Two of the most feared welterweight boxers in the world step into the ring to face each other this weekend as Miguel Cotto battles Joshua Clottey. HBO will televise this fight live from Madison Square Garden on Saturday night and Cotto’s welterweight title will be on the line. A win for either fighter would establish him as one of the elite boxers at 147 pounds.
Miguel Cotto vs. Joshua Clottey (WBO Welterweight Title)
Money Line: Cotto -350; Clottey +275
Miguel Cotto will be looking to regain his reputation as an indestructible force after last year’s loss to Antonio Margarito caused him to lose his luster. Cotto looked great in his last fight against Michael Jennings but it was, after all, Michael Jennings. The fight this Saturday against Joshua Clottey will truly show if Cotto is back as the Puerto Rican nightmare he once was for his opponents. Cotto built a reputation off of bludgeoning opposition such as Paulie Malignaggi and Zab Judah. He then burst onto the scene with a thrilling victory over Shane Mosley showing that he is more than just a mauler to the body. Cotto has shown a suspect chin over his career and it is something that Joshua Clottey, while not known for overwhelming power, will try to exploit.
Joshua Clottey is a methodical fighter that could make it a long night for Miguel Cotto. Like Cotto, Clottey has a win over Zab Judah and also a loss to Antonio Margarito. Clottey was actually beating Margarito over the first four rounds until a broken hand caused Clottey to change his gameplan and eventually lose a decision. Clottey seems to always pick his opponents apart with sharp counter punching. It makes for an interesting matchup with the powerful Cotto as Clottey may not like how the exchanges feel early on. Expect a well-rounded and well-rested Joshua Clottey this Saturday. He hasn’t fought since August of 2008.
Fight Predictions
Corey: This is a fight I’ve wanted to see for a long time because Clottey is a great test for any welterweight and certainly one of the top four in the division. For four and a half rounds, I thought Clottey was completely outclassing Antonio Margarito back in 2006, until he broke his hands. He was beating Margarito a lot easier than Cotto was through four, that’s for sure. But Margarito is a much slower fighter than Cotto, who knows how to land counter punches when hit. Cotto will make Clottey work harder than he ever has, and I think Clottey’s inactivity, and what I consider questionable desire to pull out a really tough fight, is going to cause him to come up just short in this one, losing the crucial championship rounds to Cotto, who will snatch a competitive 116-112 victory.
Trent: Let’s face it, Cotto wasn’t tested against Michael Jennings. Clottey will come with his A-game against Cotto but I’m not so sure the methodical attack will work for Clottey in this one. I don’t think Clottey can bring anything to the ring that Cotto hasn’t seen before. It would be quite a statement for Cotto to run right over Clottey and put all other welterweights on notice, but it won’t be quite that easy for Cotto. I do, however, see Cotto taking this fight by a decision. Boxing decisions can always play out kinda tricky but given that Cotto is the star in this fight and he has adopted MSG as his home court, the scorecards may favor Cotto a little more than they should. I’ll go 117-111 for Cotto.
Fight Odds from Bodog.com.
