PREDICTION PAGE: Martinez or Cotto…Who Do Ya Like?

Published

11 years ago

June 7, 2014

Miguel Cotto and Sergio Martinez will lock horns at a historical temple on June 7.

Madison Square Garden, New York…Often referred to as the “Mecca of Boxing,” isn’t quite the major host venue of the sport it once was in decades gone by – the 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and 60’s.

Back in the early 70’s, promoters Bob Arum and Don King began to catapult their nomadic businesses westward to the gambling capital of the world, Las Vegas. During the 80’s and 90’s, the Garden firmly took a back seat as the outdoor venue, Caesars Palace, along with other Vegas hotel & casinos, became the new magnetic ground for the sport’s promoters to ply their trade. Great boxers like Holmes, Leonard, Hagler, Holyfield and De La Hoya, among many other names of hefty status, had the finest moments of their careers upon a temporarily constructed venue within the confinement of a car park at the rear of Caesars Palace.

With that said, the Garden never went truly out the window during the 80’s and 90’s. Middleweight king Marvin Hagler had one of the best and most convincing wins of his career inside the arena the night he rematched Mustafa Hamsho (Oct 19, 1984). He dominated contender Hamsho – stopping him inside the third of a scheduled 15 rounds. Hagler, the undisputed champion at 160 pounds, didn’t leave those tornadic fists behind at the Garden that particular night, though, as six months later (Apr 15, 1985) he would carry them into the ring again when he evaporated Thomas Hearns – within the same amounted rounds he crushed Hamsho – at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

Of more recent times, Bernard Hopkins had arguably the greatest moment of his long and illustrious career at the Garden, toppling the undefeated Felix Trinidad (Sep 29, 2001) in the 12th and last round. Hopkins, regularly cited among knowledgeable observers as the greatest middleweight since Hagler, moved through the gears as the fight progressed with a mixture of subtle punch-picking from the outside and tremendous infighting. Trinidad, a Puerto Rican, used to going through his opponents like a snow plow, was reduced to a heap on the canvas as Hopkins sunk to his knees to celebrate during that fateful final round.

Sergio Martinez (55-2-2, 28 KO’s), the WBC middleweight champion from Argentina, with his dazzling matinee idol looks, and Miguel Cotto (38-4, 31 KO’s) of Puerto Rico, with an earned reputation as a take-on-all-comers sort, will both be seeking to solidify themselves into the highest spot possible with a win against each other when it comes to the “pound for pound” reckoning, behind Floyd Mayweather and Andre Ward.

Weigh-in: Cotto 155 lbs; Martintez 158. 8 lbs.

Here are some predictions from fight game experts:

Jeff Mayweather, Proboxinginsider.com and Boxing/MMA trainer: I think it should be a very interesting fight. No one really knows what Martinez will show up. Cotto is a very tough customer but I think will be out gunned in this one.

Robbi Paterson, TSS : I think Martinez will win. But how he wins is another matter altogether. If he struggles with movement due to his recently operated knee, he’ll probably sneak out of the Garden with a close decision. It’s extremely crucial Cotto adjusts his height as he’s advancing, and he must do so behind his jab, too. He can’t solely rely on dropping into mid-range or inside without throwing his jab first. He can shrink the gap by stepping in with long strides behind the jab, then bring in his hooks and body punches thereafter. However, I think Martinez has enough tools to beat his smaller foe. It will be entertaining for as long as it lasts.

Matt Hamilton, ESNewsreporting.com: I feel that Sergio Martinez has more left in the tank. Having said that there are questions for Maravilla to answer. He’s been inactive and has lost – in impartial eyes – the majority for his last 13 rounds in a professional ring. A catchweight of 159 lbs, whilst an affront to purists still favors the Argentine, as Cotto has never scaled more than 154lbs. Additionally, Cotto is 6-4 in his last ten – 27-0 at 140lbs or below but 4-2 at 154lbs – so I’m very bullish on his prospects at, effectively, middleweight. Personally and frankly both guys are well past their best – Cotto is simply further down that downward spiral for me.

James Smith, Inthiscornertv.com: Unless Sergio has completely come undone due to age and all the injuries, he is simply too big, fast, powerful and athletic for Cotto and stops him late.

Rudy Hernandez, Los Angeles based trainer: I think it’s a very interesting fight. Most believe that Martinez will be too big and strong for Cotto. I didn’t think that Martinez was that big. I like Cotto to win this fight by decision – and be the first Puerto Rican fighter to win titles in four different divisions. I think Martinez is a broken and won’t be the fighter he was when he fought Chavez.

James Ali Bashir, trainer: I think it’s a terrible match up for Cotto. If Martinez’s injuries and inactivity haven’t set him back too far he’ll beat Miguel up – probably by decision or late stoppage. I just don’t see Miguel adjusting to Sergio’s awkwarndess – and he’ll be eating some vicious shots. No doubt, Martinez.

Sean Crose, Boxinginsider.com: We’re hearing a lot of talk about knockouts leading up to this fight. Thing is, I don’t think we’re going to see one. That doesn’t mean this fight won’t be a war, though. I expect Cotto to really surprise Martinez early and take it to him – sort of the way Maidana took it Floyd early on. In the end, however, I see Martinez’ athleticism and will power carrying the night. Martinez by split decision in a seasaw battle.

Ben Doughty, TipTV.co.uk: I’m going with Martinez on points. Neither are the fighter they once were. But I think Maravilla still has enough smarts to repel the challenge of a smaller Cotto, who was also bested by another slick southpaw in Austin Trout.

Bernard Fernandez, TSS, award-winning journalist: It remains to be seen whether Sergio Martinez, who was very nearly a medical invalid for at least a half-year after last year’s gimpy points victory over Martin Murray, has fully restored his body at age 38. But maybe 90 percent is good enough for “Maravilla” against a very capable challenger in Miguel Cotto, who will be making his first appearance at middleweight. I think Martinez feels he has something to prove to all the doubters and wins by late stoppage.

Rick Folstad, TSS, ex pro fighter: Martinez by decision. Martinez is naturally bigger than Cotto and I think he wanted this fight more than Cotto did.

Blake Hochberger, TSS, social media guru: I got Martinez by TKO10. I think it’s a close fight as Cotto is able to hurt Sergio in spurts, but Sergio’s movement/angles and use of distance will keep Cotto at the end of his punches and ultimately wear down the smaller man. Stoppage either by Freddie or doctor due to cuts.

Frank Lotierzo, TSS, best damn analyst in the universe: If Cotto were a legitimate middleweight, I think he has the style to bother Martinez – but he’s not. If Austin Trout can hold off and out-box Cotto, I have to believe that Martinez can do it. Sergio’s legs will have to hold up in order for him to move and pot-shot Cotto. I’m betting that his body has at least one more good fight left. Martinez’s legacy is riding on winning this fight. This is the signature bout of his career and I can’t pick against him fighting the smaller and slower Cotto. I like Martinez by decision or late round stoppage.

Aaron Lowinger, TSS, new guy on TSS block, rising star: This has all the looks of a perfect fight. If Cotto makes it into the eighth round with all of his faculties he could easily wear down the bigger man and test Sergio’s legs. But Cotto himself needs to be near perfect. I see Martinez stopping Cotto before the eighth. Just too much power and too many weapons.

Raymond Markarian, TSS,Round By Round wiz, doing Round by Round TONIGHT: I wish I could tell you who will win this fight after the first round. That’s when we will know if Miguel Cotto can get closer enough to get inside of Sergio Martinez, and work the body. But since we can’t fast forward, my money is on Martinez to win a decision.

Kelsey McCarson, TSS, tough Texan: Sergio Martinez is all kinds of wrong for Miguel Cotto. He’s bigger, faster and more powerful. He’s a southpaw. He’s a better athlete. He’s just an all around better fighter. The only way Cotto has a chance against Martinez is if the 39-year-old is too old and/or too injured to be effective. I’m guessing that won’t be the case, and Martinez will dominate Cotto and stop him before Round 9.

John Nguyen, TSS, analyst extraordinaire: I’m not sure I completely buy into this Cotto rebirth. It’s hard for me to get excited about Cotto’s splattering of Delvin Rodriguez since, really, Cotto did what he was supposed to: wipe out a seriously overmatched opponent. Who knows? Maybe it was just what the doctor ordered to boost Cotto’s confidence. I , however, think that many are reading a little too much into Cotto’s last fight, as Martinez is a completely different animal, even if he’s seen better days. I really don’t think Cotto will be able to dent Martinez’ chin, which has proven sturdy against the likes of Williams, Pavlik, and Chavez, all much bigger and stronger than Cotto. When Martinez has been dropped, it’s been due to bad balance, not bad whiskers. A healthy/semi-healthy Sergio is too big, strong, and fast for Cotto. Barring the very possible event of Martinez’ body unraveling, this looks like a methodical beatdown with Cotto on the wrong end of it. Martinez by mid to late round stoppage, possibly at the behest of Freddie Roach.

Aaron Tallent, TSS, wordsmith: Cotto definitely has more power than Martinez and if he is able to get inside, it could possibly be a short night. However, Martinez has shown of late that he is a master at using his size and reach to dictate the fight. Cotto will experience more of the same. Martinez by decision.

Chris Wheat, TSS, gritty vet: In a way this is a tossup, perhaps. If Sergio’s knee is 100% his speed, movement, and size should be enough to give him the win. If his knee is not strong and his movement suffers, Cotto’s body attack should give Cotto an edge and a way to win.

Michael Woods, TSS, bald, because he didn’t eat enough fruits and veggies growing up: Cotto just can’t bang up here, in the 160 hood, enough to hurt Sergio…unless Sergio blows out a knee in round three, or breaks a hand in round five. Then it could get dicy. I do truly believe that the presence of Freddie Roach is meaningful, that the semi-old dog Cotto can learn some new tricks, can be smarter in how he moves about the ring…so I see this as a closer fight than many folks do.

Lee Wylie, TSS, master of video analysis: For technical input, please refer to this short video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04eM_UwnLWI&feature=youtu.be

Ultimately, though, provided Martinez is fit and healthy, he takes Cotto out inside the distance.

Robbi Paterson is a feature writer/analyst who has contributed to various boxing websites, including TheSweetScience.com.

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Robbi Paterson

TSS Salutes Thomas Hauser and his Bernie Award Cohorts

Published

2 days ago

April 16, 2025

TSS Press

TSS-Salutes-Thomas-Hauser-and-his-Bernie-Award-Cohorts

The Boxing Writers Association of America has announced the winners of its annual Bernie Awards competition. The awards, named in honor of former five-time BWAA president and frequent TSS contributor Bernard Fernandez, recognize outstanding writing in six categories as represented by stories published the previous year.

Over the years, this venerable website has produced a host of Bernie Award winners. In 2024, Thomas Hauser kept the tradition alive. A story by Hauser that appeared in these pages finished first in the category “Boxing News Story.” Titled “Ryan Garcia and the New York State Athletic Commission,” the story was published on June 23. You can read it HERE.

Hauser also finished first in the category of “Investigative Reporting” for “The Death of Ardi Ndembo,” a story that ran in the (London) Guardian. (Note: Hauser has owned this category. This is his 11^th first place finish for “Investigative Reporting”.)

Thomas Hauser, who entered the International Boxing Hall of Fame with the class of 2019, was honored at last year’s BWAA awards dinner with the A.J. Leibling Award for Outstanding Boxing Writing. The list of previous winners includes such noted authors as W.C. Heinz, Budd Schulberg, Pete Hamill, and George Plimpton, to name just a few.

The Leibling Award is now issued intermittently. The most recent honorees prior to Hauser were Joyce Carol Oates (2015) and Randy Roberts (2019).

Roberts, a Distinguished Professor of History at Purdue University, was tabbed to write the Hauser/Leibling Award story for the glossy magazine for BWAA members published in conjunction with the organization’s annual banquet. Regarding Hauser’s most well-known book, his Muhammad Ali biography, Roberts wrote, “It is nearly impossible to overestimate the importance of the book to our understanding of Ali and his times.” An earlier book by Hauser, “The Black Lights: Inside the World of Professional Boxing,” garnered this accolade: “Anyone who wants to understand boxing today should begin by reading ‘The Black Lights’.”

A panel of six judges determined the Bernie Award winners for stories published in 2024. The stories they evaluated were stripped of their bylines and other identifying marks including the publication or website for which the story was written.

Other winners:

Boxing Event Coverage: Tris Dixon

Boxing Column: Kieran Mulvaney

Boxing Feature (Over 1,500 Words): Lance Pugmire

Boxing Feature (Under 1,500 Words): Chris Mannix

The Dixon, Mulvaney, and Pugmire stories appeared in Boxing Scene; the Mannix story in Sports Illustrated.

The Bernie Award recipients will be honored at the forthcoming BWAA dinner on April 30 at the Edison Ballroom in the heart of Times Square. (For more information, visit the BWAA website). Two days after the dinner, an historic boxing tripleheader will be held in Times Square, the logistics of which should be quite interesting. Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, and Teofimo Lopez share top billing.

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Mekhrubon Sanginov, whose Heroism Nearly Proved Fatal, Returns on Saturday

Published

3 days ago

April 15, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Mekhrubon-Sanginov-whose-Heroism-Nearly-Proved-Fatal-Returns-on-Saturday

To say that Mekhrubon Sanginov is excited to resume his boxing career would be a great understatement. Sanginov, ranked #9 by the WBA at 154 pounds before his hiatus, last fought on July 8, 2022.

He was in great form before his extended leave, having scored four straight fast knockouts, advancing his record to 13-0-1. Had he remained in Las Vegas, where he had settled after his fifth pro fight, his career may have continued on an upward trajectory, but a trip to his hometown of Dushanbe, Tajikistan, turned everything haywire. A run-in with a knife-wielding bully nearly cost him his life, stalling his career for nearly three full years.

Sanginov was exiting a restaurant in Dushanbe when he saw a man, plainly intoxicated, harassing another man, an innocent bystander. Mekhrubon intervened and was stabbed several times with a long knife. One of the puncture wounds came perilously close to puncturing his heart.

“After he stabbed me, I ran after him and hit him and caught him to hold for the police,” recollects Sanginov. “There was a lot of confusion when the police arrived. At first, the police were not certain what had happened.

“By the time I got to the hospital, I had lost two liters of blood, or so I was told. After I was patched up, one of the surgeons said to me, ‘Give thanks to God because he gave you a second life.’ It is like I was born a second time.”

“I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It could have happened in any city,” he adds. (A story about the incident on another boxing site elicited this comment from a reader: “Good man right there. World would be a better place if more folk were willing to step up when it counts.”)

Sanginov first laced on a pair of gloves at age 10 and was purportedly 105-14 as an amateur. Growing up, the boxer he most admired was Roberto Duran. “Muhammad Ali will always be the greatest and [Marvin] Hagler was great too, but Duran was always my favorite,” he says.

During his absence from the ring, Sanginov married a girl from Tajikistan and became a father. His son Makhmud was born in Las Vegas and has dual citizenship. “Ideally,” he says, “I would like to have three more children. Two more boys and the last one a daughter.”

He also put on a great deal of weight. When he returned to the gym, his trainer Bones Adams was looking at a cruiserweight. But gradually the weight came off – “I had to give up one of my hobbies; I love to eat,” he says – and he will be resuming his career at 154. “Although I am the same weight as before, I feel stronger now. Before I was more of a boy, now I am a full-grown man,” says Sanginov who turned 29 in February.

He has a lot of rust to shed. Because of all those early knockouts, he has answered the bell for only eight rounds in the last four years. Concordantly, his comeback fight on Saturday could be described as a soft re-awakening. Sanginov’s opponent Mahonri Montes, an 18-year pro from Mexico, has a decent record (36-10-2, 25 KOs) but has been relatively inactive and is only 1-3-1 in his last five. Their match at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California, is slated for eight rounds.

On May 10, Ardreal Holmes (17-0) faces Erickson Lubin (26-2) on a ProBox card in Kissimmee, Florida. It’s an IBF super welterweight title eliminator, meaning that the winner (in theory) will proceed directly to a world title fight.

Sanginov will be watching closely. He and Holmes were scheduled to meet in March of 2022 in the main event of a ShoBox card on Showtime. That match fell out when Sanginov suffered an ankle injury in sparring.

If not for a twist of fate, that may have been Mekhrubon Sanginov in that IBF eliminator, rather than Ardreal Holmes. We will never know, but one thing we do know is that Mekhrubon’s world title aspirations were too strong to be ruined by a knife-wielding bully.

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis Wins Welterweight Showdown in Atlantic City

Published

5 days ago

April 12, 2025

David A. Avila

Jaron-'Boots'-Ennis-Wins-Welterweight-Showdown-in-Atlantic-City

In the showdown between undefeated welterweight champions Jaron “Boots Ennis walked away with the victory by technical knockout over Eamantis Stanionis and the WBA and IBF titles on Saturday.

No doubt. Ennis was the superior fighter.

“He’s a great fighter. He’s a good guy,” said Ennis.

Philadelphia’s Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs) faced Lithuania’s Stanionis (15-1, 10 KOs) at demonstrated an overpowering southpaw and orthodox attack in front of a sold-out crowd at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

It might have been confusing but whether he was in a southpaw stance or not Ennis busted the body with power shots and jabbed away in a withering pace in the first two rounds.

Stanionis looked surprised when his counter shots seemed impotent.

In the third round the Lithuanian fighter who trains at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, began using a rocket jab to gain some semblance of control. Then he launched lead rights to the jaw of Ennis. Though Stanionis connected solidly, the Philly fighter was still standing and seemingly unfazed by the blows.

That was a bad sign for Stanionis.

Ennis returned to his lightning jabs and blows to the body and Stanionis continued his marauding style like a Sherman Tank looking to eventually run over his foe. He just couldn’t muster enough firepower.

In the fifth round Stanionis opened up with a powerful body attack and seemed to have Ennis in retreat. But the Philadelphia fighter opened up with a speedy combination that ended with blood dripping from the nose of Stanionis.

It was not looking optimistic for the Lithuanian fighter who had never lost.

Stanionis opened up the sixth round with a three-punch combination and Ennis met him with a combination of his own. Stanionis was suddenly in retreat and Ennis chased him like a leopard pouncing on prey. A lightning five-punch combination that included four consecutive uppercuts delivered Stanionis to the floor for the count. He got up and survived the rest of the round.

After returning shakily to his corner, the trainer whispered to him and then told the referee that they had surrendered.

Ennis jumped in happiness and now holds the WBA and IBF welterweight titles.

“I felt like I was getting in my groove. I had a dream I got a stoppage just like this,” said Ennis.

Stanionis looked like he could continue, but perhaps it was a wise move by his trainer. The Lithuanian fighter’s wife is expecting their first child at any moment.

Meanwhile, Ennis finally proved the expectations of greatness by experts. It was a thorough display of superiority over a very good champion.

“The biggest part was being myself and having a live body in front of me,” said Ennis. “I’m just getting started.”

Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn was jubilant over the performance of the Philadelphia fighter.

“What a wonderful humble man. This is one of the finest fighters today. By far the best fighter in the division,” said Hearn. “You are witnessing true greatness.”

Other Bouts

Former featherweight world champion Raymond Ford (17-1-1, 8 KOs) showed that moving up in weight would not be a problem even against the rugged and taller Thomas Mattice (22-5-1, 17 KOs) in winning by a convincing unanimous decision.

The quicksilver southpaw Ford ravaged Mattice in the first round then basically cruised the remaining nine rounds like a jackhammer set on automatic. Four-punch combinations pummeled Mattice but never put him down.

“He was a smart veteran. He could take a hit,” said Ford.

Still, there was no doubt on who won the super featherweight contest. After 10 rounds all three judges gave Ford every round and scored it 100-90 for the New Jersey fighter who formerly held the WBA featherweight title which was wrested from him by Nick Ball.

Shakhram Giyasov (17-0, 10 KOs) made good on a promise to his departed daughter by knocking out Argentina’s Franco Ocampo (17-3, 8 KOs) in their welterweight battle.

Giyasov floored Ocampo in the first round with an overhand right but the Argentine fighter was able to recover and fight on for several more rounds.

In the fourth frame, Giyasov launched a lead right to the liver and collapsed Ocampo with the body shot for the count of 10 at 1:57 of the fourth round.

“I had a very hard camp because I lost my daughter,” Giyasov explained. “I promised I would be world champion.”

In his second pro fight Omari Jones (2-0) needed only seconds to disable William Jackson (13-6-2) with a counter right to the body for a knockout win. The former Olympic medalist was looking for rounds but reacted to his opponent’s actions.

“He was a veteran he came out strong,” said Jones who won a bronze medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics. “But I just stayed tight and I looked for the shot and I landed it.”

After a feint, Jackson attacked and was countered by a right to the rib cage and down he went for the count at 1:40 of the first round in the welterweight contest.

Photo credit: Matchroom

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!