Good Great Greatest: Miguel Cotto
When you think of this period of boxing, who do you see as the elite fighter? Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquio will more than likely get the most nods in this regard, but what about the fighter’s right underneath this level of eminence? This is where Miguel Cotto would more than likely end up, if his career ended today.
Miguel Cotto has the record of a great champ and displays an impressive resume of wins against fighters like: “Sugar” Shane Mosley, Zab Judah, undefeated Paul Malignaggi, and undefeated Carlos Quintana, among others. He is a fighter that likes to fight the finest and is in no way fearful to put his skills to the test.
While he does have 3 defeats, they are not failures that hold much negativity to his ability as a fighter. His first setback was by the hands of Antonio Margarito, whom was caught with loaded gloves in his next fight. Many believe that he successfully used this deceitful tactic against Cotto, but either way, Cotto avenged the loss in their rematch 3 years later. His last two L’s were by way of Manny Pacquio and Floyd Mayweather Jr. If you lose to fighters of their magnitude, and was competitive through the entire ordeal, the last thing you should do is hang your head low.
Miguel, being only 32, has many years left to continue to add to his list of conquered foes. That being said, if he continues to fight at a high level and defeat top opponents, he will continue to climb the ladder of paramount pugilists of the past 10-15 years.
Tonight Miguel goes up against a determined, undefeated Austin Trout at Madison Square Garden in New York City. I have been saying that this could be a statement fight for either fighter, since it was announced, because there is a lot of upside for the victor: Cotto can add to his legacy and Austin can prove that he is ready to fight for the crown.
Analysis:
Cotto is a boxer with good accuracy and footwork that is known for his body work and brawling ability. He is an attacker that moves forward and pushes the action, which has increased his fan base due to his entertaining style. He has a heart of a champ, the will to win, the confidence to challenge the best, and the balls to back it up.
Potential:
Miguel has the ability to string together successes over top contestants and challengers, which would have him referred as one of the exclusive pugilist at a high level. I think he wins a lot of good fights over the next two or three years and adds his name among the greats of all time.
