Do we begin to criticize Cotto if he fights Chavez Jr. in his next fight?

[amat]

Nobody has fought better competition more consistently then Cotto in the last 10 years. I really believe that, he has ALWAYS taken the toughest fight possible from all the way back to fighting Maussa, Pinto and Torres. His only gimme fights really were Jennings and Gomez, one to set up the Margarito fight and the other to recover from it. Foreman is a top JMW for sure and how many made Foreman a very live dog in that one? Many here picked him. I don't think Cotto is 'mostly shot' either. When he's getting knocked out by guys like Chavez and Saul Alvarez then we call him shot. This fight with Chavez isn't even that bad of a fight. People want this guy Junior to step up prematurely, and he probably will. When he does, he's going to regret caving in to those pressures.

[Rantcatrat]

Nobody has fought better competition more consistently then Cotto in the last 10 years. I really believe that, he has ALWAYS taken the toughest fight possible from all the way back to fighting Maussa, Pinto and Torres. His only gimme fights really were Jennings and Gomez, one to set up the Margarito fight and the other to recover from it. Foreman is a top JMW for sure and how many made Foreman a very live dog in that one? Many here picked him. I don't think Cotto is 'mostly shot' either. When he's getting knocked out by guys like Chavez and Saul Alvarez then we call him shot. This fight with Chavez isn't even that bad of a fight. People want this guy Junior to step up prematurely, and he probably will. When he does, he's going to regret caving in to those pressures.

I completely agree that Cotto fought some of the best competition of anyone at or around that weight between like 05 and 09. No doubt. I think everyone considered Foreman a live dog, but also almost everyone thought Cotto would win. Foreman was tougher than expected. My point basically is that Cotto fought the toughest at 147 like a warrior, but now at 154, he doesn't seem to be doing the same kind of cleaning out the division that he did at 147 if he fights Chavez, and you would think that Cotto being the warrior he is, would do exactly that. Like the great promoter he is, I think it was Arum's idea for him to move up to 154 so that he could face Foreman, a fight he would win, and then face Chavez Jr., a big money fight he should probably win, and then retire. I'm just saying I don't see him stepping up and fighting Martinez, Dzinziruk, Williams, Kirkland, Angulo, Cintron. I may be wrong of course.

[Pavlik]

I will commend Miguel if he fights Junior. Darn JCC jnr will have a huge size advantage over Miguel if ever, I'm rootin for Cotto!!!

[C-Lo]

Torres, Malignaggi, Quintana, Judah, Mosley, Margarito, Pacquiao, Clottey. He fought all those guys within a 4 year span. I don't think Cotto should get criticized at all for taking this fight.

I'm happy to see Chavez Jr. finally fighting someone worth fighting. (So I can see him get his a$$ beat!)

[Julius Rain]

I wouldn't criticize cotto for fighting chavez jr at all. I see this as a test for both fighters. If Chavez jr gets a win over cotto then he is truly a top contender and not just a big name. If cotto smashes Chavez then Cotto proves he is still a top fighter. I do not think highly of chavez jr and I do not believe Cotto is washed up, so I think cotto will get the win but Chavez jr will prove he is not far off from the top.

[:::PSL:::]

Still not a cakewalk fight for Cotto.

[ono]

It'll be his gimmee fight for next year. He's been having 1 per year for the last 4 or so years.

I'll not judge til after 2006 as he wasn't the finished article really.

But in 2007 there was Urkal

In 2008 there was Alfonso Gomez

In 2009 there was Michael Jennings

In 2010 there was Yuri Foreman

In 20011 there will be JCCjr


None of those guys are terrible, but neither have or would ever have any realistic chance of beating Cotto. I can understand the rationale behind some of the fights as he was coming off losses, and Gomez will have been a fairly decent money spinner. So will JCCjr so i can't fault him for taking the fight. Easy money. His legacy is pretty much sealed anyway. We probably know all we will ever know about him. So while their might be disappointment around him taking the fight, i can definitely see the appeal behind it.