With the retirement of Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto is looking to establish himself as the best 147-pound fighter in boxing when he defends his welterweight title against Antonio Margarito. Here are five subplots surrounding one of the most anticipated fights of the year.
Just like the good old days
Veteran boxing writer George Kimball's new book, "Four Kings," chronicles the time when Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns and Roberto Duran took turns beating up on each other beginning in the 1970s. There were nine fights between them in all and just about every one of them was a megafight that captured the attention of not just boxing fans, but the sports world in general. Most of the rivalries took root in the welterweight division, where Leonard-Hearns I and Leonard-Duran I and II laid the foundation for what the book calls "the last great era in boxing."
Miguel Cotto versus Antonio Margarito could very well rekindle some of those memories. It is certainly receiving the kind of hype that a megabout generates. Just when it was thought major media had forgotten about boxing, newspapers like The Wall Street Journal are reporting about the fight and promoter Bob Arum says national television coverage will be "enormous."
That said, Cotto figures to be better suited to handle the bright lights. He has been in the ring with Zab Judah and Shane Mosley and built enormous confidence with those victories. He's returning for his first fight in Las Vegas in nearly four years as a proven champion. Margarito has never fought in this kind of spotlight and while he doesn't figure to freeze like a deer in headlights, he may try to do too much too soon, exhausting himself the way Hearns did in his first fight with Leonard.
Can't we all just get along?
Whenever Puerto Rican and Mexican boxers collide in the ring, national pride flows like blood at a slaughterhouse.
"In both countries they love the sport," Arum said. "When you have passionate fans in Puerto Rico and passionate fans in Mexico, you're going to get that type of reaction." The fact that Cotto is Puerto Rican and Margarito is Mexican only adds gasoline to their competitive fires and guarantees both fighters will be driven by pride. "Everybody knows about the rivalry between Puerto Rico and Mexico and this is an extra chapter in its history," Cotto said.
Skills pay the bills
As a junior welterweight prospect, Cotto was regarded mostly as a hard puncher who wore down his opponents with constant pressure and combinations. But he showed his versatility as a boxer against Shane Mosley when he jabbed and counterpunched late in the fight to earn a unanimous decision. It reinforced his overall ability to adapt in the ring and use whatever tactic suits his purpose.
Margarito, meanwhile, is all about pressure and power. "I don't think boxing is going to have a lot to do with it," he said.
Look for Cotto to try to use his boxing skills to keep Margarito off balance early. If Margarito can turn it into a slugfest, it's his best chance to win. "I'm going to use whatever I need to use to win this fight," Cotto said. "I don't know which style is going to give me victory." Margarito doesn't have a Plan B. "I'm the type of fighter who puts pressure on an opponent," he said. "We'll see how he reacts to it."
Chin music
Cotto was considered to have a suspect chin when he was hurt by DeMarcus Corley and dropped by Ricardo Torres in 2005. Those fights were at junior welterweight, however.
Since moving up to welterweight, Cotto hasn't been seriously hurt, taking strong punches from Zab Judah and Shane Mosley. If Margarito is thinking he can finish Cotto with one punch, he's mistaken. Tests showed Cotto was burning muscle to make the 140-pound weight limit, which weakened the fighter and allowed him to be wobbled by punches, according to Arum.
At 147, Cotto's chin has been granite. "When you destroy yourself to make the lower weight you suffer the consequences in the ring," Cotto said. "I feel more comfortable at 147." Margarito hasn't really been battered, losing to Paul Williams because he couldn't solve the lanky left-hander's style. Don't expect any sudden knockouts. It will be an accumulation of punches that determines the outcome.
No losers here
If this fight lives up to the hype -- and that's saying a lot -- it should enhance both fighters' careers, regardless of who wins. Boxing is so starved for competitive matchups that neither fighter will be damaged if it's a thrilling bout with constant action that leaves fans and pay-per-view customers feeling they got their money's worth. In fact, it could be the first of a trilogy. Both fighters feel like their legacies are on the line. "Winning this fight will put me at another level as a Mexican fighter and a Mexican icon," Margarito said. "I know I'm hungrier than he is and I want it more than he does and I'm going to go get it."
Cotto is just as motivated. "This is going to be a real battle," he said, "because he is trying to take my title away."
George Willis is the boxing columnist for the New York Post.
