By Lyle Fitzsimmons

Not that I needed it, but it’s amazing what a big fight night at Madison Square Garden can do for a guy’s love of boxing.

So as I sit in the afterglow just 12 or so hours after the Cotto/Clottey main event, here are a few reasons why it retains its undisputed title – an unapologetic passion for ice hockey notwithstanding – as my favorite sport.

1. Hey fuggetaboutit, it’s New York – Sure, the traffic can be a pain in the neck. Yes, dropping $45 for six hours in an underground parking lot seems a bit much. But even after myriad trips to Atlantic City, Las Vegas and other premier fight venues, nothing beats the tangible excitement that arrives the instant my tires hit the George Washington Bridge en route to Mecca.

And by the time I finish navigating the West Side Highway, dash past the credential table and take a seat ringside amid the banners and lights and ambiance, I’m always glad I chose journalism over higher-paying – albeit more pedestrian – pursuits.

Bottom line folks, IT guys don’t have this kind of fun.

2. Rampant jingoism – Saturday night marked the second time I’ve been on hand for the appearance of a wildly popular Puerto Rican in a Garden main event, and, for those uninitiated, it’s an experience unlike any other.

Somehow, though their numbers were probably closer to the 17,000 range, the fans who turned out for Cotto produced the decibel level of a gathering 10 times larger. And unlike my first time in such a setting – when Bernard Hopkins punished Felix Trinidad shortly after 9/11 – the din at the end of 12 rounds was every bit as powerful as it had been at the opening bell.

Bien hecho, los amigos.

3. Cream of the crop – As my esteemed colleague T.K. Stewart wrote in his post-fight piece Sunday – and I know that only because I read over his shoulder as he typed it Saturday night – the vibe at ringside was surely reminiscent of a time when Internet media was the stuff of intergalactic time travel and newspapers and boxing were the biggest games in town.

The roster of heavy word hitters in town was impressive to say the least. Not only were BoxingScene.com royalty Stewart and Cliff Rold just a row ahead of me in the press section, but noted “On the Waterfront” author Budd Schulberg, now 95, was one more row in front, appearing as sharp as ever.

Good stuff.

4. Bob Arum – I’m not his biggest fan and I think he was way off base in a post-fight assessment that Floyd Mayweather Jr. picks foes because he’s “psychologically unable” to deal with a loss, but the old man was still the most entertaining part of what’s too-often a series of “I tried hard, but the judges screwed me” laments at bleary-eyed 1 a.m. get-togethers.

His pointed verbal smackdown of a misplaced questioner who opined that boxing’s big fights are constructed based on dollars, while UFC main events hinge solely on making fan-friendly matchups, was priceless.

“Do you really think they’re not based on money?” Arum sneered. “What are you, an idiot?”

5. No-doze undercard – No, it wasn’t a reminder of the days when King and Arum shows were loaded with high-end fighters and prospects in legitimate fights from top to bottom, but as far as undercards go, Saturday night’s wasn’t too, too bad.

Ivan Calderon looked in some peril before getting cut and getting out with a technical decision against Rodel Mayol in a 108-pound bout. Super bantamweight Jorge Diaz shined early and stalled late, but nonetheless got to 9-0 with a six-round points win over Guadalupe DeLeon. And Puerto Rican youngsters Jayson Velez and Alberto Cruz scored stoppages and stayed perfect at super bantam and lightweight, respectively.

As for Matt Korobov, well… in spite of a 6-0 record and an interesting back story, we might want to postpone the middleweight’s Canastota induction. He’s just not that good.

Overall, and with just one $5 Diet Coke to get me through, not a snore to be had.

6. Winner… and still champion – I didn’t agree with the split-decision verdict. I thought Clottey had done enough to win seven of 12 rounds and deserved a 114-113 points margin. Nonetheless, the drama of the closing rounds and the breathless interval between the closing bell and the point where Michael Buffer read off the third scorecard tally in Cotto’s favor were all the argument I need against the idea of open scoring as a cure-all for the sport’s many ills.

While I admit that giving the crowd, media and fighters a running round-by-round total might avoid an awful controversy or two when it comes to bad judging, it’d also suck every bit of intrigue out of the final stages of a truly competitive championship event.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I for one am willing to endure a bad verdict or two in order to save those few moments of post-fight mystery that no other sport can come close to offering.  

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This week’s title-fight schedule:

FRIDAY
WBC light heavyweight title - Montreal, Canada
Adrian Diaconu (champion) vs. Jean Pascal (No. 5 contender)
Diaconu (26-0, 15 KO): First title defense; Awarded belt when Chad Dawson vacated
Pascal (22-1, 15 KO): Lost lone career title fight at 168 pounds; Ninth fight at 175
FitzHitz says: Pascal in 10 
 
SATURDAY
IBF/IBO/WBO heavyweight title – Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Wladimir Klitschko (champion) vs. Ruslan Chagaev (No. 4 IBO contender)
Klitschko (52-3, 46 KO): Seventh title defense; Unbeaten since 2004 (10-0, 6 KO)
Chagaev (25-0-1, 17 KO): Former WBA champion; Won 20 straight fights since 2002
FitzHitz says: Klitschko in 10 

WBC light flyweight title – Mexico City, Mexico
Edgar Sosa (champion) vs. Carlos Melo (No. 11 contender)
Sosa (35-5, 19 KO): Ninth title defense; Won 23 straight fights since starting career 12-5
Melo (19-8, 2 KO): First career title fight; Lost four of last seven fights since 2006
FitzHitz says: Sosa by decision

WBA light heavyweight title – Santa Fe, Argentina
Hugo Hernan Garay (champion) vs. Gabriel Campillo (No. 15 contender)
Garay (32-3, 17 KO): Second title defense; Won 26 of 27 fights in Argentina
Campillo (17-2, 6 KO): First career title fight; Lost two of three fights outside Spain
FitzHitz says: Garay in 9

Last week’s picks: 2-0
Overall picks record: 6-1 (85.7 percent)

Lyle Fitzsimmons is an award-winning 20-year sports journalist and a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Reach him at fitzbitz@msn.com .