Miguel Cotto vs. Joshua Clottey: Not Just A Fight, An Examination Of Character

Cotto swept to an easy victory over Michael Jennings in February, but a much sterner test awaits this Saturday in Ghana's Joshua Clottey at Madison Square Garden

It's highly probable that Miguel Angel Cotto has experienced some unique and varying emotions over the last 12 months. From the since-departed boxing consensus of the Puerto Rican being the world's top welterweight prior to facing Antonio Margarito, to the devastating defeat inflicted by that same opponent in MSG last June, to the emergence of the Margarito hand-wrap controversy in January, to the therapeutic (yet somewhat tenuous) victory over Michael Jennings the following month and then the surprising split with his uncle and career-long trainer, Cotto's professional life has been anything but idle and plagued by perplexing, pugilistic riddles (did Margarito use the same illegal tactics in their battle? How adversely affected could Cotto's development be by the departure of his uncle, Evangelista? Sadly, only one of these two posers may be answered in the near future.)

Even the most unsuspecting idealist could forgive him were he to assume a more cynical approach to his craft. Severance of ties with such a close, hitherto respected part of his team must have felt almost like the partially self-inflicted salt in the wound after such a strange year, and the desire to avenge his only loss must be burning stronger than ever after the Margarito's (sans-Plaster-of-Paris) defeat to Mosley. Sporting a few additions to his torso in the shape of tribal tattoos suggest a slightly more self-possessed and perhaps malevolent side to Cotto which we've not yet seen, aside from the brutal body-punching and adeptness at controlled violence so often displayed for the best part of his career. The ruthless destruction of the helpless Jennings in February seemed to be an appetizer of the new Cotto persona, but the main course offered up this Saturday in the form of rock-solid Ghanaian Joshua Clottey will prove a lot more difficult to digest.

Clottey and Cotto have faced a few common opponents, and Clottey has looked consistently impressive when he has taken on anyone approaching a marquee name; he fought Margarito in 2006 and was unfortunate to break his hand in a fight that he was winning after four rounds. Unable to throw any significant punches after this point, Clottey was understandably outlanded and succumbed on the cards. Then, in early 2007, Clottey handed the late Diego Corrales a frightful beating, holding a huge advantage in both size and natural weight. The pinnacle of his career thus far then arrived last August when he battered the contemporary welterweight punchbag Zab Judah around the ring, stopping him within nine rounds to win the vacant IBF welterweight title. Although Judah can now be filed under 'damaged goods', having taken some heavy punishment over most of the last decade, Clottey's strength, ability and granite chin overwhelmed the ex-champion, and Clottey earned a shot at a true superstar in Cotto.

Comparisons between Clottey and his natural predecessor from his homeland, the superb welterweight champion of the early millennium, Ike “Bazooka” Quartey, are not unfair. Just like Quartey, Clottey stalks his opponents and uses his considerable strength and muscle mass to gain ring quarter. He also possesses a stiff jab and, although he lacks one-punch power, his foe are generally ground down by his ceaseless workrate and indomitable spirit. When Clottey fights, it is almost as if we have rewound ten years or so and Quartey himself, minus his trademark golden trunks, is using his near-idiosyncratic skills to take down the welterweight warriors of today. Quartey fought in a golden era for the welterweight division and Clottey currently fights in one, but what would set Clottey apart is whether he can move to the next level and do what Quartey never quite managed in four attempts, and beat a truly top-class, grade-A fighter.

In a tactical sense, this Saturday's clash is hardly an enigmatic jigsaw of strategy as you know almost  what to expect from both fighters. It is clear that Joshua Clottey, for all his ability, fortitude and relentlessness, will fight the way he always has; coming forward, throwing the jab and exerting debilitating pressure. What is the most interesting is how Cotto will approach the fight, strategically. Clottey's come-forward style may have a familiar look and could give him nightmarish flashbacks to the Margarito defeat, in which he was constantly forced to fight on the back foot and stay on the move. It is doubtful that Cotto will stand shoulder-to-shoulder and trade with Clottey. What is much more likely is a box-and-move approach in which he will look to dance away from the plodding Ghanaian and seek to use his speed and dexterity advantages to force a points victory.

As evidenced by the above, Cotto has a tough job on his hands, yet an achievable one. Ever likable due to his erstwhile humble nature, exciting style and grassroots appeal, Cotto seems to have the backing of the boxing community in his climb back to the welterweight summit. It is difficult not to harbour some suspicion regarding Margarito's victory over him last June and whether Cotto lost because of an illegal disadvantage, and a sense of goodwill from those in the sport seems to be currently backing Cotto's rebirth as the WBO champion (and perhaps a soon-to-be unified one). However, Cotto doesn't need any support from anyone, especially when he is driven by the fiercest of desires to regain his lofty position and maybe set up another showdown with Shane Mosley, or maybe even the current glamour grand-daddy of them all, Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao.

Cotto is still a relatively young man so this fight does not quite present itself as a watershed moment in his career, and even defeat could be overcome as time is on his side. Nevertheless, there are still question marks over the damaging nature of the Margarito defeat and the loss of his uncle as trainer, and this puts an entirely different spin on the bout. If the two men had fought twelve months ago I would have posited an easy victory for Cotto, but current events have lent the fight an unexpected slant and Clottey has the perfect style to invoke those horribly vivid memories. It is up to Cotto to put on a sublime performance to extinguish any possibility of this occurring, by out-boxing his less skilled opponent and bossing the ring.

Fascinating undercurrents aside, this has the makings of an enthralling fight. I cannot recall a boring fight in which either man has been involved, and both love to mix it up and inflict as much damage as possible. When you incorporate the factors involving Cotto, we could most certainly be in for a night of high drama if Clottey puts in a top-class performance. Overall, I see a Cotto triumph over the twelve-round distance with a display of boxing which will remind us what he is capable of, but I doubt the fight will progress without incident and high drama. The importance of Clottey being able to rise to the occasion to trouble his younger foe cannot be overstated, but I believe that this will be in vain as a fiercely driven Cotto will sweep to victory, banishing his demons and regaining his prior status in the process. Most observers may be wishing their congratulations, should this be the case – and hopefully, so will his uncle.