Sunday 6 October 2013

Miguel Cotto v Delvin Rodriguez - There are levels

This could be the start of a beautiful friendship. Miguel Cotto added another 1 to his W column last night, as his new partnership with future hall of fame trainer Freddie Roach got off to an impressive start, stopping Delvin Rodriguez after 3 one sided rounds.

Cotto handled his comeback opponent with ease, much to the delight of the fellow Puerto ricans in the 11,000 strong crowd that had come out to support him in Orlando for the first time.

Stopping a guy who has only been stopped once is impressive, especially when taking into account Miguel Cotto's size disadvantage. Cotto pounded away at the body with his trademark left hook, and slowly but surely Rodriguez began to sag in the middle and was nearly taken out in the final seconds of the 2nd stanza, and the bell merely allowed him 1 minute sat on his stool to delay the inevitable.

Let's be clear; Delvin Rodriguez is not a world class fighter, but he's not a bum. Contrary to many fight fans beliefs, there are some fighters who operate somewhere between those two levels. Rodriguez is solid, he lasts. He had an absolute war with Pavel Wolak and then handled him with ease in the rematch of their fight of the year. Like Cotto, he lost a decision to Austin Trout at 154lbs.

In a win or go home type of fight, Cotto won and won big. Instead of retirement, he now has a great deal of choice where to go next, and can feasibly plan out a spectacular fight or two to cap off a career that has seen him take on most of the great fighters of his generation. Malignaggi, Judah, Mosley, Margarito (twice), Pacquiao and Mayweather. And under closer examination, he faced most of those fighters when they were firing on all cylinders and close to their peaks.

So in his last couple of fights who will Miguel face? Will he continue facing peak level opposition, or fight a fighter with a name and a diminishing reputation?

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