at Cotto being shot. People have a fucking skewed idea of what shot means these days. Look at Cotto against Foreman, that is not a shot fighter. He might not be as sharp as he was in his peak, but there is nothing shot about him. If you want to see shot, just look at Nando's most recent fights.
At the age he was shot the new guys coming up this days are either just turning pro or fighting bums, slowly trying to build up their way.
Let's see Cotto in his next fight before you or I dismiss it. Haters tried to argue that RJJ wasn't shot before the Calzaghe fight because he beat Trinidad.
They were utter morons, like that scrub Kenneth Boohairy. That's exactly what he said when he picked Roy to beat Joe. "He's not shot, he's just changed his style" :: :: The truth is anyone with 2 eyes could see Roy was completely shot at that point, had no legs, no reactions, and no chin. Strangely, still had some speed though. There is nothing about Cotto that looks shot, nothing at all.
I don't think that's quite how it went down. As I remember it, it was mostly (if not only) Jones fans giving Jones a chance in that fight, and the Trinidad fight was part of the reasoning...and yes, partly because of his 'turtle against the ropes' style.
Benitez, for me. Regarding Vargas, it depends on whether or not you feel he was genuinely shot after his fight with Trinidad. Most people do, some (myself included) do not. I feel he really jumped the shark after losing to De La Hoya, though. That still makes him a young shot, mind --- 25 --- but Benitez's decline was even more rapid, & stark.
Benitez was considered shot when he managed to break his ankle or something against the Davey Moore that was already sabotaged by Manos de Piedra, oh and he also got mauled by Mustafa Hamsho before that
You know what, now that I think about it you're right. Was Vargas shot when he beat Javier Castillejo in 2005? I'd even argue he wasn't shot the first time he fought Mosley... that was the last time he was really able to make 154 without leaving it all on the scales. He fell off a cliff of shotness around the Mosley rematch.
I agree to an extent. Neither were great no, but both showed a noticeable decline in ability in what, early to mid twenties? Neither great fighters, but that doesn't mean much IMO. A journeyman can become shot. And Ramonza/Steve - Interesting point yep. Perhaps Vargas's shotness is a bit of a myth. It's common perception that Vargas is a super young shot fighter, so you can imagine that he was shot in his early 20's. But thinking about it, Vargas wasn't shot against Oscar. He just lost against a more skilled opponent. And Castillejo is actually a decent win, where he didn't look shot either. He really just looked shot starting in the Mosley fight. Where he was what, 29? So young yeah, but not THAT young. Perhaps Benitez is a better example. Bojado I'm not sure. He started to look like absolute shit really young, younger than Vargas. I think he really was early 20's right? The thing is he didn't look shot, just unmotivated. There's a big difference.