When thinking of all the action that has taken place in Las Vegas over the past few years, it is hard to think of a fighter who has had as much heartbreak as Caguas, Puerto Rico?s Miguel Cotto. Heading into the summer of 2008 Cotto was widely regarded as one of the sport?s most complete and devastating forces, having swept through competition at 140 and 147 pounds while claiming championships, but a dire fait would soon be right around his corner.
On July 28th, 2008 Cotto put his undefeated record on the line against Tijuana?s Antonio Margarita at the MGM Grand. In this bout Cotto would start extremely fast, beating his older foe to the punch and controlling the action, but Margarito?s pressure began to take its effect by the middle rounds. Cotto was in retreat mode by the time the championship rounds approached and would be dropped twice in the eleventh as the contest was halted by referee Kenny Bayless. His face a bloody mask from all of the punishment he had absorbed, Cotto had suffered a career-altering type of defeat.
Cotto would regroup to win bouts over Michael Jennings and Joshua Clottey and found himself against the rising surge of Manny Pacquiao late last year. Also taking place inside the MGM, the first two rounds of Pacquiao-Cotto were full of back and forth action. Cotto showed himself well early but he was dropped in rounds three and four and subsequently ran out of steam, against suffering a demoralizing late round stoppage in which he took a serious amount of punishment.
Following the Pacquiao defeat there were those in the sport who felt that Cotto would be best off if he were to walk away from the sport, seeing as though he had already accomplished much and made a significant amount of money to fall back on. But being a fighter at heart, Cotto opted to continue his trek and put on a surprising display this past June when he moved up in weight to stop Belarus native Yuri Foreman at Yankee Stadium. The victory netted Cotto the WBA junior middleweight championship and also proved that he was far from finished.
Taking things a step further, Cotto has insisted his desires of avenging the only two losses on his ledger to Pacquiao and Margarito. Turning the tables and claiming victories over men who have scored TKO victories over you is no easy feat and it?s a testament to Cotto?s temperament as a fighter that he is eyeing redemption as opposed to simply sitting on his title.
Pacquiao and Margarito will fight in a little over a week?s time at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas and Cotto plans to be ringside to scout both fighters in hopes of landing a rematch against either man. Having experienced the sheer force of each pugilist on a first hand basis, Cotto seems to feel that the fight won?t go the full route.
?I have no prediction whatsoever,? Cotto said in a recent BoxingScene article by the Sport Press? Rey Colon. ?I only know that it?s going to be a great fight. I don?t know if it?s going to go the distance because both of them are explosive and strong fighters. Anything can happen.?
Cotto is as classy as an individual as you will find in the sport and his presence is always welcome at any event. But for this particular contest you get the sense that he won?t be in the most jovial of moods and will instead have a keen eye on the Pacquiao-Margarito affair with visions of redemption floating through his head. Cotto has also been rumored to face the likes of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and others in early 2011 but it seems to be the two blemishes on his career that stand out as the thorns in his side. He?s earned the right to eye the competition and regardless of how things play out it?s always a welcome sign to have Miguel Cotto back in the mix.
