Miguel Cotto: Has the lineal champ ever had any less of a claim to being No.1?

Was Leon Spinks considered to be the best heavyweight in the world when he won the title against Ali?

 

Don't think so.

We'll know soon.

Very debatable.

Canelo has no MW pedigree as yet, and beating a 155 lb Canelo would not catapult Cotto's MW resume above GGG's.



I don't see Cotto as a top five (Lee, Chocolate, Lemieux, Canelo, GGG all better) in the MW division, so while he's obviously linear, he has a pretty weak claim to being the best.

 

Poor Cotto. :yep What an ignominious way for a still active fighter to end up mentioned on the Classic.

...especially for a guy that as of a few years ago was regarded as having paid his dues and universally respected. :!:

Winning the lineal MW title has done him no favors, in terms of getting him sympathetic treatment from the cutthroat legions of boxing scholars.

 

Naw, the dude was a great champion and a future HoFer.

At 140 and 147, and to a lesser degree 154.

But not at 160 lb .

He has said as much in interviews.

And so there's some resentment that he's holding the division's linear title hostage to his ambitions to be known as a big noise in a fourth division.

Demanding that the 160 lb title be contested at 157 and 155 is unseemly. If he's not (as he has admitted) a real MW, leave the division to the real MWs .

 

Briggs.

 

:goodCould not agree more, and I'm actually a Cotto fan.

 

Hopefully we will know soon.

Martinez, Geale and Canelo would be the 3 best wins on Golovkin's ledger easily.

He is a weak lineal champion just nowhere near as weak as past linear champions.