If you haven't seen it before...this vid shows Canto not only at his clever, skilled and elusive best, but shows what an all action type fighter he was in addition...a really positive force. This content is protected
I have a strong affection for fighters who stand in the pocket and make you miss and counter. Benton Braxton Toney Benitez just to name a few. This is good stuff!
Yes...and those guys who despite having a height/reach deficit could position themselves to land the jab...Canto utilized the ring very well and was very economical and compact with his moves. A great, great fighter...and my favorite fly champ hands down.
From a pure technical standpoint, he is close to the best ever IMO. Awesome fighter, and his heart is understated due to his immense skill. What guy swallows a pint of blood and still wins the decision?
Canto was the masterpiece of the trainer Jesus Rivero. Robert Garcia's dad, Eduardo singled out Rivero as one of the greatest Mexican trainers ever and I've attached the video below because I find it really interesting: This content is protected Basically, Eduardo says that Nacho Beristain more or less plagiarized his distinctive approach from Rivero. And when you look at Canto in the ring, you can see there are common elements: a mix of parrying & footwork & head movement to integrate offense and defense, magnificent conditioning, excellent counter punching, and creative combinations. The fascinating thing about Rivero was that he more or less stepped away from the game while he was still relatively young, around the time Canto finished up. He was highly educated and put his time to use in other endeavors. Eventually Oscar De La Hoya needed a more seasoned trainer than Robert Alcazar, and Rivero was coaxed out of retirement, and I actually think he performed great under Rivero. Check out the Miguel Angel Gonzalez fight for proof. Oscar had interesting things to say about Rivero; how Rivero tried to get him to listen to opera and read Shakespeare. He also used to lecture Oscar about how there is no God. Oscar really remarked about Rivero's charisma and magnetic personality.
Thanks for posting. That's really interesting. @mrkoolkevin I think this would be a good addition for the great trainers debate.
