Miguel Cotto 12 Shane Mosley... Miguel Cotto retained the WBA welterweight title by unanimous decision. To the delight of the largely Puerto Rican crowd, the scores were 115-113 (twice) and 116-113 in favor of Cotto. It was a competitive fight, but neither man fought with reckless abandon. From the opening bell, Cotto's punches seemed only a little slower than Mosley's. After a close first round that might have gone to Cotto, the second went well for Mosley. The third was an exciting round, and Cotto's strong final minute probably decided it. Mosley boxed well in the fifth, investing in body blows but also landing some quick head shots. By the sixth, Cotto seemed to have slowed down and Mosley looked comfortable with his hand speed advantage. Still, Boxingtalk had it even at the halfway mark. Content to box on the outside, Mosley didn't do enough to win the eighth. In this author's view, the ninth swung Mosley's way, as Cotto spent much of the round backing up. However, two of the official judges scored it for Cotto. It looked like Mosley hurt Cotto in the tenth, but the referee called for a break to dry up the corner, giving Cotto a needed breather. The eleventh was close, with Cotto seeming to have a slight edge. Cotto spent the last round of a close fight going backwards, but he landed the harder punches of the round, so when the scorecards were revelaed, it turned out to be the right decision. Sitting in the rafters of Madison Square Garden, it seemed like a case could be made that Mosley deserved to win seven of the twelve rounds.
