In less than one day Miguel Cotto will face Sergio Martinez from the Madison Square Garden in New York City. MSG has been Miguel’s sanctuary for the last decade with wins over Paulie Malignaggi, Shane Mosley and Antonio Margarito. His lone loss at MSG came to Austin Trout in December of 2012, in a fight where Cotto looked old. Trout outboxed Cotto to a one sided unanimous decision in a loss that felt as if it was Cotto’s last stand.
However if there is one thing you can count on is Cotto making a comeback. He is one of the few fighters of this era that fought the best there was-Mosley, Pacquiao, Mayweather and now Sergio Martinez. At 33, Cotto is a old fighter-He has been is some wars. His face gets marked far more easier since the first Margartio fight and against a slick fighter like Martinez the biggest question is how much can Freddy Roach really change about Cotto for that not to happen?
Miguel Cotto has ran through trainers like he was shopping spree but one thing that has stayed constant is his likelihood he will gas. Many have blamed it previously on his lack of training or discipline but regardless of the reason, he will end up gassing and against a fighter like Martinez, a fighter who at 39 is one of most in shape fighters in the game.
However since his victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in a fight where he almost ended up losing in the final minutes, Martinez has shown his age. After surgery on his knee he injured in the Chavez Jr bout, Martinez put on a gutsy performance against a game Martin Murray. It came to light later that Martinez re-injured his knee among other ailing issues. Now Martinez returns to the ring almost 14 months later 100% healthy, so he says.
Which is what makes this fight so intriguing.
Is Martinez actually 100% healthy?
Can Cotto chop Martinez down Martinez like he has done so many times before? Add the fact that one of Cotto’s best attributes is his ability cut off the ring and land his signature left hook-it may be a game changer.
However, If Martinez is healthy, his ability to control the action and land shots from unorthodox angles will create huge problems for Cotto-Along with is superior conditioning, Cotto may once again leave MSG with his second loss in a row.
This is a boxing fans fight. Two of the best fighters in the world willing to face one another with the understanding that one will go home a winner and the other a loser. They have both said what has been needed to say about the fight and now all that there is left to do is weigh in and prepare for a fight Saturday night. I know where I will be, Saturday can not come soon enough.