Cotto-Margarito: A Real Mega-Fight

Posted by Ramon Aranda on 07.22.2008

Both fighters have the will, determination and skills to win but the real winners are the fans!


Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

When you think about a mega fight between two of the sports' top dogs, you begin to realize that it's not very often that you get to see that take place. Trinidad-De La Hoya, Hagler-Leonard, Chavez-Whitaker….think about it, it's pretty rare to see two guys at the top of their game meet during their primes but in a matter of days, boxing fans will get to see just that when Miguel Cotto defends his welterweight title against Antonio Margarito. While Mayweather held the top spot and the WBC 147-pound title, the other welterweights waited and waited to get a shot at Pretty Boy but without so much as a title defense, Mayweather retired and the welterweights have decided to take matters into their own hands. You can't ask for a better match up at 147 than Margarito vs. Cotto and quite frankly you can argue that there is no better matchup in the sport period.

Leading up to the fight we've already begun to hear from both camps with Margarito and Cotto appearing as confident as ever. There's a lot on the line for each fighter as Margarito is looking to claim the top spot at welterweight now that he finally has the big money fight that he's been searching for his entire career. On the other hand we have Cotto who wants to cement his place as the best fighter at 147-pounds while proving that he's willing to take on all comers. From a fan and a journalist's perspective, the thought of these two getting it on in the center of the ring makes my mouth water. Stylistically the fight makes for an entertaining contest. Margarito is the forward marching warrior who is willing to take a punch to give two and Cotto is the boxer puncher who has continued to improve over the last couple of years.

I've given it a lot of thought and to me there's only one way to win for each fighter. Margarito isn't a finesse fighter nor will he ever claim to be. He's been heard on a few occasions saying that he's looking for the knockout against Cotto and that's precisely what he should do. You can argue that he's the harder puncher of the two and I tend to agree with that assessment. Margarito has also displayed a strong chin against some good punchers throughout his career and possesses a punishing body shot that Kermit Cintron can attest to. He's also rangy and can land a big right hand from the outside but Margarito is coming in to get into Cotto's chest. There's no reason he can't win the fight if he makes it a brawl and I expect that he'll try to do just that from the outset.

Cotto on the other hand, who can also punch, has showcased his improving boxing skills over the last couple of fights. Cotto is a guy who we have seen hurt more recently but his defense has also improved as well. He was able to outbox Shane Mosley last November and punish Alfonso Gomez earlier this year. Cotto can bang but I think he'll realize that he has the superior technique and will want to box while mixing it up only when he has to. If it's a boxing contest, Cotto wins hands down.

Once in a while we get "mega fights" that turn out to be duds. Honestly even with big names involved, many times we know deep down that a great fight won't likely be the result and other times we're stunned that they don't. With Cotto and Margarito however, you can bet the farm that we'll likely get another fight of the year candidate and if there most recent fights are anything to go by, the fans will be the real winners.