The Miguel Cotto vs Antonio Margarito Preview - DoghouseBoxing
By Brad Marchetti, Doghouse Boxing (July 24, 2008) DoghouseBoxing.com (Photo © Neil Kapin)  
The Miguel Cotto vs Antonio Margarito fight will be an all Latino war for the ages and true treat for fight fans worldwide. When the best fight the best it usually ends in some high drama. Both of these great fighters are bloodthirsty for the vacant World welterweight title that Floyd Mayweather left up for grabs in retirement. The PPV bout Saturday at 11 PM ET will feature Puerto Rico's finest in Cotto against arguably the best Mexican hombre on the planet right now in Margarito. Cotto looked at his ruthless best in his latest 5th round KO beatdown of top-10 contender Alfonso Gomez as a well-deserved -800 boxing betting odds favorite. Antonio Margarito also looked at his best when he dismantled Kermit Cintron again in humiliating fashion via-6th round KO as -330 chalk the same night. Miguel Cotto is a -260 Boxing betting favorite in the Miguel Cotto vs Antonio Margarito preview.

What we have are two top-10 pound-4-pound fighters with great power meeting in the prime of their careers. Cotto is arguably the #1 holder of the make believe P-4-P title and his latest string of wins is pretty eye popping: Gomez KO5, Shane Mosley SD12, Zab Judah KO11, Otkay Urkal KO11, Carlos Quintana KO5, Paulie Malignaggi UD12. With the exception of Mosley, Cotto beat the living crap out of all those contenders and champions. Cotto is one of the best of his generation and at the present time he looks like the terminator. Miguel fights with a mean streak and throws blitzing combinations with killer intent. Even Cotto's jab is a weapon as he knocked Gomez on his rear end from a jab to the chin. Cotto gives lots of different looks by brawling, boxing, counterpunching and even switching to southpaw on occasion. Miguel has a tight defense but his main objective is to break body parts with his left hook and he eats leather to land some at times. Cotto has been down in the past but he has always gotten up to KO his foe showing great heart. The boxing betting OVER\UNDER is at 9.5 rounds with the OVER at -185 in the Miguel Cotto vs Antonio Margarito preview.

A little more quietly the California resident Margarito has been doing much the same as Cotto. Margarito hits like a tank from his angular stance, shooting effortless uppercuts and hooks with precision. Tony Margarito isn't very flashy but he comes forward and imposes his will on opponents. Margarito is also intelligent by punching in-between opponents blows with piercing bodypunches. Margarito knows his way around the ring and is excellent on defense at parrying punches then countering. Antonio has compiled his own impressive, although not as spectacular resume: Cintron W KO5, Golden Johnson W KO1, Paul Williams L UD12 (controversial decision), Joshua Clottey W UD12, Manuel Gomez KO1. Margarito has been overlooked for awhile but he has a tendency to get outworked at times, and he has lost 5 fights on judges scorecards in career.

Both of these guys are great finishers and I get the impression that either one of these men could KO the other. Cotto right now is in that Mike Tyson sort of prime that could make him capable of being the first man to put Margarito on ice. Margarito on the other hand has shown that he can match balls and bombs with the best also so it will be interesting. Margarito has a huge 4" inch height advantage but can he lock horns with the younger bull if he can't box him on the outside enough? Get your pizza and beer ahead of time and get ready for the fire fight on TV this Saturday night. Parents should really make sure the kids are asleep because this type of violence will be rated R.

Miguel Cotto vs Antonio Margarito Preview Tale of the Tape

Miguel Cotto

Ht. 5'7"
WT. 147 Lbs.
Reach: 67"
Age: 27
Record: 32-0 (26)

Antonio Margarito

Ht. 5'11"
WT. 147 Lbs.
Reach: 73"
Age: 30
Record: 36-5 (26)

Miguel Cotto vs Antonio Margarito Preview Power Ratings

Miguel Cotto

Size: 7
Power: 9
Speed: 8
Stamina: 9
Defense: 8
Chin: 7
Legs: 8
Jab: 10
In-Fighting: 10
Ring IQ: 9
Heart: 10

Overall: 95

Antonio Margarito

Size: 9
Power: 8
Speed: 7
Stamina: 8
Defense: 8
Chin: 9
Legs: 6
Jab: 7
In-Fighting: 9
Ring IQ: 8
Heart: 10

Overall: 89



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