Casamayor and Kid Diamond set the tone for the evening; in a see saw battle that brought the best of each man during twelve grueling rounds. Kid Diamond seemed to lack solid basic boxing skills and he is lucky to have met the older and slower version of Joel Casamayor. The judges scored their bout as follows: 116-111 Diamond (Costello), 115-112 Casamayor (Schreck), and 114 all (Rivera). The fight was ruled a draw.  Our unofficial score had Joel 'El Cepillo' Casamayor ahead 115-112.

The main event reunited Miguel Cotto and Mohammed Abdullaev, who had rumbled years ago in the Olympics, in a fight won by Abdullaev. Although he never really acknowledged it in public, Cotto saw this date as an opportunity to avenge the very disheartening loss. 

I think it is safe to say that Miguel Cotto is fast becoming a very hot commodity in the sport of boxing. Seven thousand fans came to watch his open workout in the Bronx, New York; one of the many pre-fight activities put together by Top Rank during fight week. The thunderous ovation he received as he entered the venue, alongside reggaeton's top star Daddy Yankee, was reminiscent of Tito’s entrance when he went  against William Joppy, a fight which set an attendance record  for a non-heavyweight bout at the same venue, Madison Square Garden.  

Round one was a nice feeling out round for both fighters, with shots thrown and received almost evenly; Cotto ekes out the round.  Round two was a solid round for Cotto, who was tagged by Abdullaev’s powerful right hand in one exchange, no visible effect shown.  Cotto connected 17 out of 82, Mohammed 10 out of 53 punches in this stanza. 

In the third round, Abdullaev tags Cotto with two powerful right crosses. Cotto takes the best Abdullaev has to give, and closes the round strongly with a solid flurry. Cotto displays his speed and fury well in this round. 

Fourth and fifth rounds were close rounds. Cotto began to rest against the ropes, as Abdullaev fired away, often missing, but still hitting the Puerto Rican phenom more than necessary.  

Round six was a good round for Abdullaev, who tags Cotto as he lies on the ropes. Abdullaev hurts Cotto to the body, and causes him to slow down and miss with many of his shots. This was a good round for Mohammed, but his face is beginning to show signs of the power in Cotto’s fists. The challenger’s right eye is swelling up badly; this has to be a concern for him and his corner. 

The seventh round was Cotto’s best so far in the fight. He put on a virtual clinic, displaying the variety of punches in his arsenal. Picture perfect combinations, stiff and accurate jabs thrown in bunches, beautiful foot movement and an overall aplomb uncharacteristic of a fighter his age, win Cotto the round. 

More of the same takes place in round 8, and Abdullaev’s right eye is showing the impact of Cotto’s accurate jabs and crosses. At the end of the round, Cotto tells his corner that Abdullaev can’t see out of his right eye. 

The doctor is called to the corner in between rounds 8 and 9, and he doesn’t stop the fight, even though the challenger’s eye is completely shut and cut over the lid. There is a trickle of blood coming from the cut, and it is hard to believe the ringside physician is letting this one continue.  

Abdullaev’s eye is completely closed and cut, and Cotto hasn’t missed the point. Fifty-seven seconds into the round, Abdullaev walks away from Cotto, points to his corner and decides he is done for the night.  The referee declares Cotto a winner by way of technical knockout in the 9^th round. His record improves to 24-0, 20 KOs, while Abdullaev drops to 15-2, 12 KOs.

Why didn’t the doctor stop the fight? Even more importantly, why didn’t the corner protect their man, who may have suffered serious damage to his eye; the kind of damage that ends careers?

Dr. Margaret Goodman once told me that boxing needs to develop a conscience. I have never forgotten her words. I have seen how her comment applies to too many situations where ring physicians, referees and cornermen -among others- fail to protect the fighters, as was the case tonight.  

In between bouts, Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant informed viewers that Mike Tyson had quit in his bout against Kevin McBride, shown by rival Showtime PPV. Lampley added that  not one of the major United States newspapers editors sent a reporter to cover the HBO card, having opted instead to cover the Tyson charade. “What did they want to see, a freak show?” asked Larry Merchant. The question didn’t need an answer, I guess the ending of that travesty spoke volumes in and of itself. 

Some promoters, public relations personnel, and even other boxing writers who toil at newspapers and magazines all over our country, often question the credibility and professionalism of those of us who cover boxing on the internet. We are unworthy of respect in their eyes. On this night, as in every other night when I sit and work endless hours to write and edit my site, I want to express how proud I am of being a boxing writer and editor for an internet site.