MMA Nation - Miguel Cotto Defeats Antonio Margarito In Rematch

Cotto Vs. Margarito Video: Full Fight Highlights

2011-12-04T07:58:38Z

Miguel Cotto dominated Antonio Margarito on HBO pay-per-view, winning by doctor's stoppage after nine rounds. It was sweet revenge for Cotto, the man who feels that when he lost to Margarito the first time around in 2008 it was a case of Margarito having used illegal plaster in his wraps.

Margarito didn't look nearly as strong and his power punches didn't have nearly the same effect in the rematch as they did the first time around. But a big part of the way the fight went may have been due to the simple fact that Margarito is much slower and much less like the 2008 version of the two men at this point in his career.

Courtesy of Yahoo! Sports, we are able to bring you a video of highlights from the fight:

We'll have more on the fight over the coming days.

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Miguel Cotto's Next Fight Depends On Top Rank Situation - Pacquiao, Mayweather, Alvarez All Possibilities

2011-12-04T07:45:00Z

Miguel Cotto was too good for Antonio Margarito in their rematch. And he now would appear to have the world at his disposal.

As Scott Christ of Bad Left Hook wrote about before the fight, Cotto's deal with Top Rank ended with the Margarito fight. He now has a variety of possible options for his next fight and potentially huge payday. From the Bad Left Hook article:

Before the Pacquiao fight, Cotto played a round of golf with Oscar De La Hoya. And in July 2010, he had a meeting with Floyd Mayweather Jr in Puerto Rico, the details of which were never made public.

Cotto has connections now. He doesn't need Top Rank, and doesn't need Golden Boy, either. If he wins on Saturday, especially, he is his own star, and his promotional company is a real one that puts on shows, unlike some other vanity labels that other fighters "operate."

He could become a hired gun, a fighter who goes where the money is. Or he could sign with Golden Boy, as he seems to have some relationships there, and let them do most of the heavy lifting. Or he could just wind up signing a new deal with Top Rank, the company that his been his home since he turned pro back in 2001.

Let's look at Cotto's biggest potential options:

Manny Pacquiao - If Manny can't get a fight done with Floyd Mayweather, and Juan Manuel Marquez shows no interest in bending to Top Rank's rules for a fourth fight, suddenly Cotto becomes an interesting option. Of course, Pacquiao already beat Cotto fairly badly in their first fight but it's still a big money bout. This would require either Top Rank being willing to work with a "free agent" Cotto or Miguel re-signing with the promotional outfit.
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. - Floyd has a May 5 date all picked out and while they do genuinely want to make a fight with Manny Pacquiao, we've learned that this is not an easy fight to make. While Saul "Canelo" Alvarez called out Floyd and does remain a fairly attractive option, at only 21 years of age it could make more sense to have Mayweather take on Cotto. Signing a new deal with Top Rank would likely kill this fight idea.
Canelo Alvarez - With the seemingly positive relationship between Golden Boy and Cotto, a deal seems possible to make Cotto vs. Alvarez. They're already in the same weight and the Mexico vs. Puerto Rico storyline always works well. It'd be a true crossroads fight between two men on opposite ends of their careers. Again, there have been rumblings of Floyd vs. Canelo on May 5 which would kill that one.

Right now all these big names are interconnected. Manny wants Floyd, Floyd wants Manny or Canelo, Canelo wants Floyd and Cotto would probably be thrilled for the payday against any of them.

We'll have a much better idea of where things are going within the next month or two.

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Antonio Margarito's Next Fight - Reduced To Fodder For Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.?

2011-12-04T07:16:39Z

Antonio Margarito was outclassed on HBO pay-per-view by Miguel Cotto. After being beat to the punch throughout the night and looking like anything but the feared puncher he was once thought of before being caught with loaded hand wraps before his fight with Shane Mosley (take that decrease in power as you will), Margarito appears clearly to have seen his last days as an elite fighter.

That leaves the question: Where does Margarito go from here?

One possible option is up a weight class to middleweight to face Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.

Chavez is a big draw these days but he's also being managed very carefully. Margarito is a big man for 154 pounds, so moving up to 160 pounds to fight Chavez at middleweight is entirely doable. It also serves a dual purpose:

- Margarito doesn't have much time left in the sport or many more opportunities to make good paydays. A fight with Chavez would, at the very least, get him a nice payday and another spot on HBO or as a PPV support act on a card like Floyd Mayweather, Jr.'s May 5 date.

- For Chavez it presents him with an opponent possessing a big name which would be a benefit to his marketing while also an opponent whose skills are faded enough as to not likely present a tremendous challenge.

There's also a bit of a built in story of the old Mexican star who brought disgrace on a proud tradition (even if Mexican fans do remain supportive of Margarito) against the new talented son of the country's greatest boxer of all time.

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Cotto Vs. Margarito Result: Miguel Cotto Too Good For Antonio Margarito In Rematch

2011-12-04T06:01:08Z

Miguel Cotto truly believed in his heart that Antonio Margarito used loaded hand wraps in their first meeting in 2008, he wanted his revenge in front of a Puerto Rican heavy crowd in New York City.

From the start of the fight, Cotto was clearly too good for Margarito. Margarito looked slow, plodding forward looking to trap Cotto against the ropes. Meanwhile, Cotto circled away with ease, targeting the right eye of Margarito which had been nearly destroyed by Manny Pacquiao.

As the rounds wore on, the good moments for Margarito were few and far between while Cotto blasted him with combinations and throwing left hooks that first bloodied, and then swelled the eye of his rival.

Before the start of the ninth round it appeared that the doctors were ready to stop the fight due to the swelling of his eye. He was allowed to continue on for another round, but after the round, the doctor looked again and decided that there was no vision in the eye and called off the fight. The corner of Margarito and the fighter himself begged the doctors to allow the fight to continue, but the doctor said no and referee Steve Smoger was left with no choice but to waive it off.

Margarito's inability to do much damage throughout the fight compared to the way that he caused tremendous swelling and bleeding on Cotto's face does lend some weight to Cotto's feelings that Margarito's gloves were loaded the first time around.

Cotto said that Margarito means nothing to him anymore. He looks ready to move on with his career and his life.

While Margarito taunted continually throughout the fight and said afterward that Cotto does not hit hard, simply didn't have the skills to compete tonight. And regardless of how hard Cotto does or does not hit, he hit hard enough and often enough to win almost every second of this fight.

Margarito's days as an elite fighter are done as is this chapter in boxing history. Miguel Cotto has his redemption and that's how this rivalry will be remembered.

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Cotto Vs. Margarito Results Live: Round 9 - Miguel Cotto Wins By Doctor Stoppage

2011-12-04T05:46:39Z

Round nine of Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito on HBO PPV saw a brief moment before the start where the doctors checked on the damaged eye of Antonio and seemed close to stopping the fight. Still, Margarito was allowed to come out and continue.

Margarito continued to try to make something happen but Cotto simply remained too quick and able to circle away and land his left hand.

Margarito had Cotto against the ropes briefly but was pushed backward and then ate a huge left hook from Miguel. Cotto looked willing to stay a little bit closer and tag Margarito.

Right hand, left hook combination by Cotto and Margarito is unable to do anything.

At the end of the round the doctor went to look at Margarito and he told them to let him keep fighting but the doctors said no more. The previously damaged right eye of Margarito was simply too damaged.

While Margarito and his corner begged to allow them to continue on, the doctors said no and the fight was stopped.

Antonio Margarito had no quit in him, but he also didn't have the talent to fight with Miguel Cotto in 2011.

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Cotto Vs. Margarito Results Live: Round 8

2011-12-04T05:40:15Z

Round eight of Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito on HBO PPV saw Margarito needing to do something bit to turn the fight around as it appeared unlikely that he would be able to win the fight on the scorecards with the way the fight was developing.

The jab of Cotto targeted Margarito's damaged right eye. Margarito simply looked too slow to catch up to Cotto in this round as Miguel danced away landing combinations and disengaging without allowing Margarito to have time inside where he had had the most success.

Cotto with a huge left hook and Margarito tried to walk forward but slowly is getting blown out by a better fighter in Margarito.

Margarito could not possibly be in the fight on the judges' cards and will need a knockout to win this.

Round: 10-9 Cotto
Fight: 79-73 Cotto

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Cotto Vs. Margarito Results Live: Round 7

2011-12-04T05:36:03Z

Round seven of Antonio Margarito vs. Miguel Cotto on HBO PPV saw both men get in an inside battle early. Margarito's swollen right eye remained a target for Cotto's left hand. Margarito landed a solid right hand and an uppercut before Cotto came back with three hard punches.

Margarito kept working to the body but Cotto was simply quicker and more effective with the combinations through the middle part of the round.

With Margarito walking forward, Cotto tagged him on the jaw with a sweeping left hook.

Margarito had no backing up in him while he tried to make something happen but was bleeding more and more from different parts of his face.

Cotto landed a right hand after the bell and got a talking to from the ref, but it was the first round I saw for Margarito.

Round: 10-9 Margarito
Fight: 69-64 Cotto

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Cotto Vs. Margarito Results Live: Round 6

2011-12-04T05:31:34Z

Round six of the HBO PPV main event between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito saw Margarito finally having had a little success in round five by trapping Cotto against the ropes. It was enough to win him the round on HBO's Herald Ledderman's scorecard.

Cotto still came out effective early, landing a left and a right while Margarito tried to push forward. Cotto seemed a little more aware in the early part of the round about not going back to the ropes but Margarito did continue to find some left uppercut success at times.

Cotto has blood coming out of his mouth and Margarito landed a hard body shot. Margarito's pressure did look to be bothering him a bit more but I still see it as a Cotto round.

Round: 10-9 Cotto
Fight: 60-54 Cotto

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