Key Takeaways & Post-Fight Thoughts from Cotto vs. Martinez Results
Miguel Cotto tore a hole through Sergio Martinez on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, becoming the middleweight champion of the world and shocking much of the boxing community – besides the tens of thousands of screaming, faithful fans who filled the MSG arena.
Right here, we have a collection of key takeaways following the Cotto vs. Martinez results as we make sense of what transpired and take a look ahead.
- Miguel Cotto’s All-Time Legacy: Cotto became the first Puerto Rican fighter in history to capture a title in a 4th weight division, and there’s a limited number of fighters from any nationality to reach that distinction. He didn’t do it by winning a fringe title, either — he won the linear middleweight world championship. Cotto was already headed to the hall of fame, but this win puts him at an entirely new level historically. The win over Martinez ranks potentially as the best win, and best performance, of his career.
- Miguel’s MSG Magic: Does it get better than a packed Madison Square Garden, with tens of thousands of supporters shaking the arena to its foundation in support of their favorite fighter, Miguel Cotto? Not for my money. I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing say 80,000 people in Wembley Stadium, but the World’s Most Famous Arena for a big-time Cotto fight is about as good as it gets today. Cotto, with his 8-1 record in the building, must agree.
- Is Maravilla Finished?: A combination of age, inactivity and injury seemed to derail Martinez. He never even got into the fight, and while he typically holds speed and skill advantages over his opponents, Cotto appeared faster and quicker, both with his hands and feet. That’s not a good sign for him. After everything he has accomplished, as well as the direction he has been moving in over the past few fights and the punishment he took from Cotto, one has to wonder if Maravilla is done with.
- Freddie Roach Already Trainer of the Year: It’s June, and Freddie Roach has already locked up the 2014 Trainer of the Year. The job he has done rejuvenating Cotto and perhaps reinventing him into his best version yet is remarkable. Roach also saw Manny Pacquiao get his return win over Timothy Bradley, and has various other big fights and important pupils in action. But Cotto’s win, and the way he performed, is more than enough all on its own to merit Roach this honor yet again.
- Mayweather Rematch: The Mayweather vs. Cotto rematch now stands as perhaps the biggest, best and most intriguing fight to make in the sport. Now for the middleweight title, put this thing at Madison Square Garden and it’ll be absolutely massive and insane. With the way Cotto is looking right now, who wouldn’t want to see a rematch between these two, after a fun and closely-fought first fight in 2012?
- Canelo vs. Cotto: The other huge possibility for Cotto is a fight against Canelo Alvarez. It’s no secret that Canelo vs. Cotto almost took place this year — but Cotto opted to face Martinez instead. Wise decision. It’s also no secret that Canelo plans on moving up to middleweight. Now, Cotto can defend his middleweight championship against Canelo in a fight which is even bigger than it would have been previously. If Canelo defeats Lara next — that’s a big if — and opts to move to 160 lbs, this fight would be fantastic.
- Gennady Golovkin?: Of course, the other big gun at middleweight is Gennady Golovkin. With Martinez now dethroned, we likely will never get to see those two fight. However, what about Cotto vs. Golovkin? While Golovkin is huge compared to Cotto, and many would peg the fight as a mismatch, it could be too juicy to pass up. Cotto is the reigning king of New York and MSG, but Golovkin is turning into an attraction there as well. Promotionally, the fight couldn’t be easier to put together, and fans would eat it up. Cotto and Golovkin are now the two biggest names in the division, and the winner would be the division’s undisputed king.
