By Swodogg

I’ve been a big Margarito fan since 2002 (as maybe you all can tell from my avatar) when he was climbing the ranks and won a knockout victory over Antonio Diaz.

If you don’t remember that fight, Diaz was winning early on, then just like that, Margarito stalked his prey and broke Diaz apart. The HBO crew showed Diaz’s wife in shock as her man was getting his first whiff of the Tijuana Tornado in action. This scene sound familiar?

 

My first encounter with Margarito was in Vegas and I congratulated him on the 1st Cintron fight and he said, “Cintron just couldn’t handle it” and that he wanted a big fight and more action in the coming years. I couldn’t agree more.   That takes us now to 2008, the “most avoided boxer” in the sport finally had his chance to be in boxings spotlight. Cotto is the experts favorite, no losses and looked unbeatable in his fight with the “Contender” Alfonso Gomez. In retrospect, it reminded me of another young gun from Puerto Rico the Great Wilfredo Gomez 32-0 with 32KO’s winning streak coming in to face another Great: Salvador Sanchez. And we all know what happened there: Instant Classic.

 

In the early rounds we saw Cotto using his boxing skills keeping Margarito off him yet stepping backwards and to his left the entire fight. He continued to step back and to his left, throwing quick combos and looking to counter. As for Margarito, it was a typical slow start. He’s known to warm up and catch his prey after 6 rounds or so then turn up the heat. After a few rounds of action it seemed as though there was no way Cotto could keep up the pace for 12 full rounds.  Also we all knew Cottos chin was suspect. Most everyone in the league pointed this out. Many of us all figured from watching Zab Judah and the Ricardo Torres fights showed Cotto's Achilles “chin” but these opponents lacked the tenacity to capitalize and take Cotto out.

This was my prediction: Swodogg: Antonio Margarito - Round 11 Im going with Magarito. I know Cotto is the more polished fighter but what happens when you face someone with a chin and will smile when you hit him with your best shot? Magarito will weather the Cotto storm and come back with some heavy combos....Clocking Cotto and sending him down and out.

Kellerman said it best in describing a fight against Margarito, "its like hitting a brick wall that keeps closing in on you.”  Margarito took solid punch after punch from Cotto that would make all of us crumble in a heap. But he fought on bravley and eventually Cotto sucumbed and the rest was history. An instant classic!

That’s my analysis and I’m sticking to it. 

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