Boxing Result: Cotto Stops Quintana To Win WBA Welter Title

Click for larger image © Tom Casino / Showtime Boxing

Last night at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, Miguel Cotto successfully made the transition from light welter to welterweight, battering reigning WBA 147 lb Champion Carlos Quintana over the course of five rounds to the point where the southpaw declined to answer the bell for the sixth.

It wasn’t all one way traffic however as the two men from Puerto Rico engaged in a thrilling bout that saw Quintana put his southpaw quickness to good use early but it was the greater experience of Cotto that began to turn the tide as the contest entered the middle stages.

The lights began to fad for Quintana in the fifth when Cotto’s trademark left hook to the body canvassed the champion. The younger man regained his feet but was soon back on the floor from the challenger’s follow up assault to end the fifth.

When the bell rang for the sixth round, Quintana, 23-1 (18), declined to continue, thereby crowning Miguel Cotto, 28-0 (23), the new WBA Welterweight Champion.

FULL SHOWTIME BOXING REPORT…

COTTO STOPS QUINTANA AFTER FIVE;
MARGARITO WORKS UNANIMOUS DECISION

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING closed out its 20th anniversary year with a brilliant welterweight doubleheader Saturday from Boardwalk Hall. In the main event, Miguel Cotto won the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) 147-pound crown by disposing of fellow Puerto Rican Carlos Quintana by technical knockout at the end of the fifth round. In the co-main event, dynamic power puncher Antonio Margarito retained his World Boxing Organization (WBO) title with a unanimous decision over Joshua Clottey.

Bob Arum’s Top Rank, Inc., in association with Northeast Promotions and Caesars Atlantic City, promoted the stellar night of boxing on SHOWTIME. The bouts aired at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

Cotto and Quintana, both Puerto Rican, both unbeaten and ranked No. 1 and 2 respectively by the WBA, engaged in a fierce battle right from the opening bell. The opening rounds featured numerous, fast-paced exchanges with both fighters doing effective work.

In the fourth, Quintana delivered some body shots that slowed Cotto’s attack momentarily. But the experience and relentless style of Cotto proved to be too much.

In the fifth, Cotto switched to southpaw and dominated the early part of the round with combinations to the head. Cotto’s quick hands and precise delivery began to cause swelling on both of his opponent’s eyes. Late in the round, Cotto delivered a hook to the liver. Quintana staggered, backed up and went down on one knee, reeling.

When he got to his feet, Cotto scored a second knockdown. Quintana again recovered and survived the final seconds to retreat to his corner.

Referee Steve Smoger stopped the contest between rounds on the advice of the ringside physician.

“I looked at Carlos and he was not responsive,” said Smoger. “The corner was very brave in asking for another round, but the fight was over.”

After the fight, Cotto spoke with SHOWTIME’s Jim Gray in the ring. “The liver shot hurt him. I could feel it. That was the punch that finished the fight.

“I feel great, very comfortable at 147. Puerto Rico is the home of great champions. Felix Trinidad, Wilfredo Gomez, Carlos Ortiz. I dream to one day be like them and I am on my way.”

Cotto remains undefeated at 28-0, 23 KO’s while Quintana, failing in his first world title fight, falls to 23-1, 18 KO’s.

In the opening bout on the telecast, Tijuana, Mexico’s Margarito predicted a war in his bout with the tough and game African challenger. Clottey, of Bronx, N.Y., via Accra, Ghana, was 10-0 with one no-contest in his last 11 fights, and he showed why early on. Ripping short left hooks and jabs with tremendous hand speed, Clottey won the second, third and fourth rounds on two of three scorecards. In the third, he stunned Margarito with a right hand to the head and repeatedly landed four- and five-punch combinations.

But Margarito, traditionally a slow starter, took control in the fifth round. With Clottey covering up and hardly throwing any punches, Margarito began to punish Clottey with a barrage of powerful punches to the body and the head.

After the fourth, Clottey came to his corner complaining of pain in his left hand. From that point, his work rate slowed and he absorbed tremendous punishment for the remainder of the match.

“I hurt my hand in training about two weeks ago,” said Clottey after the bout. “But I wanted to take the fight because I am a warrior. I felt it hurting with my jab. I have a very strong jab. I didn’t want to quit. That is not my style. But once I broke my hand, I could not fight anymore.”

“He showed true grit and heart against a murderous puncher in this fight,” said SHOWTIME analyst Al Bernstein of Clottey, who drops to 30-2, 1 NC, 20 KOs. “It would be right for this young man to get another world title shot in the near future.”

With a relentless, crowd-pleasing style, Margarito dominated the remaining rounds, except the last, on all three judges’ cards.

By scores of 118-109 and 116-112 twice, Margarito improved to 34-4, 1 NC, 24 KO’s.

“Margarito, always the puncher, showed some defensive and technical deficiencies in the fight, something that will not bode well for him in his next fight.”

No doubt, Margarito’s mandatory challenger Paul Williams was watching the bout somewhere on Saturday night.

The bout(s) will re-air this week as follows:

Monday at 8 p.m. ET/PT SHO EXTREME
Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT SHOTOO
Wednesday at 11 p.m. ET/PT SHOWTIME