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Posted: **26 Feb 2005, 07:43**

Well i was of the thinking that this was going to be a decent fight for Cotto tonight, Corley has gone the distance with both Judah and Mayweather Jnr and even though he has been hurt on both fights and is generally a fringe contender i felt he was a good fight for Cotto at this stage...Ant Evans of SecondsOut strongly disagrees:

By Anthony Evans: In a fight widely derided as a glorified public sparring session, rising junior welterweight sensation Miguel Cotto will defend his WBO title against shopworn Demarcus Corley in what will be a party atmosphere in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

Talk of Cotto needing to learn have to 'solve' a southpaw style like Chop Chop's or how going rounds with Corley will prepare the Puerto Rican express for the likes of a Zab Judah is, let's be honest, complete crap.

Barring an immediate 'Upset of the Year' scenario, Cotto, unbeaten in 22 with 18 opponents stopped, will take American Corley apart tonight just like he has every other fringe contender the Man of Tomorrow has faced thus far.

Yep, this fight has a definite 're-run' feel to it.

Cotto has been here, done this. Promoter Bob Arum told us that following Cotto's last slaughter of a 30-year-old former WBO title-holder, December's kicking of Randall Bailey, that Cotto would be moved up in class.

Well, he hasn't yet, and while there is merit in keeping a young fighter busy against faded former champs while awaiting a big fight I'm not so sure why Cotto v Corley is a HBO main event. I know I'm not the only one who has noticed that HBO's quality control department hasn't yet returned to work following the Christmas break...

Corley has only been beaten three times in 33 fights (16 via KO and a draw) but he was outclassed by both a lethargic Zab Judah and Floyd Mayweather Junior.

The New Yorker was dropped a total of three times in those fights and against Cotto, a naturally bigger puncher than Mayweather, who made his 140lbs debut v Corley, it is difficult envisioning him lasting much beyond the sixth round.

Posted: **26 Feb 2005, 07:50**

No its not a mismatch, the devision is so hot at the moment that at any other time Corely would probably hold a version of the title. He is not faded, just been up against P4P claimants in Judah and Mayweather.

With Leija and Urkal either retired or moved up can you think of many other non-champions you would rather see with Cotto, I can only think of two - one is fighting Tszyu in June and the other has just beaten N'dou.

I have read on this forum a post saying that Gatti vs Mayweather is a mismatch - WTF? That isn't and neither is this one. Cotto should win, but Corely deserves the shot as much as anyone else.

Posted: **26 Feb 2005, 07:54**

No i agree, was surprised when i read the article by Ant Evans actually...however if Cotto can become the first guy to stop Corley then that would be a statement. Corley is somewhat of an underachiever in my eyes, he looked shit hot when he burst on the scene against Felix Flores, he had taken the fight at short notice and his handspeed was blurring on the way to a 1st round KO...never quite made it though as yet.

Posted: **26 Feb 2005, 16:54**

It actually gets on my nerves when I hear this. So many boxing pundits use this expression and in this case it's a load of crap. Corley gave PBF a good fight which has to be credible in anyone's book.

Some people need to understand that if one guy is favourite it does not necessarily mean it is a mis-match....

Cotto is favourite against an ex-world champ in the top ten what f*cking more does he want..

Posted: **26 Feb 2005, 17:01**

While Corley pretty much has NO chance in this fight, it's not a mismatch ( not by the UK's recent standards anyway ). Chop Chop might event take him the distance, doubt he'll win many rounds though.
Someone mentioned Cotto is lined up with Vivian Harris in the summer? Now that's a fight......

Posted: **26 Feb 2005, 19:14**

Corley can win. Hes a slick boxer and may be able to beat Cotto to the punch. Of course I favour Cotto but maybe Corley can outhustle him

Posted: **27 Feb 2005, 09:38**

undisputedly_pat wrote:I think Corley is a good fight for Cotto to take at this point.

People are too impatient with fighters these days. Cotto is very young, and yet he already has wins over N'Dou, Pinto, Bailey, and a host of crafty veterans and notable lightweights. After the 3 aforementioned names, Corley seems like a good test and step in progression. He's garnered a win for himself since Mayweather, and I think he'll come into this fight confident.

Provided Cotto passes this test, I'd love to see him in against Witter, Harris (is that rumour true? holy fornicate that would be a well anticipated matchup!), or even a guy like Hurtado.

Corley has a win over Bailey, Cotto's last opponent, and there is no shame in losing to Judah and Mayweather, especially when they're back to back matches where Corley had a long layoff with no bouts in between.

Don't criticize Cotto for taking on Corley. There are plenty of other so called "prospects" fighting absolute tomato cans who deserve this kind of criticism. Cotto has been brought up tougher than contemporary prospects at 140 like Addullaev, Bojado, and Pinto, and despite being brought up tougher, he still doesn't have a loss.

It's been a while since i posted alongside you Pat old buddy

An excellent post, even now after the fight has happened i agree with your points

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Cotto-Corley A Mismatch?

Cotto-Corley A Mismatch?