it messed with Cotto, even if that’s detrimental to him as a boxer.
Boxing is like jazz. The better it is, the less people appreciate it.
-George Foreman
Ray Mercer just KO’ed Tim Sylvia in 10 seconds. Seriously
Keep firing Assholes!
Out out, you demons of stupidity!
by Ubernoober on Jun 14, 2009 12:48 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Oh Hell Yeah
Heheheh… It figures
"This fight'll be the nastiest thing you'll ever see. I been sober for six weeks, and that makes me vicious."
-- Randall 'Tex' Cobb
“HOLY GODDAMN SHIT
Tim Sylvia threw one kick then Mercer unloaded a right that connected on Sylvia and he tumbled like a 500 lb tree in the woods, Sylvia fell over and it seemed like it was in slow motion.
MERCER BY KO @ 10 seconds in the first round. This place is a madhouse.”
Keep firing Assholes!
Out out, you demons of stupidity!
It just comes to show that if you know how to punch… you are one bad mofo because you can KTFO out of someone even if you are 6’8 300 lbs.
"Boxing is dirty," said Casamayor. " The day I’m not ready to be a dirty fighter is the day I don’t fight anymore because it will mean that I have no heart for it anymore."
I am not happy with the dicision nor sad
But I seriously thought the better man won; however, a draw would have been BEAUTIFUL. But that 116-111 card is really questionable.
Pardon my French, but fuck the Pacman fight, let’s get a rematch going BABY!
"Penelosa is not human." -Max Kellerman on Gerry Penelosa during the Juan Manuel Lopes-Gerry Penelosa bout.
Clottey is the far superior fighter in terms of technical skills, hand speed, combinations, and he has the better chin. Cotto has slightly better power and better stamina, I think Clottey is the better fighter and I think he clearly won the fight.
I thought he was the better fighter
But I thought Cotto actually won the fight. Unrfortunately, stamina is a part of boxing, and Clottey has none. You can’t take 4 rounds off and get knocked down and expect to win without winning almost all of the rest of the rounds.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
THE ONE EYE BOXER.
A yo, Cotto is over the cheating ass hand’s of plaster, if not for the head clashing COTTO would have dominated the fight he is a true boxer. The only knock down was Clottey on his ass in the first round ,Cotto hit him whith a heavy jab add that to the points,and that bull shit move Clottey did in the 5th ,Cotto had him in the corner Clottey jump’ed on COTTO thats not boxing thats bitch boxing , Clottey couldent knock out the one eye boxer thats why he lost .
Eyes don't affect your legs...
He had one eye but it didn’t stop him from running. Cotto should definitely be over.
That knockdown was Lucky… Good punch but it definitely wasn’t a “Heavy” jab. Clotty was coming in to throw a left and his feet were in front of him, add any punch to that combination and you have a recipe for a B.S. knockdown. Can’t take that away from Cotto by anymeans,
The facts are clear though. Clotty was never hurt, he connected with the harder cleaner punches. Clotty hurt Cotto twice that I saw and should have won by 3 rounds. I’m sorry… 2 because of the Knockdown.
CLOTTEY GOT ROBBED
I just left the fight @ the garden myself and the whole thing was a Puerto Rico VS Africa….And let me tell you the crowd was definitely going for Cotto. That slip was an actual bodyslam!!! Cotto slamed him and hit him on the back of his head purposely. Everyone ignored it all he should’ve lost points. Clottey fought a good clean fight and left without a scratch on him. He landed way more punches than Cotto did…I dont know what was up woth the judges 2night…SMH They should fight again
He fell down after being hit with a jab. He was off balance but that’s his own fault. It was awful timing. He clearly wasn’t hurt at all.
by Scott Christ on Jun 14, 2009 2:24 AM EDT up reply actions
I agree about the knockdown
It was just perfect timing. Clottey was off balance but the knockdown was legit.
There are a lot of things that are up for debate in the fight
But the knockdown was very clearly a flash knockdown from a punch. He was off balance, and it certainly wouldn’t have been a knockdown if he wasn’t off balance, but calling it a slip would have been a horrible call.
I wouldn’t have complained if the ref docked Cotto for the takedown.
I wouldn’t have complained if the ref disqualified Cotto for the takedown.
I wouldn’t have complained if the ref docked Clottey for constantly putting Cotto into a headlock.
I wouldn’t have complained if any of the scores were 115-112 in either direction.
I probably would have complained if Cotto got docked a point for the punch to the back of the head. That one was Clottey’s fault for turning, and it was something he did about 4 or 5 times during the fight.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
And as I said at the time
116-111 is an indefensible scorecard. But 116-111 Clottey is just as indefensible as 116-111 Cotto. If they scores were flipped, I’d probably have the same reaction.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Scorecard
May have been a little inebriated before the fight, but from my POV:
Cotto Clottey
10 8
9 10
9 10
10
Scorecard (full)
Cotto Clottey
10 8
9 10
9 10
10 9
9 10
10 9
9 10
10 9
10 9
9 10
10 9
10 9
Total
115-112 Cotto
let me make this clear
In case I did not: Very, very close fight. Easily could have gone either way. No arguments from me other than it’s not 116-111 Cotto by any stretch.
That's exactly how I felt at the end of the 12th
I had Cotto winning the fight by a point, but was entirely ready to accept a Clottey victory because the fight just was that damned close. Seriously, there’s a lot of people screaming outrage at the scorecards (and I totally agree with regards to the one crazy judge), and I implore these people to watch the fight again as soon as they get the chance.
I know that had the victor been Clottey, we definitely would have had the same kind of indignation from some of the Cotto fans and to those people I would have said the same thing; watch the fight again. I guarantee the fight will look a lot closer the second time around. It really could have gone either way.
Cotto-Clottey
I had Cotto winning by a point. 114-113.
He adjusted well to the tricky moments he was going to have. Clottey is a fine fighter but i thought he was desperate to get Cotto a point deducted. It was rough in there at times.
Good fight, worth waiting up for.
When you dream...anything is possible... People can fly. Sometimes theres a moment when you wake and become aware of your surroundings..but you are still dreaming... You may think you can fly but you better not try...
i had cotto winning by a point, but i just realized that i gave clottey the 3rd round so i had it a draw
The Dude Abides
by battle axe of doom on Jun 14, 2009 6:52 AM EDT reply actions
christmas
came early for mr cotto thats for sure. clotty beat the daylights out of him and beat him in every aspect of the game. the horrid juges is a whole different matter and just speaks of the morons that boxing commissions hire to judge fights.
“clotty” was actually one of the top topics on twitter right after the fight and about 95% of the people were saying that he was robbed.
so does boxingscene.
The 6th rd.
It was a close fight all way round. Clotty lost the fight in the 6th rd. When the boxer who COULDN’T SEE HIS OPPONENTS RIGHT HAND , kept clotty in the corner for minute plus , wailing on him , some blocked some connecting. You gotta take the belt from a champion, clotty did not come close to that. More over , if he would’ve been more aggressive he would’ve paid for it. He was unwilling to trade, He has no heart.
A fantom knee injury
Turning your back in the ring
Complaining about a blow on the belt line
All proved he had no heart. Same thing happened when he fought Mags , He stoped fighting and blamed it on his hands. Clotty is nice fighter, good defense, nothing more. I can’t stress enough that his opponent couldn’t see the right hand coming at all , but he still couldn’t even really daze cotto. No way can u say this was a dominating fight for clotty. A close fight , but that right man won.
by NobodyPhaimUs on Jun 14, 2009 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
t was a close fight all way round. Clotty lost the fight in the 6th rd. When the boxer who COULDN’T SEE HIS OPPONENTS RIGHT HAND , kept clotty in the corner for minute plus
i dont get what the big deal here is. clotty was by no means trapped in the corner nor was he taking any serious damage and more than half of the shots were blocked. even clottys flurries of the ropes were more effective and landed more.
A fantom knee injury
yea…and YOU know this for a fact. please.
You gotta take the belt from a champion, clotty did not come close to that. More over , if he would’ve been more aggressive he would’ve paid for it. He was unwilling to trade, He has no heart.
i’ve always disagreed with this way of thinking. if you win the fight you win the fight and deserve the decision. simple as that. everyone says clotty should have been busier. i dont see how him throwing more and thus missing more (much like cotto did ALL night) and putting himself in danger of counter punches makes any sense at all.
Complaining about a blow on the belt line
SHOCKING!! nobody has ever complained about a low blow. ever.
All proved he had no heart.
oh please. you go do one tenth of what he did last night, you cant.
No way can u say this was a dominating fight for clotty. A close fight , but that right man won.
i do as many many others and respectfully disagree.
by sonofapsycho on Jun 14, 2009 4:48 PM EDT up reply actions
i’ve always disagreed with this way of thinking. if you win the fight you win the fight and deserve the decision. simple as that.
I’ve always hated this line of thinking too. I don’t like that it’d be OK in this theory for close fights to essentially not matter because nobody dominated, so hey, sure, the “champ” doesn’t have to lose his belt, hooray! Oscar pulled this stupid shit when he lost to Mayweather, yet nobody heard a peep from him about this gentleman’s agreement when he beat Sturm.
by Scott Christ on Jun 14, 2009 7:03 PM EDT up reply actions
How can claim a new champ
if you didn’t decisively win , That has been apart of the sport since day one, and those are the rules the old school heads left me with.
by NobodyPhaimUs on Jun 14, 2009 8:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Because you’re essentially saying that a close fight that either man could conceivably have won doesn’t matter if one guy holds some horseshit trinket. Miguel Cotto beat freaking Michael Jennings for that belt. That belt really doesn’t mean much. “Champions” can lose close fights, and when they do so goes their title. It’s not a “rule” — it’s a belief, and it’s silly. I don’t care who believed it was right or when. “Well, ya beat me, but it just wasn’t by enough!”
by Scott Christ on Jun 14, 2009 9:09 PM EDT up reply actions
I dont believe
I don’t think clottey won period. It was a close fight, One man hit the canvas and got out worked. He didn’t deserve to win , None the less de thrown the champion. And who cares about what belt or how he got the belt. Cotto is the welterweight champion. Floyd Avoided everyone and anyone who was a serious threat and Mags the former best welterweight tried to cheat.
by NobodyPhaimUs on Jun 15, 2009 2:10 AM EDT up reply actions
And who cares about what belt or how he got the belt. Cotto is the welterweight champion
This makes absolutely no sense. “Who cares if he beat some schmuck that didn’t belong in the ring with him? Who cares what belt it is?” It matters. Cotto is not the welterweight champion. He holds one of the alphabet soup titles, and he got it by beating a non-contender with a bogus ranking from the WBA.
Anyway I think Cotto won, too, so we don’t totally disagree.
by Scott Christ on Jun 15, 2009 9:06 AM EDT up reply actions
side note
before the fight the Clottey camp was holding up a belt as well… wasnt he supposed to give that up when he took this fight over Delvin Rodriguez?
It might be some other damned belt, but I didn’t pay attention so I’m not sure. There are six thousand of them.
by Scott Christ on Jun 15, 2009 10:33 AM EDT up reply actions
He was begging
Clotty was begging for a point! Listen to ref the closest man to the action , He’s basicly calling Clottey out on the knee and the low blow.
" Clottey might have been the better fighter BUT Cotto was the better man " – Max Kellerman
That was in reference to these tactics. And the only reason he was the better fight , was a cut from a headbutt that most fighters would’ve quit after the 4th and gotten a easy win .
by NobodyPhaimUs on Jun 14, 2009 8:37 PM EDT up reply actions
That's one writer's opinion
It’s not even one of their main writers. I’ve never even heard of TK Stewart before.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
oh pardon me.
sorry hes not on the level of an sc or brickhaus.
by sonofapsycho on Jun 14, 2009 4:55 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm just saying
that’s not necessarily the opinion of the site.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
i know
i was just posting on what was on the front page of boxingscene. no need to dis the writer if you disagree with him.
by sonofapsycho on Jun 14, 2009 5:11 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m sorry, but I’m with Manny Steward on this one, there is no way Cotto won enough rounds to take this fight, his reputation is what got him this fight, his fists did nothing to Clottey.
Cotto had a bloodied face from clottey’s head. (Which he got Dq’d for against baldimir) What damage did his fist do? He landed a few good right hands because of the blood in his eye , So what did clottey really do? Again Clottey is a good defensive boxer, nothing more. He had a man who was playing with one eye, coming off the only lost of his career and couldn’t close the show. His unwillingness to go for it is why he has no heart. That win would’ve change his children’s children’s life. He would’ve had big money after that , but he choose to cover up. In reference to an earlier post that says i have no right to question a mans heart, Listen … If i was ever given the opportunity to change the lives of my kids kids (financially) Im either going to knock him out or get knocked out. I WILL NOT be out worked by a man who’s clearly damaged(not even by clottys punches). Just like teddy atlas said " he lost the right to complain " , If anything Clottey’s was given a gift , One the hardest punchers in the division had to play defense due to headbutt and couldn’t plant his feet on a mat that seemed like ice. (dont understand why no one is talking about that).
Fighters like clottey are the reason the sport is die’n. He chose to keep his fist at his chin instead at his opponents chin and close the show. Maybe it’s cultural thing , but hispanics leave in the ring. Clottey didn’t and will be the reason he’ll never get a big money fight.
by NobodyPhaimUs on Jun 14, 2009 7:05 PM EDT up reply actions
I was 10 rows back
(will post photos tomorrow)
and from what I saw in person, Cotto won a close fight. Clottey laid on the ropes and let Cotto hit him. I dont care if he walked out of it and shook it off like they didnt hurt, those punches count.
One got the sense that Clottey was going to lay on the ropes, take damage and wait for Cotto to get tired/that cut to get worse then make his move. That never happened.
Even though Cotto was the favorite and had more to loose in the fight, he pressed the issue instead of playing it safe. I give him all the credit in the world for fighting back after that cut.
Cotto fights angry. You could tell he has a temper and it came out in several places. Clottey should have taken advantage of this more. Getting Cotto angry is a good way to get him to make mistakes.
The crowd was very vocal and totally behind Cotto. Ive never seen a crowd like that. Its a big weekend for PR in NYC, with the parade today and all.
In person, everyone thought Cotto won, though no one was sure of it until they raised his hand.
They didn’t land, so they don’t count for much, if anything at all, considering Clottey’s punches were clean and snapping Cotto’s head back.
what do you mean they didnt land? It dosent have to snap a guys head back to land. Cotto is a body puncher and when Clottey was against the ropes covering his head, the body shots Cotto was throwing did damage…. You could see Clottey getting pushed side to side by them.
Clottey blocks exceptionally well and did a great job, but Cotto got more through than some people are acting like he did. I’m not, like, calling anyone out, but you’d think Clottey blocked every punch. Cotto did pretty well offensively with one eye against a guy who really is one of the best defensive fighters in the game.
by Scott Christ on Jun 15, 2009 9:07 AM EDT up reply actions
Whats next for Clottey?
He is a scary dude. They way he looks in the ring, its this head down eyes up just plain mean stare and he back its up with toughness. Yes… he did a little bit of soccer playing up and being over dramatic, but he was trying to work the ref. Id love to see him fight again soon.
Personally, Id like to see him fight Antonio Margarito. Not that Margarito deserves it, but I would like to see Clottey get a win over someone with a big name… and like to see Margarito get his ass kicked.
I’d like to see Margarito shut up and go away and manage a Target or something. He could regale everyone with tales of his glory.
by Scott Christ on Jun 15, 2009 10:34 AM EDT up reply actions
Or Home Depot
and sell plaster.
or he could switch to MMA and fight Ray Mercer in a back woods Alabama freak show.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
Related FanPosts on Bad Left Hook
Related FanShots on Bad Left Hook
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
