Miguel Cotto vs. Ricardo Mayorga: 10 Things You Need to Know About the Fight
Saturday night, Miguel Cotto takes on Ricardo "I am insane and you are a woman" Mayorga on Showtime pay-per-view. It's the boxer against the puncher, the quiet one against the bombastic one, the respectful against the irreverent.
For Cotto, it marks his second fight at junior middleweight, and a chance to further his status among boxing's elite.
For Mayorga, the fight is one more moment on the big stage, and one more attempt to chop down a significant fighter.
Here, we take a look at 10 key aspects of the fight.
Cotto Will Be Fighting a Super Middleweight on Fight Night
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While Cotto will be into just his second fight at 154, Mayorga has been there for some time.
Mayorga was about 170 the night he fought Shane Mosley, and it would seem like a good bet that he'll be around the same weight Saturday.
Mosley seemed to struggle with Mayorga's size for much of the night, and Cotto will have the same issues trying to handle the bigger fighter.
Can Cotto handle a stronger fighter if the fight goes into the late rounds? Mayorga doesn't think so.
Then again, Mayorga apparently thinks very little of Cotto. Shocking.
Emanuel Steward Has to Play a Huge Role in the Fight for Cotto
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Cotto hired Steward before his fight with Yuri Foreman, so they're relatively new to each other.
Steward will undoubtedly have his fighter working behind the jab and fighting on the inside to neutralize Mayorga's windmill punching.
There may come a point, though, when Mayorga forces Cotto to brawl. That works completely in Mayorga's favor, but Cotto is a warrior, and he's completely willing to trade bombs.
This is where Steward has to step in and keep his fighter focused; otherwise, an upset could happen here.
Mayorga Is Desperate
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He's been hammered into the canvas by Tito Trinidad, vaporized by Oscar De La Hoya and decapitated by Shane Mosley. He hasn't beaten an elite fighter in years.
You could argue that he's a one-hit wonder, as many had Vernon Forrest winning their rematch or at the very least had the fight scored evenly.
Mayorga can call fighters horrible names and insult their mothers, sisters, wives, children and deceased relatives, but at some point, he's got to back up the vitriol by actually winning one of these bouts.
He hasn't even been able to remain upright, let alone snag a victory.
This is his last shot at remaining relevant, so he's desperate, and desperate fighters are certainly dangerous ones.
That's especially true when the desperate fighter also happens to toss bombs with the subtlety of an overgrown toddler on crystal meth.
A Decision Win Is Not Enough for Cotto
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As we mentioned before, Mayorga has the distinction of being wrecked by three future Hall of Famers.
Cotto needs to be the fourth to put him to sleep.
A decision win doesn't do much at all for him, especially when he's trying to keep his elite status intact.
There's no shame in being knocked out by Pacquiao, but Cotto needs to prove he's beyond it, and that he can hang with anyone at 147-154.
That requires knocking out Mayorga, who is obviously dangerous but far from the fighter he was a few years ago.
This Is a Stepping Stone Fight for Both Guys
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Were they loaded?
You can imagine that question bothering Cotto ever since that night in 2009 when Antonio Margarito got busted and then pounded by Shane Mosley.
Whether or not you believe Margarito had loaded wraps when he and Cotto fought is irrelevant, what you need to know is that Miguel Cotto ABSOLUTELY believes he did.
A big win here sets Cotto up for his rematch with Margarito, one that would bring a ton of interest and one that would bring a great deal of resolution for Cotto should he succeed.
For Mayorga, his options go from very limited to suddenly wide open. While it is extremely unlikely he'd get a shot at Manny Pacquiao (and that's a very good thing for Mayorga), he would more than likely get a shot at one of the big names anywhere from 160 to 147.
Both fighters have plenty of business to take care of first on Saturday night.
Showtime Is Bringing It
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Not only has Showtime brought back pay-per-view boxing, but it's adding pre-fight shows to its other channels as well.
Granted, the pre-fight show for Cotto versus Mayorga looked like it was put together by a group of high school potheads, but hey, at least they're competing.
HBO has long dominated the fight game, and with their much larger budget, it will be hard for Showtime to really get the upper hand.
But boosting their efforts only makes it better for the boxing fans, and the more exposure boxing gets, the better.
Ricardo Mayorga Is a Very Live Dog
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The reason Ricardo Mayorga keeps getting big fights is simple: He's a huge puncher, he's relatively insane and he's flawed.
He's simply fascinating to watch. He's a big underdog in this fight, but he isn't hopeless.
Cotto has been rocked enough that Mayorga can definitely dent that chin, especially if he can catch Cotto with something he doesn't see coming.
His odds aren't great, but he's a bomber with enough left to at least make for some iffy moments for the favorite.
Steve Albert Will Be Calling the Fight
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This isn't really big news, except that we can rejoice in knowing that we won't be having our ears violated by Gus Johnson letting us know THAT HE'S REALLY REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE FIGHT every 14 seconds.
I don't find him completely insufferable when I'm watching my beloved Buffalo Bills get wailed on and he's there to wake me up from time to time with the yelling, but boxing is exciting enough.
Relax, man. We shouldn't have to mute the telecast.
Expect a Wild Beginning
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The fight will most likely end with Cotto in full control. It's hard to see Mayorga throwing bombs and attacking at will late in the fight.
In the early rounds, however, this thing could be a shootout.
Mayorga will probably come out guns blazing, and unless Cotto can catch him with something huge early, he'll most likely be landing some of those wild shots.
Best case, we get an unexpectedly even war, but even worst case, we should see fireworks for at least the first couple of rounds.
Stay for the Knockout
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The assumption is that Cotto will take out Mayorga at some point, probably in the mid- to late rounds.
Shane Mosley had more difficulty than expected before icing the Nicaraguan in the last seconds, so it's safe to think Cotto may need some rounds as well.
Cotto is a much better boxer, and while he isn't quite the same fighter he was just a couple of years ago, (meeting Manny Pacquiao and getting a face full of plaster for 11 rounds will take something from you) he's still much fresher than Mayorga.
Expect a fun fight and a late stoppage for Miguel Cotto.
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