Cotto vs. Corley
Encyclopedia
The Cotto vs. Corley fight was a bout held in Bayamón, Puerto Rico
, on February 26, 2005. It was for Miguel Cotto
's WBO world Jr. Welterweight title, and it pitted him against former world champion Demarcus Corley
.
Much expectation preceded the fight, which was sponsored in Puerto Rico
by DirecTV
. The then recently inaugurated Tren Urbano
had to be specially abilitated for this fight, as fans had overcrowded the parking area with their cars the last time Cotto had a fight in Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rican tourism
department saw this event as a perfect occasion to demonstrate the new railway
's conveniences to fans across the island. Cotto participated in a ceremonial trip from a station near José Miguel Agrelot
coliseum in San Juan
to the fight's venue, Bayamón's Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum.
Corley, meanwhile, arrived in Puerto Rico on Wednesday, February 23. According to El Vocero
, the newspaper that interviewed the former world champion on arrival at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
, Corley showed confidence and kept smiling, but predicted a unanimous decision win, which is somewhat uncommon among boxers, as they usually predict knockout
wins.
Corley trained
the last few days before the fight at the same gymnasium that Edwin Rosario
used during Rosario's prime.
The fight was broadcast to the United States live on HBO Boxing
's "Boxing After Dark" leg. Cotto wore trunks that had the flags of every Hispanic
country.
About half a minute into the fight, Corley went down from a right cross to the head. He was rocked often the rest of the first round, but he was able to stay on his feet.
Cotto kept hitting Corley with stamina-reducing shots to the body and the head in round two, but he lost a point, when, without any previous warnings, referee Ismael Quinones Falu deducted it from the scorecards after Corley complained that Cotto had hurt him on the crotch area. It was a somewhat unusual move by the referee: usually they give boxers a number of warnings before actually deducting a point for illegal fighting tactics.
In the third round, Corley hit Cotto flush with a right hand to the chin, and Cotto, who was arguably having the worst round of his career, almost fell. Corley mounted an attack, pinning Cotto against the ropes for most of the round. Cotto was then suddenly struck by a low blow himself, and he went to the floor. The referee gave him time to recover, but did not take any points away from Corley. Towards the end of the round, both fighters engaged in an exchange of powerful lefts, with Cotto's barely missing Corley's body, but Corley's getting Cotto on the head and sending him to the ropes again.
Having recuperated in between rounds, Cotto picked up the fight's momentum again in round four, using his jab, and then connecting with various combinations towards the end of the round.
By round five, Cotto sported a cut inside his nose and he also had a swollen eye. Corley looked like he had taken tremendous punishment as well; he looked tired and his face looked like it had a few small cuts too.
Cotto, who, by the way, weighed 157 pounds (71 kg) on HBO's weight balance on the day of the fight compared to Corley's 140 pounds (63.5 kg), pinned Corley against the ropes. A combination of punches to the body and head sent Corley down for a second time. Corley got up and tried to weather the storm by fighting back, but he was taking a lot of punishment as he decided to go down to one knee in order to take a rest. The third knockdown, however, would become the subject of a small controversy, as, instead of counting on Corley, Quinones Falu decided to stop the fight at that moment, giving Cotto the victory by a fifth round technical knockout. After the stoppage, Corley reacted with a menacing look towards the referee, but no action was taken by him against Quinones Falu.
HBO's instant replay
s showed that none of the punches that Cotto threw before Corley decided to take a knee had actually landed. Nevertheless, since Corley's third visit to the canvas happened after Corley took a conscious decision to fall in order to take the extra rest, boxing rules dictated that it had to be counted as a knockdown.
Soon after the fight was stopped, HBO analizers were quick to signal the result as a "hometown stoppage", specially Larry Merchant
. But their claims were quickly countered by Corley himself, who admitted to going down for the third time as a strategy to avoid further punishment from Cotto and maybe buy himself more fight time.
After the fight, both fighters agreed that they should have a rematch.
Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Bayamón is a municipality of Puerto Rico located on the northern coastal valley, north of Aguas Buenas and Comerío; south of Toa Baja and Cataño; west of Guaynabo; and east of Toa Alta and Naranjito. Bayamón is spread over 11 wards and Bayamón Pueblo...
, on February 26, 2005. It was for Miguel Cotto
Miguel Cotto
Miguel Ángel Cotto Vázquez is a Puerto Rican professional boxer and the reigning WBA light middleweight champion. He is the younger brother of contender Jose Miguel Cotto and cousin of Abner Cotto...
's WBO world Jr. Welterweight title, and it pitted him against former world champion Demarcus Corley
DeMarcus Corley
DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley , is a boxer from Washington D.C., and a former WBO and USBA light welterweight champion. Corley also designs his own boxing attire.-Amateur career:...
.
Much expectation preceded the fight, which was sponsored in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
by DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
. The then recently inaugurated Tren Urbano
Tren Urbano
The Tren Urbano — or Urban Train in English — is a fully automated rapid transit that serves the metropolitan area of San Juan, which includes the municipalities of San Juan, Bayamón and Guaynabo. It is electrified by third rail at 750 V DC...
had to be specially abilitated for this fight, as fans had overcrowded the parking area with their cars the last time Cotto had a fight in Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rican tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
department saw this event as a perfect occasion to demonstrate the new railway
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
's conveniences to fans across the island. Cotto participated in a ceremonial trip from a station near José Miguel Agrelot
José Miguel Agrelot
Giuseppe Michael Agrelot , better known as José Miguel Agrelot, was a comedian, radio and television host and media icon in Puerto Rico...
coliseum in San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
to the fight's venue, Bayamón's Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum.
Corley, meanwhile, arrived in Puerto Rico on Wednesday, February 23. According to El Vocero
El Vocero
El Vocero is a Puerto Rican newspaper that is published in San Juan.Published since 1974, El Vocero was at first the third of the four largest Puerto Rico newspapers, trailing El Mundo and El Nuevo Día and leading The San Juan Star in sales...
, the newspaper that interviewed the former world champion on arrival at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Carolina, Puerto Rico, three miles southeast of San Juan. Over 4 million passengers board a plane at the airport per year according to FAA reports . It is owned and managed by the Puerto Rico Ports...
, Corley showed confidence and kept smiling, but predicted a unanimous decision win, which is somewhat uncommon among boxers, as they usually predict knockout
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
wins.
Corley trained
Boxing training
Boxing training is the training method that boxers use in order to get more fit for their sport. This training method is often cited by medical doctors, boxing trainers, and writers as one of the most spartan forms of sports training.- Training :...
the last few days before the fight at the same gymnasium that Edwin Rosario
Edwin Rosario
Edwin "El Chapo" Rosario was a Puerto Rican boxer. He was the WBC world lightweight champion from 1983–84 and the WBA world champion in 1986–87 and again in 1989–90...
used during Rosario's prime.
The fight was broadcast to the United States live on HBO Boxing
HBO Boxing
HBO World Championship Boxing is a sports television series, premiering in January 1973 that has shown a number of significant boxing events in the last three decades....
's "Boxing After Dark" leg. Cotto wore trunks that had the flags of every Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
country.
About half a minute into the fight, Corley went down from a right cross to the head. He was rocked often the rest of the first round, but he was able to stay on his feet.
Cotto kept hitting Corley with stamina-reducing shots to the body and the head in round two, but he lost a point, when, without any previous warnings, referee Ismael Quinones Falu deducted it from the scorecards after Corley complained that Cotto had hurt him on the crotch area. It was a somewhat unusual move by the referee: usually they give boxers a number of warnings before actually deducting a point for illegal fighting tactics.
In the third round, Corley hit Cotto flush with a right hand to the chin, and Cotto, who was arguably having the worst round of his career, almost fell. Corley mounted an attack, pinning Cotto against the ropes for most of the round. Cotto was then suddenly struck by a low blow himself, and he went to the floor. The referee gave him time to recover, but did not take any points away from Corley. Towards the end of the round, both fighters engaged in an exchange of powerful lefts, with Cotto's barely missing Corley's body, but Corley's getting Cotto on the head and sending him to the ropes again.
Having recuperated in between rounds, Cotto picked up the fight's momentum again in round four, using his jab, and then connecting with various combinations towards the end of the round.
By round five, Cotto sported a cut inside his nose and he also had a swollen eye. Corley looked like he had taken tremendous punishment as well; he looked tired and his face looked like it had a few small cuts too.
Cotto, who, by the way, weighed 157 pounds (71 kg) on HBO's weight balance on the day of the fight compared to Corley's 140 pounds (63.5 kg), pinned Corley against the ropes. A combination of punches to the body and head sent Corley down for a second time. Corley got up and tried to weather the storm by fighting back, but he was taking a lot of punishment as he decided to go down to one knee in order to take a rest. The third knockdown, however, would become the subject of a small controversy, as, instead of counting on Corley, Quinones Falu decided to stop the fight at that moment, giving Cotto the victory by a fifth round technical knockout. After the stoppage, Corley reacted with a menacing look towards the referee, but no action was taken by him against Quinones Falu.
HBO's instant replay
Instant replay
Instant replay is the replaying of video footage of an event or incident very soon after it has occurred. In television broadcasting of sports events, instant replay is often used during live broadcast, to show a passage of play which was important or remarkable, or which was unclear on first...
s showed that none of the punches that Cotto threw before Corley decided to take a knee had actually landed. Nevertheless, since Corley's third visit to the canvas happened after Corley took a conscious decision to fall in order to take the extra rest, boxing rules dictated that it had to be counted as a knockdown.
Soon after the fight was stopped, HBO analizers were quick to signal the result as a "hometown stoppage", specially Larry Merchant
Larry Merchant
Larry Merchant is an American former sportswriter, a longtime commentator for HBO Sports presentations of HBO World Championship Boxing, Boxing After Dark and HBO pay-per-view telecasts, and is considered "the greatest television boxing analyst of all time" by ESPN Boxing analyst Dan Rafael.-Life...
. But their claims were quickly countered by Corley himself, who admitted to going down for the third time as a strategy to avoid further punishment from Cotto and maybe buy himself more fight time.
After the fight, both fighters agreed that they should have a rematch.