Quijano: Miguel Cotto cares about his legacy

Monday, December 5, 2011

A RELIABLE and tested metric of a fighter’s true worth is how well he does in rematches. All the great ones did well and stepped up when it mattered.

Muhammad Ali exacted revenge on Joe Frazier. Sugar Ray Leonard had some payback with Roberto Duran.

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And even though nobody cared about their rematch 16 years later, Bernard Hopkins gained some measure of personal redemption against tormentor Roy Jones Jr.

COTTO. Last Sunday, Miguel Cotto showed that he cared about his legacy and defeated a man who gave him a beatdown of the ruinous kind.

After that brutal TKO loss to Antonio Margarito, I always believed Cotto was a changed fighter.

Gone was the brusque, robust manner by which he traded leathers with powerful boxers like Shane Mosley and Zab Judah.

He looked tentative against the enigmatic Joshua Clottey and refused to go toe to toe with the smaller Manny Pacquiao.

To redeem himself, he had to beat the man he felt wronged him on a dastardly level.

He did that quite well last Sunday and for that boxing history will be kinder to this talented Puerto Rican when it assesses his legacy as a fighter.

ADJUSTMENTS. I thought Margarito would be able to repeat over Cotto, but in the rematch, the latter had some crucial adjustments that proved to be invaluable.

First, he gave Margarito different angles. Using more lateral movement, the latter was not completely able to set his feet and deliver his blows with full force.

It’s a no-brainer that Margarito is a one-trick pony. He wades in trying to deliver punishment. Give him some movement, and he’s in trouble.

Second, he stayed away from the ropes. In the first match, every time Cotto was trapped, Margarito was able to inflict damage with body shots and uppercuts. This time around, he deftly sidestepped and weaved away from trouble.

Finally, he dictated the pace and character of the fight. Cotto engaged only when he felt comfortable unloading his combinations. Sure, Margarito got his licks in, but Cotto was more accurate and consistent.

In the end, the referee had to call a halt to the fight with Margarito’s right eye closed.

The future doesn’t look too bright for the “Tijuana Tornado” as the same orbital bone required surgery after being pummeled continuously by Manny Pacquiao.

BOOM-BOOM THIS SATURDAY. All roads lead to the Hoops Dome in Lapu-Lapu City this Saturday night as Rey Bautista faces off against Mexican Miguel Angel Mendoza.

Mendoza appears to be a very dangerous test for “Boom-boom” as he comes with a perfect record of 17 wins, all by knockout!

Unbelievable, you say? Exactly!

A check as this pro-record reveals that Mendoza hasn’t fought top-tier opposition yet, but remember that a knockout punch is the greatest equalizer in the game.

The insouciant, unrepentant Bautista against a visiting Mexican knockout artist eager to take his head out is just too good to miss.

FEEDBACK Thanks to Roel Tariman who took time out to give some feedback on my take on the Dan Henderson- Shogun Rua fight:

“I’m glad you captured what I thought is one of the shameful commentary job in UFC (something common during ugly fights). I thought it was Mike Goldberg that said that statement as Joe was busy commenting on the battle that took place.

Anyway, the fight was good until the third round and Dana White should be ashamed of staging a give-round non-title fight for fighters who obviously don’t have the stamina to last the full 25 minutes. The only reason that the fight became close was that Dan Henderson choked by running out of steam since the third round”

Amen to that Roel. Conditioning was definitely a factor in that fight. The older Henderson ran out of steam, but before that, he was beating the hell out of Rua.

LAST ROUNDS. Are on Col. Armand Arevalo, lovely wife Joanne and son Adrian for being such generous hosts. Cheers!

(jingo_quijano@yahoo.com)