COTTO'S RECORD REMAINS PERFECT

Photos by Will Hart

As most fights go, the battle between Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto revolved around lots of comparisions. Mosley's speed vs. Cotto's power, Cotto's youth against Mosley's experience. Commentators wondered if Mosley could weather the storm out of Puerto Rico that Cotto is known for: contstant pressure in the form of body punches, stamina and ring generalship. Cotto is a fighter whose best performances are often manifested in the later rounds of fights -- he drives his opponents to the mat out of sheer will and constant slugging.

Tonight, however, saw two boxers trading in expectations for surprising versatility. Mosley's flurry-based attacks gave way to caution and concentration on Cotto's body, and Cotto, late in the fight, began out-jabbing Mosley, an outcome not expected by many. The result was a hard-earned unanimous decision for Cotto in a fight that many had as close as a draw going into the final round.

"He really mixed it up and did a great job out there," Mosley said. "For a guy to be going in the ring like that and the way I was fight, and he kept fighting back, that's what made it a great fight."

It was close action the entire night, with many rounds up in the air as each fighter returned punch for punch and counter for counter. The final CompuBox numbers were an example of how close the fight was: Both fighters landed exactly 248 punches(see sidebar), a first according to CompuBox.

"Mosley hit me with some real hard punches. However, I trained in camp with speed and movement and to face his kind of power," Cotto said in his post-fight interview. Cotto's ability to weather all of Mosley's attacks while still maintaining pressure drove Mosley around the ring early in the fight, often times leaving the fighter little chance but to stall for time as the bullish Puerto Rican stalked him.

It was Mosley though who started picking up the speed and applying pressure in the later rounds, resulting in the final moments of the fight going to either fighter as each rallied for final points. Mosley began to reestablish a jab that had served him well earlier in the fight. The crowd, primarily pro-Cotto, began to change their tune, cheering for Mosley, as the back and forth action began to win some of the audience over.

Cotto ultimately cleaned the cards, coming out 115-113 (2x) and 116-113, to score another victory on top of an already spotless career.