Few championship fights in latest historical past have been retroactively marred by an argument as critical as that which attends Cotto vs Margarito I. A spectacular bout received by Antonio Margarito through eleventh spherical TKO, the talk that raged in its aftermath was not about incomprehensible judging or an ill-conceived stoppage, however whether or not the Mexican had cheated his approach to victory by utilizing plaster-fortified hand wraps. The proof for whether or not he did—whereas circumstantial—is extremely persuasive, and obscures eleven eventful rounds that noticed Miguel Cotto flip from matador into bull, as his face degenerated right into a bloody, swollen pancake. No official consensus has been reached as as to if unlawful wraps had been ever used, however revisiting the bout is an eerie expertise through which one suspects the loser of competing at a really harmful drawback.
Previous to going through Margarito, the WBA welterweight champion Cotto had not misplaced in his first 32 skilled fights. His title, received after 5 rounds of labor in opposition to Carlos Quintana, was adopted by excessive profile victories in opposition to Zab Judah and Shane Mosley, whom he knocked out and outpointed, respectively. Beforehand a lightweight welterweight champion and one of many sport’s true stars, Cotto efficiently defended his title at 147 kilos 4 instances earlier than assembly Margarito. Revered for his superb expertise and snappy energy punching, his early success allowed Miguel Cotto to supplant Felix Trinidad as Puerto Rico’s prime boxer.
Cotto’s Mexican opponent had taken a extra circuitous course on his approach to the best battle of his profession. A former WBO welterweight champion, Antonio Margarito’s 37 wins had been offset by 5 losses, together with one a yr earlier through which he’d submitted his title to Paul Williams on factors. Not an attractive fighter—even awkward trying in his hunched combating stance—the iron-jawed Mexican carried a deserved popularity for toughness, by no means having been actually stopped in any of his 4 defeats. Feared and averted for his aggressive model, Margarito fought—however by no means boxed—as if he had been impervious or detached to ache.
Conscious it could be silly to face in entrance of a person who had a 4 inch peak benefit, Cotto dominated the primary spherical by shifting round and away from Margarito, stepping in to throw sharp mixtures. Surprisingly, the challenger didn’t start as assertively as many had forecasted, holding distance between himself and Cotto as he tried to determine his jab. The distinction in expertise was plain, and it’s to Margarito’s strategic credit score that he didn’t attempt out-boxing a extra skillful opponent early.
This laboured strategy would show efficient when, in an exhilarating second spherical, Margarito dramatically elevated his work charge, touchdown 33 of 90 punches and doing extra to stress and nook Miguel. The “Boricua” continued to field well, however Margarito’s stern chin and unflappable dedication prevented his victimization. The livid motion predictably overwhelmed Jim Lampley, driving him to comment, “We promised violence…you’re getting violence.”
By the third around the battle had come to resemble the narrative that many had foreseen, as Margarito grew to become stronger and it was more and more tough for Cotto to beat his swarm just by out-boxing him. This isn’t to recommend Cotto turned slack, as he continued to achieve Margarito’s face with clear punches, touchdown his proper hand—not even his trademark shot—arduous and infrequently. Herein, nonetheless, is the place the battle’s story lied; no matter Cotto’s work charge, Margarito merely continued to return ahead, strolling by punches, nonetheless slower and imprecise had been his personal flurries. By the tip of the sixth spherical, the challenger’s assault had begun to resemble a gathering storm—threatening, inevitable, and sure, quickly, to strike.
Within the seventh Margarito used his greater physique to push Cotto again in opposition to the ropes, the place he used a bevy of uppercuts to hammer the Puerto Rican’s face, leaving him visibly dazed. Gamely, the champion fought on, however Margarito’s offense was unrelenting; by then he had lastly obtained the model of battle that he at all times needed. Cotto boxed successfully within the eighth and ninth, retrieving a few of the momentum, however although he should have been forward on factors, his doom appeared inexorable. On the finish of the tenth Cotto was harm once more, after which within the eleventh, sustained stress pressured him to take a knee, giving Margarito the battle’s first knockdown. His face bloodied and misshapen, Cotto went down once more shortly afterwards, overwhelmed and damaged.
Max Kellerman instantly declared Margarito’s win ‘a contemporary boxing traditional,’ commentary that in posterity appears invalid in gentle of what occurred six months later, when the newly topped champion fought Shane Mosley in January 2009. Inspecting Margarito’s hand wraps earlier than the bout, Mosley’s coach, Nazim Richardson, seen one thing unusual and referred to as consideration to them; it was decided they contained a tampered knuckle pad.
Discovered to have made use of an unlawful tactic by the California State Athletic Fee, Margarito had his boxing license revoked for a yr, at the same time as he claimed ignorance to the insertion of plaster, whereas his coach, Javier Capetillo, mentioned that he had merely given his fighter these wraps by mistake, and that neither had been concerned in any type of conspiracy. Later that yr an image surfaced of Margarito’s hand wraps after the Cotto win—seemingly damaged on the knuckle (which might presumably solely occur in the event that they had been manufactured from plaster, and never gauze), the wraps had an similar purple stain in the identical location because the confiscated wraps from the Mosley battle, suggesting that they had been, the truth is, the identical sort.
One can’t say conclusively that Margarito cheated in his victory over Miguel Cotto, however the extremely suspicious {photograph}, the illogical explanations, and the sheer, heavy-handed injury to Cotto’s face are all alarmingly pointed proof. Conversely, for Margarito, one truth is indeniable—that his astonishing, even inhuman toughness is as answerable for his victory as no matter unlawful means he could have used.
It’s price asking, nonetheless, whether or not the identical mercilessness that appears a constituent of his boxing character may need additionally allowed him to both clandestinely justify, wilfully overlook, or unapologetically make use of fortified wraps. Whereas there’s a lot ethical grandstanding every time efficiency enhancers are mentioned in different sports activities, their use in boxing, given its extremely harmful, even mortal, stakes, borders on the abjectly sinister. Regardless that Cotto ultimately avenged this loss, this outstanding battle stays shrouded by a black cloud that can by no means raise. –Eliott McCormick
