Margarito Stops Cotto in Classic

27.07.08

MARGARITO STOPS COTTO IN CLASSIC

By Matthew Sanderson

Antonio Margarito went to enormous lengths to take away both Miguel Cotto's WBA welterweight title and unbeaten record at Las Vegas' MGM Grand last night. Behind on points, and having shrugged off one stunning head shot after another, Mexico’s Margarito wore down his Puerto Rican rival, who, battered and exhausted, was rescued at 2:05 of round 11 after two visits to the canvas.
 
It was an epic encounter, equal to the recent Vazquez-Marquez battles in terms of sustained intensity and back-and-forth action. If Cotto took the role of Marquez – the power punching, but vulnerable counter puncher – then Margarito played the Vazquez part to perfection. Overcoming Cotto’s advantages in skill and precision, Margarito simply marched through the pain to mete out a savage beating.
 
While Cotto was in control for much of the first half, he was seldom comfortable in there. Cotto, 147 (like Margarito), snapped Margarito’s head back throughout and rattled off combos before spinning artfully away, but was forced to work three minutes of every round, something he has never liked doing.
 
During the heated second session, Margarito crowded the favorite on the ropes, surrounding the champion with uppercuts, rights and body shots – a portent of things to come. Cotto, 27, responded well, zapping his challenger with headshots and making Margarito miss amateurishly through the third, fourth and fifth.

But there would be no rests for the classy Cotto, who used up a lot of energy, and who could never dictate the action from the centre of the ring.
 
As demonstrated in his rematch against an improved Kermit Cintron last April (on the Cotto-Alfonso Gomez undercard), Margarito’s chin is granite, enabling him to walk in and get payback after taking the most hurtful of shots. The 30-year-old from Tijuana was in trouble in the sixth, when Cotto toyed with him and had the space to do as he pleased.
 
However, Margarito broke through in a riveting seventh, shaking Cotto at the end of the session, payback for the shots that snapped his head back several times. Round eight turned the tables, as Margarito hassled Cotto for over two minutes, before the proud, but struggling, champion replied with a heavy salvo.
 
Cotto had faded late against a 36-year-old Shane Mosley last year and was dragged in the deep end by Margarito, whose high output never ceased. As well as tiring, Cotto was also marking up. Bleeding from the nose since the middle rounds, he was gasping for breath, and Margarito made things worse with body shots and left uppercuts.
 
Though Cotto was still landing big shots, nothing could keep Margarito off. Despite being ungainly, his high output, toughness and desire make the Mexican an elite class fighter, and these traits saw him shake Cotto to close a thrilling tenth round.

Cotto tied up wisely, but had to take body shots. He could no longer stand up to the attacks in the eleventh, in which he suffered two knockdowns and faced defeat for the first time.
 
Beaten to the canvas, Cotto had nothing left. He went down again, before Margarito’s volleys could even land – out of sheer exhaustion. Referee Kenny Bayless halted the beating after the towel came in, closing what will be a leading candidate for 2008’s fight of the year.

It was a massive result over Margarito, who has been hardened by high-risk assignments against unbeaten punchers (Kermit Cintron, Paul Williams, Hercules Kyvelos), awkward stylists (Daniel Santos, Sergio Gabriel Martinez), and hardened ex champs/contenders (Antonio Diaz, Andrew Lewis, Joshua Clottey) over three world title reigns (WBO welterweight champ twice, and a brief tenure as IBF holder).

Though he has won on the big stage, few big names will be keen to face Margarito (now 37-5, 27) who may have to settle for risky rematches with Williams – who beat him narrowly a year ago – and Clottey – who takes on Zab Judah for the IBF belt that “Tony” dropped in order to take the Cotto fight.

Cotto drops to 32-1 (26) but the mental and physical toll of the defeat will make coming back an ordeal, given how much he relies on breaking other people down. When he does return, one doubts it will be in a rematch against Margarito.

Cotto landed 43 percent of his 655 punches, but Margarito's superior work rate was reflected in his 987 total punches. Margarito landed 237 power shots to Cotto's 179 - most in the last rounds.

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