I know it doesn't take a genius to point out that boxing is a tough sport. But it needs to be said anyway. Take a look at what has transpired in the last few weeks. Jermain Taylor gets beat by Kelly Pavlik again. You can spin it anyway you want, Taylor is and should continue to be one of the better fighters in the world, yet he can't seem to be able to defeat Pavlik. Pavlik seems to have the ability to master Taylor no matter what Jermain does. It remains to be seen if Pavlik can dominate the middleweight division for any long stretch of time, but we know he will make the effort. That being said even when you are on top like Taylor was someone is always waiting to take you down.

No better proof of that than Juan Diaz. If not universally regarded as the number one lightweight, he was at the very least number two in the discussion. Diaz had deposed and disposed of two reigning champions in his previous two fights. In beating Acelino Freitas and Julio Diaz, Juan Diaz had established himself as an aggressive, assertive, relatively young champion who should have been the lightweight king for as long as he wanted to be. He made two very courageous fighters in Freitas and Julio Diaz quit in the corners. Juan Diaz will never be known as a one-punch knockout artist, but his consistent, thudding attack sapped the will from his opponents. Against Nate Campbell however the tables were turned. Campbell became the aggressor, refusing to be intimidated, refusing to give in. Instead it was Diaz who looked beaten, it was Diaz who had his will taken away, it was Diaz who had to fight from behind. Not only did Juan Diaz lose the fight, he just may have lost the aura that made other fighters wary of him, and in the process may have been exposed as the type of fighter who may be more than beatable.

Much has been said about Paul Williams, the formerly undefeated welterweight. Much of it had been said right here. Williams was and remains to be an intriguing fighter. Tall, long, and busy. As a welterweight weighing in at a weight of 147 pounds, a man should not have a reach greater than heavyweight belt holder Wladamir Klitschko. While enjoying that reach advantage he should then not be able to throw more than a hundred punches a round. As it was stated hear the physical anomaly of Williams made him an extremely tough fighter to deal with. that being said, Carlos Quintana must not read my stuff. If he were the only one. Anyway, it seems that Quintana ignored the conventional wisdom that led most all learned boxing people to view his fight against Williams as a tune-up bout for Williams. Considering the closest Quintana had come to winning the welterweight belt was in a beatdown by Miguel Cotto in 2006 where he refused to report for the sixth round. Quintana was a fine fighter at lower weights but didn't seem to be able to stand up at welter, especially against a large welter such as Williams. Instead he waded through whatever Williams had to offer, exposing Williams as a slapping, arm-punching fighter who at this point is lacking technique both offensively and defensively. It has been said that Williams high offensive output amounted to a stout defense. Quintana proved that to be a fallacy and then some. I thought that Williams, with a little refinement, could be the next great thing in the sport, but remember it is a tough sport.

With all this being said Miguel Cotto needs to be at his best. Trumpeted as the true welterweight king, Cotto has the type of style that robs opponents of their desire to fight. He does not own a KO at welterweight with his stoppages coming as a result of a relentless, thudding body attack. One has to wonder if he is a larger version of Juan Diaz, whom if stood up to may have trouble finding a way to close the deal. He appears to be one tough fighter, but remember it is a tough sport.

 

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