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Can Rodriguez Derail Cotto's
Big Plans In 2014?
By Chris Carlson
This Saturday night Miguel Cotto makes his 2013 debut when
he faces the crafty vet Delvin Rodriguez from the Amway
Center in Orlando, Florida. The odometer's of each fighter
is at the tip of everyone's tongue when discussing this
fight and possible outcomes.
Will either have enough left in the tank to make it
competitive or at the very least entertaining? Both fighters
are clearly past their prime but skill will ultimately rule
the day.
Miguel Cotto is one of the best and most liked fighters of
his generation. Haven fought the who's who of names ranging
from the 140 pound division all the way up to junior
middleweight, giving us thrilling drama on the way.
Naturally a left hander, Cotto fights out of an orthodox
stance, building his legend with one of the best jabs in the
business and a left hook to the body that has left many of
his opponents day dreaming about a cold bath mid fight.
On his way to stardom Cotto was hurt a few times early in
fights, only to come back even stronger getting his revenge
by way of knockout. By 2008 talks of Floyd Mayweather vs.
Miguel Cotto were all the rage until a tornado from Tijuana
blew in the Las Vegas that summer.
On July 2008 in his fight with Antonio Margarito, the two
put on a brutal symphony of violence that will stick in the
brains of hardcore fans across the world for two main
reasons. One, being the actual fight which added to an
already deep pool of fights featuring a Mexican versus a
Puerto Rican.
The other was a potential toxic issue of hand wraps in the
taped hands of Antonio Margarito. That night Miguel was
forced to take knees from the pain he received all fight
long at the hands (bricks) of Margarito.
Not only did Cotto lose his coveted "0", he also bled out of
every pour of his face, losing parts of his soul that every
fighter has and relies on throughout their career.
Cotto showed a true warriors heart, only taking the knees,
he somehow managed to stay on his feet even after all that
punishment he received that summer night.
The next summer he got severely cut nearly losing to Joshua
Clottey.
Later that year in November, Pacquiao's hand speed and power
proved to be too much for the once unbeaten Champion.
Cotto rested up and showed signs of life, giving his body
time to adjust to the junior middleweight division.
The performance that he put up versus Floyd Mayweather was
very impressive, doing what many of "Money's" foes haven't
been able to do, sticking him on the ropes, digging to the
body behind that jab, a jab that bloodied Mayweather's nose.
In his last fight against Austin Trout about 10 months ago,
Cotto looked average and every bit past his dominant days.
In fact Austin Trout, who himself is a very solid thrifty
fighter, made both Cotto and Delvin Rodriguez look slow and
clearly not the fighters they once were.
Rodriguez bounced back with two decent wins and with this
Cotto fight is now looking to capitalize on a moment that
could extend his career.
Rodriguez will have the overall height and length advantage
over the smaller and stocky Cotto.
At his best Delvin is fundamentally sound on both ends,
using a jab, foot movement and combination punching with a
high volume. When on his game he is a very sharp fighter who
can be difficult to hit cleanly or land on without something
coming back in return.
At his worst, maybe best for fans, he can get thrown off his
game plan fairly easy which has gotten him in deep trouble
in the form of a stoppage or ending up on the wrong side of
the scorecards.
Even with both fighters not in their respected peaks, I
can't help to think Rodriguez better hope that the Cotto we
saw in with Trout, is the true Cotto and a year off will
only add rust.
Not that I think it's impossible for Delvin to win this
fight much in the style that Trout was able to do it. But
can he keep up that same pace that Trout had with constant
activity and movement?
Maybe it was the style matchup that gave Delvin trouble with
Trout and he will be more at home being hunted by Cotto.
Cotto on the other hand has to face a similar style of
fighter in Delvin Rodriguez.
The biggest differences between the Cotto then and the Cotto
now, it seems he has lost that killer instinct. He had
Mayweather and Pacquiao's on the ropes for portions of both
fights, but he never followed up enough on it like he had in
the past. Before Margarito, even if he was taking shots in
an exchange he would show no hesitation to attack the body.
Also and possible more importantly, is how well the skin
around his eyes can hold up. That could be the deciding
factor on the length left for Cotto, who might not be able
to fight like he used to just base off of facial damage
alone.
How long will it take for Cotto to shake off the rust and
will his new trainer Freddie Roach install anything new
tricks for this old dog.
Will we see that Delvin from the first fight with Pawel
Wolak which was a war, or will we see the guy who in the
second fight fought much smarter easily beating Wolak?
Does Delvin have a clean near perfect performance left in
him to come out on top on the scorecards, the cards that
will be against him the moment the bell rings?
This fight intrigues me based off the two combatants
pedigree's and their last losses coming by the hands Trout,
who made both looked slow and over the hill.
Future PPV paydays for Cotto include Sergio Martinez and
Canelo Alvarez. One can only assume that he is trained
properly for this fight, a fight that won't be as easy as
many think. He will have to bring his hard hat along with
his world class jab to make the fight easier.
Cotto has taken more beatings in his career and those
beating are main reason for his decline. Delvin is no spring
chicken either. Does Rodriguez have enough power to change
this fight?
My official pick is that Cotto will have more offensive
skill and fire power to get the job done with a 9-3 type
unanimous decision for Miguel Cotto.
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