COTTO-MARGARITO PREVIEW
By Ralph Rimpell
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 27 Jul 2008
LAS VEGAS -- Today at MGM Grand Garden Arena here, the two best 147lb fighters in the world will face each other in a world welterweight championship fight. Miguel Cotto, WBA welterweight champion, (32-0, 26 KOs) will fight Antonio Margarito, IBF welterweight champion, (36-5, 26 KOs).
There is a definite ?buzz? in the boxing world about this fight. While most boxing experts are picking Cotto to win a hard fought close decision, many are also giving Margarito a good chance of pulling off an upset. Both fighters are promoted by Bob Arum?s promotional company Top Rank. Cotto is Puerto Rican and Margarito is Mexican. Arum has done a hell of a job capitalizing on the Mexican-Puerto Rican rivalry. The winner of tomorrow?s fight is the heir apparent to De La Hoya and the new face of boxing.
Miguel Cotto?s career has been guided brilliantly by Top Rank. He is a former Olympian whose fighting style was more suited to the professional ranks. Each opponent he has faced has always been a little better than the previous opponent with an occasional mismatch as a breather. In 2005 Ricardo Torres almost knocked him out before Cotto would rally to stop Torres in impressive fashion. In his next fight he stopped Gianluca Branco in eight rounds in what appeared to be sparring session. Cotto was forced to go a full twelve rounds against Paulie Malignaggi, a slick boxer and a current world champion. He then went on to knock out Quintana in five rounds. Cotto showed the boxing world he belonged in the elite of boxing by stopping former undisputed welterweight champion Zab Judah in eleven round and a decision victory over Shane Mosley last year. Once again Top Rank will provide Cotto with another opponent better than all his previous opponents in his next fight.
Antonio Margarito began is professional career at the age of fifteen fighting grown men, while Cotto was fighting boys in and around his age group in the amateurs. Margarito learned on the job. He managed to win two world welterweight titles (WBO and IBF) without having the benefit of an amateur career. This is indeed a special fighter. Imagine if Margarito had an amateur career when he entered the professional ranks. Margarito has come up the hard way. A close look at his professional record will reveal he has had the tougher competition than Cotto, which is another reason why he has losses on his record. Floyd Mayweather Jr., refused an eight million dollar offer to fight Margarito. That says a lot about Margarito?s ability. After a very close decision loss to Paul Williams, Margarito rebounded by knocking out Golden Johnson in one round and capturing another world title in a rematch by defeating Kermit Cintron in five rounds. Margarito is back to where he was before the loss to Paul Williams, which is a welterweight champion looking for a megafight to prove he is the best fighter at welterweight.
What can we expect tonight at the sound of the opening bell from Cotto-Margarito? In order for Cotto to win he will look to box and give Margarito angles, jabs, and body punches. He will try to pick his spots and fight when he has to. Cotto fighting Margarito when he has to may earn him Margarito?s respect and a chance of winning the fight. Cotto must also test Margarito?s chin early to see if he can withstand his power. If Cotto can hurt Margarito he will box less and look to impose his will on Margarito. Margarito on the other hand will look to cut the ring off against Cotto and try to impose his will and size on his smaller opponent by throwing punches in bunches as he in known for doing. Cotto may appear to be winning the first round or second until he tastes Margarito?s power and is stunned or hurt. When Cotto realizes he cannot hurt Margarito, look for Cotto to abandon his game plan and panic. This panic will cause Cotto to be lulled into a brawl which will work in Margarito?s favor.
So who will win the fight? There is a saying in boxing, ?A good big man will beat a good small man?. Antonio Margarito has size and reach advantage over Cotto. He also has a better chin. It will come down to Margarito imposing his will upon Cotto. There is no doubt that Cotto is the better boxer and will fight bravely. Margarito will slowly break him down. Cotto will look to land a haymaker (lucky punch) to no avail when he realizes his game plan is ineffective. Look for Margarito to stop Cotto via TKO by the seventh round.
Contact Ralph Rimpell: RLuvsboxing@aol.com
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ralph Rimpell.
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