COTTO'S PERFORMANCE... An Assessment

He didn’t invest in enough bodywork to slow Tony down. Tony’s like the Terminator and he tends to shake off his opponents’ haymakers, only he does it with a smile and even asks for seconds. He’ll come at you all night with bad intentions unless you somehow manage to land the perfect shot while he wasn’t ready. That’s more trying to be lucky than smart. A sustained and effective body attack is the key to lessen his aggression and to slow him down in an attrition fight, and maybe weaken him enough to score a KO. That’s exactly what Tony did to him, so he maybe he should try giving the tough Mexican a dose of his own medicine. It will be harder for Tony to read his attack if he mixes up his combinations to include body shots like he did in the first couple of rounds. I’ve observed something out of whack in Cotto’s stance, especially when they’re trading. He’s too squared up presenting Tony a much wider target then necessary and exposing his midsection to uppercuts. He also crouches down a lot (see pic). He should try his best to correct that.

The ropes are a No-Man’s-Land for Cotto (that’s where he lost the fight) and it’s crucial to keep the battle in the center as much as he can. He spent too much time near the perimeter even while backpedaling where the ropes sometimes help Tony cut the ring and close the gap. By the time Cotto tries to sidestep, he gets within range of Tony’s salvos, then BAM… he gets caught with a big one. When you tiptoe along the ropes like that, you eventually end up in a corner ( especially when you gassed), which is the last place you want to be in against a strong pressure fighter.

When he’s taking a break from all the movement, again he’s leaning on the friggin ropes, shoulders squared up with his guard raised protecting his sides with his elbows and his face with the gloves. However, he has the gloves too high up his forehead, leaving his middle exposed, including his chin (again see pic). That’s why his nose and mouth got busted up like that. It allows Tony to measure him comfortably and to fire at will with those vicious uppercuts (particularly with the left) to the jaw and body. It’s a double whammy because the ropes also hinder him from generating enough leverage in his punches and he ends up taking greater damage than he’s dishing out when he tries to fight back. Simply put… it’s sloppy defense.

So how did he try to gain leverage… he leaned forward, or he crouched down. Sometimes he crouched to brace for impact or to avoid occasional hooks, which is an even worse position from uppercuts especially to his face. He’ll seldom get the upper hand in exchanges like that when his back is against the ropes unless he’s a defensive master like Floyd who knows exactly what to do to nullify a barrage in that type of situation... the slick *******.

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If Cotto can’t duplicate that kind rope-a-dope which only a few can master, then he simply has no business being there. The next best option is to try to swing Tony around and turn the tables on him but that’s also easier said than done (I saw him do it once but instead of attacking, he backed off), or to get off those ropes entirely as soon he senses them.

Not only once have I read something to the effect that “if he can’t run all night, he can’t win.” Anyway, I think Tony’s body shots took their toll on Cotto’s stamina and sapped his strength to be successful with that ploy, not to mention trying to maintain pace, but I’ll let you in on a little secret: He doesn’t have to run all night. It’s not about running, it’s about proper footwork. I’ve noticed Cotto overdoes the back pedaling a tad and overexerts himself. He should learn to be more economical in footwork yet be able to achieve the same desired effect without wasting as much gas in the process. It not just about controlling the distance or running away as much as proper positioning. That calls for more advanced lateral movement and pivoting. He also needs to jab some more when Tony’s following him around.

Clinching is so underrated especially against a larger opponent who’s bearing down on you with howitzer type uppercuts. It’s not pretty but it’s an essential skill that helps keep an opponent from plugging away at your strength with power shots. It also affords you a chance to slow the pace and take a breather especially when you’re applying movement like Cotto was. Seldom do we see Cotto try to clinch and when he does, it’s usually only when he’s been hurt badly.

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One very simple thing that would've greatly improved Cotto's performance: get him into the gym with Bernard Hopkins and get him taught how to hold when up close instead of shipping punishment!

 

good points...
but yeah..
-clinch margo more
-dont square up on the ropes.. but thats just what hes always done =/.. mayweather would never square up like that..
-when he gets out of a corner from margo he uses a lot of energy runing across the ring to another corner its not necessary..
-also important he could use smaller lil steps instead of taking big tip toeing steps everywhere.. take smaller easier lil steps.. but footwork has never been cottos greatest asset =/...

but those are things he could improve on there..

 

Bert Sugar said it best..
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wat u siad about cotto needing to hold more is true. when he was trap in the corner or on the ropes he'll try to fight his way out and for his trouble got hit with like 2 or 3 clean shots. the only time he'll try to hold tony was when he was in trouble. and maybe cotto should have fought the way he fought judah for a 1 or 2 rounds .when i say that i mean the body work because them head shot cotto was throwing at tony was like throwing pebbles at a bullet proof glass and he was throwing bombs.maybe he could have done more bodywork and got lucky by accidentally hitting tony in the nuts like in the judah fight. i know i shouldn't say that but if there were anytime for a low blow in the sport of boxing. it was that night for cotto to use it or act like he got hit in the nuts i'm sure the the big homie hopkins wouldn't disaprove of such tatics lol. because tony was on him like he was trying too **** him. but i don't think cotto will resort to such tatics in the ring because of his pride and him being a warrior. i think cotto can win in a rematch if they fought again if he works on a few things. but i got to congradulate tony on a job well done, when his time came for him to shine, he let no dark clouds block him from victory.u deserve it tony.


ps cotto is not overrated he just made some mistake in that fight that need to be corrected. if anything people underrated tony

 

Yeah I congratulate Tony, he is incredible at what he does even without the bells an d whistles of a flashy style, he gets the job done. You're right, I don't think even Tony can withstand a shot to the nuts like that. :yep Cotto though would be building a not so flattering reputation.

 

It's definately fair to critizise Cotto's choices and overall performance. Cotto was much hyped for being an intelligent fighter, but throughout his career he did alot of dumb things to go along with some of the smart things. I didn't expect him to have alot of answers once Margarito started to apply heavy pressure, and I knew Cotto wouldn't be wise enough to go to Margarito's body heavily in the early going, or clinch, or avoid trading... Cotto's choices and ring smarts took a beating to go along with his record, and his head and body. It all got smashed.

 

Great call by the old man. :good

 

Bert's kind of full of **** though. He always seems to be talking out of his ass to some extent. Here he talks about Cotto out jabbing Mosley like that's something significant or impressive, and he incorrectly mentions that Margarito has a longer reach. Sugar has a very superficial knowledge of the sport overall. In that sense he's extremely overrated. He's no boxing encyclopedia.

 

I agree. One thing going for him is that he seems to learn and and shows improvement every fight. This fight exposed his deficiencies in a major way. I don't know though if he can recover fully from that kind of loss, both physically and mentally, to have a reasonable shot at some serious payback.

 

I just would like to add that clinching is an effective move when you can't duck or slip punches and counter-score. The ropes are not no man land territory and there are many who explore that area effectively to have their opponents outa balance and outa position but you gat to know how to use your back legs and box/punch on the move. Seems to me Cotto made his retreat and took a knee b'cause he was getting caught too much on the inside, very much like Judah and DeMarcus Corley did against him. I never thought that Miguel could have worked well on close quarters with this kind of opponent. He goes to the body and he can't really bob and weave and avoid getting tagged with head punches as much ( or as well).

 

Cotto also took a very good body shot in the 2nd that hurt him..
but give margo some credit for applying pressure.. the kind of pressure that forces you to get atleast somewhat tired.. but your right cottos stamina could have been better.. =/

 

cotto would have won he was boxing beautifuly! he needed to get his punches off and clinch margo and throw some body punches but margo had his body well protected thats why cotto could get his body punches off. i still give it up to cotto he fought like a warrior he even landed some bombs in the 11th but i guess the pressure was too much, hats off to both fighters they are both winners in the end.