World Weekend Boxing Roundup: Cotto, Cuellar Retain Titles

A month before America’s explosive Independence Day celebrations, there were fireworks on both coasts of the US as world champions Miguel Cotto and Jesus Cuellar each retained their respective world titles with a bang.

Cotto, 40-4 (33), gunned down challenger Daniel Geale, 31-4 (16), shortly after poleaxing the Australian with a pinpoint left hook in the fourth round in front of 12,000 fans at Barclays Center in New York, successfully defending his WBC Middleweight crown for the first time.

From the start, Geale had difficulty with Cotto’s style of constantly bouncing on his toes, providing a moving target that the challenger rarely seemed to hit.

The champion didn’t exhibit any signs of ring rust after his year long hiatus from the sport but in the early going had trouble landing a head shot on Geale, who used good footwork and upper body movement to stay out of trouble.

Cotto then started to focus on body shots, which slowed down Geale, already weakened from difficulty making the contracted 157 lb catchweight.

Geale removed his advantages of height and reach by crouching to the level of the champion and didn’t use the jab, allowing Cotto to operate at peak efficiency.

By the third, Cotto was starting to score with headshots to accompany the body blows and Geale was rocked at the end of the frame.

During an exchange on the inside in the fourth round, Cotto detonated a full-blooded left hook that Geale never saw coming. The former champion fell straight onto his back yet somehow regained his feet in time to beat the count.

Cotto went right to work and Geale was soon down a second time from shots to the forehead and temple. Although Geale was right back on his feet, his wobbly legs told another story, which Mt Annan man confirmed when he shook his head at referee Harvey Dock, who waved the contest off at 1:28 of the fourth.

It was a masterful showing by Cotto, who will reportedly defend his title next against ex-WBC/WBA light middle champ Saul “Canelo” Alvarez later this year.

That should be a more competitive contest for Cotto as Alvarez should have no problem making 157 pounds at the weigh-in….

Heading way over to the left, we land at the outdoor venue StubHub Center in Carson, CA where WBA featherweight king Jesus Marcelo Andres Cuellar, 27-1 (21), met the challenge posed by former two-weight world champion Vic Darchinyan, 40-8-1 (29), in an all-southpaw battle.

11 years younger and a career featherweight, Cuellar just walked through 39 year old former flyweight Darchinyan’s best power shots without much trouble and round by round broke down the resistance of the Australian.

In the eighth, Cuellar dropped Darchinyan hard with an overhand right. When action resumed, the champion from Argentina was pummeling the defenseless challenger on the ropes, prompting referee Tom Taylor to stop the contest at 1:04 of the round.

Cuellar could be headed for a big fight with former three-weight world champ Abner Mares, who has won three straight since losing his WBC featherweight title two years ago and has been looking for an opportunity to regain his elite status.

The undercard in Carson saw former two-weight world champ Robert Guerrero, 33-3-1 (18), have to come off the floor to post a split decision over hand-picked opponent Aaron Martinez, 19-4-1 (4).

Despite over a year out of the ring, Martinez showed a lot of grit and determination, giving the much more experienced Guerrero all he could handle.

It was a grueling contest waged in clinches on the ropes or head to head in the middle of the ring. At the end of the fourth round, Guerrero was nailed with a succession of short shots on the ropes and appeared to be out on his feet before falling to his knees, rising at the count of seven before being saved by the bell.

Guerrero was getting beaten up in the fifth but regrouped in the middle rounds by staying away from the trenches and boxing. Martinez continued to go forward the rest of the way as Guerrero relied on his long experience to get through this difficult bout.

The scorecards showed Guerrero winning two by margins of 95-94 and a far too wide 97-92 while Martinez was awarded the third 95-94.

Given the close nature of the bout, expect to see a rematch.