MAIN EVENT
For the WBA Welterweight Title
MIGUEL COTTO
(30-0, 25 KO, Caguas, Puerto Rico)
versus
SHANE MOSLEY
(44-4, 37 KO, Pomona, CA)
For the RING Lightweight Title
JOEL CASAMAYOR
(34-3-1, 21 KO, Guantanamo, Cuba)
versus
JOSE ARMANDO SANTA CRUZ
(25-2, 14 KO, Michoacan, Mexico)
For the vacant WBO Intercontinental Welterweight Title
ANTONIO MARGARITO
(34-5, 25 KO, Tijuana, Mexico)
versus
GOLDEN JOHNSON
(25-7-3, 18 KO, Killeen, TX)
PLUS - Junior Welterweights
VICTOR ORTIZ
(19-1-1, 14 KO, Oxnard, CA)
versus
CARLOS MAUSSA
(20-4, 18 KO, Monteria, Colombia)
I really think we could be looking at a fantastic card stacked with four fights that could be exciting. Should be a hell of a night of boxing at MSG.
Casamayor-Santa Cruz doesn't exactly light up the mind as something that could bring a house down, but with Casamayor's rust and age, I think it could be a more competitive fight than I would give it credit for on paper. Casamayor via UD
Ortiz-Maussa should feature some good punching, simple as that. I don't know that Maussa has the legs left under him at 36 with as inactive as he's been to take that kind of punishment and keep on ticking. Ortiz is still green, though, and could be prone to being forced into mistakes by the veteran Maussa. Maussa was supposed to be a stepping stone for Vivian Harris, too. Ortiz TKO-8
Margarito-Johnson shapes up as a fight that should delight those that like rugged boxing. Johnson has long been at that point in his career where he's got nothing to lose, so I don't expect we'll see him overly cautious. That's just how Margarito likes it, too. Johnson is 3-0-1 since his beginning his comeback after a three-year absence in 2005, scoring upsets on Freddy Hernandez (SD-12) and Oscar Diaz (TKO-11) in those fights. Margarito has plenty to lose, because if he were to drop this fight, that's a long, hard climb back into contention. As it is, he's being talked about as the opponent for the winner of the main event. I think we'll see Margarito bring back the viciousness that made him so effective in the past. Margarito TKO-5
And then there's the main event. I re-watched Cotto-Judah today, as well as Mosley-Collazo. I also watched Mosley-Oscar I, because I wanted to, but that fight was seven years ago and I'm not putting any stock into that. Mosley is not as fast as he once was -- actually, it's not even terribly comparable. But what he has more of now than he did in 2000 is just plain old ring savvy that comes with being in the ring with as many great fighters as he has been. Mosley, like Oscar, can never be accused of ducking fighters. He's the guy that gave Winky Wright two fights when nobody wanted a damn thing to do with Wink.
Since the two losses to Wright, he is 5-0, beating good fighters including the two wins over Vargas, the first of which was an absolute war and one of Fernando's best and gutsiest performances, and the latter of which was Mosley, on top of his game, completely outclassing Vargas.
Miguel Cotto has beaten good fighters, too: Judah, Malignaggi, Torres, Quintana, Corley, Pinto, Maussa, and plenty of other quality fighters. But he has never been in the ring with someone of Mosley's caliber. Sugar Shane is, by far, the toughest test of Cotto's outstanding young career. Win or lose, Miguel Cotto is going to be around and be a factor in this division for years. And that's a good thing, because I'm finally going to make my pick and stick to it: Mosley TKO-10 -- I don't see any way this one goes to the cards. If Cotto is winning, he'll be busting Mosley up from the inside out. If Mosley is winning, it's because he's battering Cotto with combinations aplenty. We're going to see a knockout in this one.
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