Cotto Victory Over Clottey Smudged with Controversy

The fight for the WBO Welterweight Championship has ended, but not as I expected it to. I said it would be a split decision victory for Clottey; it went to other guy instead.

In my previous article, I wrote that Miguel Cotto, whose record now stands at 34-1, would lose the advantage if he failed to knock Joshua Clottey out in the earlier rounds. But as it turns out, Cotto did send Clottey to the mat via a jab in the first round.

Clottey, who now drops to 34-3, did assert himself in the middle rounds, particularly in the fifth after Cotto got cut in his left eyebrow due to an accidental headbutt.

It was a good fight, but not the one you would have expected from the hype the players and the promoters had built around it.

Most of the fans expected a rain of straights and hooks, but instead, they got a splendid display of boxing defense from both fighters throughout the fight.

The earlier rounds were Cotto’s. Then, a shift in momentum saw Clottey coming back to life and into the fight. It was indeed a close fight, so close it could have gone either way.

The scorecards seemed to be the focal point in the fight and will serve as a possible source for another boxing controversy.

Judge John McKaie gave the fight to Cotto, 115-112, while Tom Miller saw Clottey winning the fight 114-113. Judge Don Trella scored the bout for Cotto, with a strangely whopping 116-111.

Can anyone explain how the last judge’s score came to be?

Even the media men present in the fight find the score “suspicious.” Clottey claims he was robbed of the victory and demanded a rematch immediately afterwards. He exclaimed that he was chasing Cotto all night long and that the fight should have been his.

A rematch may be deemed necessary, since Cotto’s win over the Ghana native was inconclusive, but regardless of future bouts, tonight is a happy night for Cotto, his team, and his fellow Puerto Ricans.

Pacquiao Is American Media's Best Boxer For 2008

Manny Pacquiao, the IBO junior welterweight titlist and current P4P king, has been named 2008’s Best Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA)for his outstanding performance last year.

Pacquiao fought three times in 2008. Here's a short recap.

Pacquiao’s three-win streak last year was initiated with his rematch against arch-nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez on March 15, 2008. On the line was Marquez’s WBC super featherweight belt.

Pacquiao managed to deck Marquez in the third round but the fight was a seesaw battle ending in a split decision favoring Pacquiao. Marquez wanted another match but Pacquiao said he plans to move to the lightweight division.

The Filipino icon next fight was also his first bout at lightweight against WBO lightweight champion David “Dangerous” Diaz on June 30, 2008.

Diaz proved to be a durable fighter that night, managing to withstand Pacquiao’s relentless attacks. But soon, Pacquiao wore him down with series of hard punches to the body and the head. In between rounds, Diaz can be heard saying that Pacquiao is “so fucking fast.”

Pacquiao dropped Diaz for the first and final time in the ninth round. With the win, Pacquiao not only got himself his fifth world title* in his fifth division but he is also the first Asian lightweight champion.

The year was punctuated on December 6, 2008 with Pacquiao’s successful debut in the welterweight division against the Golden Boy of boxing, Oscar Dela Hoya. Both fighters were non-title holders (Pacquiao vacated the WBO lightweight crown before the fight).

Dela Hoya handpicked Pacquiao as a quick replacement after Mayweather “retired” from boxing. Proved to be a wrong move for the handsome boxer.

All throughout the fight, Pacquiao was landing his punches almost at will and battered Dela Hoya in the seventh and eighth round. The Golden Boy refused to come out in the ninth round after suffering a brutal, one-sided beatdown all night.

On the side, Pacquiao's head trainer Freddie Roach is named BWAA's 2008 Trainer of The Year.

Congratulations, gentlemen! You both deserved the accolades and the cheers you are receiving right now.

Cotto Vs Clottey Pre-Fight Analysis

One more day and its Cotto against Clottey or Clottey against Cotto. However you place their names, everybody is just excited to see who can beat the crap out of the other and probably win a date to their biggest fight yet – a bout with the #1 Pound-for-Pound fighter in the world. But before we even delve with Cotto-Pacquiao or Clottey-Pacquiao, let’s see what these guys can deliver com fight night.

Miguel Cotto boasts of an almost pristine record of 33-1, with 27 victories coming by way of knockout. The only lone defeat in his standings came from Mexico’s Antonio Margarito, which became a point of controversy when it was discovered that Margarito’s hand wraps were coated with plaster of Paris moments before his bout with Shane Mosley.

The Puerto Rican native has hand speed and punching accuracy in his resume. These are his essentials come fight night against Clottey. He can also conjure vicious body shots and fast combinations, which he used extensively in his last inning against Michael Jennings. That said, Cotto is also vulnerable to powerful punches to the chin, as evident in his earlier fights. While he is good at defense, Cotto is hittable and his offensive style makes him more open to power shots.

Joshua Clottey , however, is no pushover. He has garnered 35-2 record and has never been stopped. His first loss was due to disqualification while the second was via a unanimous decision favoring Antonio Margarito. While Clottey packs power in both hands, Cotto is still the harder hitter between the two. But what makes Clottey a dangerous opponent is his ability to take hard punches and still fight back. He also has the stamina to go the distance.

As an observer, I believe Cotto will own the earlier rounds with sheer aggressiveness but Clottey will assert himself in the middle rounds and dictate the pace. Most boxing experts say Cotto’s chances are high, but I beg to disagree. If Clottey can hold his own against Cotto’s attacks, the tides will slowly roll to Clottey’s favor.

A knockout for Cotto is a possibility, but highly unlikely.

Verdict: Clottey by split decision

The Brave Shane Mosley

Being the current top-ranking welterweight may have its perks, but Shane Mosley seems to have trouble finding some quality time being the best boxer in the 147-lbs division. First, Mayweather have dogged him by picking lightweight kingpin Juan Manuel Marquez for his return bout on July 17^th. Second, fellow welterweight champion Miguel Cotto already has a date with Joshua Clottey for the former’s title defense. Third, pound-for-pound top dog Manny Pacquiao will only fight him if Mosley drops to 142 lbs.

With all the best fighters in his division currently occupied or presenting him with certain conditions, what is Mosley left to do? He is a true champion who deserves a mega-fight with someone of top quality, especially after handing the invincible Antonio Margarito his first loss in a convincing fashion.

With no possible fights looming in the horizon, Mosley decided to take a dangerous route towards greatness – agreeing to Pacquiao’s terms.

At a catch weight of 142 lbs, Pacquiao is still a dangerous boxer. He has shown in his last two outings that he can outbox and overpower men who are physically bigger and deemed stronger than him. And those last two fights were more than impressive so to speak. Pacquiao has the ability to carry his amazing speed and subtle power at any weight class and has not yet been defeated since he fought as a lightweight (130 lbs).

On the other hand, it has been a long time since Mosley fought below 147 and dropping five pounds will take a lot of his speed and power away from him. Age may also come to play here. Should they meet on October 17^th, Mosley will be 38 years old, eight years older than the Pacman. He may be taller and bigger than Pacquiao come fight night, but he may have all odds against him.

Considering all that, I can’t help but admire Shane Mosley’s determination to prove that he still has what it takes to be with the best. He may have 5 losses and be in danger of having 6 should the fight with Pacquiao pushed through, but in the eyes of an ordinary fan, Mosley will be remembered as a guy who had the guts to willingly face a strong adversary despite all the odds stacked against him.

He will be forever known as the Brave Shane Mosley, true boxing champion.

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