Martinez >Prince Naseem and Cotto is less skilled than Barrera, but hear me out...

My friend the other day asked me what I thought about Cotto-Martinez. He doesn't know as much about the technical side as I do but he has a good eye and has watched enough boxing to make a decent prediction. He told me he thought Cotto had much more skill than Martinez, and I told him that in the skills department, they are about even and some may even argue Martinez has a more diverse skillset. I explained Martinez has the speed, power, mobility, jab, size, and reach to use a diverse set of tools to outbox and outslug Cotto.


Then I started thinking, "What would Cotto have to do in order to have a chance?" I was trying to think of fight dynamics that were similar, and none came to mind, except for when Barrera-Hamed suddenly popped into my head. Now OBVIOUSLY, Martinez has MUCH better balance, defensive movement, and fundamentals than Naseem and has proven himself against great competition, and Cotto hasn't showcased as much technical prowess as Barrera.


However, there are a few dynamics that I think would be very similar. Martinez is a very athletically gifted fighter, and uses his hands-down approach to his advantage. As a counter-puncher, he knows how to set traps and not lose too much from this unguarded stance. Naseem, while wilder and much more flawed, relied on a similar stylistic unorthodoxy in attack and defense.

Now Barrera was roughly the same size as his opponent, but he was still moving up in weight against a puncher. We all know he fought one of the most composed and brilliant offensive fights in the last decade. What he depended on was using two of his best tools to his advantage, picking his spots throughout while coming forward- a good jab, and a fierce body attack, along with crisp combinations ending in a great left hook when the opportunity arose. Cotto has also used these attributes to define his own aggressive boxer-puncher style. A different fighter, but not altogether different in the tools he possesses.

As we've seen in certain fights with prime RJJ and Pacquiao in their moments of difficulty, the only way I see Martinez losing is if he gets tamed. If the pace is taken away from Martinez, if he cannot go in-and-out as he pleases, if he is made reluctant to take chances-he can be beaten. If Cotto can come up with the perfect gameplan to jab, go to the body, then reset and remain defensively tight with a control of distance and tight guard, then I think he has a shot.

Again, it's a different fight, but to me, I see similarities that I think are relevant to the way these two fight and the way Steward might develop a gameplan.

EDIT: How could I forget; Barrera's tools should be noted as being able to neutralize Naseem's style in the context that Naseem, like Martinez, is also a southpaw, to top off all the stylistic parallels.

 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ISwivnhMpI[/ame]

 

I think most people would agree that Martinez has proven himself against better competition, but if you're of the opinion a prime Nas is better and was very far removed from his best against Barrera, then "Martinez > (Past-it) Naseem" still makes sense.

 

Well the ranking of Martinez vs Hamed aside, how do you all feel about the compared dynamic of the two fights outlined?