Oh, man, Margarito doesn’t want to touch gloves. Eeeeek! This is gonna be good!
Round 1: Cotto comes out of his corner ready to swing. Left by Cotto to Margarito’s stomach. Hard right by Cotto. Left hook to the body by Cotto. Left jab by Cotto. Margarito missing several punches. Tradeing jabs. Left to the body by Cotto. Fighters trade jabs. Combination by Cotto. Right by Margarito. Body shot by Cotto. Left to the body by Margarito. Hard left jab by Cotto. Hard right by Cotto. Left jab by Cotto. Combination by Cotto with a nasty left hook. Another combination by Cotto. Combination by Margarito. Cotto (10-9)
Round 2: Hard left hook by Cotto. Hard right by Margarito. Cotto answers with his own hard right. Combination by Cotto. Fighters trade jabs. Left hook by Cotto. Left jab by Cotto. Combination by Cotto. Hard left by Cotto. Another left hook by Cotto. Two left jabs by Cotto. Upper cut by Margarito. Fighters trade jabs at the bell. Cotto (20-18)
Round 3: Combinatino by Cotto. Left by Cotto. Fighters trade jabs. Left jab by Cotto. Right by Margarito. Right to the body by Cotto. Both fighters are punching. Right by Cotto to Margarito’s face. Right to Margarito’s body. Left hook by Cotto. Another left hook and then a right jab. Right to the body by Margarito. Cotto (30-27)
Round 4: Combination by Cotto. Right by Cotto to Margarito’s face. Left hook by Cotto. Right by Cotto. Right to the body by Cotto. Clinch with Margarito punching Cotto’s head. Left by Cotto. Right upper cut by Margarito. Combination by Cotto. Left Hook by Cotto. Small punches to Cotto’s head. Right by Cotto. Left jab by Cotto. Cotto (40-36)
Round 5: Cotto seems tired. Left, measuring jabs by Margarito. Left jab by Cotto. Right hook by Margarito. Combination by Margarito. Combination by Cotto. Combination by Margarito. Combination by Cotto. Left hook to the body by Cotto. Clinch with upper cuts by Margarito. Two lefts by Cotto. Left hook by Cotto. Left jab by Cotto. Fighters trade left jabs. Margarito (49-46)
Round 6: Cotto seems reenergized. Left jab by Cotto. Right by Cotto. Left jab and combination by Cotto. Left jab by Cotto. Clinch with Margarito punching. Two lefts with Cotto. Left uppercut by Cotto. Combination by Cotto. Left to the body by Cotto. Combo by Cotto. Cotto (59-55)
Round 7: Left jab by Cotto. Left jab by Cotto. Clinch Margarito lands punches. Left by Cotto. Two lefts and a right by Margarito. Upper cut by Margarito. Hard right by Margarito. Combination to the head by Cotto. Left to the body by Margarito. Clinch. And some wrestling? Combination by Cotto, including after the bell. That’s not nice. Let’s not stoop that level. Cotto (69-64)
Round 8: Combo by Cotto. Left hook to the body by Cotto. Margarito swinging wild. Clinch with Margarito getting a punch in. Time out due to Cotto’s tape becoming undone. Two lefts by Cotto. Right by Cotto. Left hook by Cotto. Combination to the body and head by Cotto. Combination to the head by Margarito. Uppercut and right by Margarito. Right by Margarito. Right then left by Cotto. Right by Cotto. (79-73)
Round 9: Margarito almost doesn’t answer the bell because of his eye. Combination by Cotto. Left uppercut by Cotto. Left to the body by Cotto. Clinch. Margarito getting in some punches. Flurry of body shots by Cotto. Combination by Cotto. Two lefts by Cotto. Upper cut by Margarito. Left by Cotto. Left upper by Margarito. Right uppercut by Cotto. Two uppercuts by Margarito. Right by Cotto. Cotto (89-82)
Round 10: The ringside doctor won’t let Margarito continue. Cotto wins by TKO
Cotto fought very well. He was precise, focused, and determined. His punches hit hard and the target was clearly Margarito’s rebuilt eye. Going to Margarito’s chin wouldn’t have been effective, so I understand the lack of uppercuts, but more shots to the body would’ve been nice. If Cotto opens his own gym, he could teach a class on left hooks.
However:
Neither one wobbled. Neither one stumbled. Only Margarito’s eye was damaged. Cotto was tagged all over his face. Cotto went after Margarito with everything he had and Frankenstein kept lurching forward. Did this fight provide enough evidence to prove Margarito had loaded wraps in his first fight with Cotto? Not in a court of law, but definitely in the court of public opinion and for fight fans.
I don’t think that Cotto will go down in Puerto Rican boxing history as great of a fighter as Trinidad. The Cotto-Margarito saga will go down as an interesting and dramatic turn in a sport known for its drama.
Cotto, the only fighter other than Pacquiao that can legitimately say the name Mayweather, earned a lot of respect from me for not mentioning Mayweather for a future matchup.
In the post fight interview, Cotto says about Margarito, “He means nothing to me.” I think that’s the general consensus for anyone involved in boxing, including fans. A guy known for taking punishment can no longer take punishment. It doesn’t seem like he can be knocked out and, because of his eye, all of his fights will likely be stopped by a ringside doctor. That doesn’t make him a viable opponent and that doesn’t leave him a lot of options. I hope he’s had a great money manager, because it’s time to retire.
Oh, but the glory that was! Their first fight renewed my hope in boxing. They were two well-known fighters in a well-matched, explosive, entertaining fight. It took me back to my youth when boxers would really fight in an attempt to establish dominance. If you were king of the ring, you were a battle-tested king. When it was revealed that Margarito was using illegal wraps at the Moseley fight, it broke my heart. Boxing went back to being a shady, dirty-ass, fringe sport. I can and do still recall the greatness of the first fight, even though it makes me ache. I’m still waiting for a boxing savior, but I’m no longer hopeful.
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