And Cotto will likely rank higher all-time than Vargas for many because of his long-term resiliency, but none of that tells me that the most complete version of him beats the best version of Vargas at 154. Cotto just wasn't that effective against world class guys who were more natural to bigger weights. Both Trout and Alvarez handed him clear defeats, in part because they could out-muscle him. Maybe this isn't that relevant (maybe it is), but based on the success of guys like Trout and Clottey, I don't think Cotto could have defeated Wright or Quartey (especially not Wright), either, yet Vargas was strong and talented enough to be better or roughly on par with both men. I have a hard time believing Cotto would have been as competitive with Trinidad as Vargas was, as well.
I saw Cotto as past his prime at 154. Vargas before Trinidad was likely going to be a special fighter but was never the same after. I think Vargas pre Trinidad would have folded Cotto at 154. However I see Cotto as the overall better fighter.
I don't think Winky had really settled into his style and Quartey had limits at 154. Winky was beatable back then if you committed to throwing a lot of punches. I think Cotto would expose his defensive liabilities.
I think the Wright that fought Vargas was pretty close to complete. Even if he was not quite there, I would argue that he was still a greater operator at that point than Trout ever was and would have more success against Cotto in light of it. Unlike Vargas, Cotto didn't have the physical prowess at 154 to earn Wright's respect, nor the punching power to keep Winky off of him. To me, that's a recipe for a loss. Also, whatever limitations Quartey had, he was still a better version of Clottey and Clottey arguably beat Cotto. We can agree to disagree, however. No problems there.
I think Winky would beat Cotto, but Cotto probably would beat Vargas. I don’t think Clottey beat Cotto.
I couldn't agree more. Vargas is a terrible matchup for cotto. I think he bullies him the entire fight and stops him.
