RINGSIDE Puerto Rico’s Miguel Cotto Wins By TKO ....AVILA

Written by David A. Avila

Sunday, 13 March 2011 00:15

Miguel Cotto Wins By TKO (Chris Farina)
LAS VEGAS-WBA junior middleweight titleholder Miguel Cotto stopped Nicaragua’s Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga in the 12th round in a fight that was full of bravado, big punches and lots of action on Saturday.

Las Vegas got its money’s worth.

Puerto Rico’s Cotto successfully defended the title at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino by using his superior technique and a stifling jab against the brawling and go for broke style of Mayorga. It was never over until it was over before 7,247 fans.

“I had to keep myself calm,” Cotto said after.

There was not much feeling out in the first round. Both swung for the fences several times in first. Left hooks for Cotto and rights for Mayorga were unleashed as each tried to grab momentum early.

Mayorga landed some nasty right hands in the second but Cotto withstood the blows and came back with the body shots. Right uppercut landed for the Nicaraguan and Cotto countered. Mayorga shook his head again to show they’re weren’t hurting.

Big rights came from Mayorga but Cotto didn’t blink. Mayorga angrily exhorted for Cotto to come into his wheelhouse but the Puerto Rican didn’t oblige. A four punch combo landed for Cotto. Mayorga shook his head again in disdain.

Cotto out boxed Mayorga in the fourth round but not before Mayorga unleashed a dozen blows from all angles. Cotto smiled at the effort which prompted Mayorga to try and converse to no avail.

A couple of three-punch combos to the body and head by Cotto opened up the fifth round. Mayorga then landed a big right hand bomb that the Puerto Rican walked right through. Cotto continued to win the rounds but Mayorga was still dangerous.

Mayorga had his best round in the seventh as he took the fight inside and fired combo after combo. Cotto slipped and moved and countered but the Nica showed he still had some fire in his legs and punches after a lethargic sixth round. Uppercuts and right hands had Mayorga scoring as he clubbed Cotto.

Just when it looked like Mayorga was spent he fired a six-punch Nicaraguan combo that landed some nice right pummels. Still, Cotto controlled the round with his precise punches in the ninth.

Mayorga shrugged when Cotto hit and moved. He motioned Cotto to stand and fight in the 11th but Cotto wasn’t having it.

The final round saw Cotto finally catch Mayorga flush with a left hook to the chin during an exchange. Down he went. He beat the count but when Cotto hit him again with another left hook zinger Mayorga looked to referee Robert Byrd to end the fight and he did at 53 seconds of the 12th round. Cotto scored the technical knockout.

“Cotto hits very hard,” said Mayorga, who suffered a dislocated left thumb in the final stanza. “I wasn’t happy with myself. Now I have to go find a job. I will retire.”

Cotto was happy with the outcome.

“It was an amazing fight,” said Cotto. “Mayorga is very strong. All of his punches hurt.”

The WBA titleholder could next be fighting Antonio Margarito, who was in the audience.

Other bouts

Poland’s Pawel “Raging Bull” Wolak (29-1, 19 KOs) brutalized New York City’s Yuri Foreman (28-2-1, 8 KOs) to hand him a defeat via technical knockout at the end of the sixth round of a junior middleweight fight. Using short, compact punches to the head and body Wolak never allowed Foreman to box and move. He smothered everything Foreman tried to do. The sixth round saw Wolak batter the former champion. The corner wisely advised the ref to stop the fight.

“There were no surprises in the ring tonight, I just didn’t have it,” said Foreman, adding that maybe the long layoff hurt his activity.

Wolak

It might as well have been Gentleman Jim Corbett versus John L. Sullivan because Mexico’s Miguel Vazquez (28-3, 12 KOs) showed Australia’s Lenny Zappavigna (25-1, 17 KOs) the art of boxing to keep the IBF lightweight title. Vazquez jabbed, moved and fired rights through the Aussie’s guard as he charged hard but kept running into punches. The judges scored it for Vazquez 118-110 twice and 117-111. Zappavigna’s wide flurries couldn’t do the job.

Korobov

Matt Korobov (14-0, 9 KOs) fired a couple of left handed bombs to take out Chicago’s Mike Walker (19-7-2, 12 KOs) at 1:31 of the first round in a middleweight fight. Walker got up but stumbled into the turn buckle and referee Russell Mora waved the fight over.

Rojas

Junior featherweight prospect Jesus Rojas (17-1, 12 KOs) slugged it out with Tucson’s Isaac Hidalgo (8-7-2) in a six round junior featherweight clash. Rojas was the bigger puncher and nearly floored Hidalgo in the fourth round but Hidalgo’s chin held up. Both hit each other equally but Rojas had more firepower. All three judges scored it for Rojas 59-55 twice and 58-56.

Notre Dame’s Tommy Zbikowski (2-0) knocked out Kentucky’s Richard Bryant (1-3) with a left to the liver at 1:45 of the first round in a heavyweight bout. The punch had a delayed effect. Ref Russell Mora stopped it.

Heavyweight prospect Eric Molina (17-1, 13 KOs) tore through South Carolina’s Joe Rabotte (9-16-1, 3 KOs) for most of six rounds including two knockdowns. Referee Kenny Bayless finally saw enough and stopped the fight at 1:38 of the sixth round for a technical knockout.

Juan Gonzalez (11-0, 10 KOs) of Puerto Rico knocked out Jeremy McLaurin (8-2, 5 KOs) of Minnesota at 1:56 of the first round of a lightweight clash.

Comment on this article

donputo69 says:

Cottooooooooooooooo...I say bring on that.cheater next...I would love to see Cotto destroy that sorry ass...Props to mayorga...holla back!!!

the Roast says:

Cotto vs Margarito has to be next. These two arent getting any younger! Cotto by UD but make sure to check the wraps!

Radam G says:

Miguel fought one of the crash dummies of whup-arse, and he gave him a whuppin!' As for the future Rabbi Yuri Foreman, maybe he will come to his senses. The painful muck up alibi is straight-up bunk. Foreman has absolutely no boxing funk. He has had a nice fantasy-land ride. Now go away! Don't get hurt because of foolish pride. I know that you wanna stay. But all you are now is just a test pony and a stay-busy payday. This is not only da hurt bitnezz, it is the BIG MOOLA drop. And you put the play and the pay on da pugilists only when they're hot. Or have something that you can tell that will sell.

The rabbi-to-be gig is up. It is played out. Nobody cares now what a pugilistic, bumed-kneed, rabbi-to-be marshmellow is gonna shout. Maybe a couple of people care. But in this game, your biggest -- if not your only -- share, will be your abilities to keep the money flowing. When it halts, on you ends the GLARE. That is, unless you replace Mayorga as the test dummy of fighters attempting to roll back to the TOP; then on you maybe there will be a FLARE. I've told ya dat diz game is full of optical illusions, and a lot times will use a rough tomato can -- I mean a Mayorga -- before the cream of the CROP. Holla!

MisterLee says:

sup don! how you doing? cotto looked great last night imo. his power is still relevant, and he carries the speed and footwork he had at 140 up to 154. I say cotto is back, defense is there, throws more combinations, better defense, slipped some punches, and most importantly, fought at a steady rhythm and didn't gas out after 6 round. Holler!

donputo69 says:

Whats goodie misterlee....Yeah man...My boy Cotto looked good last night...Everybody now wants to see him fighting margacheato...I think Cotto will knock him out this time...If not...Then i see a UD...holla back!!!

MisterLee says:

late round tko, punish to the body, his face will look like marg pacquiao 2. life is good? anyone interested in cotto retracing his steps..let's say some rematches... like agst mosley (if he looks decent), or clottey if it earns money, or zab judah at a catchweight? hell, i'd pay to watch floyd cotto, cuz i think cotto, the "new" older cotto can really some punishment to floyd. you know, pple talk about mental strenght, cotto tlaks about it as his best characteristic, and i believe it, i mean he got his arse kicked twice, and he's jumped right, he dind't take 2 years off like winky wright, or get boozed and high like hatton, or go into semi-retirement, or stay stubborn and stick with the same trainer (jermaine taylor). paulie malignaggi has real grit too, that guy bounces back real quick (didn't he fight someone at welterweight like months after losing to khan? that's mental strength man!) Holler!

FighterforJC says:

Looks like Cotto will remain in Mayweather's TDL ("to duck list").

the Roast says:

What's up with Mayweather? Has anyone heard anything new? Is he going to court or jail? I know there are no fight plans. Dude has been quiet. No racist videos or anything? I dont get it. What a waste.

ANONY says:

HEY GUYS! After many months out of the TSS Universe I'm returning to the fraternity with this big BANG!! from our favorite boxer - Miguel "el Angel" Cotto!!!! What we saw was a perfect fight plan executed. If you noticed, he fought smart, concentrated in winning rounds, fought tall, picked his punches, stood away from unnecesary exchanges, his gloves were always securing great defense, made Mayorga missed most of his punches and saved gas for the end.. so... I will give Steward and Cotto a perfect A+ in game plan. You can tell Emmanuel is focused on improving Miguel's technique, defense and movement and this was the perfect fight to showcase before fighting MargaCHEATO. It is true MargaCHEATO puts more pressure and has more heart than Mayorga but Cotto is ready for that and you can tell he wants the fight. His confidence is stone-cold again and Emmanuel is his best motivator. You can tell he is enjoying working with Miguel as well. I would say what impressed me the most was his defense which is much better now and even elegant with that waist movement he showed, something Cotto wasn't doing before. So I will say BRING THE CHEATER AND MAKE THE FIGHT IN PUERTO RICO, WE WILL FILL 40,000 SEATS FOR SURE JUST TO WATCH THE CHEATER FALL!!!! Then Pacquiao again... someone may ask why? because they used Cotto to gain status and now that the lion is back, they need to pay the favor. COTTO WAR!!!!!

ultimoshogun says:

Looks like we all want the rematch, I think both fighters do too...Margarito needs it for vindication and Cotto needs it to prove he can beat him on a level playing field, however, i'm not implying that Margarito was loaded that night, but i'm sure most Cotto fans do...my prediction, I thinkMargarito beats Cotto again in another instant classic!

the Roast says:

Welcome home Anony. How did you put that pic in the post? Got any Sharapova?

ultimoshogun says:

Looks like your smoke signal's still working Roast, some more regulars keep finding their way home...hopefully we can get the band back together and make this the best forum once again. Some of the names I haven't seen in forever are Frank Z, AFN, Fistic Fury, Dr3r42, Salt, and what the heck ever happend to Yuvie, we had alotta the same opinions. Those are just a few off the top of my head...I'll help gather some more wood this time.

ANONY says:

HEY ROAST!!! When you write a comment, If you scroll through the icons you will find the "insert image" one right beside the "insert email" icon (envelope). Then, you just need to find the image on the internet and copy the address and paste it where they ask you. I guess it is better if you use Firefox broser and right click over any image on the internet -- thennn you copy the address and that's it. [COLOR="darkred">Now EM will be mad at me showing you guys some tricks in this new TSS universe... hehehe. Soooo... how do you guys like this mini-video??? Here in Puerto Rico people say it was the perfect punch to shut up Mayorga.. RIGHT IN HIS BIG MOUTH!!!!! SWEET REVENGE!!!!

FighterforJC says:

Sweet revenge for what? Most boxing fans knocked Cotto for choosing Mayorga over Martinez, and the same fans have nothing but praises for Cotto now. Such is the world of boxing. It'll be the same thing if Pacquiao destroys Mosley.

ANONY says:

[COLOR="red">TO FighterforJC: Sweet revenge because Mayorga didn't respect Cotto making all those stupid comments on him, Emmanuel and even Cotto's friend (El gordito) to hype the fight.... so.. sweet revenge came knocking him out and leaving his face busted. and dude... like Cotto always says... Bob Arum is the one that make the matches, he is just one employee under his company. Haven't you heard that from him in the past??? But let me tell you something else... I believe Cotto can beat Martínez as well. Paul Williams was beat by Quintana and Cotto took care of Quintana in 5 rounds and the Dzizirinkuk guy was a "new kid in the block" who wasn't been tested by elite so there you go. While Cotto has fought all of the big names. People tend to forget Cotto has only 2 looses in his record, the last two fights he has been dominating and ended them in knockouts, and I believe he has the best KO ratio for a champion at 154 pounds... so if you're a stat guy, check them well and then criticize our champion. Other people just don't know how to be grateful... I mean, when was the last Cotto boring fight you have seen??? He always give us big name fights, and big drama fights so... don't rain on his parade, even if you are a Pacquiao or Martínez fan. You just have to admit Cotto deserves the respect form all of us. I'll leave you with this sequence of jabs to shake up your memory!!!!

FighterforJC says:

You're making it out to be something a lot more than it really was. Mayorga is Mayorga, it doesn't matter who they put in front of him, he'll do the same thing. Cotto (and his fans) shouldldn't feel so special for the way they were treated by Mayorga. There was nothing "sweet" about this fight, nothing dramatic, nothing controversial. It was a good win for sure and Cotto's win almost nails tdrives the nail to Mayweather's coffin. Mayweather has no one left to fight because he sure as heck won't fight Cotto.

Radam G says:

Danggit! Yall "gonna be startin' somethin!" The next thing you know, TSSU readers will be cuttin' a rap video -- remindful of the Chicago Bear, when I was back in Junior High. Those suckas couldn't rap or dance, but they were heckuva Amer-footballers. WOW! I can see B-Sug, the Roast, Anony, Da Don, FJC, mortcola, MisterLee, Real Talk, Isaiah, Riverside, ultimoshogun and just maybe Fe'Roz doing a TSSU rap-song gig for this forum and Youtube. Those other boxing sites would be copying dat like a muthaspitter. I've be laughing my arse in Manila. Holla!

the Roast says:

Damn Ultimo, I forgot about Yuvie and Frank Z! They were good. They might not have survived the plane crash. I miss Salt and Andy.(sobs) DaveB, FisticFury, and deepwater were here but disapeared. We need the whole crew. Still missing Son of Sam Peter(love the name) Manboobs the Great, and Porkupine. We gotta get more firewood!

ANONY says:

What this website needs is sponsors who can invest some money in promotion (ex. sponsoring live transmissions of Fight press conferences, have presence in top rank website, make facebook groups, etc.). I mean, this website machine is perfect with GREAT content and even great fans like us and there should be hundreds or thousands of readers around for sure, they just don't read or like to write any comment. Is like when I go to BSscene. com - there are a big bunch of foul mouth writing there everyday and I never read their comments; just the news and get out. So the point is that this website has it owns personality because the writers are respected and they always look for the intelligent angle and dissecting the news and they do it great. So... if ESPN or other sponsors come in and bring a little money; this website could be BIG reference before and after fights (like always). For me, the other boxing websites are more a google ad experience and they always look dark or shady. So I'm sure EM receives great reading audience, is just that the audience doesn't read us... LOL. So if any of you guys know Marck Ecko or the smart vp of Reebok (Amir Khan's sponsors), ask them if they are willing to buy a banner in boxingscene.com..... then, if you know any genuine boxing fan executive who works for ESPN, ask them to please tell Teddy Atlas to mention this website in their transmission every friday night (10 seconds). That should start some fire... Sorry EM... just some ideas to shake things up.

admin says:

Em will never be mad at you

admin says:

GOOD STUFF....NO NEED TO APOLOGIZE, sir! --EM

the Roast says:

Roast goin big time....here goes...