|
|
Cotto vs. Abdullaev: Substance Over Show Business and Psychology
Greg Smith - 6/10/2005
I won’t be watching Tyson vs. McBride this weekend. Tyson vs. McBride is more about show business than boxing. If Tyson vs. McBride was the only fight on pay TV this weekend, I would certainly find better entertainment elsewhere.
Simply sliding in a DVD of the greatest boxing satire of all-time, The Great White Hype, would prove to be both more entertaining and meaningful than Tyson vs. McBride. The Great White Hype expertly and humorously depicts the darker and nihilistic side of the sport, and the movie makes me smile in irony every time I watch it. “Irish” Terry Conklin is actually better marketed and more believable than Kevin McBride. In this case, fiction is better than reality.
Thankfully, Tyson vs. McBride isn’t the only boxing match on this weekend. The real action this weekend is in Madison Square Garden, and I won’t need to watch The Great White Hype, or sit out on my deck here in hot southwestern Ohio and watch the bug zapper perform as predictably and effectively as Tyson will against McBride on Saturday.
By the way, the bug zapper has provided me with a better return on investment than the $44.95 asking price for Tyson vs. McBride.
Back to serious business.
Cotto vs. Abdullaev is an excellent and substantive match-up. As we all know, Abdullaev beat Cotto in the amateurs. Coming into this fight, Abdullaev is extremely confident, and indeed a lot of this business is more mental than physical. Some guys just have another fighter’s number regardless of pedigree, management, ranking, or age.
Willie Meehan had Jack Dempsey’s number, and Iran Barkley had Thomas Hearns’ number. Abdullaev’s words and body language suggest that he truly believes Cotto is tailor made for him.
For Abdullaev, this is not only his golden opportunity for career resurrection and redemption, but a chance to prove that his loss to Emmanuel Clotty was an aberration. He would also prove that Lou DiBella picked the wrong guy to represent after that controversial loss.
I disagree.
Miguel Cotto has progressed from prospect to contender to belt holder more
honestly and authentically than any other fighter in the 2000 Olympic Games.
Cotto's management didn't feed him stiffs, and some of Cotto's performances
against tough contenders have been devastating and impressive. Cotto blew
out
Victoriano Sosa more impressively than Floyd Mayweather Jr. handled the
tough
Dominican. He's also shown the ability to switch styles and adapt to
unforeseen
circumstances.
At the same time, a lot of people think he has a questionable chin because light hitting Demarcus Corley had him semi-conscious and on the brink of defeat in his last fight. I don’t think Cotto has a glass jaw or china chin. I think Cotto got caught with a blind punch, recovered, and showed character and intelligence in adversity. He passed a big test against Corley instead of setting the foundation for future failure. He was hurting and dominating Corley at the time of the stoppage, and Pretty Boy Floyd simply outpointed and outmaneuvered the eccentric, but seasoned Washington D.C. native.
Realistically, Cotto isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination. From the beginning, I’ve seen cracks in his armor, and inevitably someone will expose his technical deficiencies.I think Cotto has excellent fundamentals, but too much of his game is predictable. His power is predominately on the left side, and intelligent, measured movement and experience can defuse Cotto’s attack. Hopkins did it to Trinidad, and someone will do it to Cotto.
It won’t happen Saturday night.
Muhammad Abduallaev’s psychological set is right for this fight. If I was in his corner, I’d be very pleased with both his mental and physical preparation. Unfortunately, professional experience and strength of opposition speak louder than amateur status and a lucky shot at redemption. Muhammad Abdullaev might have his moments in this fight like Shannon Briggs had his moments with Lennox Lewis a few years ago. In the end, however, I think Abdullaev will hit the deck about as hard as Henry Tillman did against Mike Tyson in 1990. Tillman beat Tyson in the amateurs, but got blown out in one round by Tyson in the pros.
Cotto won’t dispatch Abdullaev out as quickly and viciously as Tyson did against Tillman, but his character and professional foundation will eventually come to fruition, and Abduallaev’s mind will change sometime early in the fight.
I like Cotto in a mid-to-late round stoppage, and with a vengeance. Despite the fact that Cotto has developed beautifully as a pro, I think he gained years of experience in his last fight with Corley. He learned that you can’t take a fighter’s punching ability lightly, and he learned to deal with hometown pressure.
Make no mistake, MSG will function as a hometown audience for Cotto on Saturday night, but he’ll be a different fighter than he was in Puerto Rico against Corley.
Saturday night will prove to be a study in substance over show business and psychology.
Send in your Questions
Discuss This Now on the HCB Boxing Board
Copyright © 2003 - 2005 Hardcore Boxing Privacy Statement
|
|
