Competing at Madison Square Garden on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade has proven to be a good thing for Miguel Cotto. He has never lost during this period.
Cotto has faced solid competition - Yuri Foreman, Joshua Clottey, Zab Judah, Paulie Malignaggi and Muhammad Abdullaev. But getting past Saturday night's opponent might prove the most difficult of all.
When Cotto steps in the ring he will be face to face with middleweight champion Sergio Martinez. On this night, Cotto, 33, will be a tad slower than in the previous meetings and will have significantly more career-damaging brawls under his belt.
After years of punch-for-punch showdowns, how many more hard-fought rounds can Cotto's supporters reasonably expect him to have in his tank? How many more solid blows to the head and body can he absorb, especially against a bigger man? Saturday night's tussle with Martinez will provide some answers.
Cotto isn't the fighter he used to be, say three years ago, but neither is Martinez; the WBC titleholder hasn't fully recovered from right knee surgery. What Cotto might have lost in physical ability, he is capable of off-setting with intelligence. If there is the slightest sign that Martinez, 39, is favoring his right knee, Cotto will make him pay.
Cotto rarely takes a backward step and won't do so Saturday night. And that could put him directly in the Martinez danger zone. A slugfest will entertain the expected sellout Garden crowd, more than 90 percent of which will be cheering for the Puerto Rico native.
But for the first in his professional career, Cotto might not be able to send his fans home happy on the night before the Puerto Rican Day Parade. If Martinez's knee doesn't hinder him, and Cotto (38-4-0 with 31 knockouts) opts for a toe-to-toe affair rather than a strategic boxing match, his chance of winning the WBC 160-pound belt will be greatly diminished.
Martinez claims he is healthy, that the knee will not be a factor on fight night. He predicts that Cotto won't make into the championship rounds.
"Camp was phenomenal; the gym was excellent; Miami was perfect. This is the best training camp that I have ever had in my entire career," said Martinez, who will take a record of 51-2-2 (28 knockouts) into the Garden. "I said it before and I am saying it again, there is no possible way that Cotto will make it out of the ninth round."
Martinez exude extreme confidence as he readies to go against the naturally smaller Cotto. But ring rust could quickly zap that confidence as Martinez has fought just once in a year and a half.
Cotto's ledger hasn't been overly impressive of late either. He has left the ring victorious just once in his three most recent outings.
The odds say Martinez's hand will be raised Saturday night when all is said and done. But Cotto will have youth on his side, the crowd in his corner and a chance to make history -- becoming the first Puerto Rican fighter to win titles in four weight classes -- urging him on.
The pick here is Martinez, but Cotto can't be completely counted out.
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