Cotto - Margarito II may end up in Las Vegas again instead of New York
By Rich Mazon
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 30 Mar 2011
The anticipated rematch between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito is planned for the summer of this year. One of the venues being eyed by Top Rank was the Madison Square Garden in New York. They are looking to staged it in the same weekend of the Puerto Rican day parade that is held annually on the second Sunday of June to attract more audience to the event.
Cotto is Puerto Rican and commands a huge following from them. ?That is where we want it,? said Lee Samuels of Top Rank when I chanced upon him on the press room of the Boardwalk Hall arena in Atlantic City for the Gamboa - Solis fight last Saturday. "But MSG is renovating,? he added.
MSG which is called the Mecca of boxing owing to great fights staged there in the past is currently undergoing renovations at this time. Work on the famous arena started last summer and is expected to continue through 2014. MSG is still operational despite the construction but with limited accessibility on certain areas of the arena. Updates on construction can be found on its website. ?Plus MGM wants it so bad,? added Samuels who is Top Rank?s publicist.
The MGM Grand arena in Las Vegas was the venue when the first match between the two boxers occurred in July of 2008. Margarito stopped Cotto in eleven rounds in a brutal match that saw Cotto?s face bloodied and badly damaged. Margarito fought Shane Mosley next on January 2009 and was found to have an illegal substance inserted in his hand wraps. He was suspended for almost two years but was granted back his boxing license on the state of Texas where he fought and loss to Manny Pacquiao in November of last year.
Questions arise if Margarito used the same illegal hand wraps in his TKO win over Cotto. Margarito has not been granted license on any other state except Texas. I asked Samuels about this and he is confident he will be licensed just in time for the bout. ?If not, we?ll find some place else,? he remarked.
The rematch is much anticipated by the boxing world as the plot and drama surrounding it, is hard to ignore. Cotto wants to avenged his first loss and Margarito wants to prove that he did not win with illegal hand wraps. It will be a good match to sell and a large venue is appropriately needed for this match.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rich Mazon .
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Crawford to defy odds?
By Joaquin Henson, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Clash of Titans: The Final Predictions for Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford
By Dong Secuya, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Weigh-In Results: Naoya Inoue vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev
Sun, 14 Sep 2025Inoue and Akhmadaliev Make Weight for Sunday's Battle, Watch it LIVE on Facebook!
By Carlos Costa, Sun, 14 Sep 2025IIEE North Cotabato and Metro Central are the Golden Champion on 3x3 Basketball and 3x3 Chess
By Marlon Bernardino, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Sydney Sy Tancontian is Female Awardee of Sports Hero of the Year
By Lito delos Reyes, Sat, 13 Sep 2025Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford: Size Matters
By Chris Carlson, Sat, 13 Sep 2025BOOTS TALKS SPARRING WITH CANELO IN ‘DAY IN THE LIFE’
Sat, 13 Sep 2025WEIGHTS FROM LAS VEGAS: CANELO - 167.5 LBS., CRAWFORD - 167.5 LBS.
By Dong Secuya, Sat, 13 Sep 2025BELFAST: WEIGH-IN RESULTS AND FIGHT NIGHT RUNNING ORDER
Sat, 13 Sep 2025Canoy cancels title fight due to child’s death
By Lito delos Reyes, Sat, 13 Sep 2025Vietnam’s Pool Revolution: Hanoi Open Pool Championship
Sat, 13 Sep 2025SUNDAY: Naoya Inoue vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev Undisputed Super Bantamweight Showdown to Stream Exclusively on Top Rank’s Facebook Channel in the U.S. & UK
Fri, 12 Sep 2025National Shelter Month Run on October 25 in DGT
By Lito delos Reyes, Fri, 12 Sep 2025Canelo-Crawford: Betting Odds Reveal a Battle of Money vs. Public Opinion
By Dong Secuya, Fri, 12 Sep 2025