Abner Figueroa Cotto (4-0) vs Kevin Nunez (3-1) Live Now

Of course the live feed ends right before I tap in. Typical, universe - thanks a lot!

 

Ah, wth - I've just uncorked a bottle of Bordeaux, it's Saturday at midnight and I've got nowhere to be Sunday morning. Why not a delayed call RBR of the main event?

 

Abner Joniel Figueroa Cotto vs. Kevin Gabriel Nuñez, 6 rounds @ bantamweight

 

Fight starts at 1:12:30 into the no longer live video.

 

Round 1

Nuñez pushing a jab coming forward, changing levels, squatting and rising. Cotto is circling away, cautious, tries a reach in right hook on the body and slingshot left hand from behind the back. Nuñez stalking the southpaw, probing with the jab, looking to drop the hammer with the right cross but pulling it the few times he starts to fire it realizing the positioning is off and he's just going to leave himself open. Cotto grazes with a right hook up top past Nuñez's jab. Cotto switches orthodox, jabbing the body. Now southpaw again.

10-9 Cotto, close

 

Abner - not to be confused with Miguel's cousin Abner Cotto Román, who fought professionally from 2009 until 2019 - is nineteen years younger than Miguel Cotto and promoted by him, so I had to dig and see whether it's his kid. It isn't - Junito has three children with Melissa Guzmán named Luis, Alondra and Miguel III. I can't find anything confirming or denying that this is a nephew or 1st/2nd cousin, though.

 

Round 2

Nuñez is circling and dipping to either side, feet planted and hips swung as he throws meaty hooks at the body. Cotto is playing matador, sticking with southpaw as his preferred stance, pawing out right jabs and then leaning back and circling to his left. Cotto now switches orthodox again, trading left hooks with Nuñez from outside while swaying out of reach. Cotto reclining, loading up a left hand and launching it unseen from where he cradles it at his outer hip while unbending his knees. Nuñez grazes and backs off.

10-9 Cotto, close again

 

This bout isn't even on BoxRec, so for now you can view both their records without spoilers. Each has four professional fights. Cotto is 4-0 with zero stoppages. Fellow boricua - moreover, fellow Bayamon native and thus crosstown rival - Nuñez (wearing the flag's colors on his trunks) is 3-1 and has one.

 

Round 3

Action starting to heat up. Cotto the one coming forward now, swatting with hooks with whatever hand he's holding in front as he continues switch-hitting. Nuñez is loading up on hook-two combos. Cotto catching a few of those right crosses in his throat, burying his chin to trap them and mitigate damage.

10-9 Nuñez, close

29-28 Cotto

 

Round 4

Nuñez is tossing a high double flick jab and then curling hard rights into the body. Cotto retreating, then diving in and grabbing Nuñez around the waist, encircling it with both arms to avoid being trapped in the corner. Nuñez is pressuring, landing a tomahawk jab on the forehead of Cotto but getting chased out with a right hook and left hand. Cotto ducks a lead right from Nuñez. Awkward clinch as Nuñez dives in low flurrying and Cotto pushes down on his nape. Cotto fighting orthodox scores a 1-2 flush on the face. Southpaw again, falls short with a left hand lead and then has a right hook blocked. They circle in close, Nuñez stuffing a left on the body and then getting his legs crossed as he twirls around to keep up with Cotto, who Dempsey shifts while orbiting him at close range, thumps a left hook into his right arm heavily and clumsily and then lands the cleverly disguised coup de grâce - a big right cross that puts Nuñez down hard. Nuñez unsteady but survives the rest of the round.

10-9 Cotto

39-36 Cotto

 

Alright well mathematically that almost seals the deal. Nuñez could win the last two rounds and still lose on my card; he needs a KD of his own to even things up enough for a draw.

 

I did have Nuñez winning the fourth until that moment, too - so that's a huge swing. Would have been knotted up 38-all with momentum in Nuñez's favor, and now he's in a nearly insurmountable 39-36 hole.

 

Round 5

Nuñez is circling and lobbing in 1-2s. Cotto waiting, blocking, turning in place. Cotto starts coming on in the final minute as Nuñez tires. BIG hooks by Cotto, alternating his stance with every sortie - using the front left or right hand to pierce his way in with high check jabs and then bashing hooks. Nuñez is tossing a right hand from his hip but little mustard on it and it fall short.

10-9 Cotto, his first clearly won round (w/o a rallying KD)

49-45 Cotto

 

Round 6

Nuñez is throwing sloppy flurries coming forward. Weak jabs and telegraphed looping rights on the body. Cotto piecing him up with southpaw jabs and lefts down the pipe. Cotto working the body. Now overhand lefts, Nuñez driven into the ropes. Long awkward clinch as they handfight and grapple for position. They slam chests, both with their arms crossed over their torsos, hands low looking for body shots in the pocket. Nuñez is buzzed by a big left hook and staggers across the ring, leading the crowd and commentators to get excited thinking a KO is coming. Nuñez ties up and then dances away, spamming hooks and then clinching again when Cotto moves in on him by the ropes. Cotto gets Nuñez in a headlock and drags him backward across the ring until the ref forces a break. Cotto fighting right-handed, landing combos walking Nuñez down. Nuñez trotting clockwise and jabbing. They stand and slug in the pocket, body shots from both.

10-9 Cotto

59-54 Cotto