Miguel Cotto takes on Delvin Rodriguez in jr. middleweight bout Oct. 5
Puerto Rico’s Miguel Cotto will return to the ring this Saturday, October 5 in a 12-round junior middleweight bout against Delvin Rodriguez of the Dominican Republic in Orlando, Florida. The former world champion Cotto will be entering the ring with a record of 37-4 along with 30 Kos while Rodriguez’s mark is 28-6-3 with 16 Kos. The contest will be broadcast live in North America on the HBO network.
Cotto has won world titles in three different weight divisions and is a four-time champion, but the veteran is 32 years old now and past his prime. He’s still a fine boxer and dangerous puncher though, but seemed to be out of his element when he took on Austin Trout last December and dropped a unanimous decision to the American. Trout then lost his world title a few months later against Saul Alvarez by unanimous decision.
The 33-year-old Rodriguez has fought for a world title on two occasions, but came up short both times. He dropped a unanimous decision to Trout for the WBA title in June of 2012 and was beaten by a split decision for the vacant IBF Welterweight crown by Isaac Hlatshwayo back in 2009. He’s won his last two fights by knockout over journeymen boxers, but he should at least have some confidence from the stoppages.
Cotto is now working with famed trainer Freddie Roach and he’s hoping this change will help get his career back on the right track after two straight losses, the other being a unanimous decision to Floyd Mayweather in May of last year. Roach said Cotto knows what he’s supposed to do in the ring, but he just hasn’t been able to get his body to listen to his mind in his last couple of bouts. He will probably find Rodriguez to be a better boxer than his record indicates as the is good on the inside and carries decent power in his fists.
Cotto is an aggressive fighter, but he doesn’t always throw enough punches. Perhaps this is because he’s focused on landing quality power shots rather than the quantity of punches. To control the action against Rodriguez he’ll need to pick up the pace and keep his hands busy. He also needs to be wary of the space between himself and his opponent.
The good news for the Puerto Rican is that Rodriguez often presents himself as a stationary target and this is what Cotto likes due to his punching accuracy and power. Rodriguez is a good boxer, but not an elite one. He’s average defensively and his hand speed is about the same standard.
Rodriguez will have about a three inch height and reach advantage against Cotto, but Cotto is still the better all-round fighter. Cotto has been stopped twice in his career by Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito while Rodriguez was stopped once by Jesse Feliciano, so neither of them is indestructible. This matchup should produce some good action and entertainment. Whoever imposes their will from the outset should take this bout by a decision or possibly a late stoppage. This should be Cotto.
