Photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank
Saturday, October 5, 2013, HBO World Championship Boxing is back with an exciting fight card featuring Miguel Cotto vs. Delvin Rodriguez in the main event from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.
Opening up the evening was a replay of Wladimir Klitschko‘s one-sided victory over Alexander Povetkin.
The first televised bout from Orlando was Terence Crawford vs. Andrey Klimov in a 10-round Lightweight contest.
Terence Crawford was the more skilled fighter tonight in Orlando, Florida. Using his reach, speed, and boxing ability, Crawford was able to make his way to an easy unanimous decision.
It was a decision even the judges in Las Vegas couldn’t have screwed up.
The first round looked pretty much like the final round did. Crawford was able to take away Klimov’s jab early, as he countered with a jab of his own and a straight cross from a very safe distance.
Klimov’s team had no answers, and could not seem to come up with a second gameplan as the fight became increasingly one sided.
All judges had it 100-90 as Crawford improves to (22-0, 16 KOs), while Klimov suffers his first loss with 16 wins and 8 KOs. The question now is, who’s next for Crawford?
In the main event, Miguel Cotto wanted one more chance in his career and he got it. It became clear very early in this fight that Rodriguez had no business being in the ring with him.
Cotto began the fight coming forward, just as Freddie Roach said he would. Cotto stepped in with his jab, landed hooks to the body and to the chin.
In the second round, he landed a solid right hand and finished it with a left hook that nearly put Rodriguez to sleep.
At this point, it became clear to everyone watching that Cotto did not come here to box Rodriguez, he came to fight him. Cotto landed a left hook early in the third round, which forced the referee to stop the fight.
Rodriguez was on the ground and he looked finished. Even the referee recognized that Rodriguez could not handle the pressure that Cotto was giving him.
Cotto has decisively made a return to the ring. Does this mean that a fight with Saul Alvarez is next, in what will probably be a Fight of the Year contender?
Or will a rejuvenated Cotto seek to fight Trout again, now that his style has changed and he has the confidence to pressure a taller fighter?
Either way, Cotto is back and he has made a serious statement.
