Sweet Jesus...couldnt disagree more PP. That was a well battle worn Cueves against a resurgent legend. No way Miguel gets away with standing toe to toe with Pipino and manhandling him...Duran had the chin and defensive instincts to do it. Im a big fan of Cotto..I make no secret of this...I just cant for the life of me see how he holds off a prime Cueves over the long haul. Miguel has his limitations...thats why I like watching him in a way..The most glaringly of which are his durability and stamina issues, which is exactly what he needs in this fight more then any. He just gets tired and rocked in to many fights for me to say he could withstand the kind of artillery Cueves would be firing at him, round after round. Pipino was most definitely quite crude...but I dont think that did anything to hinder his effectiveness..on the contrary it was his unorthodox approach that could often negate the skills of more accomplished technicians. Getting knockout power from shots that seem to break the laws of biomechanics is which what made this guy so scary. Pipino 8-10 TKO...Miguel would be best served getting counted out on one knee rather then ending the night on a stretcher.
You're naming qualities that would serve a fighter in an in-fight and/or punch-out. You really think those qualities are going to serve Cotto in a fight with one of the most brutal punchers in the division's history? Remember, this is Miguel Cotto we're talking about. I realize your arguments are rarely legit and the majority of the time you're just trying to see what you can get away with through manipulation of words, but be reasonable for once. See above. You can't genuinely believe this unless you're either slow in the head, laughably biased, or outright haven't seen/analyzed much of the fighters in question. Mosley's speed and power make a win more plausible than a Cotto win, but his power-boxing style doesn't inspire much confidence against that kind of puncher. Mosley had the ability to adapt his style while still maintaining his efficiency in his strength areas though, whereas Cotto is more or less just adequate in many different areas. In order to do that he has to get within punching range, a lot. That isn't going to end well for someone who clearly is lacking in strength and durability against the mauling type of fighters. Face it, Miguel Cotto just isn't good enough in any area to stave off a murderous slugger like Cuevas.
You underestimate Mosley's chin. It's better than anyones Cuevas ever stopped. Only knocked down once, which was primarily caused by a headbutt, yet you think he's not going to be able to take Cuevas' shots?
If he elects to stand and trade, abso-****ing-lutely not. You think Vernon Forrest hits harder than Cuevas?
1. Have you actually boxed? If not let me break it down for you. 1 of the best ways to beat a puncher can be to hit him hard and fast before he can hit you. Then as he goes back, as people tend to when you hit them hard. A puncher can't hurt you as much when he's moving back (usually unless he's Julian Jackson perhaps) Now Cotto is 1. Faster 2. A more compact puncher 3. Has a jab 2. I saw the fight, Duran's jab and timed power punches clean punches on a stationary unguarded target (ie Cuevas's chin). Now I'm not saying Cotto is as good as Duran, but he has some of the same tools. 3. That kind of puncher wouldn't land many punches because he punches too wide and slow. Mosley doesn't lose to Mexicans 4. See point 1, plus Cotto's punches land first so Cuevas shots arent necessarily getting off. This isn't a punching competition its called boxing
Cuevas is really getting sold short here by some, I think he would absolutely wreck Cotto before flattening him for the count by the middle rounds. Sure, Pipino was crude in his approach and fairly predictable and one-dimentional in his attack, but that one dimension of his was enough to defend the welterweight title ten times against a pretty decent crop of contenders most of whom he annihilated in brutal fashion. Cuevas would keep winging those viscious hooks upstairs and downstairs and eventually he will land something significant on Cotto and my guess he will do so early. Cotto`s leaky defense and habit of backing himself into the ropes will be his undoing, combine that with Pipino`s conviction that he will land the big bomb and keep walking forward punching away will put a lot of psychological pressure on Miguel which will wear him down and tire him out faster then if he were allowed to operate at his own pace. Cuevas by KO within 5 rounds.
You're actually basing Cuevas from the Duran fight. By then Cuevas was pretty much a shell of himself. it's like basing Joe Louis off of his performance against Rocky Marciano!atsch Watch footage of a reigning Champion Cuevas & witness the utter destructive power he had. If Cotto was backing up against Margarito, he would do more so against Pipino. With his back against the ropes or backed into a corner, Cotto would have to fight his way out. & a prime Cuevas threw better combinations than Margarito anyday, with way more devestating results.
Honestly, I can't imagine Cotto defeating a Prime Pipino, at least not the Cotto from the fight with Margacheato. Sure Cotto fought quite well against Margacheato (who was almost surely cheating), but as other posters mentioned, his same tactics would have been extremely taxing in a fight against Pipino, whom was the real deal; born with plaster of paris in his fists We are talking about the guy who broke Weston and Espada's jaws!!. Pipino carried a big gun. In his prime He could only be stopped by a physical phenomenon named Hearns, who carried a even bigger gun
The other thing with Cuevas was that left hook of his sizzled early in his career. It was real real quick and the devastating type that was a bone breaker. And he threw lots of them and tested opponents real early. I don't see the defense of Cotto dealing with that A+ left hook and brutal left uppercut Cuevas threw.
Look at Cotto's face after the Clottey fight and imagine Cuevas' uppercut landing. Cotto takes a beating, makes 12, but 15 rds is too much.
Cotto outboxes him until he dies. He's just too hittable. Cotto should have a lot of success with the jab and his movement, but when he stops to momentarily trade he'll be struck in the exchanges. Cuevas doesn't care much about what he targets -- sweeping punches at the center of the torso are bound to land eventually.