Saturday, April 12, 2008

Cotto, Margarito, Tarver and Dawson win their fights Tonight


Someday in the distant future, Alfonso Gomez' grandson is going to ask him " Grandpa, did you really fight one of the greatest fighters in the world? For a championship? What happened, did you win?" And he'll reply or should reply "No grandson, but I gave it everything I had and I never took a backward step, I just wasn't good enough, but it was an honor just to be in the same ring with a fighter like Miguel Cotto!"

That pretty much sums it up for me. That Miguel Cotto is an infinitely superior fighter is beyond dispute. It was evident from the first round. In the second round, Gomez slipped and it was wrongly ruled a knockdown by referee Earl Brown but in the long run none of it mattered. Cotto was too good, too fast, and too strong, too much of everything. There is not too much to say. It was a vigorous workout for Cotto and nothing more.

I was pulling for Gomez, and like so many of his fans, hoping beyond hope that he would find some way to beat the odds. His corner never really had an answer for anything, especially the body shots. Like their fighter, they too were in over their heads. Gomez has nothing to be ashamed of. He did what he could and he fought with courage. What more can we ask of anyone? The fight was stopped by the doctor after the fifth round and rightly so. If he hadn't, someone might have went to jail.

Someday in the distant future Miguel Cotto's grandson might ask him "Grandpa, who was the bravest fighter you ever fought?" His answer just might be "Alfonso Gomez".


The fight between Antonio Margarito and Kermit Cintron was a little better of a fight. Margarito started aggressive and stayed aggressive throughout the fight. He had already ruined Cintron's
psyche in their first fight on April 23, 2005. You could see the difference in the way they threw their punches. Margarito threw with confidence, with accuracy and consistently. Cintron threw his punches hoping for the best and that was the difference. It was stopped in the 1:57 of the six round by a devastating left to the body that took what was left of Cintron's will. It was painful to watch.

Showtime Boxing
Antonio Tarver vs Clinton Woods
Chad Dawson vs Glen Johnson
The Saint Pete Times Forum, Tampa, Florida

Over at Showtime, Antonio Tarver had his way with Clinton Woods and churned out a lopsided unanimous decision. It wasn't unexpected. I'm not sure what is in store for Tarver but he seems to be following in the footsteps of James Toney in that he talks a lot of smack and at times, fights lazy. I wouldn't take anything for granted, especially if he has to fight either Chad Dawson or Glen Johnson, who put on a good show of their own earlier in the evening, with Dawson winning a controversial decision over Johnson. It was a tough fight to judge but I might have given the edge to Johnson, in a fight that turned out to be a war.

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