By Cliff Rold
And Johnny comes marching home…
So goes the old post war lament. Fitting, because that was what we saw a piece of on Saturday night: a war between two honorable warriors. It wasn’t the best fight of the year; that’s still Israel Vasquez-Rafael Marquez III. It wasn’t even necessarily a great fight, lacking the wildness of a Carmen Basilio-Tony DeMarco or the ebb and flow of a Ray Leonard-Roberto Duran. Yet, as the last bit of spirit drained from Miguel Cotto (32-1, 26 KO) in round eleven, fans could feel the emotion in witnessing the climax of a story that truly began over six years ago when now-new WBA Welterweight champion Antonio Margarito (37-5, 27 KO) captured his first belt against Antonio Diaz in 2002.
After six years being regarded as one of the best Welterweights in the world, six years where Margarito could never secure a shot at one of the men regarded as the true Welterweight champion of the World as that title passed from Vernon Forrest to Ricardo Mayorga…Cory Spinks…Zab Judah…Carlos Baldomir…Floyd Mayweather…after all those names and time, Margarito stands tall atop the division.
Sort of.
We’ll get back to that.
The question was posed in the pre-fight report card, “If WBA Welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto (32-0, 26 KO) and former WBO and IBF titlist Antonio Margarito (36-5, 26 KO) just went out and fought a hard twelve rounds, if it turns out to be slightly less than a classic, would it be okay?” It was more than ‘just’ a fight and a classic in its own right on par with Bernard Hopkins career redeeming win over Felix Trinidad and Evander Holyfield’s validation against Mike Tyson. As the rave reviews from fans and pundits alike make clear, it was a fight sure to be remembered for years to come.
Let’s go to the report card.
Speed: As noted Friday, the advantage in speed went to Cotto and by quite a bit. Over the first six rounds, and even as the end approached, Cotto was able to get off beautifully flush counters based on his hand speed. It wasn’t his fault that it didn’t matter. Looking downright slow at times early, Margarito showed off the timing and volume that can offset speed when utilized by the right fighter. As the bout wore on, Margarito was able to land the right to the body and never gave up on the left uppercut. He also made a critical adjustment. In the first half, he was throwing flurries where the biggest shot came first and the velocity decreased from there. Starting around the sixth, Margarito started touching to open big finishes to flurries. As Cotto began to show fatigue, Margarito got greedy a couple times, abandoning the right to the body and head hunting. To his credit, Margarito could be viewed resetting when the head hunting meant missed shots and the right hand to the body would be back. Pre-Fight Grades: Cotto B+; Margarito B-/Post-Fight: Same
Power: There are different kinds of power. A fighter like Julian Jackson could detonate a bomb on the man in front of him that not only knocked him dead but often left the opponent more vulnerable to single shots in the future. Margarito’s power is of another variety, an exacting power that accumulates and breaks the spirit a la Mexican legend Julio Cesar Chavez. There was no single shot from Margarito that undid Cotto on Saturday night. It was the sum of over two hundred that brought him literally to his knees. Cotto displayed the same sort of power, and even cleaner connections, experienced previously by Shane Mosley and Zab Judah. He just wasn’t hitting either of those men on Saturday. Pre-Fight Grades: Cotto B+; Margarito B/Post-Fight: Same
Defense: As noted on Friday, “There are some who ascribe the old adage “take two to land one” when it comes to Margarito. It’s only partly true, and that part is often early in fights. As the seconds, minutes and rounds tick by, Margarito turns the connecting advantage. 2-1 becomes 1-1 until it’s three and four to none, opponents sapped of their energy from accumulation of punishment and the metal taxing of a man who doesn’t ever seem all that fazed by the sting of leather.”
Yup.
Cotto’s defense was spot on for much of the fight. He slipped shots along the ropes, worked the space of the ring with solid movement and landed blistering shots whenever he let his hands go. His ‘CompuBox’ stats were better in terms of percentage landed and percentage Margarito didn’t. After awhile though, landing a cross or hook that could level a house and getting smiled at wear a man’s mind down. By the end, Cotto wasn’t in defense mode anymore. He was in survival mode and didn’t make it. Pre-Fight Grades: Cotto B; Margarito B/Post-Fight: Same
Intangibles: If Saturday’s bout is viewed in retrospect as a test of wills, the ultimate intangible, then it becomes the only category that matters. Cotto tried to win but Margarito had made the mental choice not to allow it long before the opening bell. That Cotto lasted as long as he did, that he had to have it beaten out of him, is a testament to his heart. Margarito’s heart was just a little bigger. He walked through some of the nastiest stuff imaginable and made the sacrifice of his body in pursuit of victory. When fans watch old time tapes, they sometimes don’t get what made those black and white warriors great. They weren’t always athletes like Roy’s and Floyd’s; the Basilio’s, LaMottta’s and Jack’s instead found ways to win when outgunned physically. Margarito may not yet be on the level of those greats, but he’s cut from their cloth. Athletes are great at games and can sometimes be great at the sport of Boxing. Margarito is a pure fighter and fighters don’t play games. Pre-Fight Grades: Cotto/Margarito: A-/Post-Fight: Cotto A-; Margarito A+
Overall Report Card: A+ for the moment; A- for the fight
So ends the latest chapter in the history of Boxing’s most storied-by-way-talent division and already the page turns. As noted above, Margarito only sort of stands atop the 147 lb. mountain. Sort of adds up to one name: Paul Williams (34-1, 25 KO). Williams is the WBO titlist who handed Margarito his most recent loss, last August, in a bout every bit the equal of Margarito-Cotto. If Cotto had won on Saturday, he could have assumed the role of new outright Welterweight champion given the body of work he’d have amassed. Margarito will need to beat Williams to clear up any argument.
And thank God for that. Having a new ‘THE fight’ at the end of this fight is never a bad thing. Cotto can be expected to regroup; he’s not done and a single loss does not undo all of the wins that came before. He fought well and it’s not impossible to conceive of him finding a way to win a rematch.
The rematch just needs to happen after Margarito-Williams II.
Everything at Welterweight right now needs to happen after Margarito-Williams II.
That’s tomorrow’s issue. Today, Margarito-Cotto stands as the ultimate statement against the corporate coddling that all too often poisons Boxing as ‘pound for pound’ ratings are used to trump the only thing that really should matter in Boxing…real fights in real weight divisions. That’s what we got on Saturday night. Boxing can be proud.
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
