Frank,kikibalt wrote:There was a time in the distant past that when a fighter lost a fight like Cotto lost to Margarito, said fighter would have to fight other top fighters and climb up the ladder before getting another title fight, those days are long gone, nowdays you lose soup A title fight, you just go and fight for the soup B title.bennie wrote:kikibalt wrote:Miguel Cotto
Lancashire's Michael Jennings makes one giant leap from Jason Rushton to Miguel Cotto for the vacant WBO welterweight title at New York's historic Madison Square Garden on February 21.
The belt was made vacant by Paul Williams.
Jennings outscored Doncaster's Rushton over eight brisk rounds in Glasgow in a warm-up in November. The 31-year-old Chorley challenger is a tidy boxer with a great engine but has never fought outside Britain in 10 years as a pro and this ranks as the most daunting of overseas debuts. Puerto Rican great Cotto comes off an unforgettable 11-round loss to Mexican sensation Antonio Margarito last summer in Las Vegas. He fought proudly and magnificently and simply lost to the better, stronger man on the night, his first and only loss in 33 outings. The 28-year-old Cotto, a former two-weight world champion, looks gifted enough to come again.
Jennings will say otherwise, of course, in his own pleasant, throughly likeable way. Cotto took heavy punishment in the later stages of the Margarito battle before crumbling to the canvas, bloodied and battered. How much did the fight take out of him? The wiry, superfit, fleet-footed Jennings can stick and move for 12 hard rounds and might, just might, find himself in the right place at the right time against a battle-weary, tired, demotivated, overconfident, super-rich Cotto looking ahead to a lucrative June rematch with Margarito. I also have a feeling that Cotto is tight at the weight. He looks 'big' in those above pictures.
Jennings has lost only once himself (in 35 outings), on a split decision to Midlands strongman Young Mutley in Nottingham in January 2006. It was a big upset but the beaten man enjoys big backing (F rank Warren) and was steered down another route to a No. 1 ranking with the WBO, with six wins on the spin. Mutley, meanwhile, languishes in the Black Country. Boxing is still all about who you know.
In Michael's defence, he licked some good opponents on the way back, such as Crawley's Ross Minter (talented son of Alan) in a nine-round thriller and Margate's dangerous Takaloo over 12. He holds particularly fine wins over Poland's current European welterweight champion Rafal Jackiewicz and Welsh star Bradley Pryce, despite a 12th-round wobble in the latter. While Jennings can box, he lacks great power and strength and the bull-like Mutley kept him 'honest' for much of the 12 rounds and one wonders how honest Cotto will keep him. Jennings lacks the power to trouble Cotto, I'm sure.
I can see Michael boxing well for a few rounds as Cotto picks his punches in typically smooth, classy, hurtful fashion, body and head, wearing down the visitor. Cotto has finished 26 of his 33 opponents, including the likes of Zab Judah, Gianluca Branco, Carlos Quintana, Ricardo Torres, Kelson Pinto and so many others.
In his 'home' venue of the legendary Garden, Cotto ultimately looks too complete for Jennings. He wins in six or seven rounds.
I was born to soon and so were my boys, other wise they would have been champs
It wouldn't have been a question as to whether they would have won championships but how many championships if they would have been fighting today; of course I think of them on a higher level for what they did in their era than I think of most of these guys running around today claiming to be "World Champions!"
Bruce
