I like Buddy in this one. I think he just is to skilled and smart for Miguel to get a rhythm going. If Clottey can frustrate Cotto like that, Buddy will have him puzzled for much of the fight. I reckon Buddy takes it 8-4 in a fight where he really has to earn it.
atsch My bad...Ive done that sooooo many times in the last few weeks. I mean I cant even tell the difference from one who is obviously an Ewe and the other who is Ga.
Agree with WAR. Buddy's too defensively cagey for Cotto to land with any regularity. Moreover, Cotto doesn't throw enough to wear McGirt down either, so he can't expose Buddy's tendency to gas (if anything Cotto is a worse gasser than Buddy in fact).
Mcgirt wins this one. Buddy was a highly skilled fighter that many fighters wanted no part of and he would take cotto to school. He would give cotto a gradual beatdown and stop him around the 10th. The only real chance that cotto might have is to weaken buddy by punching him in the nuts, wich he's been known to do. Other than that, he loses. He might have the edge in power but it wouldn't be enough because mcgirt had a way of neutralizing it.
Cotto has generally done well against boxers, ie: Malignaggi, Judah, Quintana. The fighters that have given him the most trouble (Margo, Mosley, Clottey) all pressured him. I would expect Cotto to break down McGirt in his usual way and either beat him on points or stop him late.
Fair enough that makes sense. That said, McGirt is a lot stronger and tougher than any of the boxer types that Cotto has generally done well against. Better defensively too imo, which makes it hard for me to see Cotto breaking him down. Buddy doesn't like pressure, and has had his hands full against the likes of Frankie Warren, Tony Baltazar and Genaro Leon, but Miguel does not really apply that type of pressure imo. I envisage most of the fight being a boxing match, and McGirt is just better at that game.
Yeah very good points My2. But I dont really think Malignaggi and Judah have the defensive capability or coventional boxing skill of Buddy. They are both very heavily reliant on their athletic ability and thus have developed styles around that...hands low, reflex based defenses and what not. I think he will break Buddy down somewhat and hurt him probably a couple of times..but generally I just see him getting outboxed and outthought. Like sweet said Miguel doesnt bring the unrestrained pressure that has troubled Buddy before. Gonna be hard fought for McGirt..He will know he was in a fight by the end bell. Miguel is probably a bit to methodical and schooled for his own good in this fight I think.