From Ringside: Ali breaks out, while time and injury drive Cotto to retirement

All due full credit must be given to the fighting pride of Canarsie, Brooklyn, Sadam Ali, for totally messing up the going away party for Miguel Cotto on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

He is 29, as good a guy as you will find, showing a humility above and beyond what would be expected withn a sphere in which he’s faced with a constant barrage of criticism from both the “informed” and the arrogantly ignorant, Sadam Ali must be lauded and deserves to exult yesterday, today, tomorrow and beyond, for doing what he did at MSG on Saturday, and that’s give us another stellar chapter in our realm, the sweet and savage science, aka The Theater of the Unexpected.

But…

Not BUT, but I have to offer a but…

This fight, which by the should stand tall in our memory banks as a point of pride example for good judging, fair judging, uncorrupted judging — take two bows, Mark Marlinski, Julie Lederman and Steve Weisfeld — was affected by an injury to Miguel Cotto.

​The 37-year-old Puerto Rican looked like he was changing the tone, finding a home for his right hand, maybe getting his timing down and possibly going to exerting a possible strength advantage, especially if Ali's leg zest would wane as the rounds tolled.

Then aging happened. I mean, I can’t pinpoint the issue and blame aging for it, but it is the sort of thing that is more likely to happen when you are 37, not 27.

Cotto’s left biceps rebelled on him. It rolled up on him, torn. This occurred in round seven, after he’d had a good round five, six and portions of seven. He was taken to the hospital, and missed the post-fight presser, for the record.

And then, in the late innings, when the fight was up for grabs, and, indeed, Cotto was up on the the cards, his left arm wasn’t at one hundred percent.

Let us pause to remind that this isn’t an excuse, but it’s part of the chapter, this last chapter in a storied career. And in round ten, and 11, Ali was the boss, as “Bicycle Cotto” re-appeared, the guy who wasn’t as clear on what to do when he wasn’t in control of the patrol of the real estate.

Such an injury is a message from Fate/God to move on along, let the younger and sturdier folks engage in the manly art.

And that is pretty much where I will leave it regarding this element of the December 2, 2017 Cotto fighting finale. Because Sadam Ali deserves the majority of the spotlight time. It’s only fair, being that most if not all of us gave him next to no chance to get the W.

Bravo, Ali, and you heal up, Cotto. You are both deserved of those things, because that was a dramatic and entertaining main event. Thank you, gentlemen.

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