Not to try and deflate the hype for December, but...

Even if you're right this is one of the best undercards ive ever seen as far as potentially exciting fights. Lujan/jones might steal the show and thats the opening fight. Rios is rios and wolak/rodriguez is automatic. I expect the garden to be rocking and people to be really pleased with buying the ppv...

Let me clarify I dont think Cotto or his camp prepared mentally for what was in store with Margarito. Margarito is slow and is like a bullseye on a shooting range but he is tough as nails, just keeps throwing punches and has a few more skills than many give him credit for. They never realized that Margarito would be able to endure as well as he did and as I have seen Cotto do in the past against other pressure opponents he thought he could ropadope, box on the back foot and still get the job done without getting hurt himself. Hopefully Cotto learned a good lesson, languishing on the ropes like that just gets you unnecessary punishment. Things I think will be different this go round Cotto is more acclimated to 154, used to the gloves, used to the weight, had time for his game to adjust to the differences Tony will be even bigger but so will Cotto Is Tony damaged goods cause that was the worst beating I have seen in a long while Steward has improved Cotto's jab and his ring generalship Wraps will be good Both may have better trainers at this point I hate to hang a prediction on whether Margs was loaded up that night but I have to stay consistent, the guy's own trainer admitted that he always wrapped Tony's hands the same way, I'll take that to mean inserts in place. Even with the mistakes Cotto made that night I think had Tony not had the inserts and plaster the outcome would have been a much less painful and disappointing experience for Cotto. Same thing goes this time around but I see Cotto squeezing out a tough UD Pretty much. Cotto was on the backfoot throughout the entire fight and when he did that Pernell Whitaker imitation on the ropes in round 5 with his hands down...I was thinking, "What the hell are you doing?! Keep your guard up and stay off the ropes!" He looked fancy because he evaded the punches, but that was a really stupid move. He's tried to do that same crap against Manny at the end of one of the rounds and against Clottey as well...he needs to stop doing that as well as squatting all the way down to evade punches. He's gonna' get knocked off balance if he keeps doing that.

The chins and there overall ability to take punishment has decreased on both of these guys. I don't expect a better fight. I expect a more cautious fight from Cotto and a much slower Margarito. Not sure who wins.

Cotto said in an interview that he had the longest training camp of his career for his fight with Antonio (12 or 12+ weeks@2:18 in the video) I'm sure he was physically prepared in that fight. He withstood a lot of punches. The only thing I think they didn't expect was Margarito withstanding so many flush shots himself. Cotto hit with him a lot of clean punches, SNAPPING punches and Margarito was never hurt or wobbled. Any other welter at the time would've crumbled with the type of punches Cotto was consistently landing. Margarito's chin was among the top two or three topics being discussed the following day. He looked damn near indestructible that night... Let me clarify I dont think Cotto or his camp prepared mentally for what was in store with Margarito. Margarito is slow and is like a bullseye on a shooting range but he is tough as nails, just keeps throwing punches and has a few more skills than many give him credit for. They never realized that Margarito would be able to endure as well as he did and as I have seen Cotto do in the past against other pressure opponents he thought he could ropadope, box on the back foot and still get the job done without getting hurt himself. Hopefully Cotto learned a good lesson, languishing on the ropes like that just gets you unnecessary punishment. Things I think will be different this go round Cotto is more acclimated to 154, used to the gloves, used to the weight, had time for his game to adjust to the differences Tony will be even bigger but so will Cotto Is Tony damaged goods cause that was the worst beating I have seen in a long while Steward has improved Cotto's jab and his ring generalship Wraps will be good Both may have better trainers at this point I hate to hang a prediction on whether Margs was loaded up that night but I have to stay consistent, the guy's own trainer admitted that he always wrapped Tony's hands the same way, I'll take that to mean inserts in place. Even with the mistakes Cotto made that night I think had Tony not had the inserts and plaster the outcome would have been a much less painful and disappointing experience for Cotto. Same thing goes this time around but I see Cotto squeezing out a tough UD

Cotto/Margs 1 was a great fight! I have been waiting on this rematch for a while too. Whether people will say either of them have diminishing skills or whatnot, I feel it will not show. This fight is a grudge-match from the start, pride and determination will decide the winner! Hope its a great fight, but if its on par with the 1st- Hellz Yeah! WarCotto!

The fact that arum loaded up on the undercard makes me suspicious that he might know something about the main event possiablly that margs face won't hold up and this will resemble Marq-Vaq IV more than anything else so he's got a safety blanket with the unders. CONSPIRACY! Even if the main even blows out... the card got me pumped as crap. If that's not good, least I get Bam Bam bang.

I like the examples the poster gave initially and have to agree that this could be a let down in regards to expectations. The only way this letdown happens is if one of the guys gets hurt and stopped early. To me the biggest reason why this fight will likely not disappoint is the fact that Margarito truly does know only one way to fight, face first and a tornado of punches. If Cotto can't put that jab on him early and hard make Margs reset and effectively move it will come down to who can break down the other guy first. Not sure if Cotto can win that battle. I will say this time around I think Cotto will look much better simply because he knows what Margarito brings to the table, he will prepare for it as opposed to last time which I believe he and his team thought they would roll thru a one dimensional Margarito. Problem ended up being that Tony's one dimension is rather deep, with or without plaster. Cotto said in an interview that he had the longest training camp of his career for his fight with Antonio (12 or 12+ weeks@2:18 in the video) I'm sure he was physically prepared in that fight. He withstood a lot of punches. The only thing I think they didn't expect was Margarito withstanding so many flush shots himself. Cotto hit with him a lot of clean punches, SNAPPING punches and Margarito was never hurt or wobbled. Any other welter at the time would've crumbled with the type of punches Cotto was consistently landing. Margarito's chin was among the top two or three topics being discussed the following day. He looked damn near indestructible that night...

The first fight was incredible and I don't think we truly EXPECT the rematch to be equal or greater but the possibility IS there. Like someone posted, the circumstances for the rematch are what bring so much intrigue to Dec 3. The other fights that are booked for that date are good, too. I just can't see any boxing fan watching those fights without eagerly looking forward to Cotto-Marg II. They might not be as good as they were in '08 but then again, they could be just as good (at least in Cotto's case). ... Fights that are hyped as much as this one will be, have an easier route to becoming historic and I think it's stupid to undermine it's significance and how exciting 12/3 will be for boxing fans.

If Cotto truly thinks that Margarito cheated in the first fight, he may be in for a similar beating.

Of course it won't be as good as the first, both guys are diminished fighters and the first time around they were essentially fighting for the welterweight crown with Floyd "retired" and Williams at 154. Now they've both been brutalized by Pacman, plus Margarito got beat down by Mosley too. Should be interesting to see the toll those two beatings put on Margarito.

i don't think it's going to be as great as the first but it will still be action packed. i mean c'mon, it's a mexico vs. puerto rico fight, the best rivalry of all time.

**** relevancy, **** how past-prime they may be, **** the circumstances. This is the fight the fans want. Let's fookin 'ave it.

I like the examples the poster gave initially and have to agree that this could be a let down in regards to expectations. The only way this letdown happens is if one of the guys gets hurt and stopped early. To me the biggest reason why this fight will likely not disappoint is the fact that Margarito truly does know only one way to fight, face first and a tornado of punches. If Cotto can't put that jab on him early and hard make Margs reset and effectively move it will come down to who can break down the other guy first. Not sure if Cotto can win that battle. I will say this time around I think Cotto will look much better simply because he knows what Margarito brings to the table, he will prepare for it as opposed to last time which I believe he and his team thought they would roll thru a one dimensional Margarito. Problem ended up being that Tony's one dimension is rather deep, with or without plaster.

its a fight to determine who is the more shot boxer my money is on Margarito don't even know why people try to hype this fight when Margarito didn't have a meaningful win in over 3 years

Margarito vs Cotto is probable the worst fight on the card. I am looking forward to Wolak vs Rodriguez, Rios vs Murray and Jones vs Lujan and even on the same day you have Mares vs Agbeko and Darch vs Moreno all better fights then Cotto Margarito 2 True. It's gonna' be a boxing overdose that day. A lot of good fights on that night...

Margarito vs Cotto is probable the worst fight on the card. I am looking forward to Wolak vs Rodriguez, Rios vs Murray and Jones vs Lujan and even on the same day you have Mares vs Agbeko and Darch vs Moreno all better fights then Cotto Margarito 2

This topic needs discussion... :boxing:

You make a good and solid point but I respectfully disagree. The circumstances here will force the fight to be highly competitive and exciting. Why? Margarito's circumstances: - Caught cheating and suspended, desperate to get back to where he was and prove he wasn't cheating. This is a hungry and desperate fighter. He might not be the same old Margarito after the wars he's been in but he's a mexican warrior with mexican pride. He still believes he is one of the top names at the division and rightfully he is because when you think abou it he can present problems to any WW today. - He was given a chance against Pac and wasn't able to pull thru, he knows how big of a fight this is since this proves two things: 1. He becomes more relevant and reclaims part of what he had going AND he proves beat Cotto without loaded gloves. 2. This guy is going to come out swinging for the fences and putting pressure similar to Pacs or even worse. This is the last stand for a desperate man. It only takes on desperate and willing fighter to get some fireworks... but fortunately, the other one has circumstances of his own that push him to win this fight at all cost. Cotto's circumstances: - Chance to ger revenge on his first and one of two losses against a guy he himself suspect had loaded gloves. - Written off by many as being already washed up. - Chance to make bigger money and cement his legacy as truly a WW great. The man has only 2 defeats without ducking ANYBODY and has a chance to avenge one of them. - And the most important of them all, pride as a fighter, father/husband of family and man. This guy and his family and team are sure he cheated against them. Not to mention Cotto started training 2 weeks more than he usually does. If these things don't tell you they are going at it with all they have, I don't know what will my good friend. The circumstances are perfect to see a really interesting and intriguing fight AT THE LEAST. But in reality, it will be a fight with a lot of exciting moments and the things riding on the line for each will put up the stakes higher and their hears and determination will come out and show. These are the kind of fights the sports needs, it goes beyond a matchup. There's history, personal motivations and reasons involved here that go beyond simple boxing bad blood. I understand that this is Margarito's last stand. I actually think he's got more desperation than Cotto has determination. Margarito has got a LOT of pressure riding on him because this is basically it if he loses again. He's 1-2 in his last three fights (in nearly three years by the time the fight happens). I understand Cotto's taking his training camp very seriously because nothing will be more painful than losing by KO//TKO...to a Mexican...in Madison Square Garden. There's a lot of bragging rights riding on this but the same can be said for nearly all the other rematches as well. I'm hyped up as much as the next fight fan (or Puerto Rican), but I just don't see it being as exciting as the first. By no means do I think that it'll be a stinker, though. Not by a longshot. The fact that arum loaded up on the undercard makes me suspicious that he might know something about the main event possiablly that margs face won't hold up and this will resemble Marq-Vaq IV more than anything else so he's got a safety blanket with the unders. I've thought about that as well. Margarito NEVER takes his sunglasses off during interviews. Is it a mind game that he's employing? Who knows? But I've sometimes thought about the fight night ending in an unsual fashion (as was the case with Mayweather/Ortiz and Hopkins/Dawson). I could see the fight going in Margarito's favor only to have Cotto bust up that suspicious right eye and then have the doctor/ref stop it and all hell breaking loose on these boards, from "**** stoppage!" to "WTF?! Trilogy...NAO!" and that kind of stuff. I've had the fight running over and over in my head and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if the sole reason why Cotto wins is because he busts up Antonio's eye. I really don't know what to expect in the end, though.

The fact that arum loaded up on the undercard makes me suspicious that he might know something about the main event possiablly that margs face won't hold up and this will resemble Marq-Vaq IV more than anything else so he's got a safety blanket with the unders.

You make a good and solid point but I respectfully disagree. The circumstances here will force the fight to be highly competitive and exciting. Why? Margarito's circumstances: - Caught cheating and suspended, desperate to get back to where he was and prove he wasn't cheating. This is a hungry and desperate fighter. He might not be the same old Margarito after the wars he's been in but he's a mexican warrior with mexican pride. He still believes he is one of the top names at the division and rightfully he is because when you think abou it he can present problems to any WW today. - He was given a chance against Pac and wasn't able to pull thru, he knows how big of a fight this is since this proves two things: 1. He becomes more relevant and reclaims part of what he had going AND he proves beat Cotto without loaded gloves. 2. This guy is going to come out swinging for the fences and putting pressure similar to Pacs or even worse. This is the last stand for a desperate man. It only takes on desperate and willing fighter to get some fireworks... but fortunately, the other one has circumstances of his own that push him to win this fight at all cost. Cotto's circumstances: - Chance to ger revenge on his first and one of two losses against a guy he himself suspect had loaded gloves. - Written off by many as being already washed up. - Chance to make bigger money and cement his legacy as truly a WW great. The man has only 2 defeats without ducking ANYBODY and has a chance to avenge one of them. - And the most important of them all, pride as a fighter, father/husband of family and man. This guy and his family and team are sure he cheated against them. Not to mention Cotto started training 2 weeks more than he usually does. If these things don't tell you they are going at it with all they have, I don't know what will my good friend. The circumstances are perfect to see a really interesting and intriguing fight AT THE LEAST. But in reality, it will be a fight with a lot of exciting moments and the things riding on the line for each will put up the stakes higher and their hears and determination will come out and show. These are the kind of fights the sports needs, it goes beyond a matchup. There's history, personal motivations and reasons involved here that go beyond simple boxing bad blood.