Vargas. Nando against Quartey was more impressive then Cotto ever was IMO. Miguel's only true impressive performance was against Quintana, considering at the time Quitana was undefeated and picked by some to win. Cotto did beat an old Shane, but that fight went down to the wire and Miguel took more abuse in it then did Mosley. I just see Vargas pre-Tito as being a superior fighter to Cotto all around.
It's an interesting question, & one I've thought about once or twice before. In the end, the parallel of note is that neither man could quite live upto the expectations of them from an early age. Cotto had his Olympic pedigree behind him, & Vargas, before him, great success in the very early stages of his pro career. Both issues underlined widespread projections for both men to carve out careers on a par with the true superstars of their time --- Mayweather, De La Hoya, Trinidad, Mosley & company. In the end, though, it wasn't quite meant to be. Both were nothing short of elite at the peak of their powers --- elite for their own time, that is. Cotto had the longer undefeated run &, while he never faced a Trinidad during his first few years, he nonetheless excelled in largely impressive fashion. Vargas snapped up victories thought unbelievable at the time, given his inexperience, over Quartey & Wright. What is different are their losses. Vargas came unstuck in a great fight against Trinidad, where he admirably went down swinging, & then shamed himself with illegal augmentation in another losing effort to De La Hoya. Despite still being young, he quickly ran downhill after that 2002 fight (I disagree with the notion some hold that Trinidad wrecked him), slipping down the ladder of relevance until his career ground to a halt, unceremoniously, with a loss to an aged Mayorga. By that time, his once-vaunted aura was long, long gone. For Cotto, the book isn't quite closed yet, but the eventual first defeat came under equally-admirable circumstances. Though his active submission to Margarito was at the time viewed with disdain, he fought a tough fight against an illegally-enhanced opponent, & was closer to victory than was Vargas against the albeit-superior (to Margarito) Trinidad. After that, he seemed more than a little shell-shocked, & like Vargas, his second career loss (to a superstar of the ring, as was Vargas') appears to stand as the beginning of the end for him. Similar career outcomes, though different career trajectories. Vargas faced sterner tests which ultimately brought him undone at a young age, while Cotto made more of his career & built a more lasting resume, but against lesser lights overall. Tough choice, but I go for Cotto as the slightly better man, both on career & accomplishments. His body attack was as potent a weapon as any single trait Vargas had. Both were big on heart & it's difficult to dislike that --- though Vargas deserves his unsavoury reputation, both inside & outside the ring. He was a thug beyond the ropes, & a proven cheat within them.
Probably, but that's a mythical opponent. (for Cotto obviously) We could compare their perfomances against Mosley. Sure Nando was well past his best against Shane. However Cotto fought a less muscled quicker version of Mosley than the blown up 154 pounder that Vargas fought. Both guys enjoyed success largely in part because they were able to cut weight and were the naturally larger man in the ring. Both suffered a lot of damage against opponents who may have had illegally wrapped hands. I already voted Vargas and stand by it, i'm just saying an argument could be made for Cotto.
talent wise I like Cotto more. I also think he accomplished more. However most know that Vargas' prime was cut short. as far as acomplishments I think Cotto's win over Mosley is better than Vargas' win over Quartey. I never thought Quartey was as good at 154 like he was at 147. I'm comparing these two wins because they are the best for each guy.
I would class beating Wright ahead of beating Quartey, myself, but in any event --- wouldn't you say Mosley, as well as Quartey, wasn't as impacting a fighter at Jr. Middle as he was at Welter?
I don't see how? Vargas barely beat Wright and many on this board still argue that Wright was robbed. Vargas dominated Quartey but you then have to ask how motivated was Quartey at that point, how did he look and yes he was at a higher less effective weight class. Also as good as Quartey was he never beat an elite guy. It's true Mosley wasn't as good at jrmiddle but that's a moot point because Cotto beat Mosley at 147. By the way, I also vote that Cotto was better. I think in skills, talent, ring generalship and dedication. I think the only thing Vargas had over Cotto was durability and size.
Jose Luis Castillo? Had a better career than both, but wasn't as good as either when they were at their best.
Well based on some of the logic used here, Cotto has a jab which means he'd box circles around Tito making him look silly. ::
Vargas was very much in his prime when he fought Tito. It had nothing to do with the fight occuring "too early". NOBODY in the boxing public felt Nando had been rushed into that fight. And I remember well the majority of people on each Forum at the time picking Nando over Tito.... and alot of the media as well. Also, Nando certainly didnt go down in the Tito fight as a fighter who was too green, and overwhelmed. He had wins over Campas, Quartey, and Wright(BS decision or not). He was as ready as he ever was gonna be.
