411's Prizefight Preview: Cotto vs. Margarito

Posted by Matt Knowles on 07.25.2008

The most anticipated match-up of the summer is finally upon us as welterweight bombers Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito prepare to go toe-to-toe this Saturday night on pay-per-view!




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Welcome back to the Prizefight Preview! Last week, the MMA showdown between Affliction and UFC was the dominant topic in the fight world. Personally, I chose the free UFC show featuring the best martial artist on the planet, Anderson Silva, rather than shelling out $50 to see a bunch of heavyweight rejects and has-been's throw down for Don Trump's viewing pleasure. Just as the case is with boxing, the elite MMA talent is in the lighter weight classes, and the ridiculousness resides at heavyweight....



Now that I've offended every Fedor fan that reads our site....on with the preview!



In the main event, we have what amounts to a guaranteed classic, as WBA welterweight world champion Miguel Cotto makes the fifth defense of his title against two-time welterweight belt-holder Antonio Margarito. For the past few months, boxing fanatics have been anxiously awaiting this showdown, due to the many factors that make it a must-see title bout.



For one, you have two superstars, in their respective primes, at their prime weight class, in a winner-take-all battle. Secondly, the most intense international boxing rivalry will be renewed once again, as Puerto Rico's finest fighter goes to battle with the best that Mexico has to offer.


And third...well let's just get it out there: for my money, these are the two toughest S.O.B.'s in the sport. The term "Man's Man" is a bit overused these days, but Cotto and Margarito define that label. Miguel is a cold blooded assassin once he steps into the squared circle, while Margarito lives up to his nickname of the Tijuana Tornado with his relentless, balls-2-tha-wall fighting style. You won't be seeing anybody go down from questionable punches, and nobody will be quitting in the corner. These two cats are gonna scratch and claw for every point in every round.


When this bout was first announced following their respective victories on an April 12 card earlier this year, one term came to mind immediately: BLOODBATH. I remember thinking back to those old Gallagher concerts in the 80's, where everyone in the first 5-10 rows had to hold up plastic sheets to avoid getting sprayed by the exploding watermelons. Those plastic sheets could come in handy to the ringside viewers in Sin City this Saturday, because this bout looks to be a blood-and-guts brawl, any way you slice it.



For Cotto, there is a lot on the line in this bout, considering his lofty spot in the deepest division in boxing. With an undefeated record in tact, and another high-profile victory under his belt, he could look to lure the former pound-for-pound emperor, Floyd Mayweather, back outta retirement and back into a boxing ring. If Floyd won't bite the bait, there are match-ups with new WBC champ Andre Berto, light welterweight king Ricky Hatton, lightweight champ Manny Pacquiao, and possibly an eight-figure date with the Golden Boy as early as December.





As highly touted as Antonio Margarito has been within the hard-core boxing fan base, he is still relatively unknown to the general sports public. Part of this is due to the fact that he has been avoided by the upper echelon stars of the sport for a number of years. Another reason is that when he has been on the doorstep of greatness, he has slipped up a bit. His narrow losses to Daniel Santos and Paul Williams came at very unfortunate times for Antonio, as he missed out on lucrative paydays vs. Mayorga and Cotto, respectively, due to those defeats. Now that he has once again climbed up the ranks, he is finally getting his wish and will be taking part in a huge pay-per-view bout against a marquee opponent. Patience is a virtue....



Stylistically, this fight has everything you would want out of a boxing match-up at the elite level. Both men are not only talented prizefighters, but they also love to mix it up on the inside. Neither man will take no for an answer, so it will be interesting to see who is able to impose their will on the opponent.



During HBO's hype-show for the pay-per-view telecast, Max Kellerman made an interesting remark in regards to Cotto and his Puerto Rican fan base, implying that his followers are OK with a little boxing rather than all-out brawling. This sentiment may actually be the most important factor in the bout once the bell rings. While Margarito will be looking to end the fight with each punch thrown, expect to see a lot of side-to-side movement and jabbing from Miguel Cotto. While this fight should be competitive for every second of every round, Cotto's boxing skills should be the big difference once the scorecards are tallied, if in fact it goes the 12 round distance.

No matter which man prevails, I'm very certain that we'll be in for some dynamite action this Saturday night!

Prediction: Miguel Cotto by unanimous decision, 117-111



SEE YA AT THE FIGHTS!!!