?CARNAGE IN NEW YORK... LET THE BLOOD FLOW?
By Gary Todd
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 02 Dec 2011
Cotto v Margarito II
Madison Square Garden
Alot has been said about the first fight. We witnessed the brutallity of it. We heard about the scandal which could have been. We saw Miguel Cotto fighting a tremendous, strategic fight, outboxing Antonio Margarito most of the fight, then bang, we saw him retreat to the ropes, then succomb to the Mexican?s two fisted attacks, forcing Cotto to ?take a knee?, then finally crumble to the canvas. What a fight. Before the fighters left the ring that night, you just knew the big players would get them to do it again.
What unfolded in the following months reinforced that. It was a promoters dream.
No one knows for certain if Margarito agreed to face Cotto with ?loaded? gloves, but what is certain is, he was found guilty from using an illegal substance inside the hand wraps in his next fight, and was banned. The bottom line is, he should never been licensed to fight again.
Antonio Margarito started his professional career as a skinny 16 year old kid, fighting grown men, for little or no money, building up his reputation as a tough kid, a willing sparring partner, and eventually, a serious contender for the world welterweight title. Margarito was a dangerous man. He was hungry, but he was starving.
Really, his fight with Cotto gave him the riches he deserved. He had fought on, and had taken the hard road, fighting for 14 years as a prize fighter, with little to show. When Cotto gave him the chance to fight for his WBA title, he grabbed it with both hands.
When I asked Miguel Cotto his thoughts on Margarito , and his first defeat as a fighter, he said "he had a good night, a good night, but a fighter always knows what is happening when he is getting his hands wrapped."
This, amongst all, sets the scene for the ultimate grudge match, for the ultimate prize in the sport.
Analysis of fighters.
Fors: Cotto.
Boxing skills
Will to win
Strength
Speed
Against: Cotto.
Smaller man
Reach
Fors: Margarito.
Height and reach
Tough
Great jab
Boxing ability
Power
Fighting weight
Againsts: Margarito.
Inactivity
His eye
Boxing ability
speed
THE FIGHT.
In this fight, I can only see Cotto winning. If he boxes and moves with fast jabs following up with left hooks to the head and body of Margarito, he will win by a TKO stoppage in the 9th round. I think the fight will be stopped by the referee, or Margarito?s corner, as I don't think his eye is strong enough to take Cotto?s pressure punches. Margarito will throw caution to the wind and go all out to do some damage of his own, via strong jabbing and relentless body shots. Cotto is more open, these days, especially to the uppercut. I think this battle has every chance of being a modern day classic. These two fighters are not as they once were, and each have been in fierce and brutal fights. Both have taken severe beatings, which have taken their toll, particularly on Margarito.
One thing is for sure, this fight will be bloody, and there will be carnage in New York.
Gary Todd is the best selling author of ?Workouts from boxings greatest champs, volumes 1 and 2. He has been involved in all aspects of the sport of boxing since 1976. Look out for his new book in 2012.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Gary Todd.
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