Can Miguel Cotto exorcise his demons on December 3rd by avoiding the thudding pressure of Antonio Margarito?
The last time these two combatants were in the ring with each other, Antonio Margarito systemically broke down the then undefeated Miguel Cotto, by using a familiar game plan of utilizing effective pressure by taking shots to get in shots, and landing with thudding force. But how do they stack up as we head into their second match? Take a look at this comparison broken down by attributes to see who has the advantage and who will emerge victorious.
In their first meeting in the ring with each other, I had Cotto winning the first five rounds based on Cotto’s unbelievable combinations and ring generalship which had him in complete control of the fight. As the fight went on though, Margarito was able to land hard shots in between Cotto’s great counterpunching and these shots started to take effect on Cotto, as the then, undefeated warrior started to wear down.
In the late rounds, Cotto looked like a beaten fighter as Margarito’s will overcame broke Cotto’s boxing skills. The fight ended as Margarito caught Cotto with two vicious uppercuts in the eleventh round, and then finished Cotto against the ropes as the referee stepped in and stopped the fight.
Now their paths will cross again, as the stage is set for another great showdown between these two fighters as Margarito will challenge for Cotto’s WBA light middleweight title on December 3, 2011 at the Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden in New York. Given what happened in their last meeting, which one of these fighters has the advantages to win the fight?
Boxing Skills
Miguel Cotto is a great boxer-puncher who also brawls when the opportunity presents itself, although in this case, that would be to his disadvantage. Margarito brings rough, tough and aggressive pressure to the table as he loves to come forward and throw a lot of punches in hopes of breaking the will of his opposition. Miguel Cotto should have won the first meeting by using his superior boxing skills to defuse the aggressiveness of Margarito, sort of like the way “Sugar” Shane Mosley did Margarito. He has a clear advantage in technical skill, if he can apply it. Advantage Cotto
Power
Both of these fighters possess explosive power in both hands. Miguel Cotto has ended boxing careers with his punching power, while Margarito continues to walk through his opponents punching while landing hard shots of his own. I would have given Margarito the advantage in this category, but due to the question marks surrounding the handwrap incident, I have to answer in a different manner. Advantage Even
Speed
Cotto may not be a speedster, but he’s certainly quicker than Margarito and he can use his superior boxing skills to elude Margarito. Margarito has no intentions of being faster than his opponent, he just wants to throw a lot of punches and use that as a way of eliminating the speed of his opponent. Cotto does not have super fast hand speed, but Margarito’s hand speed is equivalent to a turtle, so I feel Cotto can easily out quick Margarito in this fight. Advantage Cotto
Size
When the two fighters meet up for the weigh-in prior to fight time, I expect both fighters to make the 154 pound limit, but on fight day Margarito may blow up to super middleweight stature. Margarito is naturally the bigger guy and I expect him to be the bigger of the two come December 3. Advantage Margarito
Reach
This is one of those categories where the fighter that has the advantage will not use it to his advantage much in this fight. Margarito has a significant reach advantage of five to six inches over Cotto, but Margarito does not jab much or try to use his height to keep distance, which will give Cotto a huge shot to win this fight, given that Margarito will not use this important advantage. Margarito just wants to fight, period. Advantage Margarito
Height
Margarito towers over Cotto, as Margarito is 5 feet 11 inches tall, while Cotto will enter the ring at 5 feet 7 inches tall. Margarito, however, will not use his height in this fight as I expect him to come forward while leaving himself wide open for hard counter shots from Miguel Cotto. Advantage Margarito
Trainers
Antonio Margarito has been trained by well-known trainer Robert Garcia for a very long time. Margarito completely trusts Garcia’s guidance, and this is a key component in the fight which will play a big role in whether Margarito wins or losses. Meanwhile, Cotto has recently replaced legendary trainer Emanuel Steward with Cuban Pedro Luis Diaz, which I feel could be a huge mistake if Cotto truly wants to redeem himself from the beating he took at the hands of Margarito back in 2008. Advantage Margarito
Mental Makeup
I feel that Antonio Margarito will enter the ring with a lot of confidence on December 3 as he feels that Cotto’s will can be broken with effective pressure, tempered handwraps or not. One might say that Cotto does not seem to be too confident as he switched trainers. I am not sure where Cotto’s head is but he has the tools to win this fight if he can focus. He’s also mentally convinced that he only lost to Margarito because of the hand wraps in the first fight, and that boosts his own confidence. Advantage Margarito
Age
Cotto will be the younger fighter going into the fight, but both of these warriors are so battle tested that age will not matter. Margarito is three years older than Cotto, but Margarito proved in their first meeting that age is just a number as Margarito had a lot more fuel left in the tank than the younger and more skilled Cotto. Both have taken two terrible beatings in two recent losses. Advantage Cotto
Conclusion
The Mecca of Boxing will write another great chapter in the boxing history books on December 3 as this fight should shape up to be a fantastic matchup of two warriors, in which both are starving for the big spotlight again.
By the analysis above, Antonio Margarito has the most advantages going into the fight on December 3, but given his reckless aggressive boxing style, most of the advantages Margarito possesses, he does not use. Miguel Cotto made two crucial mistakes in the first fight with Margarito and those were not tying up Margarito after landing his own shots, and not protecting himself or getting back out of harm’s way when the two fighters were fighting on the inside.
If Miguel Cotto can simply throw his ego out the window and tie up Margarito on the inside, just as “Sugar” Shane Mosley did, then I feel Cotto can win this fight easy. However, I just feel that Cotto, like Margarito, knows only one way of boxing and that is standing in front of their opponents and throwing hard shots until somebody falls down.
