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27.12.08, 21:29
Fight of the Year: Antonio Margarito vs. Miguel Cotto
Posted December 26th 2008 at 02:27pm
By Doug Fischer
Buzz up!
FIGHT OF THE YEAR VOTING RESULTS
Antonio Margarito KO 11 Miguel Cotto: 48 percent
Israel Vazquez SD 12 Rafael Marquez: 43 percent
Joel Casamayor KO 10 Michael Katsidis: 6 percent
Rogers Mtagwa KO 10 Tomas Villa: 3 percent
Today’s poll: Fighter of the Year
To vote, go to Yahoo! Sports’ boxing page
Note: These are not the official RING awards. Those will be announced on Jan. 27 in the magazine.
Some matchups need to no hyping.
Every now and then the sport delivers a fight that even casual boxing fans know is going to be good.
The summer showdown between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito was one of those “can’t-miss” fights.
On July 26, the welterweight titans met in Las Vegas, producing a fight that was so competitive, compelling and dramatic that the most cynical fans and jaded boxing writers were reminded why they love the sport and had to tip their hats to both combatants.
The matchup resulted in the rise of a long overlooked perennial contender and the first setback of an emerging star, but their ring struggle was so memorable that the individual course of the fighters took a back seat to the story of the fight.
Going into the bout, the momentum belonged to Cotto, a former 140-pound standout who had taken the welterweight division by storm by beating future titleholder Carlos Quintana and former champs Zab Judah and Shane Mosley en route to extending his undefeated record to 32-0 (26 knockouts).
The 2000 Puerto Rican Olympian looked like the total package – a technically sound boxer-puncher who could systematically break his opponents down with pressure and body punching or out-box his foes with a crisp jab, counter-punching and lateral movement.
Margarito was among THE RING’s longest-rated welterweight contenders, but the feared Mexican mauler lacked universal respect because of a 2007 decision loss to Paul Williams that put off his eventual meeting with Cotto. However, ‘the Tijuana Tornado’ rebounded with a blowout of Golden Johnson and a repeat stoppage of hard-hitting Kermit Cintron to set up the latest high-profile matchup in boxing’s long-running rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Fight of the Year: Antonio Margarito vs. Miguel Cotto (http://www.thering-online.com/blog/175/fight_of_the_year_antonio_margarito_vs_miguel_cott o/)
Posted December 26th 2008 at 02:27pm
By Doug Fischer
Buzz up!
FIGHT OF THE YEAR VOTING RESULTS
Antonio Margarito KO 11 Miguel Cotto: 48 percent
Israel Vazquez SD 12 Rafael Marquez: 43 percent
Joel Casamayor KO 10 Michael Katsidis: 6 percent
Rogers Mtagwa KO 10 Tomas Villa: 3 percent
Today’s poll: Fighter of the Year
To vote, go to Yahoo! Sports’ boxing page
Note: These are not the official RING awards. Those will be announced on Jan. 27 in the magazine.
Some matchups need to no hyping.
Every now and then the sport delivers a fight that even casual boxing fans know is going to be good.
The summer showdown between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito was one of those “can’t-miss” fights.
On July 26, the welterweight titans met in Las Vegas, producing a fight that was so competitive, compelling and dramatic that the most cynical fans and jaded boxing writers were reminded why they love the sport and had to tip their hats to both combatants.
The matchup resulted in the rise of a long overlooked perennial contender and the first setback of an emerging star, but their ring struggle was so memorable that the individual course of the fighters took a back seat to the story of the fight.
Going into the bout, the momentum belonged to Cotto, a former 140-pound standout who had taken the welterweight division by storm by beating future titleholder Carlos Quintana and former champs Zab Judah and Shane Mosley en route to extending his undefeated record to 32-0 (26 knockouts).
The 2000 Puerto Rican Olympian looked like the total package – a technically sound boxer-puncher who could systematically break his opponents down with pressure and body punching or out-box his foes with a crisp jab, counter-punching and lateral movement.
Margarito was among THE RING’s longest-rated welterweight contenders, but the feared Mexican mauler lacked universal respect because of a 2007 decision loss to Paul Williams that put off his eventual meeting with Cotto. However, ‘the Tijuana Tornado’ rebounded with a blowout of Golden Johnson and a repeat stoppage of hard-hitting Kermit Cintron to set up the latest high-profile matchup in boxing’s long-running rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Fight of the Year: Antonio Margarito vs. Miguel Cotto (http://www.thering-online.com/blog/175/fight_of_the_year_antonio_margarito_vs_miguel_cott o/)