Judah Poised to Spoil Cotto’s Garden Party

This Saturday, for the third year in a row, Miguel Cotto will be fighting in Madison Square Garden on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade. In 2005, Cotto stopped Mohamad Abdulaev in nine rounds, and in 2006, he dominated Paul Malignaggi over 12 rounds for a unanimous decision. However, the third time will not be a charm, as I predict that "Super" Zab Judah will halt Cotto’s "Puerto Rican Day Parade streak" at two.

The first round will be filled with nervous energy, as both fighters will be wary of each other’s power. Rounds 2-3 will pick up, with Judah controlling the rounds with his lateral movement, occasional jabs and straight left hands. Cotto will come on by round 4, as he will increasingly work the body in his efforts to slow Judah down.

Round five is where I see the tide of the fight turning, as both fighters will feel the other’s power. Round six will be more of the same, but Judah’s punches will be doing slightly more damage. Falsely sensing that Judah is wilting, Cotto will be over-aggressive, and will walk into a Judah bomb in round seven.

PREDICTION: Unlike previous fights against DeMarcus Corley and Ricardo Torres where Cotto survived being severely hurt, Zab Judah will finish off his wounded prey via seventh round TKO.