By Pawel Pronishev
WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto is not worried about the punching power of Antonio Margarito. The Mexican former welterweight champion was the victor of their first battle, in July 2008, by TKO in eleven. During a few of his pre-fight interviews, Cotto accused Margarito of loading his gloves with plaster of Paris before entering the ring for their previous fight in Las Vegas. Margarito was caught with tampered handwraps before a scheduled fight with Shane Mosley in January 2009.
Margarito aggressively denied Cotto's accusations. He promised to knock Cotto out in a similar manner as the first encounter, but quicker. Cotto doesn't expect the same dangerous puncher that gave him a bloody beating in 2008. He says Margarito's power will not be the same without the plaster.
"This time things will be different. [The fight] won't be the same. He won't be the same. He's going to be punished. He doesn't have the plaster. He won't be the same without the plaster," Cotto said.
Cotto vs. Margarito takes place on Saturday night at New York's Madison Square Garden.
