When asked their opinion on how Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito would go in the weeks and days leading up to the fight, analysts seemed to split down the middle. Some thought that Cotto's power and skill would lead to a points victory for him, while others thought the relentless pressure of Margarito would be too much for the Puerto Rican.
However, what all were unanimous on was the fact that this was due to be a classic, and Cotto and Margarito turned the style on in a war that will be remembered for years to come.
How Cotto vs. Margarito Went
The opener was more tentative than expected. Margarito gave Cotto a lot of respect, and allowed the sharper and faster Cotto to use his skill and take the session.
In round two, the Mexican got going though. He bloodied his undefeated foe's nose, and threw a huge amount of punches. Cotto did finish the round well though, with a flurry off the ropes.
Cotto countered very effectively in round three. His left hooks and flurries would have floored most welterweights, but Margarito showed his iron chin and carried on plowing forward. Margarito let his workrate drop though, and this lost him the round.
The skill and variety of Cotto was evident in round four, and this won him the stanza, despite the fact that Margarito was pressing the action. Cotto was just a little too cute for him at this stage, but these were still early days, and the ones who picked Margarito to win always presumed he would prevail in the later rounds anyway.
The 'Tijuana Tornado' forced Cotto to trade more in the fifth, although the Puerto Rican probably nicked it narrowly. Cotto's fast combinations were doing the business for him, as Margarito just wasn't getting out of the way of them.
Round six was a big round for Margarito. His left uppercuts were sublime, and his body shots weren't bad either. Cotto was slowing down just a touch, while Margarito was getting into third gear, and any punches that Cotto did land were bouncing off Margarito.
The seventh was equally massive for the Mexican. Cotto was rocked by a series of three left uppercuts courtesy of Margarito, but he managed to hang on. Cotto was bleeding from the mouth now too, and he just didn't seem to have the power to dissuade Margarito from coming forward.
Margarito took his foot off the gas in round eight though, and Cotto moved his feet and made himself more effective again. The flurries were flowing once again from Cotto, and Margarito couldn't set his feet and throw hard, heavy shots in bunches. Things would soon change though.
In round nine, Cotto looked exhausted. His mouth was hanging open, and given the opportunity, he was sitting on the middle rope. Margarito on the other hand looked like he was just getting going, and the Mexican was beginning to take over, as his fans predicted he would.
Miguel Cotto put a huge effort into round ten though in all fairness. He dominated the round, until he got caught with fifteen seconds to go and Margarito had him unsteady. As Cotto was so hurt, this was probably scored as an even round.
Round eleven would turn out to be the last of the fight. Margarito continued to pour the pressure on, and Cotto just couldn't take it anymore. He collapsed to a knee voluntarily twice, and after the second time, his corner threw the towel in.
Implications Of Cotto vs. Margarito
This was a massive win for Antonio Margarito, as he'd been waiting for his shot at world glory for a very long time. However, his performance has since been dinted with his involvement in dodgy hand wrapping prior to his bout against Shane Mosley. Many have now wondered whether Margarito's handwraps were loaded in his fight against Cotto, and this would make it a much more hollow victory if this were to be the case.
In contrast, Cotto has rebuilt well since his first loss. On November 14th, he will fight Manny Pacquiao in the biggest fight of his career, and he may hope that one day, a rematch can be agreed with Margarito; when the Mexican's hands will definitely be wrapped properly.
However, regardless of the handwraps situation, this was a great fight to watch. Both showed a ton of heart, although Margarito was the better man on the night. Cotto just couldn't deal with the pressure of Margarito, despite his undeniably better boxing ability and 'will' defeated 'skill' in this contest.
How To Watch Cotto vs. Margarito
Cotto vs. Margarito was this week's 'Classic Fight of the Week'. Please visit my profile page for details on how to watch this, or any of the fights previously covered in this column.
 |
