Miguel Cotto prepped for the Sunday, leader of the band spot in the New York City's  Puerto Rican Day Parade, with a near virtuoso performance against a willing challenger in Muhammad Abdullaev.

It was clear from the start, that the master hands would belong to the Caguas clouter, who once again added something new to the repertoire - on this nite it was a superb outside game to go with the trademark inside explosive combinations.

The WBO 140 bauble was the prize, and the Ubekistan former Olympic medalist gave it an honest shot -  early on, Muhammad had a few moments, a right hand here, a left hook there, but could never take the controls from a seemingly future special one in Cotto.

Abdullaev stood up well thru stanzas one to six … but would slow dramatically following eight candles - the right eye eventually sealed shut during early ninth round action and the Uzbek warrior would surrender at the :57 seconds mark of the round.

Cotto remains undefeated after a now 24 outings with 20 arriving via stoppage - Abdullaev drops to 15-2, 12 by knockout.

Post Scripts: Cotto ~ The 24 year old natural adds to a legion of followers with each outing. The Corley fight answered a major question when showing the faithful, if needed, he could battle thru adversity. Last noche he wowed them with an off-Broadway production that featured a heretofore unseen display of sweet science boxing at its best - one that is quite compatible with the body boomer inside combinations.
                      Abdullaev ~ Held up better than I had expected - showed no fear over the early rounds but could not sustain an offense against a multi-talented Cotto. Age 31, in a nest of hornets division, the body is still fresh after only 17 pro outings. If choosing the enemy wisely, there is still a Yankee dollar or three out there to be made.

Closing Comments: No surprise the brain trust shout answered the post fight question of who next, with "Golden Boy" - nice try, but doubt Oscar is answering the phone. Stay tuned, plenty out there for Miguel to pack the joint with.

GEL