March 29, 2024

Miguel Cotto 41 (33 KO’s)- 5 (2 KO’s)-0 is not a fighter who you can accuse of having a light resume, a resume littered with names such as Pacquiao, Mosely, Margarito, Alvarez and of course Mayweather, but it also cannot be disputed that fans have often not got the fights that they have wanted to see from the four weight world champion in the second half of his career. Following his move to Freddie Roach and back to Top Rank, excluding Alvarez, Cotto has often seemed reluctant to get into the ring with top contenders around his division, such as Erislandy Lara and Gennady Golovkin. Not because I believe Cotto was scared to face them, but more so that he does not see any benefit taking such a difficult fight this late in his career that could then derail his chances of earning future paydays.

This sort of attitude is epitomised in his choice of his final fight, Saddam Ali 25 (14 KO’s)- 1 (1 KO)-0 for the WBO Light- Middleweight title. Ali a 2008 member of the US Olympic team is a fast handed fighter that has been hovering around the top of his division for a while. The only issue being is that Saddam has fought almost all of his career as a Welterweight, not a Junior Middleweight, and it is from here that the problems start to arise for the American. While Ali does possess fast hands and can show this in nice flashy combinations he seems to tire down the stretch and his footwork becomes increasingly ragged making him easier to hit. This has already been exposed in his failed world title shot against Jessie Vargas, a fighter who doesn’t have nearly the boxing ability or power of Cotto. Ali worked well in the early stages looking world class at times but his stamina issues led to him being backed up, and eventually knocked out late in the fight.

Considering Cotto’s carries power in his left hand, partly because he is a left hand dominant fighter I expect to see Cotto going immediately to Ali’s body to try and slow the American down. Combined with his excellent fundamentals I see an initially competitive fight becoming more and more one-sided as the fight progresses as Ali tires leading to a mid- round stoppage. Ali’s best chance would be to fight in very educated bursts throughout the fight trying to conserve energy and take rounds, but as this is Cotto’s last fight and in his second home of Madison Square Garden I can’t see Ali getting a victory even if it is deserved, and I don’t believe Ali will have the ability to knockout Cotto. Partly due to Ali’s average punching power at Welterweight, and partly due to Cotto’s boxing IQ and elusiveness that enabled him to go the distance with Alvarez despite a significant weight disadvantage.

While this may not be the fight that the fans were demanding, this will be the final fight of a certified hall of famer, and even though this will not be at the top of list of fighters that Cotto has stepped up against, it will be a final chance to see one of the modern legends in the ring, and that for some will be enough.

On the undercard Gavin McDonnell conqueror Ray Vargas 30 (22 KO’s)-0-0 looks to extend his unbeaten streak and puts his WBC Super- Bantamweight world title on the line against also unbeaten American Oscar Negrete 17 (7 KO’s)-0-0.