The Reeducation of Miguel Cotto

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Going into tonights fight in Las Vegas, against Ricardo Mayorga, Emanuel Steward and Miguel Cotto worked together in preparation for a fight for only the second time. Anyone who deals with this sport is well aware that it takes several training camps and plenty of hours alone between fighter and trainer for a real relationship to form. While Steward and Cotto seem to be comfortable together, it’s the latter’s boxing I.Q. that has Steward believing their duo will be victorious not just against Mayorga but into the future as well.


“I’ve been lucky to be involved with the elite level of this sport for over three decades,” Steward told Maxboxing. “I’m going to tell you, Miguel is the fastest fighter I have worked with in terms of understanding and utilizing what I say to him. He makes it easy on me; I mean, the guy at his core was a natural boxer.”

What Steward is referring to is the fact that prior to his two marquee fights in 2009 (Joshua Clottey and Manny Pacquiao) and a brutal loss he suffered in the summer of 2008 (to Antonio Margarito), Miguel Cotto was a boxer/puncher. He had a full arsenal of weapons and his skill set was that of someone who could box all fight long and at the drop of a dime, he could switch into a power-punching stalker.
“Miguel is a born puncher; his power is natural,” said Steward. “Beyond that though, I saw video of him fighting as an amateur and the guy looked like a young Sugar Ray Leonard in there. I showed Miguel what he used to look like and he understood instantly why I showed him the video.”

From that moment before his last fight (against Yuri Foreman), Cotto’s reeducation under Steward was underway. “We started with basic in-and-out movement to get Miguel back to having core balance. He turned into a flat-footed power-puncher that was left-hand-heavy, which made him move with his head over his front foot.”

Steward is talking about the fact that Cotto, 35-2 (28), was bent over the majority of the time, especially when he was in stalking mode. After his fight against Shane Mosley, Cotto (who won that fight by utilizing a jab and solid in-and-out movement on the front and back foot) abandoned most of his crucial fundamentals. In essence, he pulled a “Tito” Trinidad and unwittingly fell in love with his own power.

As a result, Cotto had two tough and brutal fights in 2009. Cotto closely got the nod against Clottey and after a good start, got brutalized by Pacquiao. It was the Pacquiao fight that Steward used as a tool to show Cotto what he was doing wrong, what he got away from, and what became his downfall. According to Steward, these were factors Cotto fully owned up to.

“He relied on his power; he thought that he could bang Manny out of there,” said Steward. “I showed Miguel a picture from that fight and it was of him on the ropes. He was shocked because in the picture, Manny is actually standing over him. Miguel gave away his natural size and range by abandoning his jab and by staying planted on his back foot.”

Steward also says Cotto has gotten enough of a wake-up call from their initial sessions together. They have moved on and are growing increasingly close the more they work together, an added bonus for both fighter and trainer. When they reach the point of working in perfect unison with one another, become that perfect combination that, come fight time, illuminates the fighter’s strongest attributes. As a result, Cotto’s flaws fade, allowing him to fight their game plan as effectively as possible.

Enter Cotto’s “slugfest” (the event name only applies here) fight against Yuri Foreman at the new Yankee Stadium. While it was a preconceived notion that Cotto was going to have some difficulties with Foreman and his movement, Steward was pleased with what he saw out of his charge. “I was shocked that not only did Miguel land power shots [as expected] but that he outboxed the fighter thought to be the boxer,” Steward said. “I mean I liked what I saw from him, gliding in and out of range while using the jab, setting up that left hook and not just shooting it.”

It seems that Cotto is part of a small group of elite fighters that utilizes the jab as the set-up punch for their serious power-punches. Cotto also has the natural gift of timing on his side and understands when the time is right to throw a certain punch, especially the jab. It’s Cotto’s timing and ability to control the range of a fight that has Steward truly excited about what he could get out of his fighter in the future.

“Miguel has some of the best timing I’ve worked with. I mean it helped him beat guys who were supposedly the faster fighters going in (Zab Judah, Mosley and Foreman),” said Steward. “His jab is back to being a thudding power one and he is gliding with balance again. This fight with Mayorga will be a better display of what he can do, even more so than the fight with Foreman.”

Not only do Cotto and Steward have more time with each other, Cotto also got his right shoulder repaired and took the rest of 2010 to relax and make sure that it wouldn’t be an issue when he made his return to the gym and the ring.

Cotto’s rest and rehabilitation was certainly welcomed by Steward because to deal with the always rugged and unpredictable Mayorga, 29-7-1 (23), a veteran who will try to dictate the pace and make Cotto uncomfortable.

“You can’t let Mayorga bully you around the ring and with a guy like Miguel, the way he is, I know he won’t allow that from happening. I just want to make sure that he sticks to the game plan and not get away from what will ultimately win the fight,” Steward said. “Even if things get shaky for a little, ‘cause with Miguel going up in weight and fighting all types of opponents, some of the stronger bigger fighters are able to handle his power shots more. Really, it’s the single power shots he throws. Mayorga is tough and likes to get hit to try and make you doubt yourself, so crisp, tight, compact combinations will be the key.”

Team Cotto believes that they will be able to get inside of the wild, free-swinging punches of Mayorga and while inside, rip off compact combinations on an open target. Steward says, “You don’t want to just stick around in his range and block his punches. You need to get in there with a jab and footwork and, once inside, fire away. I’m confident this will work because Miguel, with his fixed shoulder, really has his power, speed, and timing down with his compact combinations. Miguel is starting to remind me more of a young Wilfredo Gomez.”

It seems like Cotto and Steward are in a good spot. With every trial and tribulation Cotto went through during the course of the past few years (especially 2009), he has returned to enjoying what he loves to do. The passion for his craft and willingness to do whatever it takes to get better and return to greatness is there. With the Emanuel Steward overseeing his training, along with their burgeoning relationship, the reeducation of Miguel Cotto should result into pure fistic entertainment for us fans. :good

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