Wednesday, April 16, 2008 Quijano: Separating the hombres from the chicos By Jingo Quijano Last Round
FITTINGLY, it was not meant to be an exclusive night of celebration for either of boxing’s ethnic powerhouses. In the end, we got a mixed bag of goodies with one Mexican showing he was (still) too strong for his Puerto Rican rival, while the other Mexican proved too green for a fighter dubbed as the next Puerto Rican great.
The Last Round got it right on both counts, although the outcome in both matches was hardly dicey.
THE LOOK. I had expected Alfonso Gomez to perform much better but he came out for the first round looking stiff- moving around like his legs were shackled in iron.
Like I said before, when Miguel Cotto’s opponents start getting that look, it’s practically over. It’s a hybrid expression between resignation and despair.
Sugar Shane Mosely had that look in the middle rounds in his entertaining tiff with Cotto, and from then on, it went downhill for him.
It was worse for Gomez as that very same look made its appearance quite early in the fight. In the second round, to be exact.
Miguel Cotto set the tone very early by sneaking in a thudding jab to Gomez’s face-reddening it almost immediately- and whacking to the body with impunity during exchanges.
Needless to say, Gomez couldn’t get untracked after that. He forgot to use his height and reach advantage and started stalking Cotto with the single-minded purpose of brawling with him for the rest of the fight.
Bad call. Either he was forced to abandon his game plan after he got hurt, or his corner had a poorly pre-conceived strategy.
All told, it was quite obvious that these two fighters had been fighting a different class of boxers throughout their careers and class always shows.
CONCRETE. Earlier in the night, Antonio Margarito ate up all the best powershots that Kermit Cintron unleashed his way and beat up the game Puerto Rican in a scary display of power and durability.
Obviously, Margarito is a very strong welterweight and a force to reckon with in this division. Cintron came into the fight with 27 knockouts in 29 wins. But he couldn’t even make a dent on Margarito’s sturdy mug.
Somebody gives Fernando Vargas his dentist’s phone number as this guy’s jaw must be lined with concrete.
WHATS NEXT. Obviously, it’s back to the drawing board for the losers, but it may actually be Gomez who has the better career outlook.
With only 18 fights under his belt, there is plenty of room for improvement and maturity.
Kermit Cintron on the other hand, is in a bit of a quandary. He has pulverized almost every opponent he has faced at welterweight but he just can’t beat Margarito who beat the living crap out of him in two fights.
What’s worse is that the Cintron we saw may be the best he will ever be. He had been pining for that rematch for three years. What’s he going to do at this division now that Margarito will begin his second reign as IBF champ?
He can always do a Mosely and move up in weight. (Shane moved up to junior middle after losing twice to Vernon Forrest.) But we all know Mosely was never the same fighter after that, and in Cintron’s case, there’s a very big chance of his fearsome power dissipating at 154 lbs.
For the victors, a showdown is already penciled to take place on July 26, with the winner probably figuring in a mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather, later this year.
Undoubtedly, with marquee fighters such as Mosely, Judah, Ricky Hatton, Carlos Quintana and Paul Williams waiting in the wings, the welterweight division is the hottest in boxing.
THE LAST ROUND. It’s on Au Casipe and Suzette Ablan, my Yakal buddies who recently celebrated their birthdays. Cheers!
