PRIME Cotto VS PRIME Mayorga.. VOTE!

Ill take these two versions


Cotto that fought Quintana, Judah, and Mosley (I think that was Cotto at his best)

and

Mayorga that fought Forrest 1, Forrest 2, and Spinks


at 147lbs.



Alright. Personally, this is how I see it.

A prime Cotto has two ways to beat you, its been a long time but there was once a time when Cotto was a destroyer, a slow but steady, measured, terminator, and a guy who eventually wore down and busted his opponents up to both the head and body, unless, unless that opponent had the strength, the size, the chin, and last but not least, the willingness and bravery to continue to put pressure on Cotto, to force Cotto onto the backfoot. Cotto was then versatile enough and smart enough, to change tactics often when the going got tough, and would become a patient boxer that would back up, circle, use the ring and the jab and try to outbox his opponents.

Enter Mayorga.

Cotto would find out early that he wouldnt be able to bully Mayorga, and he wouldnt be the stronger man in there, and I think Cotto would be forced to switch tactics very early in this fight once he gets a taste of Mayorgas raw and heavy choas. A prime Mayorga brings many attributes that are too often overlooked or under rated. Go back and watch Mayorga vs Forrest 1, and you wont see a slow, plodding caveman that falls in with the same predictable attack time and time and time again and who loves to eat punches with his face. You will see a hungry, athletic, quick, savage that threw sharp and hard punches with torque and with his core, and who could use the ring, pump a jab to both head and body, use head movement when it suited him and actually judged distance very well, and who when on the attack often didnt stop until he won the exchange.

Cotto would have almost no choice but to start fighting off the back foot, if he didnt, and tried to hold his ground he would find himself on the canvas, little doubt in my mind. It would be like the Torres fight, except with a bigger and better Torres, with a better chin, hotter flames and more will. Cotto would be forced to retreat or the fight ends at this stage (early)

So Cotto starts to circle, back away, pump the jab, but, unfortunately for Cotto, on this night, against this opponent, his versatility and change of tactics only delay the inevitable. When fighting a fighter like Mayorga, giving ground only strengthens their position. It would be different if Cotto was a master boxer that also could keep it up for 12 rounds, one that could counter punch Mayorga while making him miss not just for a round, or two, but all 12. But to beat Mayorga, if you are not as slick as you need to be (and you'd need to be slick) you will need stamina, you need strength, you need chin, you need massive power and you need some size. Cotto simply would not have the required attributes, in enough abundance, to tip anything in his favor, and I hate to say this, but even if against (imo) the odds Cotto manages to do what Forrest couldnt do (who was faster, longer, and a better boxer) and that is outbox Mayorga (because Cotto outfighting Mayorga isnt even worth discussion), I am positive that once those championship rounds come, Mayorga will want that W more, and will be willing to put more on the line to get that win, and would fight until he won them, whatever it took, and those championship rounds would seal the, imo, inevitable. And that is a Mayorga victory.

As a fan of both fighters, I simply do not see any way in which Cotto wins this matchup prime for prime. You want a recipe for disaster with Cotto, take a big guy with a big punch, put a chin on him, a touch of bully, make him strong, tough, and add a lot of relentless pressure, can fight all 12 rounds and with a decent activity rate, and you have a Miguel Cotto nightmare, coming by name of Ricardo Mayorga.

Cotto does not have the chin, size, stamina, or enough ability to compinsate for the lack of these attributes, to beat a prime Mayorga, imo.

Mayorga TKO or UD, all depending on how commited Cotto becomes on surviving.