A Black Eye and a Shot In The Arm In One Night
Last night in the Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden, the best and worst aspects of the sport were on display in the unpredictable world of boxing. Linear Lightweight Champion Joel Casamayor was knocked down and roughed up over twelve rounds only to escape with a deplorable split decision victory over Jose Armando Santa Cruz while Miguel Cotto and Shane Mosley engaged in a jaw-dropping war that more than lived up the hype it carried.
The fight card billed as “Fast and Furious†had all the makings of a memorable night for the sport that is gaining more momentum with every passing week in 2007, including big names like former WBO Welterweight Champion Antonio Margarito, the current Lightweight Champion Joel Casamayor, and two of the best welterweights and pound for pound fighters in the world today in Miguel Cotto and Shane Mosley. From Casamayor’s splendid boxing to Margarito’s relentless aggression and the styles of Cotto and Mosley falling somewhere in the middle, boxing’s many faces were expected to show up. Unfortunately, the sport couldn’t help but offer another black eye to that ever-changing face.
Casamayor had been out of action since last October when he won the Lightweight Championship from the late Diego Corrales. Ring rust was expected; however, Casamayor was also expected to handle Jose Armando Santa Cruz, a respectable but limited former champion, with relative ease. Instead, Santa Cruz knocked an off balance Casamayor down with a shot to the arm moments into round one, and Casamayor was never able to find his rhythm after that. By the end of the fight, Casamayor’s face had been bludgeoned by the harder shots from Santa Cruz, yet it was the sport itself who again received the biggest black eye when Casamayor was inexplicably announced the winner by split decision by scores of 114-113 twice and 114-113 in Santa Cruz’ favor.
Though the judges’ cards reflected a tight fight, the bout was not difficult to score. Casamayor, as he did against Jose Luis Castillo in 2004, attempted to box against a bigger, stronger opponent that refused to stop coming. Unable to trade shot for shot with Santa Cruz, Casamayor fought a great portion of the fight with his back against the ropes. Once, in an effort to elude his charging foe, he became caught between the ropes with his gloves down, and caught more punishing shots to his exposed face. The shocking decision immediately ranks in as one of the worst in the sport’s history, certainly in recent memory. Had the judges given Casamayor more than seven rounds, it would likely top that wretched list. Simply put, Casamayor did not win the fight, but the record books, regrettably, will say otherwise.
With the sour taste of the preceding fight carrying over, Antonio Margarito had his work cut out for him in changing the tempo of the evening. Fortunately for fight fans, Margarito always comes to take care of business. He did just that, dropping the legitimate Golden Johnson three times in the first round after some devastating uppercuts that ultimately resulted in a stoppage victory before the end of the first stanza. After losing his WBO title in July to Paul Williams, Margarito knew he needed to make a statement in order to remain among the most talked about fighters in boxing’s most talked about division. A bout with Cotto could still be in his future despite the summer setback, especially when considering both men are promoted by Bob Arum’s Top Rank, Inc.
As for Miguel Cotto, the WBA Welterweight Champion was up against the toughest challenge of his career when he defended his title against Shane Mosley in the dazzling main event. After only a round and a half, the action was underway with Mosley pressing the champion and appearing to have him in trouble, but Cotto stormed back throughout the middle rounds, raking Mosley with some crisp power punches that would have deterred many a foe. Mosley, however, realizing he may be in the last big fight of his career, kept the fight as close as it was entertaining. It seemed either man could wilt anywhere beyond the halfway point, but neither allowed himself to touch the canvas for a minute’s respite. The result was a terrific fight that surpassed Cotto’s memorable knockout victory over Zab Judah in the summer.
In rounds nine and ten, Mosley looked to have Cotto hurt badly as the Puerto Rican champion backed off for the first time all night, choosing to stay near the ropes and invest more in defense than in offense. Mosley pounded his way back into the fight, and, for all intents and purposes, the bout was up for grabs over the last two rounds. In the end, the younger Cotto was the fresher of the two and punished Mosley throughout round eleven before edging the final round, in which Mosley appeared unable or unwilling to mount a desperation assault. Had Mosley put more into that final round, a rematch would be a hot topic of discussion at this very moment.
Instead, the immediate fight of the year candidate, especially given the stakes, ended, as it should have, in Cotto’s favor by narrow but unanimous decision with scores of 115-113 twice and 116-113. Everyone could leave the Garden feeling satisfied, Cotto, having defended his title against a future Hall of Fame opponent; Mosley, having contended so closely with a younger, relentless champion even at the ripe old age of thirty-six. Mosley confirmed this opinion of himself by giving Cotto his due as a great fighter and not biting too eagerly at the prospect of a rematch. Instead, Cotto could next find himself across the ring from the winner of the bout next month between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Ricky Hatton, or, quite possibly, Oscar De La Hoya in May. Any of those opponents would make for an excellent fight, and, if fight fans are so lucky as to get it, one even better than that took place last night.
