With the lights of the boxing world centered in Vegas around “the Money Fight” between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor, everyone seems to be forgetting about the real boxing fight of the day taking place at the Stub Hub Center in Carson, California.
In case you haven’t heard, also on Saturday night, Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto (40-5, 33 KO’s) will fight against Japanese boxer Yosihiro Kamegai (27-3-2, 24 KO) for the vacant WBO World Super Welterweight title.
After all, in Cotto we are talking about a boxer that will most likely end in the Boxing Hall of Fame, as he’s the only Puerto Rican who has conquered belts in four different divisions – junior welter, welter, junior middle and middleweight – and with a resume that we hardly see any more among active fighters. Cotto, after all, has faced the best of his era, from Floyd Mayweather to Manny Pacquiao.
Kamegai is one of those fighters that may not possess many technical skills and usually bullies his opponents with constant flurries of punches throughout the fight. Just watch his bouts against Robert Guerrero and Jesus Soto Karass to see the kind of action the Puerto Rican will be facing on Saturday.
A week before or after the Mayweather-McGregor show and this real boxing fight would have received another kind of attention, another kind of media coverage, but right now hardly anyone is talking about it.
The hoopla around the Mayweather-McGregor event has been unprecedented and it could become the most heavily bet match in boxing history. The damage to the Cotto vs Kamegai is done, but it doesn’t mean the less promoted fight is not worth viewing.
The sad thing is that Cotto has not been in the ring since he lost in November 2015 against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and who knows if you will see him again. He states that he may have one more fight left in him, but he will not fight beyond December of this year. That fight, of course, would only take place if he defeats Kamegai, because if he loses he may be forced to an early retirement.
In any case, Cotto deserves recognition for his 16-year boxing career and this fight could have been the ideal way to do it. Too bad the real boxing event of the day is being overshadowed by the circus act taking place in Vegas.
Prediction: Cotto Defeats Kamegai Via Unanimous Decision
Fight Line: Miguel Cotto (-525) vs Yoshihiro Kamegai (+365)
