By Jackie Kallen
I have to start off by saying that I didn’t have a horse in this race. I like both fighters as men and as boxers. I didn’t bet on the fight and the outcome would not have changed my life in any way, shape, or form. However, I do have a problem with ridiculously lopsided scoring that flies against the wind of reality.
However the fight may have looked on TV, it was a pretty close fight. Cotto did more than show up for a payday. He gave it his all. Alvarez was a bigger, stronger, younger man and, in the end, it showed. But for anyone to score the fight 119-109 is a mockery of the sport.
The early rounds went back and forth and by the end of the sixth round, I had it even. Both men punched and both men boxed. Cotto seemed to be unable to really do damage to Canelo, but Canelo couldn’t stop Cotto, either. It was a very solid first half.
In Cotto’s corner, Freddie Roach seemed relaxed and confident. He did not appear to be worried. Cotto was mostly staying away from the ropes and dancing and moving. He was anything but a standing target. He counter-punched and seemed comfortable.
For his part, Canelo also seemed to be in charge and not in fear of losing. It was shaping up to be as good a fight as I had hoped for. Going into the second half of the fight, Canelo began to turn it up a notch. Cotto, however, was far from out of it. He kept jabbing, moving and hooking.
By the time the bout went into the championship 11th and 12th rounds, it could arguably have gone either way. Canelo seemed to be edging it out, but Cotto was still in there. Cotto suffered a cut above his left eye and Canelo had a swelling under his left eye. They were both in it to win it. But Canelo was creeping ahead.
In no way am I insinuating that Cotto beat Canelo. But he did a hell of lot better than the scores that were read. 119-109 (Burt Clements), 118-110 (Dave Moretti) and 117-111 (John McKaie. Everyone sitting near me was shocked and immediately started discussing the fairness (or lack of) concerning these numbers.
Cotto was visably upset when leaving the ring and Freddie Roach looked disgusted. At the post-fight press conference, Cotto was a no-show. Roach explained that Miguel was just too upset to talk to the media. Instead, Roach answered questions. In his opinion, his man won. That is not a unique opinion coming from a fighter’s corner. But Roach seemed more angered by the scoring than anything else.
“I had us winning on points, but that’s just how I saw it. I’m not a judge. But I can’t understand the scores. It was a much closer fight than that.”
Canelo was gracious in victory and so was the entire Golden Boy team. Will there be a rematch? Who knows? I suspect Canelo has already forgotten Cotto’s name. The W is in the books and it’s time to start thinking about the suoerfight that would be Canelo vs GGG. . Oscar says that Canelo is scheduled to fight in May 2016 and again in September. No opponents were announced.
