Two Denominators: Common, Yet Still So Very Uncommon
 By Coyote Duran and Gabriel Montoya (Dec 2, 2006) Photo © Tom Casino/SHOWTIME
On Saturday, December 2, the throwdown many fans of the welterweight division have been craving might not be happening just yet but the two men for the job will be engaging in separate fights on the same card (Live on Showtime from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, 9:00 ET/PT, 8:00 central) in hopes for a possible meeting in the near future. However, what makes Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito’s fights against Carlos Quintana and Joshua Clottey, respectively, as equally interesting as the material distinctions and future matches they’re fighting for is each man’s potential or current status in such a talent-rich division.
In anticipation of what could possibly be a stunning night of excitement for the 147-pound realm, Doghouse Boxing’s own Coyote Duran and Gabriel Montoya delve into what potential or impact each fighter brings to the table or has already had for years. Read on and enjoy.
Miguel Cotto (By Coyote Duran):
There’s always a ‘big dance’ in one’s life. It might be a homecoming dance or Sadie Hawkins or, in most instances, the senior prom. In rock group Bon Jovi’s ‘Access All Areas’ long form video, Jon Bon Jovi mentioned that playing the
Meadowlands was his very own ‘big dance’…or was it Madison Square Garden? I’m not sure I remember. I think I was stoned the last time I watched it. 1990 was a bitch.
Relative to such lofty dreams of an iconic rocker, our own personal ‘dances’ vary in scope. Many of these ‘dances’ are attended by the nervous; expectant of only what his or her imagination provides. Others are attended by veterans of social gatherings…those who just love going to dances, I guess.
Undefeated Miguel Cotto represents the former categorization for Saturday night serves as his ‘big dance’ in the welterweight division. His dance partner? Carlos Quintana. Not a bad date, to say the least. For comparison’s sake, he’s not the prom queen or the head cheerleader, but he’s certainly not the icky, antisocial type whose idea of a waltz is one of the slower tunes on the latest My Chemical Romance slab.
On June 24, the also-undefeated Quintana, 23-0 (18), did what no opponent before him did by beating the highly-touted Joel Julio, 28-1 (24), by unanimous decision in a WBA title eliminator. Julio, a diamond-in-the-rough if there ever was one, had often relied on power up until now but little did he expect to be outboxed by a fighter who obviously didn’t believe the hype. From how Julio looked in his next fight against Cosme Rivera late in October, one would think that Quintana’s defiance in Julio’s growing legend might’ve even transferred some to Julio himself, metastasizing into a cancer of uncertainty.
To Cotto’s credit, he didn’t need to take this fight. He could’ve very well stayed in the junior welterweight division, and kept defending his WBO belt against mandatories and various contenders, all the while struggling to make weight while all the right fights cleverly elude him. But as the most recent Puerto Rican legend of welterweight renown, Felix Trinidad, accomplished before him, Cotto feels that pressure on his shoulders and has acclimated accordingly. Although an argument could be made for Cotto entering the 147-pound ranks a few fights ago, I honestly believe his timing couldn’t have been better. Say what you want about the WBO (Go ahead. I do all the time), but Cotto defended his belt six times against decent competition for a guy who won his strap after winning and defending really marginal belts against the likes of Cesar Bazan, Lovemore N’dou and Carlos Maussa. Yeah, Cotto’s had his share of crappy belts that mean zilch but is it wrong to consider that a victory over him is actually worth more than some cheap-ass strap with ashtrays from Hardee’s glued to it? Sounds to me like what every other challenger to Cotto’s Boricua predecessor, Trinidad, was thinking when they chased him down throughout his illustrious career.
If you wanna get down to brass tacks, kids, you might not want to search for many parallels between ‘Tito’ and Cotto since at the tender age of 23, the same age Cotto was when he won his WBO trinket, Trinidad was defending his IBF welter belt for the eighth time (against Rodney Moore) en route to a career-garnishing 15 defenses. Maybe there aren’t any comparisons for you at all. That’s not unreasonable at all. But for those of you who do see Cotto as ‘The Next Tito’, (I’d rather see him as ‘The First Miguel Cotto’, myself. Rule #1: ‘Tito’ ain’t Cotto and Cotto ain’t ‘Tito.’) you can rest assured that now is the time and the weight class for some serious headhunting.
Word has it that Saturday night’s Showtime/Top Rank joint is a precursor to a future unification meeting between Cotto and WBO welterweight titlist Antonio Margarito, providing both gentlemen accomplish their missions in gaining the WBA belt and successfully defending the WBO welter strap, respectively. That’s fine. We’ll take it. The welterweight division has become alive with talent and possibilities lately but, save for a genuine world championship win by Floyd Mayweather Jr. over Carlos Baldomir, there hasn’t exactly been a scrambling for big fights, now has there? Paul Williams is gaining fans and interest but as a number-one contender to Margarito’s belt, the possibility of his actually getting a shot is in limbo. Former WBA titlist Luis Collazo is a good fighter who got the short end against The Ring magazine’s World Junior Welterweight Champion Ricky Hatton but had to settle for securing a tune-up and subsequent six-round TKO win over Artur Atadzhanov. Kermit Cintron has improved since his loss against Margarito under trainer Emanuel Steward, with his last two fights proving to be corkers and has an IBF belt to show for it. But at this point, they’re unavailable.
Fortunately for us, Miguel Cotto and Carlos Quintana are. And they’re both ready, willing and yes, very expectant of what their imaginations provide. A soon-to-be good welterweight and a good welterweight on their way to ‘The Big Dance.’ One man will emerge undefeated, with a shiny new belt and a new lease on his career. I truly believe that man will be Miguel Cotto. Will this make him other avoidable commodity at 147? Odds are good but as his legend grows, perhaps those who remember the vulnerability that reared its head last year against Ricardo Torres will take a chance that such permeability remains.
But already waiting at ‘The Big Dance’ is someone who’s always willing to attend. Even if, only up until now, it’s amounted to hanging out in the corner of the gymnasium looking cool. He’s just waiting for the right partner….
Antonio Margarito (By Gabriel Montoya):
Now you’d think offering a potential partner $8 million for the opportunity to show just how much better a dancer they are would get the job done (Hell, it generally only costs me somewhere in the neighborhood of two shots and a promise of more to come). However, in the case of Antonio Margarito, 33-4-1NC (24), his potential partner (Floyd Mayweather, Jr. for those keeping score) was looking for somewhat more golden pastures. Margarito has long remained one of the better-kept secrets in boxing. An obscure fighter you mentioned when you wanted to show your buddies how much you knew about the sport. If you were just a casual fan of the Sweet Science and didn’t watch the undercard portion of the PPV evening or Friday Night Fights on ESPN, you probably missed him. But for those of us boxing fanatics, Margarito’s fan-friendly style has always been a welcome sight even if the wait between sightings seemed to take years.
If Miguel Cotto is the guy everyone has been waiting to arrive at the dance, Antonio Margarito is the guy that your Mom (or in this case, your manager) warned you to avoid. Whether it was destroying Andrew ‘Six Turtle Heads’ Lewis in two rounds, literally boxing Sebastian Lujan’s ear off or beating Kermit Cintron to tears, Margarito has generally turned in the kinds of performances that make fight fans come running back for more and managers of welterweight fighters run for the nearest exit.
With a style that has earned him the nickname (well, from Maxboxing.com’s Steve Kim, anyway)’ The Tijuana Tornado’, Margarito has, for various reasons, swirled in obscurity. Whether it is because of inactivity (He has only fought twice a year since 2001), poor marketing from his promoter (allowing that inactivity while waiting on Mayweather to grow a pair and take the $8 million wasn’t exactly the best move. Although for Mayweather it worked like gangbusters by jacking up his asking price in the market place.) or simply the lack of a decent nickname (note to Antonio’s manager :‘ The Tijuana Tornado ‘ is a much more marketable nickname than simply ’Tony’), it is safe to say that even though he has headlined two PPV events, Margarito is better known as the guy Floyd Mayweather, Jr. wouldn’t fight for $8 million.
It’s interesting that while Cotto is the guy being voted ‘most likely to succeed Tito’, it is Margarito that is following a similar path in the welterweight title picture: A fierce fighter without that marquee win to catapult him to the top of boxing scribes pound-for-pound lists, elite fighter paydays and ultimate dominance of a division that he’s been a titlist through six successful defenses (the longest reign of any current welterweight titleholder). Instead facing mandatories, rising contenders and journeymen, Margarito, like Felix Trinidad before he fought Oscar De La Hoya, has yet to have that defining fight against a contemporary who is not only in his prime physically, but mentally and experience-wise as well. Despite handing top contender (and recent IBF title winner) Kermit ‘The Killer’ Cintron his first loss, the general perception among many fans of elite fighters (and Mayweather, Jr., himself) is that Margarito has yet to beat anyone that makes him worthy of such an elite match up.
That misconception could change this Saturday night when Margarito puts his WBO welterweight title on the line against rugged Ghana native Joshua Clottey, 29-1 (18). If Margarito hadn’t signed to fight him, Clottey might still be waiting at home for his ride to the dance. Clottey is a man that has been waiting to hit center stage for years fighting along the same road as Margarito. He’s every bit a worthy challenge and many boxing writers are split as to who will win this crossroads fight. At this crucial point in his career, Margarito has decided to sit in the driver’s seat. He has decided that rather than wait for the big guns to go to him, he will begin taking out every top contender he can find. Should he get past Clottey and do it in a fashion that would not require a rematch, Margarito is rumored to be getting set to take on Paul Williams who also happens to be his mandatory challenger. With Mayweather, Jr. all but vacating his welterweight title to pursue his dream of fighting Oscar De La Hoya at junior middleweight, Margarito, with a win over Clottey this weekend could become the man to beat at welterweight. With Cintron a titleholder looking for revenge against the man who gave him his first loss and rising star Paul Williams looking to make a name for himself, the sky is the limit for Margarito.
Comments/disputes/questions?
e-mail  Gabriel at: Coyotefeather@gmail.com.
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