A legacy closed or eternalized Cotto vs. Pac

I will start off by thanking the powers that be for coming within an ink stroke away from finalizing the intriguing match up between Mr. Pacman and Mr. Cotto.

As many of you may already know I have already chosen a decisive victor for the up coming bout but not without profound contemplation. It wasn’t hard to ignore those inner urges to side with a country man or the fighter that may tickle your fancy (no homo) so I have cleared my mind just enough to give an unbiased opinion on the scenario at hand. Let us rewind for a moment and revisit June 13, 2009 when Clottey and Cotto met in the Garden.

Its no mystery Cotto tends to warm up to his opposition carefully studying his attack methods while slowly creating his own blue print on a fly. Clottey is just as patient but a bit more predictable in his approach either way both men where in the proverbial chess match that usually starts before the battle emerges. For the purposes of empowering my argument and solidifying a belief of a Cotto victory on Nov 14th I will focus on just the first 3 rounds of the Cotto vs Clottey bout.

It was clear from the jump Cotto decided to unveil a slight tweak in his defense when he implemented a slip and block tactic that resembled Clottey’s defensive shell though with twist of arm movement and pivots to create angles to counter the mostly straight forward shotgun attacks that Josh specializes in. This blue print would allow Cotto to constantly be within effective punching range of Clottey, simultaneously nullifying the effectiveness of Clottey’s punches by disallowing full leverage on his dart attack style, basically catch him coming in (thus the knock down in the first round) This game plan was of course hindered by the unfortunate patented Clottey head clash which of course forced Cotto to once again revert to a box and move style that only opened up opportunities for Clottey to mount attacks from effective range. It’s no mystery as to why Clottey was able to find more success connecting after Cotto’s gash as opposed to before. The first 3 rounds have been drastically overshadowed by the focus on the up and down battle that persisted for the remainder of the fight. Cotto seemed set to work Clottey by taking advantage of Clottey’s inability to smoothly transition from defensive shell to offensive powerhouse Clotteys transition between offense and defense lacks fluidity and is part of the reason why a patient fighter would be able to calculate an effective counter attack with timing and a solid jab.

In comes pacman a whirlwind of unpredictable and unorthodox fistic energy that was supposedly forced by Arum to join the festivities that took place June 13, 2009. I truly believe irony was in full effect that night the tables where already set by matching up Cotto with yet another stone hard welter weight champion yet this one was tailor made to make just about anyone seem ineffective and unsure of their next offensive move. Cotto’s somewhat scripted vulnerabilities would be in full affect and the Pac Monster would surely sign a fight by the next morning seeing how Cotto would only squeak by with a victory. The first 3 rounds would lean towards a focused and well prepared Cotto the fight after would reveal the boxer, puncher, survivor that we have become all to uncomfortable seeing though that Cotto still knows how to win despite the masses unfavorable rants.

Round 3 on favored the guru Arum and at the same time it lured in the bait sitting next to him named Manny. Manny has fallen trap to the mirage that took place that night the soup has been seasoned perfectly and the gluttons with sip from its poison. I’m no boxing analyst but it’s apparent to me that Manny has become a true believer of his own hype a muppet for a coach that has become his biggest yes man and fan. Yes it is true Manny is an extreme talent a fighter that only comes along once a decade though I worry he has been enticed enough to write off this bout against Cotto as just another formality a small obstacle standing in the way of a dance with the pretty one. I find it hard for anyone naturally smaller than Cotto possibly dominating him as Cotto’s skill set consists of a comprehensive understanding of just about every aspect of the game. Cotto is no stranger to speed and agility he is no stranger to explosive power and his patience is one of his biggest assets by far. We will see plenty of action, plenty of rough spots and the pendulum will swing in both directions but Cotto will ultimately stop Manny in a classic brawl that see’s the technically sound slightly bigger man stop the phenom of a slightly smaller man.

Look for Cotto to control the distance with his jab keeping Manny out of full rhythm (Hoya, Diaz, Hatton, and even Morales abandoned the Jab looking for a Knock Out when in fact it’s the main weapon used in order to set up your truly debilitating shots). Cotto will be hit but he will know they are coming by patiently moving in and slowly cutting off the ring. We will most likely see Cotto buzzed backing off after a good shot causing Pac to gain confidence and dart in and out with blazing flurries slowly exposing more and more punching real estate for Cotto to counter. The real fight will likely take place around round 5 when both fighters have fully diagnosed one another, this is also where Cotto will start to break Manny by forcing out the unbridled warrior within to play thus allowing Cotto to land with more consistency and well placed power. Of course I will not rule out Pac’s ability to stop a fight with a well placed power shot himself though I tend to stick to my conventional logic rather than the part of me that loves to invest stock in anything I find unconventional and down right irrational.

Though we may agree to disagree I’m pretty sure we can all appreciate the fact that these two dudes will be painting the canvas with warriors blood…..sounds delightful right boys. So I opt to say both men’s legacies will be eternalized. Please gentleman I’d like to conduct a serious discussion, I welcome *******s and Cotto huggers alike but I only ask that you free yourselves from your infatuations and spit out opinionated wisdom.

 

My apologies gentalmen this was written through my blackberry so the paragraphs where a second thought.