| 12 March 2011
We're just about set for the main event from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It's Miguel Cotto taking on Ricardo Mayorga for Cotto's WBA light middleweight title.
Julio Cesar Chavez, Antonio Margarito, Zab Judah, Curtis Martin, Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson are just a few of the athletes on hand to take in the action. Steve Albert, Al Bernstein and Antonio Tarver are calling the shots on this Showtime-produced pay-per-view.
Before we get down to business, we have the national anthems of Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and the United States. It sounds like a very live crowd on hand tonight.
A video package gives Mayorga's typically boastful take on the fight. He doesn't think Cotto is the same fighter after taking so much abuse during his career. Cotto says Mayorga can be surprising sometimes but he'll just fight his own fight, and it will be enough to win.
Dressed in blue and white, Mayorga makes his way out first. El Matador is 29-7-1 with 23 KOs, but he's fought just once since losing to Shane Mosley in September 2008.
Cotto is clad in his customary Ecko gear as he makes his ring walk. He owns a 35-2 pro record and is making his 18th appearance in a world title bout.
The tale of the tape shows that Mayorga has a two-inch advantage in height and reach. However he is eight years older than Cotto and hasn't always kept himself in the greatest shape in-between fights.
Jimmy Lennon Jr. does the official introductions, and referee Robert Byrd is the third man in the ring. We're all set for a scheduled 12 rounds for Cotto's 154-pound belt.
Round 1
Cotto flicks out the first jab and Mayorga engages in a bit of wrestling. A brief exchange has both men landing power shots. Mayorga swings away with both hands. Cotto goes to the body and head with left hooks. Cotto settles down with a jab or three. Mayorga is warned for low shots. He goes back to work with some chopping right hands. Cotto avoids some shots and sneaks in a jab and a left hook. Mayorga lands a left hook to the body and eats a counter shot in return. These guys aren't getting cheated at all.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Cotto
Round 2
Cotto chases Mayorga back but gets caught with a left hook, and Ricardo batters him. Cotto turns him around and we've got a fight on our hands now. Both men dig to the body. Mayorga looks unusually light on his feet. Cotto scores with a right. Mayorga shakes off a jab, then gets hit with another one. Cotto tries a left hook that is partially blocked. Mayorga lands a left uppercut but also takes a counter shot.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Mayorga
Round 3
Mayorga comes out with a big right that is blocked. Cotto tries some combination punching upstairs. Both fighters lean into right hands. Mayorga waves Cotto into the corner and begs for a brawl. Cotto calmly throws shots from the outside. Mayorga ducks several shots out in the center of the ring. Cotto attacks the body as he stays on his toes. Miguel scores again with a right at the bell.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Cotto
Round 4
Mayorga refused to sit down between rounds. He's entertaining even when he's not boxing. Cotto gets hit with a left hook but quickly responds. Mayorga circles around for a few seconds. Cotto sneaks jabs in whenever he can. Mayorga fires some more wide shots as they trade left hooks. Mayorga slips awkwardly on the Tecate logo. Cotto blocks some punches with his gloves and goes to the body, but Mayorga comes charging off the corner with a wild flurry.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Cotto
Round 5
Cotto comes forward immediately and lands to the body and head. An uppercut gets through and seems to stun Mayorga just a bit. Ricardo charges off the ropes but Cotto backs up a step and fires. Miguel drops the hammer with both hands to the body. Mayorga stops the advance with two right hands to the head. There's a sharp right by Cotto. Ricardo clubs with the right before getting clinched. Cotto lands another combo that does some damage. Mayorga is getting hit often but is still dangerous with the right. Mayorga tries to flurry again in the closing moments.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Cotto
Round 6
Cotto's jab controls the opening 20 seconds. Mayorga swings and misses twice before eating an uppercut. Nice movement by Miguel as he dodges a series of punches. Kind of a lull compared to some of the frenzied exchanges from the earlier rounds. Mayorga lands to the body, making Cotto retreat to jabbing range. Mayorga lands a right and an uppercut. Cotto fires back with a left hook and an uppercut. Cotto stings his foe with a right at the bell.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Cotto
Round 7
Jim Gray talks to Mike Tyson between rounds. He thinks Floyd Mayweather will fight again. Cotto lands a left hook, but Mayorga comes right back with a strong body shot and some head shots. They stand and trade with both men scoring. Ricardo steps forward to land an uppercut. Cotto swings and misses as Mayorga shakes his head. Cotto has to be quick to avoid another big rush. Mayorga stuns Cotto with a right hand and throws repeated short rights to follow. Cotto backs away and is completely on the defensive for the last 10 seconds.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Mayorga
Round 8
Mayorga gets an early warning for rabbit punching as he complains of getting head butted. Cotto stays on the outside and throws jabs and left hooks. Mayorga hammers with way forward with right hands and takes a counter left. Cotto jabs and has to cover up as left hooks are coming. Miguel picks his spots in-between Ricardo's swings. Cotto lands a few sharp jabs and backs off as Mayorga comes forward again.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Cotto
Round 9
Press row scorers have Cotto up by four or six points. Mayorga enjoys some early success with a left hook that knocks Cotto off balance. The champ goes back to his jab but quickly finds himself under assault again. There's another nice combination from Mayorga. Cotto lands several shots that are answered in kind by his foe. Mayorga has to hold up to avoid hitting Cotto behind the head in a clinch. Mayorga fires an uppercut and nearly connects with the following shots. Both men scramble for the final 10 seconds.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Mayorga
Round 10
Both fighters are fairly cautious for the first minute. Mayorga shows his disdain for a left hook. Cotto jabs and comes up empty on the rest of his combination. Cotto's jab is landing regularly. Three in a row knock Mayorga's head back. Mayorga lands a left hook that forces Coto to retreat. Mayorga hooks around the guard and lands a right hand. Close round thanks to the late work by Mayorga but most of it was controlled by Cotto's boxing.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Cotto
Round 11
This looks a lot like the previous round for 30 seconds. Mayorga finally times a charge pretty well and lands a few shots. He plays to the crowd again trying to entice Cotto into a brawl. Miguel is too smart to fall for that. Cotto strikes with two jabs. There are a few more as Mayorga does some more mugging.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Cotto
Round 12
Cotto nails Mayorga with a left hand in the first 10 seconds and he goes down. Ricardo gets up, but he looks like his hand may be injured. Cotto closes in, but Mayorga says something to the ref and it's all over. Antonio Tarver thinks Mayorga may have a broken hand.
The winner by TKO at 0:53 of Round 12... and still WBA light middleweight titleholder... Miguel Cotto.
Jim Gray speaks to Cotto first, and Miguel says he was happy to get the finish. He says Mayorga wasn't able to get him out of his calm.
Cotto says Mayorga is still a strong fighter at 38 with heavy hands that can give anyone a problem. He was a little surprised that Mayorga could not continue because of his toughness.
Asked about reconsidering a rematch with Margarito, Cotto simply says the Tijuana Tornado is one of the top guys still, and he wants to fight the top guys.
Before talking to Gray, Mayorga tells Cotto he meant no offense during the pre-fight build-up and was simply interested in promoting the show. He also talks about his left hand, saying some time during the final exchange, he hurt his left hand and was unable to even make a fist.
Mayorga tells Gray that he needs to be realistic and that it is time to retire.
