Cotto
Decisions Mosley
December 31, 2007
by Hal Clarke
Review of November 11,
2007 title bout.
On November 11, Miguel Cotto
won a unanimous decision to edge aging legend Shane Mosley in
a WBA 147 lb championship bout live at Madison Square Garden.
Watching the fight for the first time over a month after it occurred,
it was a good fight but definitely not as exciting as the pre
and post-fight hype would have you believe.
Cotto/Mosley was a rough and
tumble affair with the pugilists giving it their all as well spending
a great deal of time wrestling around the ring. For the first
half, Cotto used his usual pressure tactics to back up Mosley
while Mosley was content to stand and trade, not a wise decision.
Those initial rounds were a give and take affair with both men
dishing at least as much as they took. Cotto, however, seemed
the fresher fighter, even when the tactics were reversed in the
later rounds with Mosley chasing the young Puerto Rican. With
overhead rights, body hooks, and a strong left jab Cotto fought
off the back foot extremely well tiring the aged former champion
even as he fled. Mosley worked hard to catch Cotto, especially
in the latter rounds, bouncing on his toes and cutting off the
ring well. However, when he did manage to corner Cotto or back
him into the ropes, he never quite took advantage. Even in running,
Cotto seemed the aggressor as he threw and landed the cleaner,
more effective punches. In the end, it was a clear decision victory
for Cotto as our scoring at Undependent Media matched that of
the official judges.
Following Cotto's victory, and
the subsequent Floyd Mayweather KO of Ricky Hatton a month later,
the call for a Mayweather/Cotto match in 2008 has already begun.
No doubt, Cotto is an exceptional fighter with great skill and
tremendous heart, but when matched with Mayweather I foresee a
devastating loss for Cotto. Mayweather, I think, is simply too
fast, too skilled defensively, and too acurate with his punches
for the plodding Cotto to wear down. And the more I consider Mosley's
performance against Cotto, the more I think he also would have
beaten Cotto if the fight had occurred five years previous. But
alas, November 11th was clearly Cotto's day and he deserved the
hard fought victory. Mayweather, however, is an entirely different
animal: fast, experienced, and in his prime. If the fight does
happen, I predict a Mayweather blow-out and eventual KO in Round
10.
No matter who Cotto finds himself
fighting in 2008, he nonetheless deserves major props for his
latest huge victory over living legend Shane Mosley. Whether 2008
finds him mixing it up with Floyd Mayweather, Antonio Margarito,
or someone else entirely, I look forward to seeing Cotto kiss
the canvas one way or the other sometime in the new year.
Here is the official scoring
for Cotto/Mosley:
115-113, 116-113, 115-113
(all for Cotto)
My Scoring of the Fight:
| Round |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
Total |
| Cotto |
10 |
10 |
9 |
10 |
9 |
10 |
9 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
9 |
116 |
| Mosley |
9 |
9 |
10 |
9 |
10 |
9 |
10 |
9 |
9 |
9 |
9 |
10 |
112 |
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Want to tell Hal Clarke he doesn't know anything
about anything? Or maybe you agree. Email him at halclarke@undependentmedia.com
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