First, he's a right hander in a lefty stance, Cotto's a left hander in a righty stance. Ortiz has concussive power in both hands. Cotto has thudding power in his left hand, esp. to the body. Ortiz is fast, powerful, a machine when he's on all cylinders. Cotto is an intelligent boxer-puncher and occasionally brawler who is all heart, effort, intelligence, and professional (of the consummate kind). Both are boxer puncher brawlers who started their careers at 140lbs and had decent promotional boost. Both moved up to 147lbs and eventually 154lbs. However, one is Mexican American and the other a true Puerto Rican. Yep.

Cotto was tested in the early 2000's by the likes of power puncher Richardo Torres. Torres had a hellacious right hand, one that could put out ANY jr. welterweight on the right night. He dropped Cotto about twice, and made Cotto fight for his life and crawl his way back into one of the toughest fights of his career. Afterward, Cotto knocked out Judah, decisioned Mosley, steamrolled Gomez, and got stopped by Margarito. Just when pple said he would never be the same (which he wasn't) or had written him off (esp as a "quitter") he comes back, decisions Clottey (disagree with it, but he had a huge gash, showed heart, and had a relatively high risk/low reward situation) going, and fought Pacquiao. He received a FAR worse beating by Pacquiao than by Margarito in my eyes and had no quit in him. He had retreat and survival, but no quit. If Margarito left questons, then the gas over his eye in Clottey, and the Pacquiao fight left no question whether or not he was a warrior or quitter. Pple didn't make much of the 2nd Margarito fight (though I saw it at MSG and he looked wonderful; fast explosive, light on his feet, great pop and rhtyhm to his combinations), but then he gave Floyd Mayweather, arguably the best p4p fighter in the world a fight for his life. That's something that Victor Ortiz COULDN'T do in Floyd's previous fight b/c Ortiz went crazy and found a way out.

Victor has concussive power and power in both hands, more speed and quickness than cotto, and honestly more talent. He was hyped as the next Golden Boy, pushed to get his first title agst a Argentinian brawler who just wouldn't give. Ortiz vs. Maidana was Cotto vs. Torres except Ortiz didn't pass the test. He quit! He has the boxing skills, power in both hands (Maidana only had his looping right hand that fight), and every physical advantage, and he laid down for Maidana. He then fought some over the hillers in Vivian Harris, and an old, fat Nate Campbell (who he coldnt' finish), and then got hammered to submission by Lamont Peterson in a 10 round fight in which he scored two early knockdowns to have a 4 point lead! His only good comeback was agst Berto, who severely underestimated Ortiz coming in, and basically had the shock of his life from Ortiz's power and relentlessness. Some pple like to discredit that fight b/c they never thought Berto was a somebody in the first place. I'd like to give Victor some credit for it: it was fluke night, he was focused, sharp, and he kept his sanity. Pple point to that at what Victor could be, and I say it was the one time all the stars were aligned (in this galaxy, with the flaming Super Nova and all that shit). People are still backing Ortiz up like he's still some elite fight, but I say he's done as an elite fighter, but not as an action fighter who might be misconstrued as an elite fighter if the conditions are right. Ortiz was giving as good as he was getting in the Floyd fight, if not giving more imo, but he found a way out for that one too.

Actually in fact, the difference between Floyd vs. Cotto, and Floyd vs Ortiz, was that Cotto had a better mental makeup, and was able to operate well under highly stressful and difficult situations. It was Cotto's emotional and mental strength that not only gave Floyd a tough fight, but in my eyes, won him the fight. Despite not having power in his right hand like Victor has in his left, despite not being young and no longer being the person that Larry Merchant asked Floyd about after the Oscar fight in 2007, Cotto STILL gave Floyd a run for the money some 5 years after that fight was thought to be relevant.

Ortiz will never be what Cotto is: a top rate elite fighter with no quit in him. Pple can say what they want about Cotto Marg 1. I raise my glass to Cotto.