Betting Tip - Miguel Cotto vs. Michael Jennings
Published February 19, 2009 by Martin Bean
Chorley’s Michael Jennings (34-1, 16 KO’s) attempts what seems to be ‘Mission Impossible’ this Saturday night (21st February 2009) as he takes on Puerto Rican sensation, Miguel Cotto at New York City’s renowned Madison Square Garden.
Whilst on paper their records might indicate that this is a 50/50 match – Cotto is 32-1 (26 KO’s) following his defeat to the now disgraced Antonio Margarito last time out – closer inspection of the fighters records reveal a stark difference; Jennings has barely operated at beyond domestic title level in Britain throughout his career whereas Cotto has operated at World level since 2004 when taking the WBO Light Welterweight Title from the highly touted, then unbeaten Kelson Pinto.
However, whilst that fact alone and the bookmakers odds (Cotto starts an overwhelming 1/20 favourite) suggest this fight is a formality for Cotto, it might not be so straightforward. Cotto lost to Antonio Margarito last time out in a severely gruelling contest, the type of contest that some fighters simply never recover from, physically or mentally. So how much has the Margarito loss taken out of Cotto?
Styles could also make this fight interesting. Cotto is an aggressive box fighter but Jennings has underrated boxing ability himself. Whilst not being known as a big puncher, Jennings has good, sharp footwork, quick hands and is a tenacious, gritty character. Remember, for Jennings this is the fight of his life and he will have left no stone unturned in his preparations, so if Cotto has slipped, this could be much more difficult than expected.
So, how will the action pan out? I expect Cotto to come out strongly as he looks to send out a message that he is still a force to be reckoned with in the 147lb Welterweight division. Jennings will clearly be nervous and is sure to sit on the back foot early on. Jennings will have some success by landing some sharp shots as Cotto moves forward, however, there won’t be enough power behind those punches to deter Cotto.
Cotto will continue to march forward, whipping in sharp, viscous hooks, including some hurtful body shots. Jennings will fight gamely but not be able to make a dent in the resurgent Cotto. I don’t see Jennings going out meekly like Gary Lockett did against Kelly Pavlik, but he will be broken down and stopped in around 5 by a fiercely focused Cotto.
Possibly the biggest problem Jennings has is that he is a box-fighter himself and not averse to getting involved. If he was a ‘pure’ boxer who liked to hit and move sharply, he could cause a lot of trouble her. But, the problem for Jennings is that he will end up getting involved and will be unable to cope with Cotto’s power.
BOXING CAPITAL TIP - Miguel Cotto to Win by KO in rounds 4-6 @ 2/1 (Skybet)
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