Let's take Taylor that weighed in at 149 vs. Norris v.s the Cotto that stopped Foreman at 153.5 lbs. Who wins?
Taylor was a fluid, edgy & exciting fighter, & belonged on the world-stage, but his myth has grown beyond reality, IMO. In this instance, I'd take Cotto to comfortably defeat Taylor with a late TKO. Taylor was all done by the time he was weighing this much, & calls of Cotto being shot --- far over the top, in my view --- were at least partially dispelled in his last outing. He would've taken that beating from Pacquiao whether he'd met Margarito or not, & while I don't think he's going to get any better, he's still got considerably more in the tank right now than the Jr. Middleweight version of Taylor.
I don't think Cotto would cope with Taylor's activity, no. Judah had some early success with Cotto, because his speed told. When he stopped, pulled up & started to drop his activity, Cotto's bodypunching --- a savage weapon, to be sure --- came to the fore, & Judah's fragile mentality did likewise. Taylor would've never stopped throwing at Cotto, whether he was winning or losing, & I think he overwhelms him for an 8-4 type decision. Cotto was better at Welter & above, though. In the end, I find Taylor over-rated, & wonder if history may come to under-sell Cotto.
Taylor wins @ 140. Cotto wins above 147. The best matchup between them would be @ 147, the Taylor who fought Davis.
