Cotto and his Career??

[MSTR]

A couple things that are now troubling me, is the depth of talent in the welter weight division.... Not that there isn't much, but what names are there in the division, that will TRUELY test Cotto?? What does he need to do to best enhance his resume and be remembered as one of the greats of the sport?? PBF is an obvious answer... But that will surely be not enough. If he beats Marg (likely) and beats PBF, who would that leave him? What direction should he be looking to go with his career? He has already beaten Quintana... would another win be THAT impressive. Williams has lost credibility with the Quintana loss. Berto is too green now, but will be a good opponent for Cotto later on. Still there are some decent names in the short term, coupled with Clottey and Cintron. But what after that? The biggest worry for me is that surrounding divs are pretty weak.. 154 is pretty limited, and i don't know how well Cotto could really move up, considering his size. I wouldn't like to see him at middle thats for sure, he would be thoroughly out gunned. 140 is pretty weak at the moment also. Hatton most likely will never fight him, all he really has is Witter. What are your thoughts? Basing this remember on Cotto trying to best cement his legacy, not just take somewhat decent fights.

[Mikey]

I think Witter vs Cotto would be a great fight for the Hatton vs Mayweather II undercard, would surely be a great preperation for Cotto to fight Mayweather instead of some other Welterweights out there like Cintron or CollaZO, plus they are both avoided by the respective man of the division.

[Sandmanl337]

If Cotto was to beat Margarito and then go one to beat Floyd, then I'd say he would be the best welterweight fighter.. Even though Paul Williams defeated Margarito, Williams also lost to Quintana who Cotto defeated.. But if Cotto defeats Floyd, then there would be really no reason to fight Hatton.. My guess is try to move up to jr. middleweight...

[Ambition_Def]

I think Clottey would give Cotto a helluva fight. As would Gutierrez most likely. Both of those guys are around Cotto's size and have compareable speed and defense. I'd pick Cotto to beat both but you never know.

Also who wouldn't want to see Cintron against Cotto? Just for the hell of it.

[Auracle21]

ah man cotto woud mutilate cintron

[Symphenyceo]

i was wondering the samething after the pbf fight and pbf retires who else is left..i mean he can unify but then what unify 154?

[MSTR]

I think Clottey would give Cotto a helluva fight. As would Gutierrez most likely. Both of those guys are around Cotto's size and have compareable speed and defense. I'd pick Cotto to beat both but you never know.

Also who wouldn't want to see Cintron against Cotto? Just for the hell of it. But when COtto's career is all over, will these be the sort of opponents that people look back on as true tests, that will enhance his standing as an ATG? Or are they merely fillers for something more challenging? Where does his best test lie, apart from PBF?

[Symphenyceo]

But when COtto's career is all over, will these be the sort of opponents that people look back on as true tests, that will enhance his standing as an ATG? Or are they merely fillers for something more challenging? Where does his best test lie, apart from PBF?

i think cotto is in a fucked position really.. After pbf there is no one that would boost his legacy..he'll have to go for accomplishments..unify 47 and 54..but there are no great fighters there

[Fedor Em]

But when COtto's career is all over, will these be the sort of opponents that people look back on as true tests, that will enhance his standing as an ATG? Or are they merely fillers for something more challenging? Where does his best test lie, apart from PBF?

Well right now PBF is the only fighter than I think really troubles Cotto at 147 and that is a testment to just how good Cotto is. He might need to move up in weight. I think Forrest would give him hell, even at this point.

[MSTR]

Well right now PBF is the only fighter than I think really troubles Cotto at 147 and that is a testment to just how good Cotto is. He might need to move up in weight. I think Forrest would give him hell, even at this point.

I think Forrest is the best match up for him too, if or when he defeats PBF...The problem is, i don't think it would be in his best interest to move up to 154 for good. He will be much more dominant at Welterweight. Maybe he could just move up for the one fight, then go back down?? If he could get Marg, PBF, Forrest as well as guys like Williams, Cintron, Clottey, Witter etc etc that would make for one HELL of a resume, especially by modern standards.

[MSTR]

Well right now PBF is the only fighter than I think really troubles Cotto at 147 and that is a testment to just how good Cotto is. He might need to move up in weight. I think Forrest would give him hell, even at this point.

Forrest is a very good fighter, however i think if Cotto got inside consistently he could do very well vs Forrest, who has had problems with this in the past. Whether he could do so without getting tagged would be the interesting part.

[jecxbox]

yeah True I mean. Cotto had a nice run at 140lbs. Lets say Cotto destroys Margarito. Pulls off an amazing win over Floyd. By that time there is a possibility that perhaps Hatton has completely cleaned out 140lbs and has rebuilt his confidence enough to take on 1 more HUGE fight with Cotto. If Cotto were to demolish Hatton in an effortless fashion it might help a little bit.

If lets say Witter makes a name for himself, that could be a good fight as well for Cotto. In all fairness Cotto has a very decent resume already.

And we never know but the 154lb division could always be an option but risky. And the 154lb division may develop to something better in about 2-3 years.

BUT Cotto has repetitively said that he only intends on fighting for another 2 years. So with that said I don't think Cotto cares much about having an incredible legacy. And thats why I don't think he cares much about having to fight Floyd anytime this year.

[brooklyn1550]

I think the best path would be to beat Margarito and Mayweather, collect all of the belts at 147, win a title against the top light middleweight, move back down (perhaps right away or after a defense), and ultimately finish off by defending the welterweight title against contenders and fighters moving up from 140 (whether it be Witter, Hatton, Victor Ortiz, etc).

I wonder if a DLH matchup would ever happen, even if DLH loses to Floyd again.

[MSTR]

When did Cotto say that he only wants to fight for a couple more years?? I certainly hope not, it would be such a waste. Does anyone know of promising talent coming through in the 140 or 154 pound divisions?

[Fedor Em]

Forrest is a very good fighter, however i think if Cotto got inside consistently he could do very well vs Forrest, who has had problems with this in the past. Whether he could do so without getting tagged would be the interesting part.

Yeah the pressure could be a big problem. Cotto getting cracked on this way is does have me worried though. I know this version of Forrest is not the one that got to Shane but those left hands I could see getting to Cotto and they would hurt.

[brooklyn1550]

When did Cotto say that he only wants to fight for a couple more years?? I certainly hope not, it would be such a waste. Does anyone know of promising talent coming through in the 140 or 154 pound divisions?

Here's the young guys I know of from 140-154

Victor Ortiz at 140
Lamont Peterson at 140
Devon Alexander at 140
Demetrius Hopkins at 140
Andre Berto at 147
Mike Jones at 147
James Kirkland at 154
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr at 154
Joel Julio at 154
Alfredo Angulo at 154

[MSTR]

Here's the young guys I know of from 140-154

Victor Ortiz at 140
Lamont Peterson at 140
Devon Alexander at 140
Demetrius Hopkins at 140
Andre Berto at 147
Mike Jones at 147
James Kirkland at 154
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr at 154
Joel Julio at 154
Alfredo Angulo at 154

Which of those do you think will be true world class fighters?? I think Berto, Ortiz, maybe Peterson and Alexander. I can't see any of them being elite guys though that will trouble Cotto. Berto probably stands the best chance. What are your thoughts??

[brooklyn1550]

Which of those do you think will be true world class fighters?? I think Berto, Ortiz, maybe Peterson and Alexander. I can't see any of them being elite guys though that will trouble Cotto. Berto probably stands the best chance. What are your thoughts??

Andre Berto will be a decent contender, Victor Ortiz, Lamont Peterson, and Devon Alexander could very well become title holders at 140. I don't see any of them coming close to beating Miguel Cotto.

Mike Jones and Demetrius Hopkins wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell at any point in their respective careers.

Chavez Jr could be a matchup down the road if Arum gets his record to 50-0 with a couple decent name opponents. Cotto would crush him though since Chavez Jr doesn't strike me as a future world-class fighter.

I don't think too highly of Joel Julio and Alfredo Angulo, although they're both big and have pretty good punching power. Kirkland is an interesting prospect. He wont become a significant champion but he could become a title holder. If I were Cotto, I'd be careful who I fight at 154.

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It's going to be interesting to see how Cotto's career plays out. My guess is that he wins a title at 154 at some point but ends up going back down to welterweight, racking up double digit title defenses.