Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Catching Up

A couple of big stories in boxing while Gancho was offline: 

First, Pacquiao-Cotto was finalized. Most of what I read on the web suggests that most fans see this is as a slaughter of Cotto waiting to happen. I'm not so sure. Cotto has always done a pretty good job against really fast opponents. Against both Mosley and Judah, Cotto's jab and boxing skills narrowed the gap between his hand speed and theirs, and his superior punching carried him to a victory. If he can do the same against Pacquiao, who may or may not be a big puncher at 145, Cotto might win the fight a lot more easily than some people think possible. Then again, if Mosley and Judah are a Benz and a Beamer, than Pacquiao is an F-22. His speed is at another level, and his body movement is much trickier. Cotto won't blindly follow Pacquiao around and walk into shots the way Hatton did, but if the Puerto Rican can't answer combinations with a couple shots of his own the way Morales and Márquez did, I don't think he can win the fight on single jabs and body shots. I'm about as close to picking a winner as I am to finishing that PhD I've always pondered. 

Second, RIP Vernon Forrest. What a shame. 

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