For those that think Mayweather would beat Cotto easily: Slap yourselves.

Some of you supposed analysts are going out of your way to say that Floyd would easily beat Cotto, mainly based off what I'm assuming you saw against Hatton, which coincidently wasn't very much if you're coming to this conclusion.

Hatton and Cotto have 2 similiarities, they are both natural pressure fighters, and they both often win fights by breaking their opponent down with a volume of punches, especially to the body.

That's where the comparison stops.

Cotto has something that Hatton doesn't, and its not just size and strength which has been reitirated to no end on this board as the only advantage Cotto has over Hatton.

What is it?

It's the ability to deliver intelligent pressure.

Why wasn't Hatton doing this? Well for one, Floyd's six inch reach advantage and Hatton's lack of explosiveness might have had something to do with this, but this is only a portion of the problem.

Hatton was coming in without throwing the jab, and he was going straight in, almost squared up.

The most important thing you can do against a good boxer, such as Floyd is to come in at an angle while throwing a jab.

If you go straight in, Floyd will t-off on your face with a straight right hand. Hatton was doing this all night.

Do you think the outcome would be any different if than what happened with Floyd if Hatton faced Mosley or even Judah, (substituting a straight left)?

Why do you think it is that Hatton has been avoiding boxers in his division?

At the same time, Cotto has been actively pursuing them. He's fought Malinaggi, (when he doesn't brawl, possibly the closest thing to Floyd above 140), Judah, (arguably one of the most dangerous fighters there is for the first 6 rounds), and Mosley, (a very dangerous, well rounded, boxer with the ability to slug).

That's probably the best possible lineup that you could encouter in preperation for Floyd.

In the meantime, since Kosta, Hatton has been fighting mostly swarmers and sluggers, but no one really threatened to outbox him.

Why is this important? Well, if you gotta ask this question, you should probably just go ahead and slap yourself now. atsch

For those of ya'll with an imprint of your hand on your face, this is important because Cotto has the experience of what to do against slick boxers.

Haven't you noticed the improvement in his jab? How often was Cotto getting tagged with FLUSH straight right hands against Mosley, and straight lefts against Judah?

He wasn't, and why? Because he coming in at angles and using the jab/double jab to keep his opponent on the defensive and off balance.

This is by far the most important aspect of how to approach fighting a skilled boxer, especially one like Floyd. You can't expect to come straight in or he's going to knock your head off and look spectacular in the process.

BUT, since we're on it, Cotto has more than just that.

Cotto doesn't rely on smothering his opponent and throwing a punch and clinching/wrestling like Hatton does, but Cotto gets his distance and throws some fluid combinations.

How many combinations did you see Hatton throw against Floyd? Exactly.

Hatton failed to get the distance that was necessary to deliver these combinations. It's really not his style anyway, as his is punch, grab, keep the distance close.

While Cotto will want to stay on the inside, (and he'll do much better than Hatton because of the above mentioned reasons), he'll do MUCH MUCH better on the outside due to his approach which was adapted from his experience with top boxers.

So who will win this fight?

That's a question you need to ask yourself, but for ya'll that think Floyd will in easily need to slap yourselves, TWICE.

atsch

Floyd is a great boxer, but he wants to retire from the game, not get retired.

And even if he beats Cotto, he WILL take a beating.

Cotto ain't Hatton and Floyd knows it.

 

I hate to say it, but Floyd is a very good fighter.

I wouldn't mind it if Cotto fought DLH.

Honestly, I still think that DLH-PBF could have been a draw, so it's not like DLH is an easy fight.

Personally, I think now is the time for Cotto to go after PBF because I think he's gotten all the preperation that he needs, but if he fights DLH, I'm not upset about it.

Floyd said that he's retiring anyway, so he probably needs some time to think things over before getting in the ring with Cotto.

 

It doesn't necessarily tell me anything right now.

Perhaps Cotto is trying to make a statement by fighting DLH.

Maybe he thinks he can knock him out. If that is the case, think about the publicity that would surround a Cotto-Mayweather fight.

It would be one of the biggest fights in HISTORY!

 

That's true, but Hatton didn't have the preperation to deal with a boxer of Mayweather's calibur.

Experience means a lot, and Hatton just didn't have it, while Cotto does.

Cotto can box too, and when he does apply pressure it's intelligent as he comes in at angles and delivers the jab.

Hatton wasn't doing this.

 

Floyd ain't quicker than Judah.