What could Cotto have done different to beat Margarito?

He should have turned into Johnson Ruiz and hugged in the later rounds instead of giving Margarito his chances by trading with him.

I think he should have gone to the body but still lost in the 12 by TKO.Any way he would have lost he was running but if he would have stayed n traded he would have lost in the 7th or 8th.

1-Fight more at the center of the ring. 2-Clinch more would have worked 3-STAY AWAY FROM THOSE UPPERCUTS!!!!! 4-Stay away from the ropes 5-Don't commit your offense to the head (Cintron has more power than any other welter right now and didn't hurt Tony with clear shots). Anyway I don't think he did bad. Margarito's work rate was too much.

Kicked him in the cock n balls

it's not just using an effective clinch, cotto was spending to much time in one spot. what he should have done was, instead of sitting against the ropes and bouncing punches off margaritos head while tony dug to the body, moved. he should have worked on keeping the fight in the center of the ring and changing distance and constantly turning tony so that he couldn't plant his feet like he could when cotto was laying on the ropes.

Clinched more as a defensive measure to expend less energy. Fin

Bring his fellow countryman Cintron. Two on one boxing match, Still think it would be close nice, like Bert said "If lighthing stike Tony, we would have to take lighting to the hospital"

I think its very hard for Cotto to beat Marg. I see what you're saying about clinching, but I just think he would have taken even more punishment on the inside, because in any clinch both fighters throw at least a few shots. If Cotto could do anything, I would say his best bet would be to box a very very negative fight, and spend most of it on his bike. As he demonstrated, when they did engage Cotto was the cleaner puncher, but Marg caused most damage, so if he could keep engagement down to a minimum and steal rounds while limiting the amount of punishment he takes himself, then I could see Cotto winning. Problem is I don't know if he's actually capable of going backwards for 12 rounds like that. He isn't Mayweather.

He should have prayed, maybe he will have not got such a brutal beating. Plz stop with this BS Cotto lost and He coulnt have done nothing different he did what he had trained his whole 2months and at the end Margarito was the more better fighter..

There was nothing Cotto could have done. He threw his best punches at Magarito's head and body. In the end, Magarito broke his will. Cotto fought to his last breath and when he took his final knee he was a beaten man physically and in spirit. He lost to someone who wanted to win more than he did and that's one of the worst losses a man can get cause it fucks up your mental. If anything Cotto could have doubled up on his jab and not move backwards, instead, by side stepping and turning he would have saved much more energy. But he didn't loose because he ran out of gas. Cotto could barely get to the body which is the reason why he went head hunting alot. He stood on the ropes to long and got paid in the body. If he stays off the ropes and away from the uppercuts he will win the rematch, but I doubt this fight ruins him mentally. He'll come back

seriously.. I dont think there is another Welter Weight in the whole world who could have eaten the punches margarito ate for 6 rounds.. and still come out in the 7th.. Anybody else would have been KO'd ... So all Cotto could do differently is try to survive.. instead of attacking.. but then he would lose on points.. If you cant keep Margarito off you, You are fucked.. as sure as the sun will rise.. you are fucked..

There was nothing Cotto could have done. He threw his best punches at Magarito's head and body. In the end, Magarito broke his will. Cotto fought to his last breath and when he took his final knee he was a beaten man physically and in spirit. He lost to someone who wanted to win more than he did and that's one of the worst losses a man can get cause it fucks up your mental. If anything Cotto could have doubled up on his jab and not move backwards, instead, by side stepping and turning he would have saved much more energy. But he didn't loose because he ran out of gas.

Cotto could win a rematch. The way I saw it was he fought the exact way he needed to for around half the fight before his stamina deserted him and his movement suffered as a result. If he could improve on those aspects and perhaps work on getting hit just a little less I think he would be able to outpoint Margarito with his superior skills. I think a rematch would be a 50/50 fight.

I think he should use smarter movement and he has to learn how to clinch a bit more when the situation gets bad for him, he needs to stay off the ropes and from time to time get inside Margarito's punching range, he was on the end of Magarito's punches for most of the fight where the punches do the most damage, he needs to get inside on Margarito a little bit and punch to the body, one big thing that he didn't do was punch to the body, he will have to to slow Margarito down a little bit as the fight goes on but on the inside he'll have to keep his elbows closed to watch out for those uppercuts that Margarito loves to use. He should also pick his shots a little better, don't go head hunting.

First off, I just wanna say I am not biased towards either Margarito OR Cotto. I made this thread purely to look at the fight from a technical standpoint. :boxing: I honestly think the SINGLE most important thing that could have turned the fight in Cotto's favor was: The Clinch. I think he just tired himself out too much by using his footwork the whole fight. His whole strategy was to land hard and clean during those flurries when he set his feet, then get some space and keep making Marg readjust, repeat. I don't think it was a bad gameplan, it's just that his tank ran out before the final bell rang (not to mention that Marg's chin is made of diamond). If he were to just readjust, land his flurries, and immediately clinch after half of those exchanges I think the fight could have ended a lot differently. It just seems like a better option to me than dancing around Marg to create space. Of course this is all in hindsight. What do you think Cotto could have done differently? :boxing: Short of using a Baseball bat.. nothing..

Cotto stood on the ropes sometimes too long, instead of trying to move away and counter. With Tony, you can't try to be macho and trade regardless if its just a minute. When Cotto stayed on the ropes, Tony made him pay with body shots that broke Cotto down later on in the fight. And Cotto ate a uppercut too many that busted his nose that caused more stamina draining. In the 2nd round and later on the fight, Cotto stood there in the miidle of the ring to try to work his body work, but Marg didn't let it happen. In a rematch, Cotto should be smart, do the same he was doing in the first half of the fight and STAY OFF THE ROPES, avoid the uppercuts and he'll have the fight in the bag. He was trying to work the body too much and paid for it.