Earlier today in New York, the final press conference for this weekend?s rematch between Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto took place.
The bad blood between the two fighters has been well-documented since their first fight, a July 2008 scuffle in Las Vegas won by Margarito via 11th round TKO, and the animosity seemed to pour over during today?s presser.
In his first fight after defeating Cotto, a January 2009 stoppage loss to Shane Mosley, Margarito was found to have elements of plaster of paris in his hand wraps in the dressing room prior to the bout. Speculation soon ran that the Tijuana fighter may have been performing with tampered wraps in prior fights, with Cotto stepping forward during the lead-up to their rematch to state his belief that Margarito certainly had to have cheated.
Margarito has brushed off Cotto?s remarks endlessly, instead pointing the finger towards the Puerto Rican?s inability to hold up in their first encounter, a fight that saw Cotto start strong before being dropped twice late before folding in that fateful eleventh round.
