Miguel Cotto – Antonio Margarito II: Time to Set the Record Straight

By Geno McGahee

In Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, the WBA Light Middleweight Champion, Miguel Cotto, 36-2, 29 KO’s, sat for a photo shoot to debut his new clothing line for Ecko, but the time spent helped maintain the focus on the task to come. Antonio Margarito, 38-7, 27 KO’s, is one of two men that hold a victory over Cotto, and that fight has left the bad taste in the mouths of the boxing fans due to the controversy surrounding it.

Cotto is very aware of history and what it means to him to fight for his people and take the place of the other huge Puerto Rican boxing attraction, Felix Trinidad. His rise to the top was sidetracked when he lost to Margarito in 2008, but when it was revealed that the Mexican brawler may have had an illegal edge, it put that loss into perspective. Cotto lost the first fight by TKO, after a beating, but the comeback happens in December, and there will be no extra edge, no excuses, and the end of a popular boxing argument.

After the defeat to Margarito, Cotto put together two victories. The first was over the courageous, but overmatched Michael Jennings, a fight that Cotto would win by stoppage in five rounds, followed by a hard fought decision win over Joshua Clottey. The back to back victories would lead to a showdown with Manny Pacquiao.

Against Pacquiao, Cotto controlled the action early, but could not fend off the Filipino powerhouse, losing the fight via last round stoppage, but Cotto would once again go back to the drawing board and would move up to light middleweight and immediately win the WBA title from Yuri Foreman. He would stop the tough brawler, Ricardo Mayorga in the final round of his last fight, leading to this bout with Margarito.

Miguel Cotto is prepared to return to the top ten on the pound for pound best list. With a convincing win over Margarito in the rematch, a move to the top five of the pound for pound best list is a certainty. The moment of truth comes on December 3rd, in New York City, Cotto’s home away from home. Expect an excited crowd, packed with Cotto followers, supporting their fighter as he goes to erase a bad night in 2008, and punish the man that gave boxing such a black eye.