Miguel Cotto is a man of very few emotions, at least on the surface, so it was no surprise that the Puerto Rican star’s demeanor was strikingly subdued just moments after his viscous 12th round TKO over Ricardo Mayorga this past weekend in Las Vegas. Cotto successfully defended his WBA junior middleweight crown as he controlled the contest against the former welterweight champion with sharp, precise punching and a systematic attack inside of the MGM Grand Garden Arena, finishing matters with a picturesque left hook.
Speaking at the post fight press conference, Cotto was surrounded by his wife and kids as well as his Top Rank family, who have been with him throughout his run as a professional. Promoter Bob Arum told the assembled media that the next move would be for Cotto to pursue a July rematch with Antonio Margarito, the first man to hand him a defeat as a professional.
<--- Slideshow: Reliving the first Cotto-Margarito encounter
The history between the two men is both brutal and controversial. In July of 2008 Margarito would fall behind to Cotto early but found a way to make his aggression pay dividends as he took control over the second half of the fight. The ‘Tijuana Tornado’ would drop Cotto twice late in the contest in registering an 11th round TKO in what still stands as his biggest night as a pro.
But one fight later Margarito was caught with tampered hand wraps prior to his savage loss to Shane Mosley, fueling speculation that he had been operating illegally in his prior contests as well. He was suspended for a year by the California Athletic Commission and his win with Cotto suddenly had some question marks hovering around it.
Margarito would approach the podium to congratulate his former foe and while they did shake hands, Cotto wanted no part of it, instead glaring at him briefly with a menacing look before staring away. Margarito would go on to say ‘That’s what I am here for’ in regards to a potential rematch and it seems inevitable and almost fitting in a weird way that these two are going to meet again.
There has been no war of words between the men and Margarito even reached out recently and commended Cotto for his performance. In a recent BoxingScene.com piece by Jhonny Gonzalez, Margarito admitted that he saw a different fighter inside of the ring compared to the man he broke down two and a half years ago.
“Well, I did see something new. I watched him and he was a lot more technical. He was more technical and he was more calm when he was boxing. He looked good and was slipping and blocking more punches. Miguel Cotto has always been a good fighter and he showed why,” Margarito said to Jose Sanchez.
News flash: Naazim Richardson hints Margarito may steamroll Cotto
Asked for his take on things, Cotto hasn’t even addressed a potential rematch with the man who so brutally halted him and shattered his status as an unbeaten superstar in the game. Cotto went on to call a rematch ‘speculation’ and noted that everything is up to Arum from here on out.
Right now the two men are talking casually and with respect but you can tell there is some animosity brewing. This is actually a huge fight for both of them, the type of fight that would leave the loser without a whole lot of options if they are tied to a rough defeat.
For Margarito this is a chance to silence his doubters who have implied that he must have had loaded wraps when he fought Cotto. It’s a chance to show he can win the fight when everything is on the up and up. For Cotto this is a chance at redemption, a chance for him to show that his loss to Margarito was a fluke as well as just how much he has improved under new trainer Emanuel Steward.
This is the type of fight that is going to have some scoffing but come July everyone will be watching.
The first Cotto-Margarito battle was a high-pitched affair, with Cotto tagging Margarito early but fading late. Over the second half of the fight Margarito would turn the tide of the contest and score an 11th round TKO. For a look back at that night please visit Reliving Margarito’s destruction of Miguel Cotto
