On December 1, 2012, Madison Square Garden hosted the Main Event between Miguel Cotto (37-4 with 30 KOs) v. Austin Trout (26-0 with 14 KOs). Both fighters have excellent records. However, Trout is still the WBA Superwelterweight Champ.
This 12 round fight was very even until the 10th round. Cotto progressively lost steam, missed shots often and could not connect with enough power punches by the end of the fight. The 11th and 12th rounds were comfortably in Trout's favor, which helped him win the fight in a unanimous decision.
Cotto won rounds 3, 5, 6 and 9, whereas Trout won rounds 10, 11 and 12, finishing the fight convincingly. The earlier rounds were very much tied, as were the 7th and 8th. There were two low blows to Cotto. One was in the early rounds and another in the 9th. No points were deducted, and therefore, these low blows did not affect the outcome of the scoring of this fight (and would not have even if deductions had been made).
Trout is the younger fighter at 27. He's taller with significantly better reach. In addition, his superior conditioning showed in the later rounds. Cotto displayed a good ability to punish Trout's body in the earlier rounds through the 9th round. He progressively lost steam after that. On the other hand, Trout picked up steam and looked far more relaxed with superior punching power by the end of the 12th round. One judge scored the bout 119-109, with the other two scoring it 117-111, all in Trout's favor.
To prevail against Trout, Cotto needs to train harder. Specifically, he needs a firmer schedule of running together with sprints. In addition, Cotto needs more experience sparring with taller fighters in order to improve his skills fighting on the inside. At 32, the body clock is working against him so he'll have to work harder than in his twenties. He might benefit from better nutrition and more rest.
Cotto indicated that he wasn't retiring although some fans expect that he will retire within a few years. If he is to continue, he'll need to train better to improve upon his performance from last night. Meanwhile, Trout called out to Canelo Alvarez, the WBC titleholder at 154 pounds. He spoke in Spanish to Alvarez, indicating that they should fight next.
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