Tonight?s rematch between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito is unquestionably one of the most-anticipated events of the year but the general consensus in the industry is that we will be witnessing at least partially-faded versions of each fighter. Margarito defeated Cotto by way of an 11th round TKO nearly three and a half years ago and each man has endured a rollercoaster of their own since that encounter.
Both Cotto (36-2, 29 knockouts), the reigning WBA junior middleweight champion, and Margarito (38-7, 27 knockouts) have taken a serious amount of punishment during their respective careers and it just so happens that superstar Manny Pacquiao is responsible for handing each fighter their most recent defeat.
Pacquiao bludgeoned Cotto inside of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada in November of 2009, dropping the Puerto Rican in rounds three and four and dominating the action afterwards as he netted a 12th round TKO victory.
One year later Pacquiao thoroughly punished Margarito at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas, winning a wide decision and busting up the Tijuana fighter?s right eye, as it was later revealed that Margarito had a broken orbital bone in his face.
