Just Rewatched Cotto-Margo & Plaster or Not, He is to Cotto what Marquez is to Pac

I just finished watching the fight mere minutes ago and I came away with the impression that Cotto only has to correct a few key points to survive.

-Use lateral movement to control the punching angle and avoid being pressured, and do so while weaving out so as to not catch or run into any punches. He did this in spots, but should have practiced it more instead of retreating to the ropes. It's more efficient in terms of his stamina, and more effective defensively. His trainer seems to be stressing this, along with intensifying his conditioning in doing so.

-Keep proper balance without ever letting the head cross past the lead foot; this is a fundamental rule that if ignored will allow him to get caught with uppercuts like he did in the first. Cotto was slipping a very very high number of punches, even late in the fight, but it was the uppercuts that shifted the momentum and left him vulnerable to further combinations. He has been working on this with Steward, and it seems to be carrying over into his exercises with his new trainer. Feet underneath you at all times with a mixed guard protecting your chin, as opposed to an imbalanced crouch and a leaky raised peekaboo.

-Tighten up the defense on the inside. Cotto's shown a pretty good defense on the inside with movement, parrying, and blocking, and so he just has to be a little more responsible in doing so this time around.

Basically, with more lateral movement, there will be less vulnerability in a closed space. With less vulnerability in a closed space, there will be less uppercuts and unseen punches landed. With less uppercuts and unseen punches landed, the more time Cotto can dedicate to a solid and effective guard during inside exchanges before restarting in the center of the ring. The angles are the key to preserving his technical advantages, and he's looked to have been working them non-stop.

In eliminating his own few but vital weaknesses, he maximizes his own strengths, and can resume the technical masterclass Cotto was laying on Margarito in the first half of the fight and even moments of the later rounds as well.

Marquez is a very adaptive counter-puncher who can identify multiple weaknesses and nullify a multitude of strengths, whereas Margarito's pressure can only cave the absence of certain fundamentals. Remove those negligent absences and you take away Margarito's openings without much chance he can concoct some new stylistic challenge round to round with his ring IQ. While I agree pressure (specifically Margarito's tall, unyielding pressure) has always troubled Cotto, the metaphor of a stylistic foil doesn't apply as Cotto is more versatile and able to correct his flaws than Pacquiao could ever be against a rhythmic technician like Marquez.

Cotto can steal Margarito's few keys from him and shut the door; Pacquiao can try to do the same to Marquez in different ways, but Marquez is a key-maker. Big difference there.

 

And Castillo is to Floyd ....

 

You're a cretin.

Margarito beat down on Cotto, smashed his face to pieces, broke his will, and stopped him.

Marquez has never hurt Pacquiao once in 36 rounds, has yet to register one official win against him in 3 fights, and has never dominated him at any time.


A bloodbath is the same as three extremely close fights? Utterly idiotic and unjustifiable analogy.


It would make much more sense to say Margo is to Cotto what Mayorga was to Forrest, or something of that nature.

Fail.

 

I just don't think Cotto can fight the way he fought the first five for twelve.If he could he wins,but can it be done?

 

I think you're wrong OP.

 

Totally disagree. He can win this fight with a few adjustments and stamina control.

 

Haven't watched the first fight for quit a while. Watching sat nights fight with a mate who doesn't watch much boxing.

Going to start with the first fight.

Then the HBO face off.

Then both episodes of 24/7.

Going to be ****ing pumped!

 

U mad?

 

It's a bad style, Cotto likes space to breath and doesn't have the best defence, Margarito is relentless (not the poster above). Cotto also has a bad habit of backing up when hurt and trying to shoulder roll with a wide open defence

 

EXCELLENT Post.

 

Using that reasoning, can Margo still walk through Cotto's best punches and keep up that same relentless pace for 12 rounds after eye surgery and a chaotic camp. Not so sure.

 

I think Cotto enjoyed fighting off the ropes and ALLOWED his opponents to walk him "down" as a way to entrap them and and pick them off when they got slap happy. I think he now knows that with Margarito, this does not work as well. As mentioned already, with a few adjustments he can win. Remember going into the 10th it was an even fight so it's not like Cotto got blown away. A little more stamina, wrap checking etc goes a long way in the rematch.

Diaz says Cotto went for a 15% recovery to a 43% heart rate recovery between rounds. So he is def in much better shape for this fight.

 

OP is wrong...didn't Cotto KO Abdulaev?
It was a rematch from an amateur loss as well.

I think your thread actually makes a case for a well conditioned and adjusted Cotto to come out victorious!!!

 

:good