The Boxing Nation speaks on the early Cotto-Clottey Rumors

In a recent article penned by Boxingscene’s Ryan Songalia, we learned of the growing frustration surrounding IBF Welterweight Champion Joshua Clottey. Despite capturing the IBF strap with a decisive victory over Zab Judah last August, Clottey has yet to return to the ring since
“The problem is that they don’t want to fight me,” Clottey would state in the article, opening up about his frustrations towards a lack of a suitable opponent. Clottey also revealed that he was considering giving up boxing altogether20in order to pursue another love of his; soccer.
For a fighter of his caliber, it would be a shame to see Clottey walk away while still in his prime. That is probably why the recent rumors buzzing around are so refreshing, as word has it that Clottey is now scheduled to face multi-talented WBO Welterweight champion this coming June 13th at Madison Square Garden .
For a fighter who was fed up just weeks ago, Clottey is now in the exact position he has so desperately been seeking as he will get to test his skills against one of the games’ most complete champions. Despite suffering a crushing loss to Antonio Margarito last July, Cotto rebounded very well recently with a fifth round stoppage over Michael Jennings and a fight between him and Clottey is one that already has many talking.
To get a better sense towards the public’s thoughts on this fight, 8 Count News took a look inside some of the busiest boxing forums on the net. Here’s what the public is saying about everything involving a possible Clottey-Cotto showdown…


“Cotto's road to unification starts here. I hope Berto vs Mosley is made so there can be an unification match at the end of the year or early 2010.”

“props to cotto for taking this fight, but I hope clottey knows that he has to stop cotto to win this fight.”

“Yes, Im pulling for Cotto on this one. Im glad Cotto took this one, shows thats he's a fighter and doesnt duck to ge t recognition. Great way to rebuild your career Cotto.”

“Clottey deserves the big opportunity, Cotto deserves the redemption.”

“Hearing this just made my day.”

“This is a very good style matchup for Miguel Cotto. However, make20no mistake about it. This is far from a cakewalk in the park for Cotto, because Joshua Clottey can fight. However, I still expect Cotto to be easily favored in winning this bout.”

“This is a can't miss one here, IMO a real barnburner as Clottey is going to press him and make him fight.”

“Man you really have to respect Cotto for fighting all these tough opponents”

“This is great. Respect to Cotto once again, he is a warrior and will fight anybody in the ring. This is proof.”

“I like this fight. And I respect Cotto alot for taking it but with that said if this fight is made then Cotto is gonna get stopped again. Why? Because unlike other people in the world I dont think that cotto has as big a punch as others do. When you think about it have you ever seen cotto hurt anyone who was as big or bigger than him? I havent. Clottey imo is bigger, young, hungry, and I dont think cotto can hurt him but i do think he can hurt cotto and the bad thing is Cotto wont run he will fight and that will be his undoing. But like I said its gonna be a good fight and I hope it gets done.”

“MSG, here I come!!!”

“Clottey brings a very good jab and good defense. Cotto brings a little more. I like Cotto by decision in an entertaining scrap.”

“Damn! A Cotto vs Berto fight would have been much more exciting. Hell even a Cotto/Cintron fight would have been better to watch. Clottey's style is not going to make this much fun. This is going 12 rounds for sure.”

“Clottey has the three things that have always been problematic for Cotto. Plenty of chin, stamina, and short punches/decently fast hands. Abdullaev and N'Dou gave him problems just from Cotto having troub le hurting them and them continuing to press the whole fight. Same with Mosley. Once Cotto decided he wasn't knocking Shane out he started conserving energy and losing rounds. Cotto should win this, but it's probably an 8-4 type fight. And if the over is any kind of decent odds I'd bet the house.”

“Even though Clottey is a NY resident Cotto will be the the crowd favorite, Cotto fighting in NY is like Cotto fighting in Puerto Rico. I think Clottey does need to stop Cotto or completely dominate the fight he doesnt want this to go to decision otherwise, it's like fighting De La Hoya in Vegas.”

“I think Cotto Will have a rough time finding clottey, because of his defense. I am Leaning toward Clottey on this one. Cotto will impress me if he can win this one Decis ively.”

“DANGEROUS Fight for Cotto...”

“I like it. Clottey is a durable mofo and will make Cotto work for 12 rounds. It'll be a good fight, but Miguel will take over once Clottey begins to fade. Unification bout, good opponent on Cotto's resume and he's ready for a big fight in the 4th quarter.”

“Cotto, what can I say about this guy? He absolutely will fight ANYONE that is threat, we need more fighters like him in boxing.”

“Its an excellent bout but I see Cotto as being too skilled for Clottey. He just has to remember to work the body to make sure Clottey tires out by the middle of the fight. Like the Margarito fight this bout is potentially dangerous for Cotto because he's facing an opponent who is tough as nails and desperate for the recognition a win over Cotto would provide.”

“Clottey presents a good challenge, but I see Cotto's class shining through. Clottey has a good defense, but he doesn't have the long forearms like Winky, so he has to either protect his head or his body, and where ever he's guarding, Cotto will unleash on the openings. Clottey's guard is held higher most of the time, so look for some good bodywork to be put in by Cotto. IIRC, Clottey has never been stopped before, so this may just go the distance. But if Cotto finds his groove early and Clottey closes up, I could see a stoppage from body shots in the later rounds. Glad to be a boxing fan with a year like this!”

“Interesting, good to see Clottey get his shot. It is a huge step up in class for Cotto (from Jennings) so it will be interesting to see how he reacts to this matchup. Also to me Clottey has loads to prove at the worldclass level. It should be exciting though as both guys have a lot to prove, that is always a good sign going into a fight.”