Cotto's legacy will be that of more hype than substance & fighting for vacant titles

Some people believe that Mosley beat Cotto. I thought the fight was close and could have went either way myself. Struggling against a past prime fighter never looks good.

What other wins did Cotto have to make him elite? Remember, he didn't beat Clottey. Cotto could have fought Mayweather when they were both at Junior Welterweight and he never seemed to be in a rush to fight Floyd or even say his name on national television at 147.

If Cotto takes on all comers and is supposed to be elite as is being said, it wouldn't matter if Williams was 6'3" or not. He's supposed to be a warrior and warriors don't back down right?

 

I feel it's wrong not to give props to Williams for actually beating a guy with loaded gloves and then use it as an excuse for why Cotto lost to that same fighter. Cintron and Clottey should also get a pass if Cotto gets one. Who knows what Cintron's record and rep would be without this happening to him too?

 

And this is another thing...

Paul beat the same Margarito, in California, where the loaded gloves were more likely to have happened than in Nevada.

And then you even have some Cotto fans claiming Margarito probably loaded his gloves after the Williams fight.:roll:

All I look for is consistency. But to be real, Cotto ain't a bad guy, in my opinion, and some of his fans are good people. And like I always say... I don't hate the guy personally (like Floyd haters) I only hate him like I hate the Florida Gators, only in a sports sense.:good

 

And here I am thinking you were loving on Cotto with your quotes in that article.

 

Agree 100%

 

Man, you know I can't hate the guy too long...

 

Cotto did not clearly beat Mosley. Coyote Duran had an article breaking down Cotto Malignaggi where he states he had Paulie winning by a point, its not that crazy of an idea, neither is Mosley deserving the victory over Cotto although I thought Cotto won. What makes the idea of Paulie beating Cotto so crazy is that Paulie was such a mess, but he did wobble Cotto late in the fight and he did win some rounds with boxing.

I'm sorry to break your little Cotto worshiping heart, but that is just the way it is. And I have a lot more respect for Cotto than I do for Paulie but I refuse to let my own like/dislike of a fighter contaminate my reality.

Unless you are Cotto's wife, you should do the same thing.
Cotto beats Malignaggi


Madison Square Garden
June 10, 2006

With much of the nation’s attention focused on the Hopkins vs. Tarver fight in Atlantic City, Miguel Cotto’s title defense against Paul Malignaggi was on the back burner in the national press. Unlike the one-sided beat down that was Hopkins vs. Tarver, Cotto vs. Malignaggi provided fight fans with a battle that could be a candidate for Fight of the Year. The undercard didn’t disappoint the fans either. The undercard featured Bobby Pacquaio, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Irishman John Duddy, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Tommy Zbikowski.

The Main Event: Miguel Cotto vs. Paul Malignaggi

On the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City, Miguel Cotto, a native Puerto Rican squared off against Paul Malignaggi, an Italian from Brooklyn. Needless to say the crowd was electric. Cotto fans easily outnumbered Malignaggi fans, but there was strong support for both sides in a fight that showcased a battle between power and speed. Most boxing experts before the fight were split on the outcome. Most believed Cotto’s power would overwhelm Malignaggi, while other believed Malignaggi was too fast for Cotto.

Round 1
Cotto started the round quickly, attacking Malignaggi with his powerful left hand. Malignaggi seemed surprised by Cotto’s power and clinched with Cotto often. Cotto looked as though he wanted to end the fight as quickly as possible. He was able to land a few decent shots on Malignaggi, who spent most of the round jabbing and moving to avoid Cotto’s power punches.

Round 2
Cotto continued to attack Malignaggi. It looked as though the fight was beginning to end when Cotto knocked down Malignaggi with a strong left hook. Malignaggi’s jaw began swelling instantly after the knock down. Malignaggi got on his feet and continued to fight. Cotto continued to attack in an attempt to end the fight and landed two more big left hooks before the round end.

Round 3

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. He used his jab often, but Cotto did a good job avoiding it. Cotto was less aggressive this round as he picked his spots to counter and attack.

Round 4
Cotto went back to attacking Malignaggi in the fourth, barely missing a big right cross early in the round. He landed a few hooks to Malignaggi’s body and a good left-right combination in the middle of the round.

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. His punches lacked power, however, and did little damage to Cotto.

Round 5
With Cotto beginning to tire,

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His punches didn’t seem to affect Cotto, who fought back towards the end of the round landing a few left hooks with under a minute left. Malignaggi, respectful of Cotto’s power, dances away when Cotto begins to attack, limiting the damage that Cotto can do.

Round 6

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Round 7
Cotto responded to the sixth round with an active seventh. He opened with a left-right combination and landed a couple of combinations to Malignaggi’s body in the middle of the round. Malignaggi continued to jab, hold, and move to avoid Cotto. The two had a decent exchange as the round ended with Cotto able to land a lead two at the bell.

Round 8

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used his jab effectively to keep Malignaggi honest.

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Round 9

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.

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Round 10
Cotto used his jab early to try to keep Malignaggi off him. Malignaggi landed a good combination and quickly tied up Cotto. The two grappled for most of the round until Cotto was able to land a hard left with forty five seconds remaining. The two squared off as the round came to an end and exchanged blows. Cotto landed two hooks as the bell sounded.



Round 11
Cotto regained control of the fight. He landed a strong left hook in the middle of the round, another one with a minute remaining and a left-right combination at the bell. Malignaggi was able to land a hard lead two with a minute and fifteen seconds remaining, but he looked tired and hurt.

Round 12
Malignaggi spent most of the final round tying Cotto up. Cotto was able to punch out of the clinches though with a series of left handed uppercuts. He landed a left hook with about a minute left and two combinations at the end of the round.

Cotto winner by Unanimous Decision
(116-111) (116-111) (115-112)
Cotto, who had won his previous five title defenses by way of knock out, could not stop Malignaggi. Malignaggi looked shocked by Cotto’s power and was overwhelmed early. He was smart, figuring out how to handle Cotto’s style by the middle of the fight, and tough, fighting with a fractured orbital bone, possibly a broken jaw, and a gash over his right eye for eleven rounds. Had Malignaggi anticipated Cotto’s power, he may have been able to change his strategy earlier and upset Cotto. If Cotto faces the winner of the Baldomir-Gatti fight, he should win easily by way of knock out. If he faces Floyd Mayweather Jr., he will have a hard time dealing with his speed and defense. I would not mind seeing Cotto fight Ricky Hatton. As for Malignaggi, if he fully recovers he should become a fan favorite for the toughness he displayed. He should be able to use this fight to launch a very lucrative career

from Philly Keith

 

Cotto was an elite fighter for his era.

No where near a Trinidad though.

HOFer undoubtedly, wouldn't classify as an ATG though. Not a fighter who cracks the top 100.

And yes, p.s. that does mean a win over this guy can't propel a fighter 10-20 places on an all time 100 list. :roll:

 

Nor is it better than (or even close to) SRL's win over Tommy Hearns!

 

Jacory still hasn't shown up to defend his comments.

 

spot on, every single world. the way people over rate this guy is ridiculous