Round Up: Cotto Wins by TKO in Round 10

December 03, 2011 – Madison Square Garden, New York

12 Rds., WBA Super Welterweight Championship

Champ MIGUEL COTTO, 36-2, 29 KOs, Caguas, Puerto Rico

Vs

ANTONIO ‘TIJUANA TORNADO’ MARGARITO, 38-7-1, 27 KOs, Mexico

Result: Cotto Wins by TKO in Round 10     

Detail: It was a fight that pitted both the most intense country-to-country and fighter-to-fighter rivalry in all of boxing, drew a raucous sold-out crowd to the most storied venue in the sport, and lived up to the hype in a way that few bouts do. In short: it was a great night for the sweet science – and an even better one for Miguel Cotto and the Puerto Rican people. He thoroughly dominated the preternaturally tough Margarito – who must be commended for never backing down – and earned his revenge in definitive, crowd-pleasing fashion. The first loss of his career came at the fists of the Mexican in 2008, of course; and in an ironic reversal of fortune, perhaps the most important victory of Cotto’s amazing run has now come at the expense of that same foe. Under the tutelage of famed Cuban trainer Pedro Diaz, Cotto showed that he was able to adjust his game by fighting going backwards. This allowed him to keep Margarito from doing too much damage while allowing Cotto to connect early and often. As many suspected he’d do, Cotto targeted Margarito’s right eye – which pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao injured last year – making it bleed in the third and swelling it almost completely shut by the time of the stoppage in between the ninth and tenth. While Margarito landed some good shots that marked up Cotto’s face, he was unable to pin him down and launch the kind of sustained attack that dethroned the former welterweight champ in Las Vegas three years ago. Still, despite his nearly closed eye (it would require 12 stitches after the match up), Margarito never stopped pressuring Cotto, never lost his will. So, when the ref stopped the fight, Margarito protested like the warrior he is that he be given one more round – but to no avail. Cotto had accomplished his goal in dominant fashion, keeping his title, maintaining his pride, and having his revenge.