A number of boxing observers believed that former welterweight champion Antonio Margarito (38-8, 27 KOs) would yield a similar result when he fought Miguel Cotto (37-2, 30 KOs) for the second time, writer included. However, what happened three years ago when they first traded leather was far from making a repeat. Cotto boxed Margarito beautifully and furiously, thudding the Mexican with combinations and dazzling him with superior footwork and defense.
?Footwork killed Margarito,? expressed two-time former world champion turned promoter Gerry Penalosa. ?Cotto made a good move in rehiring his former amateur coach.?
But more than just the usual razzle and dazzle, Cotto was bent on making Margarito pay for the brutalization he received three years prior. And what?s more interesting is that Cotto had a target ? Margarito?s recently operated right eye. An injury suffered by Margarito at the hands of Manny Pacquiao last year, the eye would prove to be the critical factor in the fight. There was nothing Margarito?s pressure fighting, size, and will could do.
By the middle of the third round, Margarito?s eye suffered a nasty gash. With blood trickling down, it was evident that the boxer known as the Tijuana Tornado needed to put a stop on Cotto and fast. But for a man who never runs out of steam, it seemed natural for Margarito to just weather the storm and surge in the later rounds. No surge was going to happen though, as Cotto made sure of that.
