Here was a fight with huge hype that managed to live up to it. Great battle with action throughout. The recent suspension of Margarito for attempting to fight Shane Mosley with loaded gloves has cast a shadow of this win.
My thougths going into the weekend:
"Big fight this Saturday on HBO. Welterweights Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito meet in Las Vegas to fight for Cotto`s WBA championship. Most boxing fans have been eagerly anticipating this fight, which many consider the best fight that can be made in boxing today. With the "retirement" of Floyd Mayweather Jr, this fight is given the added significance of determining the best fighter at 147 pounds. Many observers have stated that Mayweather ducked both of these fighters, preferring to fight relatively safe bouts against Ricky Hatton and Oscar De la Hoya instead unifying his own division. And as if this was not enough, the historic rivalry between Mexican and Puerto Rican fighters has an opportunity to add another chapter. Undefeated Miguel Cotto (32-0, 26 KOs) of Caguas, Puerto Rico is the premier fighter in the weight class. His head down, no nonsense style coupled with his lack of emotion have earned him a reputation as something of "boxing robot". His punishing power on his hooks and body shots have allowed him to dominate most opponents by sheer force. However in recent fights, particularly against Shane Mosely, he has exhibited improved boxing skill. In particular, he possesses a strong jab that he can utilize to force the action. This will be a key element of his strategyy against Margarito: disrupt Antonios offense with his powerful jab. Look for opening for his powerful body shots on Margarito rangy frame. Antonio Margarito (36-5, 26 KOs) does not share Cotto`s polished record, but several of those loses occurred early in his career after Margarito turned pro at the age of 15. He has risen to prominence with a basic approach: pressure and power. The "Tijuana Tornado" presses the action with his exceptional work rate and punch output. Coupled with this, Margarito has demonstrated knockout power, finishing Kermit Cintron in his most recent fight with a body shot that kept Cintron down and gained Margarito the IBO championship belt. Margarito was able to land these shots because of the granite chin he has displayed throughout his career. He has show the ability to walk through his opponents biggest punches in order to land his own. His plan should be the same for Cotto: presses the action and try to force Miguel to fight at his freakish pace. Weather Cotto`s punches and push Cotto into a brawl. Don`t rush in and negate his height and reach advantage. Margarito has stated in training camp that he was planning to knock Cotto out within four rounds. He has since retracted this statement. Given Cotto`s tendency to lead with this head down and Margarito`s power on his uppercut, there is always the possibility of an upset knockout. However, I do not anticipate this fight ending early unless an unlucky cut stops that action. Margarito has often been a slow starter, though he appears to have solved this problems in recent fights. I see Antonio jumping on Cotto early and trying to set the pace. While he may win early rounds with his output, this could be a flawed strategy down the stretch. Margarito has not fought anyone of Cotto`s talent before and has not been on this big of a world stage. Cotto`s comfort on this high level coupled with the caliber of opponents he has bested will serve him in this match up. I believe that he will use his jab and superior boxing skills to control the fight. This should allow him to land the power shots, especially hooks to win the middle to late rounds. Cotto by decision."
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