Miguel Cotto avenged his 11th round KO loss to Antonio Margarito in 2008 in another epic battle between the two in front of over 21,000 fans at Madison Square Garden in New York on Dec. 3. Cotto dominated most of the fight and it ended after the ninth round when the doctor recommended to referee Steve Smoger that it be stopped due to the condition of Margarito’s right eye, which needed 12 stitches to repair.
Margarito’s eye was a hot topic of discussion going into the fight and he wasn’t licensed for the bout in New York until a week before it took place. He had to pass several doctor’s tests on the eye since his orbital bone was surgically prepared after his unanimous decision loss to Manny Pacquiao in November 2011. The New York State Athletic Commission was always going to be cautious with any eye damage and it proved to deciding factor in the fight.
Cotto deserves full credit for the victory though as he fought an excellent and smart fight. He was noticeably motivated, landed the harder and cleaner shots and confused Margarito with his movement. The motivation, of course, stemmed from the first fight between these two when Cotto’s face was busted up and he was stopped in the 11th round. The biggest controversy regarding that fight didn’t surface until six months later though when Margarito was caught with a hardening plaster substance on his hand wraps before entering the ring against Shane Mosley.
Mosley knocked him out in the ninth round and many fans wondered out loud if Margarito had always been stuffing his gloves. The thought crossed Cotto’s mind too and he was eager to face the Mexican again to find out for himself. Since being caught, Margarito has taken some pretty vicious beatings in his three major fights, against Mosley, Pacquiao, and now Cotto. He said the fight against Cotto shouldn’t have been stopped by the doctor, especially since he came on strong and ended it in the later rounds in their first meeting.
Margarito does have a point, but the fight could have been stopped even earlier due to his swollen eye, which was damaged in the third round. With the win, the 31-year-old Cotto retains his WBA Super Welterweight Championship and improves his record to 37-2 with 30 KOs. The 33-year-old Margarito falls to 38-8 with 27 KOs.
Margarito kept coming forward throughout the fight, which made it dramatic and exciting, but Cotto was just too determined to prove that the result of their first bout could have been the result of illegal hand wraps. Now that they’re 1-1, the best way to solve the controversial endings in both fights would be to have a third bout. However, Margarito may have to take a few months off for his eye to heal and he may have a hard time getting licensed in some states.
