OLD FASHION WELTERWEIGHT “DONNYBROOK”

June 13, 2009
WBO Welterweight Championship Bout
Madison Square Garden, New York City


written by James “Coach Rick” Coward


The business of sanctioned violence is growing in immense proportions, Mixed Martial Arts have a huge following and the draw is enormous. But for the many true “Fight” fans out there, nothing beats a good old fashion “Bellicose”, “Fist Fight” for our slightly younger enthusiasts,,, and for these the octagon will not suffice. On June 13th at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the stage is set for a sensational battle, a good old fashion “Fist Fight” on a world class level, between two of boxings “Elite” pugilists. World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion, Miguel Angel Cotto (33 - 1, 27 KO’s), the pride of Puerto Rico will step into the square ring to face his toughest challenge to date, since his now (controversial) lost to Antonio “Hands of Plaster” Margarito. His opponent, Accra Ghana native, Joshua Clottey (35 - 2, 20 KO’s) is about as tough as they get in the prize fighting game. Clottey has distinguished himself as a skilled boxer, with excellent defensive skills and respectable speed and power in both hands. This fight is going to be a test of wills between both men, neither is a one punch knockout artist, so the battle will prove to be mental in as much as it is physical. Simply put, this will be a test of who has the ability to stay focused and execute there game plan the best. Both will look to capitalize on the others mistakes, so it is going to be a long entertaining night, because neither has a history of making many mistakes in a bout.

Cotto has the ability to box from the outside very effectively and he has proven that against his last four opponents, but he will need to do more than that in this fight, he is going to have to go back to his “Roots” and utilize what had become his “Signature Attack” the right left to the body, and do so early in this fight. Clottey is generally a slow starter with a “Ear Muff / Elbows-in-Tight” style of defense early in fights. He has deceivingly fast hands especially his straight right hand and left hook. Cotto will have ample opportunity to attack the body around the in-tight elbows of Clottey and with his good lateral movement should be able to avoid the “Methodical” type of attack Clottey will bring early in the fight. With that said, Clottey does have another side to his game, and when he chooses to use it, he can dramatically change the tempo of a fight. This is, his ability to box from the outside, and the ability to do so in very effective fashion. He has shown glimpses of fighting out of the “Shell”, rolling and countering off the right shoulder, and the speed to double and even triple his left hook effectively to the head and body of his opponents. If that doesn’t get you excited about what this fight has the potential of becoming, I don’t know what will. But for the true “Boxing Enthusiast” this world title bout should provide a “Vagarious Sortie”, one that only two “Elite” world class athletes at this stage in there careers could provide,,, a good old fashion “Fist Fight” on a world class level