Cotto vs Jennings, Or Cotto vs Himself?

“Margarito was better that night…it was his night,” replied a humble Cotto in regards to that winded night the relentless Tijuana Tornado forced him to take a knee.

Despite the “loaded gloves” controversy that now clouds any past Margarito win, people still question Cotto’s mental and physical state. 

Cotto applied everything he had into that hard head of Margarito’s but still, Margarito stormed forward.  And as the fight wore on we saw Cotto’s confidence erode.

Had Cotto faced adversity like this before?  Definitely.  So what happened? 

In every champion’s career, there is a crossroads, and which direction they take thereafter defines their legend.  Miguel Cotto is at his crossroads. 

As much as I would like to believe looking to past Cotto fights would help shed light on his upcoming bout against Michael Jennings, Britain's rising star, this fight is like no other Cotto fight before.

Because this time, Cotto battles himself.

Jennings is probably not the toughest opponent he’s ever faced, nor the strongest.  However, this could be the most important fight of Cotto’s career for the reason that it poses the biggest threat to his already tarnished confidence.

At just 28 years old Cotto has many fights to come, but should he lose, to an outsider this time, it’s hard to imagine where he will stand in the aftermath.

Having watched a couple post-Margarito fight interviews of Cotto I saw a look in his eye that I’ve never seen in Miguel before.  The look of defeat - it lingered in his speech and manner. 

Cotto has always been a good sport, and handles a loss better than any other great, but I saw humility in him that scared me straight to my Cotto-fan core.

But this fight is not all about Cotto, and it wouldn’t be smart to overlook the former British and WBU welterweight champ Michael Jennings. 

Jennings is a sizeable opponent with a slight height and weight advantage over Cotto, who may have come about at the most opportune time to test a seemingly more vulnerable than ever, Miguel Cotto.

“It’s gonna be a mammoth task, but, in the end…I’m gonna go over there, I’m gonna do my best and try to win.”  Jennings said about his upcoming fight.

“I love that, when the fight comes forward.”  And smiling with welterweight champion tenure during a training session, Jennings continued, “with Cotto, he’s gonna come forward and I’m gonna get on my back foot and box him.”

Because Cotto might feel like he now has some proving to do, there’s a good chance that Jennings may be right.  That Miguel Cotto will come after him, determined to finish Jennings quick, moreover, determined to prove to himself that he, Miguel Cotto, still owns the ring.

If Cotto does indeed chase Jennings, we might see the British boxer square-off comfortably in the element of his style, rubbing elbows and throwing short hooks and uppercut combinations, as did Margarito against Cotto, taking the fight inside and at mid-range. 

But, like I said before, Cotto is a whole other class of fighter, one that Michael Jennings possibly hasn’t seen before. 

"I'll have the height and reach advantage when I fight him and that will suit me down to the ground."  Said a confident Jennings in New York after the official weigh in.

"Standing toe to toe with Cotto I realized he's no different from me, and a bit smaller!"

"This is the kind of fight I've been dreaming about for years...and who knows how much his loss against Margarito took out of him."

If Jennings can endure Cotto’s charge by softening his body the way he did against taller, tougher, and heavier opponents like Ross Minter, Bradley Pryce, and Mehrdad Takaloo, while being able to avoid body attacks then Jennings could expose Cotto's chin and catch him with that hard right hand all MJ fans are familiar with.

Let’s not forget that Michael Jennings is the number one contender.

Whatever happens on Saturday, if Jennings and trainer Brian Hughes plan to go toe to toe with Miguel Cotto, they’re in for a long night. 

They’d better come with more than a singularly hopeful game plan and be ready to take what Cotto has to offer.

For Cotto, this is the fight that defines him as a champion and proves his ability to rise above personal adversity—to put to rest any doubt he may have about himself.  After all, what is more human than doubt? 

On Saturday, Feb. 21 at Madison Square Garden, Cotto will not only fight for the vacant WBO welterweight crown, but get the chance very few young fighters are presented with in their careers: to sum up the questions and finalize any speculation in a single fight. 

This Saturday Cotto may have the answer that will put an end to our inquisition: does Cotto still have the mental capacity to beat a healthy up and comer?  Can Cotto shake off a brutal defeat?  Can Miguel Cotto continue to win big fights?

We shall see.