Conventional wisdom said about Cotto-Judah that Judah would be a threat early on, but Cotto would take over in the later rounds and break his opponent down. Conventional wisdom was right.

In front of a sold out crowd at New York's Madison Square Garden last night, Miguel Cotto remained undefeated and retained his WBA welterweight bauble by characteristically breaking down the body and will of Zab Judah in the 11th round. It wasn't a walk in the park for Cotto, who was rocked several times by Judah's vicious left uppercuts and counterpunching. But a persistent body attack--helped by two low blows in the 3rd round--propelled Cotto to his toughest and most satisfying victory yet.

Judah immediately displayed his superior hand speed in the opening round and ripped Cotto with a left uppercut and right hook, wobbling his Puerto Rican opponent. For a moment it appeared that the Brooklyn fighter would score an astonishingly quick stoppage. Cotto became more aggressive and hit Judah to the body hurting him. In the second, Cotto had Judah backing up as he stalked his slick opponent, then landed a low blow which Judah apeeared to embellish by sprawling out on the canvas and writhing in pain. Judah was fouled by a similar punch in the third, and Cotto was deducted a point by the referee. But Cotto won the next three rounds by keeping Judah on the defensive, firing the left uppercut successfully but little else with conviction. Both fighters were cut by accidental headbutts, with Cotto bleeding from his mouth and Judah's right eye closing. Judah began to wilt in the second half of the fight, but rocked Cotto again in the seventh with hard punches to the head. By the 8th round, Judah was looking like a beaten man, and Cotto, smelling blood, went in for the kill. Dropping his hands, Cotto began to pelt Judah with combinations; Judah had trouble seeing out of his right eye, and, backed into a corner, took a knee, exhausted. Two rounds later, Cotto dropped him, and th fight was stopped after Judah did not respond to a Cotto follow-up flurry.

The course of the fight resemlbed Lennox Lewis' dismantling of Mike Tyson, where the stronger-willed fighter demoralized his opponent, who, though he took a savage beating, showed plenty of heart. Judah, 34-5 (25), who several times during the fight thumped his chest in a display of his mettle, vindicated himself by keeping his composure and trying to show his intestinal fortitude. Cotto, 30-0 (25), also showed once again his ability to stay focused through the course of the fight, withstanding the effects of Judah's punches, cuts, and blood to pound out yet another sensational win.

Cotto-Judah does not merit a rematch, but it would not be a bad idea. There was enough drama in the fight to make the argument, and if Judah truly was affected by the low blows, a different result may have been possible. Not likely, but maybe. There is a better argument for Cotto-Judah II than Mayweather-De La Hoya II, let's put it that way.

With the loss, Judah moves ever so closer to the status of gatekeeper of the welterweight division, though he ahs the power, speed, and skills to be a force to reckon with for anyone at 147. As for Cotto, a fall matchup against Shane Mosley is irresistable. Even more irresistable is Cotto fighting the winner of Hatton-Castillo, especially if Castillo wins.