By Robert Soucy ringside
Miguel Cotto TKO 10 Sergio Martinez
Miguel Cotto was seconds away from knocking out Sergio Martinez in the first round but somehow Sergio Martinez survived three knockdowns. Cotto picked up right where Julio Cesar Chavez left off as he battered Martinez who took several rounds to get his legs back under him. The widespread belief coming into the fight was that Martinez would be too fast, too slick, too big, and too strong for Cotto, but shockingly, it was Martinez that couldn’t take Cotto’s power.
In the first round Cotto landed a huge left hook that staggered Martinez. Moments later a grazing left hook sent an already badly hurt Martinez to the canvas. “Maravilla” beat the count but was in big trouble. Cotto stalked the champ and put him down again with a right hand. Cotto’s dominance continued as Martinez went down a third time more from the punishment previously suffered. Martinez was able to get out of the first round but the tone for a one sided fight was set.
Cotto continued to stalk Martinez and hurt him with seemingly every left hook the head. Martinez’ legs were still shot but it was because of the big shots he took in round one and not because of his surgically repaired knee. Cotto seemed to turn back the clock and become the seek and destroy fighter that ruled the 140 lb weight class years ago. The fight looked the same from round two through eight as Cotto was winning each with his left hook to the head and good body work. He mixed in his right hand occasionally but Martinez had no answer for Cotto’s left hand.
In round 9 Cotto scored a fourth knockdown but it appeared to be a blunder by referee Michael Griffin. The two fighters got tangled but neither Martinez’ knee or glove appeared to touch the canvas. After round nine the martinez corner stopped the fight and Miguel Cotto was the WBC Middleweight Champion of the world as he became the first Puerto Rican to win a world title in a fourth weight class.
