Bad Left Hook - Austin Trout defeats Miguel Cotto at Madison Square Garden
Global Boxing News and Commentary
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2012-12-04T18:36:48-05:00
http://www.badlefthook.com/rss/stream/3477229
2012-12-04T18:36:48-05:00
2012-12-04T18:36:48-05:00
Cotto-Trout sets SHO ratings record, 1.4 million
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<p>Showtime set a new record mark for their boxing ratings on Saturday, as Miguel Cotto vs Austin Trout was a hit, peaking at about 1.4 million viewers.</p> <p>Last Saturday night's Miguel Cotto vs Austin Trout fight card on Showtime peaked at nearly 1.4 million viewers, and averaged 1.047 million, setting a new record for Showtime boxing broadcasts.</p>
<p>Trout (26-0, 14 KO) scored the upset over star attraction Cotto (37-4, 30 KO) in the main event from Madison Square Garden, and it's pretty clear now that even if Cotto didn't win, Showtime's boxing brand has become far, far stronger due to their close relationship with Golden Boy Promotions, the company that brought Cotto vs Trout to Showtime, and also gave them the hit <a target="_blank" href="http://www.badlefthook.com/2012/9/18/3352806/canelo-vs-lopez-rating-viewers-showtime-boxing-news">Canelo vs Lopez fight in September</a>.</p>
<p>Next weekend, Amir Khan makes his Showtime debut, and though those numbers aren't expected to come close to Canelo or Cotto level, it's just another example of an HBO favorite moving to Showtime, a network that has thrived this year, despite any criticisms about working so closely with one promoter.</p>
<p><b>Related: </b><a target="_blank" href="http://www.badlefthook.com/2012/10/24/3547340/stephen-espinoza-first-year-showtime-boxing-ratings-criticism-golden-boy">Showtime sees ratings, stronger brand under Espinoza</a></p>
https://www.badlefthook.com/2012/12/4/3728962/cotto-vs-trout-ratings-viewers-showtime-record-1-4-million-boxing-tv-news
Scott Christ
2012-12-02T21:05:55-05:00
2012-12-02T21:05:55-05:00
Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes?
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<p>Miguel Cotto and Ricky Hatton have been two of boxing's biggest stars in recent years, boxers who did something rare in today's environment: They consistently drew crowds. With losses on back-to-back weekends, boxing is on the verge of seeing true stars entirely phased out in favor of TV-manufactured headliners.</p> <p>Back in 1985, country music legend George Jones had a hit single with a song called, "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes," singing of the industry's seeming inability to replace such greats as Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell, Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson, and others.</p>
<p>Maybe country music isn't for you, but the song has a cross-platform message: It's not easy to manufacture a replacement for something that was genuine, for a true blue star attraction. "This old world is full of singers," the song starts, "but just a few were chosen to tear your heart out when they sing."</p>
<p>This old world is full of boxers. Some are journeyman pugs, many have day jobs, some are "stars" propped up by TV networks. A few, however, in today's modern era have been able to connect to an audience closer to the mainstream, and their standing has not been attached directly to a network executive's pocketbook, and they haven't been virtually unknown beyond the often-hilarious and self-absorbed little community that call themselves "boxingheads."</p>
<p>And on consecutive Saturdays, we've seen two of these men fall. First was the era's most popular fighter, period, Ricky Hatton going down on a body shot against Vyacheslav Senchenko in a comeback effort, where the fight was essentially sold out at Manchester Arena before Hatton even named an opponent. And yesterday, the last remaining Madison Square Garden boxing draw, Miguel Cotto, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.badlefthook.com/2012/12/1/3716616/cotto-vs-trout-results-austin-win-decision-upset-madison-square-garden-scores-showtime-boxing">came up well short against Austin Trout</a>, ending his unbeaten streak at the building.</p>
<p>Cotto, 32, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.badlefthook.com/2012/12/2/3717068/miguel-cotto-loss-austin-trout-no-retirement-next-fight-rematch-canelo-alvarez-boxing-news">says he'll fight on</a>, and he could have a good while left in him. But the loss to Trout, while not devastating boxing-wise because Trout is a good, young fighter on the rise, and a bigger man to boot, could put a serious dent in Miguel Cotto's overall appeal. Cotto could have a resurgence and fly back to the top of the sport -- it has happened before -- but right now, it's not hard to think that Miguel Cotto's name on the marquee at MSG will never have the same weight that it has in the past.</p>
<p>As for Ricky Hatton, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.badlefthook.com/2012/11/25/3689984/ricky-hatton-retirement-press-conference-full-video-and-quotes">he says he's done</a>. After a three-and-a-half year layoff, Hatton, 34, gave it one more go, and his fans were there. They were passionate. As always, they sang. But as the fight wore on, they grew quieter, as Hatton struggled to keep up with his own bigger foe, who just had more left in the tank. When <a target="_blank" href="http://www.badlefthook.com/2012/11/24/3686546/hatton-vs-senchenko-results-knockout-loss-body-shot-ninth-round-showtime-boxing-news">Senchenko floored Hatton on a ninth round body shot</a>, the sold-out crowd fell silent. They roared trying to urge Ricky back to his feet, but to no avail.</p>
<p>They sang for him again. And then they went home. Gutting as it was for Hatton, it was also heartbreak for his fervent supporters. Cotto's fans cheered as always last night, but were left empty in the end.</p>
<p>Whenever Cotto does decide to hang them up, Madison Square Garden will be all but dead as a boxing venue, unless someone steps up to become the building's new star, and right now, that doesn't seem likely. There are no Puerto Rican fighters ready to fill the role, and no New Yorkers, either. Combined with Golden Boy's deal with the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Cotto's loss may not spell doom for boxing at the Garden, but things aren't looking good.</p>
<p>When Hatton retired last weekend, he said, "I am proud to say -- and you may think this is arrogant but I don't really care to be honest at the minute -- but it'll be a long time before anyone brings crowds like I brought. And I'm very proud to take that title into retirement with me."</p>
<p>Hatton should be proud to take that title into retirement, but he's also right: It'll be a long time before crowds like that are back in UK boxing. Not that the Froch Army, Kell Brook's building base in Sheffield, or the great fans who keep turning out for fights in Liverpool especially should consider themselves chopped liver, but the Hatton audience was always something very, very special, and nobody else has <i>that</i> type of support.</p>
<p>We wonder all the time who will replace the stars we lose to retirement, or to decline -- usually, boxing's names fade away instead of burning out. But cases like Cotto and Hatton are particularly troubling in this sense. They aren't irreplaceable fighters, necessarily, though both were certainly at the top of the sport for a good while, but they may be irreplaceable stars. As boxing continues on as a fringe or cult sport, there seems to be less and less concern all the time with whether or not a fighter can put an ass every 18 inches. For better or worse (probably worse), it's all about TV.</p>
<p>TV "stars" come and go. They're manufactured, and then it's up to them to sink or swim when they're finally and inevitably thrown into the deep end of the pool against real threats. For every Miguel Cotto, who was hyped as the next Trinidad before we really knew for sure, there is an Andre Berto, who has never sold a house, and though he has turned into a reliably entertaining TV fighter, will also never reach the heights that we were promised when we watched him tear through the likes of Michel Trabant, Miki Rodriguez, and Steve Forbes on HBO.</p>
<p>Miguel Cotto and Ricky Hatton were genuine stars. People who didn't tune in for mid-level boxing TV broadcasts paid to see these two guys fight. These weren't just boxing "events"; these were actual sporting events that had relevance beyond forum arguments and recaps on web sites like this one.</p>
<p>Mayweather and Pacquiao are heading down the home stretch, we've now lost Ricky Hatton for good, and Miguel Cotto is clearly on his way out the door sooner than later. I'm confident boxing will find one or two reliable PPV draws in the States, and a handful of guys in the UK who will draw good crowds. But I'm not at all confident that there's any real push to create true stars, particularly in the States, where premium cable hasn't necessarily ruined boxing (especially now that there is so little interest in it beyond these networks), but has definitely changed the game in likely irreversible ways.</p>
<p>What worries me most is, I'm not sure anyone in power is even concerned with the notion that this is a big deal. The system of promotion that puts major value on having paying customers in the audience has been in a phase-out process for a long time, and may now be seen as passé. If HBO or Showtime or Sky Sports or whomever will buy it and put it on TV, there's a lot less of a <i>need</i> for that live gate.</p>
<p>This won't kill boxing, but it will change it yet again, and not for the better. A more sterile sport, with largely indifferent, freebie-filled audiences, or just plain tiny crowds, doesn't make for a better product, either in the arena or on TV. Losing the real stars without capable replacements -- or even the attempt to replace them -- makes for an even more disconnected viewership than we already see too many Saturday nights, for too many allegedly "big" fights.</p>
<p>They never did find a new Marty Robbins. They may not find a new Miguel Cotto.</p>
https://www.badlefthook.com/2012/12/2/3719712/whos-gonna-fill-their-shoes-cotto-loss-hatton-retirement-boxing-news
Scott Christ
2012-12-02T06:32:15-05:00
2012-12-02T06:32:15-05:00
Cotto: 'I'm not finished yet'
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<p>Miguel Cotto has no plans to hang up his boxing gloves following a loss to Austin Trout on Saturday, saying he's 'not finished yet.'</p> <p>Miguel Cotto may have lost his Madison Square Garden win streak when he was <a target="_blank" href="http://www.badlefthook.com/2012/12/1/3716616/cotto-vs-trout-results-austin-win-decision-upset-madison-square-garden-scores-showtime-boxing">downed by Austin Trout on Saturday night</a>, but the Puerto Rican star says <a target="_blank" href="http://www.boxingscene.com/miguel-cotto-plans-remain-im-not-finished---59989">he's not going to walk away from boxing just yet</a>:</p>
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<p>"I'm not finished yet," he said. "I still have boxing in my mind. I just want to rest with my family the rest of the year. I never make excuses. I accept my defeats and I learn from them and I just move forward."</p>
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<p>Personally, I wouldn't have minded seeing Cotto (37-4, 30 KO) retire from the sport. I think there is a great case to be made for a Miguel Cotto retirement at age 32, but it's not that he can't fight. It's that he's got a life to live away from the ring, and he seems like one of those guys who is keenly aware of that, someone not totally consumed by his career. Those fighters are rare, particularly on Cotto's level. He's got money, he's got a business waiting for him promoting fights at least in Puerto Rico, he's got his family -- Cotto has a lot to look forward to after boxing.</p>
<p>At the same time, he's not old, he's not in abnormal danger of getting hurt, I don't believe, and if he's still got the desire to fight on, that is entirely his call.</p>
<p>Richard Schaefer said after the fight that Cotto could still face Canelo Alvarez, and there will be money there, though it's certainly not the fight it was nine hours ago. If not that, Cotto could take a "get-well" fight, perhaps at home in Puerto Rico, and then look for a big bout after that. There are plenty of options, he's free and able to work with any of the major promoters, and guys are going to be looking to fight him now, quite frankly. He's a big name, he's still worth some money, and he's looking quite beatable. I realize that isn't the most exciting thing to say about someone's continuing career from a fan perspective, but what can you do?</p>
<p>There is the possibility of a rematch with Trout (26-0, 14 KO), too. Trout says he's open to it, as I suspect he's not exactly holding his breath waiting for Canelo Alvarez to come calling for May 4, despite his impressive win over Cotto. Without Canelo or Mayweather, there are no fights for him at 154 bigger than the fight he just won.</p>
https://www.badlefthook.com/2012/12/2/3717068/miguel-cotto-loss-austin-trout-no-retirement-next-fight-rematch-canelo-alvarez-boxing-news
Scott Christ
2012-12-02T02:56:03-05:00
2012-12-02T02:56:03-05:00
Trout beats Cotto: Photo gallery
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<p>Austin Trout ended Miguel Cotto's run at Madison Square Garden, while Jayson Velez and Danny Jacobs picked up undercard victories on Showtime.</p> <p><strong>Austin Trout</strong></p>
<p>"Miguel Cotto is a great champion. He's a great fighter and it was an honor to be in the same ring as him. It's even more of an honor to be the man to beat him. To have my hand raised against a kingpin like Miguel Cotto is a dream come true."</p>
<p>"Those shots that Cotto hit me with were strong and I knew he'd be strong, but it reconfirmed that take those shots. It was definitely the hardest fight of my career and when you fight someone as big as Miguel Cotto, it motivated me."</p>
<p>"Give me Canelo - it's time to unify this division. There are a lot of good fighters out there and I want to be the best."</p>
<p><strong>Miguel Cotto</strong></p>
<p>"I'm satisfied with the job I did tonight. I'll go back to Puerto Rico and think. He came at me with both hands and it was a great fight. He fought until the end. I'm really thankful for all of my fans who were here to support me tonight. There's nothing like fighting at Madison Square Garden."</p>
<p><strong>Jayson Velez</strong></p>
<p>"It was easier than I thought. I thought it would be a little more difficult. I was connecting so easily. This is a very exciting moment for me. I've been waiting for this my whole life."</p>
<p><strong>Danny Jacobs</strong></p>
<p>"I felt pretty good today. I wanted to take my time. I heard a few boos, but I hope the crowd appreciates it. I'm satisfied. I let my hands go. I'm just glad that I got five rounds to get the rust out. I'm back as a contender. We don't want to jump the gun, but I think I'm back."</p>
<p><strong>BLH Recaps</strong><br><a href="http://www.badlefthook.com/2012/12/1/3716616/cotto-vs-trout-results-austin-win-decision-upset-madison-square-garden-scores-showtime-boxing">Austin Trout UD-12 Miguel Cotto</a><br><a href="http://www.badlefthook.com/2012/12/1/3716402/cotto-vs-trout-results-velez-tko-3-salvador-sanchez-ii-ponce-de-leon-next-fight-showtime-boxing-news">Jayson Velez TKO-3 Salvador Sanchez II</a><br><a href="http://www.badlefthook.com/2012/12/1/3716228/cotto-vs-trout-results-danny-jacobs-tko-chris-fitzpatrick-fifth-round-showtime-boxing-news">Danny Jacobs RTD-5 Chris Fitzpatrick</a></p>
https://www.badlefthook.com/2012/12/2/3716968/cotto-vs-trout-photo-gallery-austin-win-decision-velez-jacobs-showtime-boxing-news
Bad Left Hook
2012-12-02T01:07:28-05:00
2012-12-02T01:07:28-05:00
Poll: Should Cotto fight on or hang up the gloves?
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<p>Miguel Cotto fell clearly short in the ring against Austin Trout on Saturday night, but should the Puerto Rican superstar be thinking retirement, or was it just a tough matchup against a good opponent?</p> <p>Seven months ago, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.badlefthook.com/2012/5/6/3002359/mayweather-vs-cotto-results-floyd-mayweather-wins-decision-scores-hbo-boxing-news">Miguel Cotto gave Floyd Mayweather a pretty decent run for his money in Las Vegas</a>, ultimately losing by unanimous decision, but gaining the respect of everyone from media to fans to Mayweather himself, who has said Cotto was one of the best fighters he's ever faced, and one of it not the toughest win of his career.</p>
<p>Last night in New York, at the building he has called his boxing home in the United States, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.badlefthook.com/2012/12/1/3716616/cotto-vs-trout-results-austin-win-decision-upset-madison-square-garden-scores-showtime-boxing">Cotto lost convincingly to Austin Trout</a>, a fighter who didn't come in with the big name, or with the big fan base, and wasn't a pay-per-view attraction, but proved too good, too young, and too strong anyway, winning clearly and ending Miguel's Madison Square Garden win streak.</p>
<p>Seven months ago, a suggestion that Cotto retire could have been one of two things: Someone who loved Cotto, and didn't see the need for him to fight on, or someone who was crazy.</p>
<p>Now, though, the suggestion doesn't sound so wild. So it's a simple what: What should Miguel Cotto do?</p>
<p>At the post-fight press conference, Austin Trout said he's open to a rematch, and Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions didn't dismiss the idea of Cotto still facing Canelo Alvarez, which for all the world appeared to be the plan were Cotto to win tonight as expected. Canelo -- jinxing his future money fight for the second time in 2012 -- was ringside and watched Cotto lose, just as he watched Victor Ortiz chopped down by Josesito Lopez in June.</p>
<p>Schaefer also tried to push Malignaggi-Hatton last week after Ricky Hatton was knocked out by Vyacheslav Senchenko, so it's no real surprise he'd still want to do Canelo-Cotto. There is money in it (not as much now, but still money in it), and GBP would no doubt be confident that the youthful, strong Canelo would be a serious favorite. Thus, it has become a lower-risk fight; add that to the money, and it's a promoter's dream if they can convince enough of the public to take it seriously.</p>
<p>Cotto said he was disappointed by the scores against Trout (117-111 twice, and a definitely too-wide 119-109), and that he would rest with his family over the Christmas season and make a decision after. He will fight again, it seems, and there isn't much real chatter about a retirement. But his mind could change.</p>
<p><b>Pros for Cotto fighting on</b></p>
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<li>He can still fight. Maybe he's not going to be an elite fighter at 154 pounds any longer, but he can still fight. He was in this bout with Trout, and Trout is a 27-year-old, fresh, legit junior middleweight.</li>
<li>He's still worth money. One get-well win could easily make him almost as credible for a big money fight as he would have been had he won tonight.</li>
<li>If he enjoys it, then why not? This is his job. It's hard to be told to walk away from anything at 32, I'd imagine.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Cons for Cotto fighting on</b></p>
<ul>
<li>He's got a legacy as a top fighter, and it's never fun to watch top fighters -- and fan favorites -- go down the other side of the hill.</li>
<li>It's hard to see him having much success against true 154 pound fighters after tonight, and it's really hard to imagine him boiling back down to 147 pounds with success.</li>
<li>He's got money. He's got a promotional company. He's got a beautiful family. He's got nothing more to prove. In short, what's in it for him, especially if he's not a greedy person?</li>
</ul>
<p>You make the call: Should Cotto fight on with no end in sight, perhaps take one more big money or farewell fight, or tip his cap and call it a great career?</p>
https://www.badlefthook.com/2012/12/2/3716802/cotto-vs-trout-results-miguel-cotto-retirement-next-fight-rematch-canelo-boxing-news
Scott Christ
2012-12-01T23:51:33-05:00
2012-12-01T23:51:33-05:00
Trout upsets Cotto, ends MSG streak
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<p>Austin Trout pulled it off tonight, and announced his arrival at boxing's elite level, beating Miguel Cotto by unanimous decision in Madison Square Garden.</p> <p>Austin Trout was bigger, younger, and fresher. We knew that going in. And now we can be 100% certain that it's enough to topple Miguel Cotto, as Trout pulled the upset on the Puerto Rican superstar tonight, winning by unanimous decision on scores of 117-111, 117-111, and 119-109.</p>
<p>BLH scored the fight 116-112 for Trout, who started quickly, had some issues in the middle rounds when Cotto adjusted, and then flat-out took over the fight down the stretch, sealing the win, staying unbeaten, keeping his WBA junior middleweight title belt, and ending Miguel Cotto's famed unbeaten run at Madison Square Garden.</p>
<p>Cotto (37-4, 30 KO) seemed to tire drastically as the fight wore on, and the physically stronger Trout (26-0, 14 KO) was just too much for him. Trout was able to use the ring, but also able to smother Cotto's inside work, and keep Cotto from developing a real sustained rhythm. Trout seemed to have his timing down from the opening bell, and mixed up his punches nicely.</p>
<p>At points, the left uppercut did damage for Trout, whose jab consistently worked to the head and body, and in the latter stages of the fight, Trout got his right hook working, and nailed Cotto with several counter shots.</p>
<p>To say this is a massive win for the 27-year-old Trout is a gross understatement, but he was humble when speaking after the bout with Showtime's Jim Gray.</p>
<p>"Miguel Cotto's a great fighter," Trout said, "a great champion. It was an honor just to be in the ring."</p>
<p>When asked what Cotto told him after the scores were announced, Trout replied, "He said, 'Good job.' He's been a gentleman, a classy guy. Utmost respect to him."</p>
<p>"To have my hand raised against a kingpin like Miguel Cotto is a dream come true," he added.</p>
<p>Cotto left the ring after the scores were announced and met with his family at ringside. He was stopped by Gray but clearly in no mood to talk, only saying, really, that he would "probably" fight again in the future.</p>
<p>Austin Trout has arrived, and we've got a serious player in the 154-pound division. And whether Canelo Alvarez -- who was ringside again to see a potential opponent lose on Showtime -- wants it or not, he just might have to deal with "No Doubt" Trout on May 4, 2013.</p>
https://www.badlefthook.com/2012/12/1/3716616/cotto-vs-trout-results-austin-win-decision-upset-madison-square-garden-scores-showtime-boxing
Scott Christ