By Chuck Johnson
A largely partisan crowd of Cotto supporters filled Madison Square Garden to the rafters and their man refused to disappoint them, although a nasty cut over Cotto’s left eye nearly derailed the celebration on the eve of New York’s Puerto Rican Day parade.
Cotto, a native of Caguas, Puerto Rico, suffered the cut when he and Clottey inadvertently clashed heads just before the bell to end the third round.
“I felt good during the fight,” Cotto said. “I didn’t lose any kind of view. But toward the end of the fight, I had to box more because the blood started getting in my eye. I could see but (the blood) just made the fight harder.”
In the end, the disappointment belonged to Clottey. The Ghana native, who lives in the Bronx, was knocked down in the first round but gave Cotto everything he could handle. After stalking Cotto and finding him for much of the 12 rounds, he felt he had done enough to win. He attempted a quick exit from the ring in disgust after hearing the decision. Judge Tom Miller scored it 114-113 for Clottey, while John McKaie 115-112 and Don Trella 116-111 both favored Cotto.
“I can’t believe it,” Clottey said. “I quit. I’m out of boxing. I’m never fighting again.”
Top Rank’s Bob Arum, who promotes both fighters, tried to console Clottey by assuring him that his performance was outstanding.
“It was a close fight,” Arum said. “I told Clottey that he shouldn’t talk like that, that he has to continue boxing.”
Cotto’s short left managed to knock Clottey off his feet just before the bell to end the first round. Clottey got up quickly, stunned but more angered with himself after being knocked off his feet for the first time in his career.
Just before the end of the third round, an inadvertent head butt opens nasty gash over Cotto’s left eye.
That gave Clottey an opening and he came on strong in the fourth, landing left hooks to the body and head.
Clottey continued to do serious damage in the fifth, but was thrown off stride and down to the canvas by a Cotto move that looked more like MMA than boxing. It took Clottey about 20 seconds before he got up and the fight continued, but Clottey said his knee felt the effects of the fall the rest of the fight.
In the sixth, Cotto dominated the action by coming forward with lefts and rights as Clottey backed into a corner, only punching in rapid spurts. With blood streaming down his face, Cotto continued to come forward but Clottey appeared to be the stronger man as the rounds wound down.
It was Cotto’s ability to weather the adversity that apparently swayed two of the three judges. He was digging deep and kept coming forward although Clottey displayed faster hands and quicker combinations.
If Clottey wants to win, he should not let the decision in the hands of the judges. He did not gave his all so he fell short. It’s his mistake why he lost the fight.
HAHAHA someone needs to do the Clottey dance video with the clownish sound, lol, yeah he lost me @ the dive, then the knee, then the “low blow” then the head drama! haha I mean, I though Mayorga deserved an Oscar nomination. You know Cotto got a harder low blow and he didn’t said squad, he was head butted and didn’t say squad, you didn’t see him walking dizzy like a WWE wrestler, the only one who robed Clottey was him self.
Hey in New York is kind of fishy……If you want to beat the champ you got too knock him out. Regardless if Clottey won the 12th round they would have still given the fight too Cotto. I watched it again also Tijuana…..Clottey deserved too loose the fight, just because he didn’t do too much too win the fight. He should have been first with his punches starting with the jab. He didn’t hardly throw any.
Hey Kanyon I agree with you too a point, they did Rob him, but Clottey needs to except responsibilities, by doing more too win. He should have knocked the fuck out of Cotto. But he couldn’t. It was like he was standing there like a photographer waiting too take a picture, you have Lets be honest, he hardly threw any jabs at all it was more like he was waiting for Cab driver.
Too be honest I liked Clottey but he turned me right off with his stupid Antics, by throw himself too the canvas and the referee had too help him up Ive never seen anything like this in Boxing, that was so Bizarre…..LOL
The same thing Zab judah was doing, what in the hell was that.
He did pretty well for someone with a huge above the eye, mostly blinded on that eye for most of the fight, I don’t know what more do you expect, a Rocky Balboa kind of a win? Clottey had him and he didn’t finish him, he didn’t even win the last round, like Teddy Atlas said, Clottey lost the right to complain, if you want something go get it! he had it, didn’t finish strong and lost a close decision. Watch the video up there to your right , I recorded it and watched it a few times now, Cotto by winning round 12 won the fight.
im sorry kanyon i saw the fight and i had it tied up all the way till the 12 round it was 114 to 114 at the begining of that round in points and clottey could pull threw at the end i think we all agree that cotto won the last round and that was wat made the difference in the decision!!! cotto won but not buy that much but he still won
Clottey was robbed here and he was robbed before TOO MANY TIMES – not from fights, but from OPPORTUNITIES,
He NEVER gets a chance to even fight top names, and when he beat them, judges rips him off
I hate to see Cotto again, i tired of his SO CALLED wins.
Clottey, go away, After THAT fight you will never get a chance to fight – you’re to dangerous to all this gay club fighters like Cotto.
F… you, boxing politics. That’s the way you get rid of fighters.
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