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THE LOTIERZO LOWDOWN Why Cotto Should Fight Mayweather Next

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I know it’s not a fight that fans are on the edge of their seats waiting to see again, but the two best fighter/boxing managers (excluding Bernard Hopkins) in the sport, Floyd Mayweather 47-0 (26) and Miguel Cotto 39-4 (32), may just end up facing each other again in their next bout.

Floyd and Miguel are only interested in partaking in big winnable PPV fights at this point of their careers. Floyd, he wants to control everything regarding the negotiations pertaining to a fight with Manny Pacquiao 57-5-2 (38)…..and one gets the same feeling towards Miguel regarding his on again off again showdown with Mexican Saul Alvarez 44-1-1 (31). No doubt this is why the negotiations for both fights have stalled.

At this time neither Mayweather nor Cotto have their next fight set, and it’s been made clear that they both want to fight sometime this coming May or June. Everyone wants to see Mayweather-Pacquiao in May but that’s still not finalized. There’s talk of Cotto possibly meeting Timothy Bradley 31-1-1 (12) in June, which makes absolutely no sense on Cotto’s part, none what so ever. If Cotto were to fight Bradley, even if he wins, he will have wasted the capital he gained beating Sergio Martinez 51-3-2 (28) last year.

It’s coming up on three years since Mayweather and Cotto fought for Miguel’s WBA super welterweight title. Floyd won the title via a 12-round unanimous decision in what turned out to be a competitive bout. That said, there’s no reason to believe, based on their previous fight or their style clash, that a rematch would produce a different result. Yes, I know Freddie Roach now trains Cotto, but that won’t make a bit of difference. If Cotto fights Mayweather again and uses the same boxing style he did in his last fight against Sergio Martinez, he’ll lose by an even wider margin this time.

On June 9th of last summer after Cotto defeated Martinez to win the lineal middleweight title, I wrote a column titled “Cotto’s Perfect Exit Strategy: Offer Mayweather Shot At Middleweight Title.” In it, I stated the following:

“If Cotto is smart, and all indications based on how he’s managed his career say that he is, he should be campaigning and challenging Mayweather to meet him for the middleweight title. As long as Floyd doesn’t try to get over too much regarding the terms and conditions for the fight, and it’s not like Cotto doesn’t have any leverage, because he does. All that it’ll take is for Miguel to issue the challenge and for Floyd to accept it. Promotional contracts can be put aside for business. It happens every day.

“Mayweather-Cotto for the lineal middleweight championship would be huge. Mayweather can go for his sixth title in a different weight division against a fighter he already defeated and no doubt is certain that he can do it again, thus further enhancing his legacy. And Cotto can accumulate a fortune while having a great chance to add to his legacy against a fighter who he put up a great fight against, and must feel things would turn out differently in his favor if they were to fight again.”

Think about it. Cotto, if he really wanted to prove he’s the middleweight champ, he’d fight Gennady Golovkin 31-0 (28), but everyone, including Miguel, knows that he’d get destroyed. And there’s not enough money in the fight for him to take that chance and retire from boxing like that. As for Mayweather, if he really wanted to prove he’s all that and really harbors no reservation about touching gloves with Pacquiao, he’d fight Golovkin in a non-catchweight bout for the title and shut everybody up. But the odds of that happening are about as good as Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll giving Marshawn Lynch the ball on second and goal from the one yard line with the Super Bowl championship on the line.

If Mayweather and Cotto were to fight again, they both have a ton to gain, aside from money, without much risk. For Mayweather, he can gain the lineal middleweight title, giving him six titles in six different weight divisions, something legends Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns can’t even say. He already knows that he has the style and strength to match-up favorably with Cotto. He’d make another $40 million-plus easily, and if he were to lose, he certainly wouldn’t take a beating or be unrecognizable after the fight. As for Cotto, being the first fighter to officially defeat Mayweather would pave the road the rest of his life in anything he did. And if he were to lose again, it’s not like he’d be embarrassed or physically hurt or beat up, and nobody would admonish him for losing to Mayweather twice.

Miguel Cotto’s career is winding down. He’s the only Puerto Rican fighter ever to win a world title in four different weight divisions. Right now he’s fighting mostly for his family’s financial future. The three biggest money fights for Cotto are Mayweather, Alvarez and Golovkin, in that order. He would be a prohibitive underdog in all three. However, in two of them he would most likely get beaten up. Alvarez would work him over good before the fight was stopped and for even less money, Golovkin would beat him up worse. And if by chance he scored an upset over either of them, it wouldn’t be as monumental historically as beating Mayweather would be. If Cotto beat Alvarez, the next day most would say that Mayweather exposed him and he wasn’t really all that. If he beat Golovkin, it would be huge and further cement his legacy. But there would a faction who would say Golovkin really never fought a special or elite fighter before and maybe like other past KO artist, he was a little overrated – and they might even be right, it’s too early to say for sure.

This leads back to Miguel fighting Mayweather again. Among the three most lucrative fights for Cotto, Mayweather would be the most lucrative, and it’s also the one in which he’d probably have the best chance to win. Alvarez, and especially Golovkin would probably stop him, unlike Mayweather, who in the worst-case scenario wins every round but never drops or stops him. For Cotto, fighting Mayweather in his next fight makes the most sense. Floyd is smaller, older and nowhere near the puncher that Alvarez and Golovkin are. Sure, he has a master’s degree in experience, but then so does Cotto.

A rematch with Mayweather would be for the most money and the risk-reward factor couldn’t be more in Cotto’s favor, as opposed to his other plausible options.

Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com

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Ringside at the Cosmo: Pacheco Outpoints Nelson plus Undercard Results

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LAS VEGAS, NV – Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Promotions was at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas tonight for the second half of a DAZN doubleheader that began in Nottingham, England. In the main event, Diego Pacheco, ranked #1 by the WBO at super middleweight, continued his ascent toward a world title with a unanimous decision over Steven Nelson.

Pacheco glides round the ring smoothly whereas Nelson wastes a lot energy with something of a herky-jerky style. However, although Nelson figured to slow down as the fight progressed, he did some of his best work in rounds 11 and 12. Fighting with a cut over his left eye from round four, a cut that periodically reopened, the gritty Nelson fulfilled his promise that he would a fight as if he had everything to lose if he failed to win, but it just wasn’t enough, even after his Omaha homie Terence “Bud” Crawford entered his corner before the last round to give him a pep talk (back home in North Omaha, Nelson runs the B&B (Bud and Bomac) Sports Academy.

All three judges had it 117-111 for Pacheco who mostly fought off his back foot but landed the cleaner punches throughout. A stablemate of David Benavidez and trained by David’s father Jose Benevidez Sr, Pacheco improved to 23-0 (18). It was the first pro loss for the 36-year-old Nelson (20-1).

Semi wind-up

Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz, who as a pro has never fought a match slated for fewer than 10 rounds, had too much class for Hermosillo, Mexico’s rugged Omar Salcido who returned to his corner with a puffy face after the fourth stanza, but won the next round and never stopped trying. The outcome was inevitable even before the final round when Salcido barely made it to the final gun, but the Mexican was far more competitive than many expected.

The Cuban, who was 4-0 vs. Keyshawn Davis in closely-contested bouts as an amateur, advanced his pro record to 5-0 (2), winning by scores by 99-91 and 98-92 twice. Salido, coming off his career-best win, a 9th-round stoppage of former WBA super featherweight title-holder Chris Colbert, falls to 20-2.

Other TV bouts

Ernesto “Tito” Mercado, a 23-year-old super lightweight, aims to become the next world champion from Pomona, California, following in the footsteps of the late Richie Sandoval and Sugar Shane Mosely, and based on his showing tonight against former Beijing Olympian and former two-division title-holder Jose Pedraza, he is well on his way.

After three rounds after what had been a technical fight, Mercado (17-0, 16 KOs) knocked Pedraza off his pins with an overhand right followed by short left hand. Pedraza bounced back and fell on his backside. When he rose on unsteady legs, the bout was waived off. The official time was 2:08 of round four and the fading, 25-year-old Pedraza (29-7-1) was saddled with his third loss in his last four outings.

The 8-round super lightweight clash between Israel Mercado (no relation to “Tito”) and Leonardo Rubalcava was fan-friendly skirmish with many robust exchanges. When the smoke cleared, the verdict was a majority draw. Mercado got the nod on one card (76-74), but was overruled by a pair of 75-75 scores.

Mercado came out strong in the opening round, but suffered a flash knockdown before the round ended. The referee ruled it a slip but was overruled by replay operator Jay Nady and what would have been a 10-9 round for Mercado became a 10-8 round for Rubalcava. Mercado lost another point in round seven when he was penalized for low blows.

The scores were 76-74 for Mercado (11-1-2) and 75-75 twice. The verdict was mildly unpopular with most thinking that Mercado deserved the nod. Reportedly a four-time Mexican amateur champion, Rubalcava (9-0-1) is trained by Robert Garcia.

Also

New Matchroom signee Nishant Dev, a 24-year-old southpaw from India, had an auspicious pro debut (pardon the cliché). Before a beaming Eddie Hearn, Dev stopped Oakland’s Alton Wiggins (1-1-1) in the opening round. The referee waived it off after the second knockdown.

Boxers from India have made large gains at the amateur level in recent years and Matchroom honcho Eddie Hearn anticipates that Dev, a Paris Olympian, will be the first fighter from India to make his mark as a pro.

Undefeated Brooklyn lightweight Harley Mederos, managed by the influential Keith Connolly, scored his seventh knockout in eight tries with a brutal third-round KO of Mexico’s Arturo de Isla.

A left-right combination knocked de Isla (5-3-1) flat on his back. Referee Raul Caiz did not bother to count and several minutes elapsed before the stricken fighter was fit to leave the ring. The official time was 1:27 of round three.

In the opener, Newark junior lightweight Zaquin Moses, a cousin of Shakur Stevenson, improved to 2-0 when his opponent retired on his stool after the opening round.

Photo credit: Melina Pizano / Matchroom

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Najee Lopez Steps up in Class and Wins Impressively at Plant City

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Garry Jonas’ ProBox series returned to its regular home in Plant City, Florida, tonight with a card topped by a 10-round light heavyweight match between fast-rising Najee Lopez and former world title challenger Lenin Castillo. This was considered a step-up fight for the 25-year-old Lopez, an Atlanta-born-fighter of Puerto Rican heritage. Although the 36-year-old Castillo had lost two of his last three heading in, he had gone the distance with Dimitry Bivol and Marcus Browne and been stopped only once (by Callum Smith).

Lopez landed the cleaner punches throughout. Although Castillo seemed unfazed during the first half of the fight, he returned to his corner at the end of round five exhibiting signs of a fractured jaw.

In the next round, Lopez cornered him against the ropes and knocked him through the ropes with a left-right combination. Referee Emil Lombardo could have stopped the fight right there, but he allowed the courageous Castillo to carry on for a bit longer, finally stopping the fight as Castillo’s corner and a Florida commissioner were signaling that it was over.

The official time was 2:36 of round six. Bigger fights await the talented Lopez who improved to 13-0 with his tenth win inside the distance. Castillo declined to 25-7-1.

Co-Feature

In a stinker of a heavyweight fight, Stanley Wright, a paunchy, 34-year-old North Carolina journeyman, scored a big upset with a 10-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Jeremiah Milton.

Wright carried 280 pounds, 100 pounds more than in his pro debut 11 years ago. Although he was undefeated (13-0, 11 KOs), he had never defeated an opponent with a winning record and his last four opponents were a miserable 19-48-2. Moreover, he took the fight on short notice.

What Wright had going for him was fast hands and, in the opening round, he put Milton on the canvas with a straight right hand. From that point, Milton fought tentatively and Wright, looking fatigued as early as the fourth round, fought only in spurts. It seemed doubtful that he could last the distance, but Milton, the subject of a 2021 profile in these pages, was wary of Wright’s power and unable to capitalize. “It’s almost as if Milton is afraid to win,” said ringside commentator Chris Algieri during the ninth stanza when the bout had devolved into a hugfest.

The judges had it 96-93 and 97-92 twice for the victorious Wright who boosted his record to 14-0 without improving his stature.

Also

In the TV opener, a 10-round contest in the junior middleweight division, Najee Lopez stablemate Darrelle Valsaint (12-0, 10 KOs) scored his career-best win with a second-round knockout of 35-year-old Dutch globetrotter Stephen Danyo (23-7-3).

A native Floridian of Haitian descent, the 22-year-old Valsaint was making his eighth start in Plant City. He rocked Danyo with a chopping right hand high on the temple and then, as Danyo slumped forward, applied the exclamation point, a short left uppercut. The official time was 2:17 of round two.

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Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue is Headed to Vegas after KOing Ye Joon Kim

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Japan’s magnificent Naoya Inoue, appearing in his twenty-fourth title fight, scored his 11th straight stoppage tonight while successfully defending his unified super bantamweight title, advancing his record to 29-0 (26 KOs) at the expense of Ye Joon Kim. The match at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena came to an end at the 2:25 mark of round four when U.S. referee Mark Nelson tolled “10” over the brave but overmatched Korean.

Kim, raised in a Seoul orphanage, had a few good moments, but the “Monster” found his rhythm in the third round, leaving Kim with a purplish welt under his left eye. In the next frame, he brought the match to a conclusion, staggering the Korean with a left and then finishing matters with an overhand right that put Kim on the seat of his pants, dazed and wincing in pain.

Kim, who brought a 21-2-2 record, took the fight on 10 days’ notice, replacing Australia’s Sam Goodman who suffered an eye injury in sparring that never healed properly, forcing him to withdraw twice.

Co-promoter Bob Arum, who was in the building, announced that Inoue’s next fight would happen in Las Vegas in the Spring. Speculation centers on Mexico City’s Alan Picasso (31-0-1, 17 KOs) who is ranked #1 by the WBC. However, there’s also speculation that the 31-year-old Inoue may move up to featherweight and seek to win a title in a fifth weight class, in which case a potential opponent is Brandon Figueroa should he defeat former Inoue foe Stephen Fulton next weekend. In “olden days,” this notion would have been dismissed as the Japanese superstar and Figueroa have different promoters, but the arrival of Turki Alalshikh, the sport’s Daddy Warbucks, has changed the dynamic. Tonight, Naoya Inoue made his first start as a brand ambassador for Riyadh Season.

Simmering on the backburner is a megafight with countryman Junto Nakatani, an easy fight to make as Arum has ties to both. However, the powers-that-be would prefer more “marination.”

Inoue has appeared twice in Las Vegas, scoring a seventh-round stoppage of Jason Moloney in October of 2020 at the MGM Bubble and a third-round stoppage of Michael Dasmarinas at the Virgin Hotels in June of 2021.

Semi-wind-up

In a 12-round bout for a regional welterweight title, Jin Sasaki improved to 19-1-1 (17) with a unanimous decision over Shoki Sakai (29-15-3). The scores were 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112.

Also

In a bout in which both contestants were on the canvas, Toshiki Shimomachi (20-1-3) edged out Misaki Hirano (11-2), winning a majority decision. A 28-year-old Osaka southpaw with a fan-friendly style, the lanky Shimomachi, unbeaten in his last 22 starts, competes as a super bantamweight. A match with Inoue may be in his future.

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