Gottta go with Kostya by KO 5 After just recently rewatching Cotto tagged by Torres kinda makes it easy to go with Kostya by KO
Cotto had the talent & tools, but not the chin, to win this fight at 140. He was just too fragile around the whiskers. Tszyu would knock him out.
I agree with the consensus. Tszyu expands on what Ricardo Torres almost did. I cant believe I'm praising Tszyu so much lately. Theres actually a number of 135-140 guys in history who I'd pick to beat him... but Khan & Cotto aint among them.
Cotto would outbox and bludgeon Tszyu, and it wouldn't even be a particularly hard fight. Cotto's chin isn't even that bad. He gets knocked down and gets back up, he doesn't get sparked cold. Cotto would have an easier time with Tszyu than Cool Vince did, put it that way.
Your Tszyu hate runs DEEEP. I hate to break it to ya, cause I was a big fan of the man in your avatar... but Tszyu would have killed Chico(no pun intended).
I don't get how Cotto's chin comes into question for this fight, yet Tszyu's heart AND chin doesn't. I don't know - in a war of attrition (which is what this would become), gimme Cotto by knockout, no matter how many times he has to climb off of the canvas to do so.
Cotto isn't a guy I'd think has huge heart either... He basically ran away from Mosely for the last 4 rounds, said no mas against Margarito, and then fought Clottey for 9 rounds on his back foot. He also wilted against Pacquiao and got stopped by him, something Margarito did not despite taking much more damage. Because unlike Marg, Cotto stopped trying to win at about round 8, then ran from Pac essentially begging for a stoppage. He's not a coward or anything, but his chin nor heart are anything even above average.
He basically outbox Mosley in the later round, outbox Margarito until the plaster of paris in the wraps started doing their work, and outbox/out slugged Clottey all while fighting with one eye. Begging for a stoppage vs. Pacquiao...?? Cotto corner asked him a few times if he wanted them to stop it...
Why would he want to look like a quitter? Actions speak louder than words, and LITERALLY running in the ring not throwing a single punch for minutes at a time is begging to be stopped. He didn't slug with Clottey at all, are you drunk? He fought the entire fight on his backfoot. Mosely won all the late rounds, Cotto faded badly and ran away for the last part of the fight, but he build up an early lead and knew it anyway. Plaster? Maybe, but the fact that Cotto always fades late in fights didn't help when he quit after taking that beating that Margarito put on him.
Highlights from the Clottey fight....he didn't slug w/ Clottey? :: Maybe he didn't mindlessly slug like Margarito would but he pick his spots. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OXv3QUGEAI&nofeather=True vs. Pacquiao if he wanted out of there sooo badly he would have stop and allow Pacquiao to light him up....but he didn't do that. He moved and try to counter punch....that was his fight plan counter punch and try to outbox Pacquiao...but he sound found out he couldn't do that..so he just moved and looked for one hard counter punch that could have change the fight/hurt Pac...COMING at PAC mindlessly like Margarito did NEVER works. Mosley did not win ALL the late rounds...he won 12 for sure...but round 11 was COTTO's round....
That's why they call them HIGHLIGHTS. Surely he picked his spots and had his moments, but the majority of the fight Cotto was moving backward, ESPECIALLY late. I thought Cotto lost the fight myself but didn't complain about the decision. Also are you absolutely kidding me? Cotto RAN like a scalded dog and did not even look to throw a single meaningful punch. He WASN'T even stopped on PUNCHES per se, he was given a random mercy stopping because he refused to fight. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWM8D9m6Rmw The fight speaks for itself.
Taking this post at face value, the only fight I agree with you on is the Margarito fight. Now, taking into consideration that this thread references 140 lb version of Cotto and that every fight you mentioned was welterweight... your comments are now irrelevant :: Cotto survived his share of gut checks at 140. Tszyu did it once - against Hurtado, who lacked the chin and arguably heart himself to close the show. If what Cotto did in the fights you mentioned classifies as quitting, then Tszyu quit in both of his losses.
Tszyu never really quit, and Cotto never really did either. Both guys had simply had enough in what, despite differing circumstances {Tszyu's age, especially relative to Hattons, and Margarito's loaded gloves} had become no-win situations for both men. I like Tszyu better in this match though just slightly, I think he has the edge in handspeed and the edge in economy of punches. He also had a harder time with Judah, his face was messed up, he low-blowed to get Judah off him and it took him to the 11th round to finally overwhelm Zab and even at that it was a case of basically bludgeoning Zab down. Whilst that fight was at Welterweight I dont believe either man tipped the scales at the full 147.
:: Alright but still, heart is heart. And I'm not really comparing the two. I'm just saying I don't think either fighter has enough heart and/or chin to make the difference in this fight. I think this fight solely lies on skills. And Tszyu wins.
That was exactly my point. Ortiz against Maidana - THAT is a quit job. I always forgave Tszyu for going out the way he did against Hatton (though easing the pain was the fact that I actually picked Ricky to win). He was at the end of his career, it was a grueling fight and it seemed clear that he just didn't have anything left. That said, I just never saw the display that suggests Tszyu would survive whatever Cotto had in store for him. I think historically, Tszyu is a better fighter (and especially judging their careers solely at 140). But I just happen to like Cotto in this particular fight.
I tried to mix it up and involve common opponents, Oktay Urkal was probably wasted by the time Cotto got around to beating him, Judah was pretty easily wiped out by Tszyu but he gave Cotto a very stern test. I think Tszyu has just enough hand speed and just enough power to do a job on Cotto, but then again Cotto presses forward like Hatton, just without the chin/temple Of Khan, Maidana, Ortiz, Rios etc, Cotto clearly gives Tszyu the best fight.
This part is true. Tszyu would have fucked up Ortiz, Maidana, Con, and Rios easily. Of those 4 the only one with the style to give Tszyu some rough moments is Maidana. But Chino is just too open a target for Tszyu, and doesnt have the chin to get sharp shooted by Tszyu all night. As for Cotto, he doesnt press forward like Hatton at all. In fact he usually fights off the back foot against dangerous punchers. And although Cotto was overall a more talented, and MUCH more skilled fighter than Hatton... one thing he NEVER had was Hatton's come forward footspeed. I fully expect that it would be Tszyu, not Cotto, coming forward in this fight.
