Margarito Outwills Cotto in Classic Welterweight Fight

Boxing promised us a welterweight fight for the ages and for 11 rounds Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito provided. Margarito charged relentlessly with defiant straightforward abandon while Cotto skillfully bobbed, weaved, counterpunched and scored with inspired boxing. Power punch after power punch from both fighters, bomb after bomb.

But in the 11th it was the Mexican, the Tijuana Tornado Antonio Margarito, who proved to have the greater will as the Puerto Rican Cotto quit on his feet, too battered, unwilling and unable to summon strength in the championship rounds.

Cotto’s corner ostensibly threw in the towel but Miguel’s sinking eyes and drooped shoulders had already betrayed his self-defeat and resignation; he had to decided to give away his title rather than defend it with his last breath. It was a disappointing conclusion to what had been a thrilling study in contrasts and a ceaselessly exciting fight. As good as the fight was it deserved to be and should have been better.

Margarito started out slow, just as he had in his defeat one year ago to Paul Williams, looking outsmarted and outclassed in the first. But by the second Antonio had picked up the pace only to have his whirlwind flurries picked off and evaded by Cotto’s quick defenses and then countered by skilled straights and hooks.

Superficially in this chase Margarito looked to be dictating the action, but it was Cotto who was really in charge. He looked at ease, confident, and in control. All the while, however, Margarito was taking Cotto’s best punches and he must have realized that the Puerto Rican could not hurt him. He was the stronger man and his adversary couldn’t run forever. He was going to tire out.

The tide of control began turning in the middle rounds. The script, however, had not changed. Margarito was still charging, throwing countless flurries, uppercuts, and hooks to the body while Cotto was dodging and countering. Only now more of Margarito’s flurries and uppercuts were landing. Cotto’s left eye was cut and he was leaking blood from his nose and mouth. His counters had less force and less accuracy.

Margarito was the turned ocean, he was getting more powerful and more forceful, while Cotto’s time had passed. Cotto needed to hang on, he needed to stand steadfast against the rushing force, and he needed to bring forth the powers that make great fighters transcendent, that turn great fights into legends.

That switch never happened for Miguel Cotto and one has to wonder if his spirit is gone, like his countryman Felix Trinidad’s was after his similar shrinking against Bernard Hopkins. Tito was just 28 then and he has never returned to greatness; Cotto is just 27. We hope Miguel quickly shakes off his demons and returns to the ring soon. A prolonged departure from meaningful competition could lead him down the Trinidad path and that would be a tragedy to the sport of boxing. Cotto is still a great fighter, but tonight he just ran into a ruthless buzzsaw.

After the fight Margarito joined the litany of fighters wishing to become Oscar De La Hoya’s “final” opponent on December 6 joining every lightweight through middleweight who has won on Showtime or HBO since Oscar dropped Steve Forbes in early May. Margarito’s hook is that it’s one for Mexican supremacy, a bookend for Oscar’s illustrious career whose greatness began with his June 1996 TKO of Mexico’s all-time best Julio Cesar Chavez.