Margarito deserves all the credit in the world for never quitting and overcoming a much more talented boxer although, to be fair, Margarito had all the physical advantages on his side.
I agree with the basic thought here, but I disagree that Margarito had all the physical advantages on his side. People all over the board keep implying that Margarito had all the physical advantages and Cotto had none. it's just not true. Cotto demonstrated his physical advantages: hand speed and foot speed. Margarito's physical advantage, as has been discussed ad nauseum, was his chin. It's a fine point, I admit, but people who only describe one aspect of the fight inadvertently subtly diminish the performance of one or both fighters.
Also, many people are sloppily implying that "Margo's chin won the fight." Again, this flawed idea just does not tell the whole story. Margarito's chin obviously contributed to him winning the fight, but it was a combination of incredible conditioning and willpower, in addition to his granite jaw, that allowed him to pull this fight out.
If he wasn't in superb physical condition, all the chin in the world wouldn't have won him this fight. He had to keep coming forward, chasing a quicker opponent all night, while throwing bunches of punches.
In fact, his hard work on his cardio ultimately paid off in spades for him because his constant pressure and punches evidently kept Cotto out of his comfort zone and eventually exhausted him completely. Obviously, hitting an incoming "wall," as Max Kellerman so aptly described it, can't be good for your fighting spirit, but it took conditioning and willpower for that "wall" to keep coming forward all night and eventually overwhelm Cotto.
Lastly, many people keep saying or implying that "Hitting Margo's chin discouraged Cotto." Well, no doubt. But, it's unjust to neglect crediting Margarito for the will to keep coming forward round after round, even when your opponent is making you look bad (especially early on in the fight.) It must take an immense amount of resolve and faith in yourself to stick to your gameplan, not panic, and just keep going on and on, regardless of what your opponent is doing.
That's all I've got. Sure Margarito's chin is unworldly, but there are other factors that people don't seem to be recognizing that contributed to him winning this fight.
Props to both men. They are both warriors and fighters of the toughest sort. If the infamous "The World Awaits" snorefest had been graced by these two characters battling it out in the main event, boxing would probably have many more fans. Boxing needs all the warriors like Margarito and Cotto it can get. Tremendous fight. I hope both guys go on to many more memorable ring encounters.
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