By Mark Vester
In what has become a ritual over the last few years, Teddy Atlas, well-known trainer and current ESPN color commentator for their Friday Night Fights series, has picked the underdogs to beat the favorites in most of the notable boxing events. For example, he recently picked Tony Thompson to upset Wladimir Klitschko. Despite some of his wild picks, Atlas will not go against WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto when he takes on Antonio Margarito on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Atlas, speaking with the Nevada Appeal, will not go against the unbeaten Puerto Rican, but admits that a lot of danger exists in the fight.
"It will be a competitive fight, one that has a lot of danger for Cotto, being the smaller man,” Atlas said. “Margarito is an experienced guy with a good chin and can fight inside and outside. He can use his height and reach advantage. He can go inside and to the body if he has to.”
Atlas told The Appeal that Cotto's ability to switch up against Shane Mosley and Margarito inability to switch up against Paul Williams showed him all that he needs to know.
“He also hasn’t learned how to lose yet. That’s a powerful thing. Cotto’s chin isn’t as powerful as Margarito’s, so the edge goes to Margarito there," Atlas said. “The thing I don’t like with Margarito is the way he behaved in the Paul Williams fight. Margarito found a way to lose the fight. That stays with me. All the things he needed to do in the fight, he didn’t use his experience to do.”
“I’m not going to pick against Cotto until I’m proven wrong,” Atlas said. “Cotto wins a decision. As we saw when he was in against Mosley, that pure strength thing didn’t work. Cotto made adjustments — he boxed. He may not have been (Muhammad) Ali or Pernell Whitaker, but he adjusted and used the ring and made it work for him.”
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