When it comes to Miguel Cotto one huge flaw always jumps out at me... he gets hit too often. Tonight Cotto was matched up against former WBO Jr. Welterweight champion DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley in a 12 round bout.

The first round was fought at a quick pace with both fighters throwing punches with bad intentions. Cotto managed to score a knockdown that proved to be more of a push than a punch after watching the replay. In the second round Corley went with his boxing skills and started to land more often. A low blow landed by Cotto stopped the action of the fight in the second round as Corley looked rather shaken from the blow. Referee Ismael Quiñonez Falu took a point away from Cotto even though there weren't any warnings issued.

Miguel Cotto's path to a world championship fight almost came to an end in the third round when Corley landed a right hook that staggered Cotto badly. Corley opted to land flush shots to Cotto's body rather than attack his head. Cotto was on uneasy legs throughout the rest of round three but managed to escape. Cotto's legs were back under him at the start of round four.

Like Cotto in the second round Corley landed a low blow and was deducted a point without any  previous warnings. The fifth round would be the last as Miguel Cotto's attacks seemed to be too much for DeMarcus Coley. A Cotto body shot dropped Corley to his knees. But before the referee got in between the two fighters, Cotto landed a hard punch to the face of Corley while he was on his knee. The late punch was simply brushed off or unnoticed by the referee. Corley beat the count and the fight continued.

Cotto went back on the attack while Corley retreated to the ropes still in pain from the body shot. Cotto threw three more punches, two that missed and one that glanced Corley's shoulder. Corley, trying to avoid further damage, took a knee. Referee Ismael Quiñonez Falu called a surprising halt to the match. The stoppage was very "hometown."

Even though Corley seemed to be on the way out, having seen Cotto get a decisive stoppage or a surprise turn around from Corley would have been more satisfactory. In closing I want to make two points. Miguel Cotto weighed in for the bout at 140 pounds while DeMarcus Corley scaled in at 137 pounds. HBO's unofficial scales weighed Cotto in at 157 pounds and Corley at 140 pounds before fight time. Cotto gained an amazing 17 pounds overnight while Corley only gained 3 pounds. Tonight’s fight was between a big Jr. Middleweight against a true Jr. Welterweight. It appears that Cotto is having more trouble making weight at 140 each time he fights, and sooner or later it will catch up to him. My second point is what I said in the beginning of this article, Miguel Cotto gets hit more than he should.  A change in his defense or more head movement is a must for Cotto. Had it been Kostya Tszyu in the ring with Miguel Cotto tonight there would not have been a fourth round for Cotto. Miguel Cotto may have a big league punch but he'll need more than that to become champion in the Jr. Welterweight division.
With the win Miguel Cotto retains his WBO Jr. Welterweight title and improves his record to 23-0 (19 KO's) while DeMarcus Corley drops to29-4-1 (16 KO's).