Only two men have defeated Miguel "Junito" Cotto in his professional boxing career, which began in 2001. One loss came against the world's best pound-for-pound fighter, Manny Pacquiao, and the other against Antonio Margarito, who Cotto will exact some revenge against on Saturday night.
The 31-year-old Puerto Rican enters the fight with a lot of pent-up frustration after Margarito was found to have illegal hand wraps against Shane Mosley, his next bout after knocking out Cotto.
While it's never been proven that Margarito used the same wraps in the pair's first fight, Cotto's camp is firm in its belief that he did. And since Margarito won't admit any wrongdoing, the fuel just keeps pouring into the fire.
Since losing to Pac-Man, Cotto has defeated Yuri Foreman and Ricardo Mayorga. Neither fight may have resonated with casual boxing fans, but both wins were important in order to stabilize his standing.
Now he takes a step back to show that one of his two losses was a fluke.
It will be no easy task against Margarito, who might be getting up there in age but showed a lot of spunk during the weigh-in press conference.
He's lost two of his last three fights, so he knows another one will put him in a tough spot when it comes to future purses. But a win could do wonders.
Rivalries are good for the sport and this one is no exception. The pre-fight hype has received a major boost because the two guys genuinely can't stand each other and that sense of reality makes a bout more intriguing to the mainstream fan.
If two boxers sound like they want to obliterate each other, the fight suddenly becomes must-see television.
That said, it's hard to imagine Saturday's clash living up to the hype.
Cotto has been in much better form as of late and wants to make a huge statement inside Madison Square Garden. There aren't many stages bigger than that.
Look for Junito to be in attack mode from the opening bell. He can't afford a slow start because "El Tornado de Tijuana" is a terrific frontrunner due to his aggressive style, which gives him a big advantage with the judges if he wins a couple quick rounds.
After gaining that early edge, Cotto should eventually wear down Margarito enough to score a late-round knockout.
Atlanta Braves Chicago Cubs Cincinnati Reds Colorado Rockies Florida Marlins Houston Astros
0 件のコメント:
コメントを投稿