At the Mandalay Bay Hotel, Las Vegas, Cotto vs Canelo didn’t quite live up to its lofty expectations – then again, maybe it never could? Still, it was a decent scrap between a young, hungry animal in Canelo Alvarez, and a vastly experienced Hall of Famer in Miguel Cotto.
After 12 rounds of action, Canelo emerged victorious, having caught the eye of all three judges. The 25-year-old, who also picked up the vacant WBC Middleweight strap, won on scores of 117-111, 119-109 and 118-110.
Boxing Base had the contest at 115-113 for Cotto, but since a fair few rounds were hard to call, it’s not worth kicking up too much of a fuss. That said, the official cards spoke little of Cotto’s commendable gameplan and effectiveness. But that’s scoring for you. 100% subjective.
Cotto stuck to his guns throughout, keeping on the balls of his feet, circling the ring, keeping Canelo busy with the jab and bursts of combinations. It proved to be a decent strategy. Not flawless, but it did significally minimize Canelo’s combination attacks. Canelo isn’t a one-trick pony, however, is he? After falling behind in the early stages of the fight, Canelo began to unload with singular power shots, investing in right hands, body shots and uppercut leads. They soon turned into counters, which highlighted just how dynamic this fella really is.
And so it went on, with Cotto keeping his back off the ropes, circling, turning his man, and Canelo landing with the harder, more telling single shots. The eagerly anticipated showdown didn’t contain a single knockdown, or even a pair of buckling knees, but we did learn a lot about both fighters. Canelo proved he can think on his feet and adapt well, while Cotto proved he’s still tough enough to hold his own with one of boxing’s youngest, snarling stars.
So there it is. Cotto vs Canelo was good. Not great. But hang on…what about Gennady Golovkin? Is ‘GGG’ next?
Well, Canelo did say he’d fight him there and then in the ring, but I’m not going to be holding my breath in anticipation. If Canelo does decide to take on the challenge, then huge respect to him. If he doesn’t, what can you do? Only one fact remains: Canelo has fourteen days to notify the WBC of his plans (to ‘GGG’ or not to ‘GGG’). But as we all know too well, titles and sanctioning bodies put little real pressure on fighters. We’ll just have to sit tight in the meantime.
Canelo Alvarez now elevates to 46 wins, 1 defeat, 1 draw, 32 knockouts, while Cotto reduces to 40 wins, 5 defeats, 33 knockouts.
Give us your take on Cotto vs Canelo in the comments, plus the rest of the Vegas card.
