Boxing Report: Carlos Quintana Rocks the Welterweight Boat

Carlos Quintana has been associated with one thing: taking a beating from Miguel Cotto. 

So when Cotto couldn't make his date with Paul Williams, he was considered a disappointing, if logical, replacement.

Basically, he wasn't supposed to win. And what do you know? He did. 

Now fans and media will be clawing over each other to proclaim how Quintana exposed Williams as a fraud.

No. You know what? He exposed everyone else.

It wasn't long ago that Antonio Margarito was given this magical title of the most feared man in boxing just because Floyd Mayweather Jr. wouldn't fight him. It was totally unwarranted because: number one, he was too green for a mega-fight with Mayweather and number two, Golden Boy Promotions stepped up with a public offer of reasonable fights for him.

But everyone bought into it. The whole division was running scared from Margarito. Then when Williams upset Maragarito, he seemed to inherit this same non-sensical mystique. Everyone went along for the same ride again and it wasn't long before Mayweather was running scared of Williams as well.

Hopefully it will end here and we can all just admit that the Welterweight division is the deepest in the sport right now filled with many talented fighters capable of winning and losing against each other.

There's a saying that gets repeated in boxing: "You're only as good as your last fight." That may hold some water when it comes to marketability, but it doesn't mean spit in terms of boxing ability. That's something that everyone in this business would do well to remind themselves of. How about you're only as good as the fight you're in?

Who knows? Maybe Williams would have beaten Cotto if they fought. Maybe he will if they meet in the future. Sometimes it's like that and that's what's great about boxing.

At the same time, can you imagine how Mayweather would have been belittled if he quickly took fights with Margarito or Williams and embarrassed them without breaking a sweat? They'd say Mayweather only fights unripe contenders. 

If Carlos Quintana has shattered any myth, it's the one about you being irrelevant after a loss. Boxing fans and sports media need to cool it with this disposable attitude that seems to be taken with the finest athletes in the world.

Your career isn't over because you lose. Your skills don't disappear after a loss. The heavyweight division seems to have accepted these facts, so why can't this philosophy trickle down a little?

You know, to someone besides Zab Judah.