The boxing world is still soaking in the aftermath of Miguel Cotto?s polished-boxing display that paved the way towards a 10th round TKO over Antonio Margarito in their anticipated rematch. Inside of Madison Square Garden, Cotto would tag his Tijuana rival with precise counterpunches throughout the fight, busting up Margarito?s surgically-repaired right eye and forcing a stoppage after the ringside physicians on hand had seen enough after nine rounds.
It was sweet revenge for Cotto, who fell to Margarito via 11th round TKO in July of 2008, and the victory seemed to be only partially-expected from HBO color analyst Larry Merchant.
?It was not a big shock to me but it was a pleasant surprise,? said Merchant. ?You know, proof and justice don?t always win in boxing.?
Merchant has covered countless Cotto fights throughout the Puerto Rican?s ten-plus year career and had a few champions in mind when pondering his next move.
?I?d certainly like to see him fight [Floyd] Mayweather,? Merchant continued. ?And after that he?s in a division full of guys who are worthy opponents and certainly, if he ever got to fight Canelo [Alvarez], it would be a big event. But maybe [Julio Cesar] Chavez Jr. is more realistic. I think that the fact that this fight supposedly did very well on pay-per-view, will give him a number of options.?
Elaborating on a possible fight against Sinaloa, Mexico?s Chavez Jr., the reigning WBC middleweight champion, Merchant can instantly see the danger in the fight because of the drastic size advantage at hand but feels that other factors could come into play.
?Cotto?s had a wonderful career. He?s fought a lot of dangerous fights,? said Merchant. ?Mosley, Pacquiao, Margarito, and now he?s reached a point in his career where it?s going to be economics. Chavez is a full-grown middleweight, comes in weighing between 175 and 180 on the nights of fights. Does Cotto want a guy that big? If the money?s right, maybe he would.?
