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By Jake Donovan - Two months, to the date. July 26 is when boxing gets its next highly-anticipated event, when top welterweights Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito throw down in Las Vegas.
Some are referring to the battle as the right to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. Others claim it to be a fight taking place thanks to Floyd's reluctance (or disinterest, if you ask his camp) to face either fighter in the ring.
But given what lies ahead between now and then, perhaps one word best sums it up – relief. Whether or not HBO decides to run a "Countdown To" special (at last notice, they now say "Yea"), fans have already begun counting down the days.
It already seems like a full year has passed by since we were blessed with boxing's version of March Madness, a month that produced no fewer than four legitimate Fight of the Year candidates, along with title changes and upsets galore. It's been a sprinkle here and there ever since, but nothing that's going to bring boxing to mainstream status anytime soon.
Part of the problem over the past two months – and quite frankly, extending through June – is that can't miss fights were replaced with "what's this" showcase fights. Some of the sport's most notable names came out to play in April and May, but hardly a memorable moment among them.
Standing out from the pack was Antonio Margarito's repeat beatdown of an allegedly improved version of Kermit Cintron – rumors that swirled in the same circles that suggested Margarito was entering the twilight of his career. It took Margarito exactly 2 minutes, 45 seconds longer to dispatch Kermit than was the case three years prior, but still managed to put him way with just as much emphasis, a vicious reminder that a loss (or five) does not a career ruin. [details]
Some are referring to the battle as the right to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. Others claim it to be a fight taking place thanks to Floyd's reluctance (or disinterest, if you ask his camp) to face either fighter in the ring.
But given what lies ahead between now and then, perhaps one word best sums it up – relief. Whether or not HBO decides to run a "Countdown To" special (at last notice, they now say "Yea"), fans have already begun counting down the days.
It already seems like a full year has passed by since we were blessed with boxing's version of March Madness, a month that produced no fewer than four legitimate Fight of the Year candidates, along with title changes and upsets galore. It's been a sprinkle here and there ever since, but nothing that's going to bring boxing to mainstream status anytime soon.
Part of the problem over the past two months – and quite frankly, extending through June – is that can't miss fights were replaced with "what's this" showcase fights. Some of the sport's most notable names came out to play in April and May, but hardly a memorable moment among them.
Standing out from the pack was Antonio Margarito's repeat beatdown of an allegedly improved version of Kermit Cintron – rumors that swirled in the same circles that suggested Margarito was entering the twilight of his career. It took Margarito exactly 2 minutes, 45 seconds longer to dispatch Kermit than was the case three years prior, but still managed to put him way with just as much emphasis, a vicious reminder that a loss (or five) does not a career ruin. [details]
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