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Cotto VS Margarito Expected To Be FOTY - Despite Lopsided Betting Lines
For a boxing match righteously hyped as a fight of the year candidate, the ******** action in the July 26 welterweight world title bout has been decidedly lopsided in favor of Miguel Cotto.
After opening as a minus-170 favorite (risk $1.70 to win $1) against Antonio Margarito in the pay-per-view fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Cotto has been bet up to minus-270, according to MGM Mirage odds.
The price on Margarito stands at plus-230, up from an opener of plus-150.
The round proposition is listed at over/under 9 1/2 with a premium of minus-175 on the “over,” indicating either man could score a knockout but probably not until late in the fight.
Promoter Bob Arum said the match shapes up as a classic clash between a Mexican (Margarito) and a Puerto Rican (Cotto), a rivalry that has produced a number of memorable bouts throughout the sport’s history.
Arum compared Margarito-Cotto to fights such as Sixto Escobar vs. Rodolfo Casanova (1934); Wilfredo Gomez vs. Carlos Zarate (1978); and Hector Camacho vs. Julio Cesar Chavez (1992).
It also pits a fierce puncher who has evolved into a virtually complete fighter in Cotto against a tall, rangy opponent who figures to attack relentlessly in Margarito.
Las Vegas handicapper and radio personality Dave Cokin sees the matchup as closer to even than the betting line would indicate.
He likes Margarito — at the price.
In a poll of media members and boxing experts, Cokin wrote: “Potential bloodbath with definite fight of the year possibilities. Relentless Cotto will work endlessly to get inside taller Margarito in order to land punishing body shots. But Cotto will likely absorb some powerful Margarito hooks as that height advantage pays off. I can’t see anything less than a grueling battle and I expect it to go to the cards for what looms as a very tight decision.
“From a Las Vegas standpoint, Margarito at plus-200 or better would be the choice.”
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