Cotto-Margarito reportedly finalized for Vegas

Cotto heading West for big Vegas bout
By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer
55 minutes ago

Margarito-Cotto a match worth making Miguel Cotto’s welterweight unification title fight with Antonio Margarito will be held in Las Vegas on July 26, The Associated Press learned Tuesday.

Cotto, the undefeated WBA champion from Puerto Rico, will headline a Las Vegas card for the first time when he meets IBF champion Margarito at the MGM Grand Garden, according to a person familiar with the decision who spoke on condition of anonymity because the completed deal won’t be announced until next week.

Cotto (32-0, 26 KOs) hasn’t fought in Las Vegas since Dec. 11, 2004, on the undercard of Vitali Klitschko’s bout with Danny Williams. His last 10 fights were held in Atlantic City, Puerto Rico or New York, where he usually performs before loud, enthusiastic crowds—but the rising welterweight star’s debut as a West Coast pay-per-view attraction is shaping up as the most tantalizing fight of the summer.

Promoter Bob Arum recently said he was interested in holding the fight in Las Vegas to promote Cotto to a new audience while also playing to Margarito’s Mexican-American fans in California. Arum believes a Las Vegas bout will perform better on pay-per-view as well.

The Las Vegas notion gained momentum last month when the Nevada Athletic Commission amended its provisional rules on glove size, allowing welterweights to wear 8-ounce gloves instead of the previously mandated 10-ounce gloves. Nearly every other boxing jurisdiction allows welterweights to fight in 8-ounce gloves, and both Cotto and Margarito both likely would have refused to fight in Las Vegas without their usual gloves.

Margarito (36-5, 26 KOs) earned his shot at Cotto by taking Kermit Cintron’s IBF title with a sixth-round knockout on April 12, moments before Cotto stopped Alfonso Gomez on the same card in Atlantic City. Margarito, who lost his WBO welterweight title to Paul Williams last summer, dominated Cintron for the second time in their careers to claim another belt.

Cotto’s powerful punching and tenacity have made him the biggest threat to pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr., the WBC welterweight champion who’s more interested in reality television and big paydays than the primitive perils of a matchup with Cotto. Though Arum repeatedly has called out Mayweather on behalf of his client, Cotto hasn’t joined the chorus, remaining content to fight whomever Arum puts in front of him.

With Mayweather still apparently headed toward a rematch of his tedious split-decision win over Oscar De La Hoya in the richest fight in boxing history, Cotto’s meeting with Margarito likely is the most enticing fight coming up in the loaded welterweight division.

De La Hoya, who beat Steve Forbes on May 3, has said he would be interested in closing out his career with a fight against Cotto in December.

 

You are a freaking thread creating machine! ::

Glad to hear it's signed, this is going to be the best fight all year.

 

I'll be there. :bears:

 

Too much free time today, I guess.::

 

It's good, more to talk about. :bears:

 

Cotto is going to beat the shit out of Margarito!


WAR COTTO!!!!!!!!!!:bears:

 

Just look at the front page:eeeek: :eeeek: :eeeek:

 

tickets should be on sale monday. hopefully their is a decent bout underneath.

 

I thought Margarito was 'unworthy' :dunno: . Now he's in the most anticipated fight for the remainder of this year?..

"Baldomir was da undisputed welterweight champ" ,...:shit: we all knew that was a crock of shit didnt we?,... oh well,..it had to be said to buy some time I guess, from a flustering groupie perspective..

 

It's Only "Anticipated" Cause it's an ACTION Fight & Cotto's 1st Time Headlining N Vegas...

Otherwise, Margarita is just as UNWORTHY as Always...


REED

 

:eeeek: Reed please,...

So this would be just as anticipated if Cotto was fighting say,.. a hard headed bum who likes to plod forward like Baldomir?..:dunno:

 

Enjoy July 26th, Kauki...

Cause when it's Over, Your Boy will B KNOCKED Right Back to ANONYMITY...


REED

 

Well, that day will be my birthday, that has to factor, I just couldnt imagine Margarito having his arse whipped, humiliated and shut out on my birthday. Paul Williams celebrates the same birthday, and he's the same age, so Reed please, :nono: if that isn't an adverse omen to take into consideration for you, then I dont know what is.

 

Maybe so but I think Margarito deserves a bit more respect, Brother Reed. Ok, so lets say he's not that good. He is, at the very least, a two-time champ who went over 10 years between losses at welter. And, unlike a lot of guys who people call the most avoided or whatever, he actually seeks out fights FORREAL. No money squabbles, no venue issues, NOTHING. Clottey, Williams, Cintron and now Cotto in the past couple years. Seriously, every fight fan should love this guy.

 

i agree w/ IMDAZED, margarito deserves respect. at the very least, he's a WORLD CLASS fighter and a two time champion.

if he was so 'ordinary' or 'mediocre' why are fans so elated about this fight between he and Cotto?

i for one, am excited because margarito is goin to whup that ass :bears:

 

The more I think about it, the more I lean towards Margarito. He'll get Cotto to engage in a war and outman him

 

Reed doesn't like him because apparently Antonio Margarito is the spanish translation for Dariusz Michalczewski, a polish expression which means avoided-real-champion-who-tarnishes-flashy-favorite's-legacy

 

Hatton is scared of Margarito.

 

phonetap wouldn't go as far as calling margarito unworthy. once you see the size difference between he and cotto you may rethink your position...

 

that's what i'm looking forward too. i expect cotto to box early and once he gets confident he's gonna try to mix it up on the inside where he'll get busted up w/ uppercuts and shots to the body.

old ass mosley couldnt finish the job when he had cotto hurt because mosley's offense hasnt been consistent in years. he's still a rhythmic fighter and it didn't fully work against a guy like cotto.

margarito no where as fast or talented as shane, but he's younger and bigger. he won't have stamina issues and will unload w/ winging shots as the bout progresses. and either he lands or misses, cotto won't escape unscathed.

if cotto wins this fight decisively, i'll give him all the credit in the world. i still think he's one of the best fighters in the world, but i just happen to think margarito will beat him.

 

Agreed.

Really, I'm surprised at how Margarito is being written off here. While I'd give Cotto the edge, Margarito is going to bring the heat - and whether Cotto boxes or not, he's gonna get hit. This is an excellent, excellent match-up. And one Margarito deserves and has been waiting on for years. Did he get Floyd? No. But he went and got the next best thing like a true warrior. If he wins, there'll be no excuses left.

 

The thing is, Cotto could stay away and outbox Margarito with his faster hands and better skills. And he seems to have the temperament to be able to do that for the entire fight.

But all it takes is one of Margaritos big winging shots to land and Cotto might just go to war. And if he gets hurt as he did against Corley and Torres or even Judah, I would expect Margarito to take him out.

 

Even when he boxed Abdullaev, Cotto got busted up some. His defense is his weak point, always has and always will. But what he CAN do to Margarito is hurt him enough times on the way in and slow him down. Margarito's beard is solid but not unbreakable. Santos wobbled him and Perez put him on his ass. Plus I'm pretty sure his frame isn't going to like those body shots.

The thing is, Cotto's chin isn't quite world class either. And Margarito's gonna be bringing the heat all night. Aww man...I can't wait.

 

dariusz was a very good fighter. he beat the SHIT outta virgil hill who at the time was the best light heavy of the decade.

i guess i can see roy's fans hating on him because there were many delusional folks claiming that he would've beaten roy.

he should've gone to germany and did it on ppv. it would've been huge in the late 90s.

 

I agree on the likely outcome, too bad this was the outcome, both guys were happy to let it go

 

yea. it's a shame it never happened because the anticipation would've been awesome. forget benn or eubank, but had roy beaten d-mich in germany, there wouldn't have been much criticism on his reign at light heavy.

 

Notice the only guys writing off Margarito are Floyd fans who want to diminish Margarito when ever possible to make Floyd look as if he didn't avoid Margarito.

Anyone with an open mind who isn't a Mayweather groupie knows that Margarito is a legit threat to ANY FIGHTER at 147. Floyd included.

 

Why does it always have to come back to Floyd?

 

All roads lead to Floyd.

 

heh heh ...true