Leonard and Hearns talk about Cotto/Margarito

It was a perfect recipe for welterweight greatness 27 years ago, but the winner that night in Las Vegas thinks this weekend's Cotto-Margarito follow-up at the MGM Grand Garden will require a dash of something extra to remain salient 147-pound conversation come 2035. "They need to provide a defining moment somewhere along the way," said Ray Leonard, who rallied dramatically to stop Thomas Hearns in the 14th round of their WBC/WBA showdown on Sept. 16, 1981. "That's what boxing doesn't have so many of anymore, and that's what this fight will need. "You remember my fight with Tommy because of a moment. You think of Tommy's fight with Marvin Hagler and you remember a moment. And you think of Ali and Frazier and Ali and Foreman and all of the other legendary fights because they had moments. This fight has to have one, too, and I think it will." Already a former champ at 140 pounds, the 27-year-old Cotto will risk his WBA welterweight crown for the fifth time when he faces Margarito, now 30, who made seven defenses of the WBO title from 2002-06 and recently captured the division's IBF belt with a sixth-round stoppage of Kermit Cintron, a trinket he's since relinquished. Saturday's winner will ascend to 147-pound kingpin status made available when WBC champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. abruptly retired in early June. Additionally, he'll stake a legitimate claim to the No. 1 pound-for-pound ranking that's already being pursued by names like Pacquiao, Pavlik, Calzaghe and Klitschko. Then 25 and 27, Leonard and Hearns were on equally elite career tracks nearly three decades ago. Hearns won the WBA welterweight belt from Pipino Cuevas and defended it with three straight knockouts in 1980-81, while Leonard won the WBC title in 1979, lost it to Roberto Duran in 1980 and regained it five months later. He stepped up seven pounds in a final Hearns tune-up to down WBA 154-pound champ Ayub Kalule. "The build-up seems to be the same, so there won't be any problem creating excitement about the fight," Hearns said, in a Monday FitzHitz interview. "But you're comparing it to one of the greatest fights of all time, whether you saw it on TV or were there in person. So they're both going to have to bring their 'A' games in order to match it. "And dont forget, even though I'm a little biased, the division now is nowhere near as loaded. You had Leonard then. You had Duran. You had four, five, six guys who were all very good. If you beat Ray, you had to fight Duran and then you had to fight Pipino. And then you had to come see me, and I wasn't the easiest guy in the world." Hearns won titles at four more weights after the 1981 loss, while Leonard defended his dual welterweight belts just once prior to a two-year hiatus prompted by eye injuries. He returned for one fight at 147 in 1984, upset Hagler in 1987 and fought five more times -- including a draw in a 1989 rematch with Hearns -- before retiring for good in 1997. He laughed off talk of a third fight with the Michigan-based "Hitman," who left the sport due to injury in 2000, scored KOs in a pair of comeback bouts and insists that he's not through campaigning for another world championship bout, even though he'll turn 50 in October. "I saw Tommy a couple months ago and he said we needed to go for a third round together," Leonard said Tuesday, "But it's a total 'No way' for me. I appreciate that he thinks of me and wants to continue our rivalry, but I'm a grandfather now. That pretty much puts it into perspective for me. I'll be satisfied with the flashbacks." Flashbacks, yes -- but not predictions. Though both plan to attend Saturdays show and both expect a competitive main event, neither of the ex-champs was prepared to make a bold statement on a winner. Hearns claimed a lack of sufficient exposure to Cotto or Margarito to hazard a respectable guess, while Leonard played the "too close to call" card with the Puerto Rican and Mexican fan favorites. "This is one of those fights that has people very intrigued for a good reason," he said. "There's the power of both guys and the body shots of both guys. And when theyre trying to get to the next level, anything can happen. This reminds me of the fights from back in the day where at any given moment, either guy can win."