Rematch Analysis: Miguel Cotto Should Beat Margarito

[KTerceira]

It's interesting that this article echoed my very thoughts expressed on here and ESPN immediately following the fight.

Cotto spent far too much time going backwards. It took some zing off of his punches, and his legs got tired. It was sort of an Ali-Frazier I scenario: one was clearly the quicker, more skilled fighter, but eventually, going backwards against someone with a good chin, a lot of heart, and a high work-rate will fail in the end.

Cotto also needed to press into the body following his counter punches. When Margarito would come in, and Cotto fired a few good shots and slipped some punches, he needed to press into Tony's ribcage, and maybe even spin him around, followed by a clinch. He could have taken a lot of wind out of Margarito, making the last rounds more like a cruise-control to the finish line. It's also easier to go forward than it is backwards. It doesn't matter how big and strong Tony is, those subtle changes, combined with the masterful boxing display Cotto already showed us, would give him a wide-margin victory.

He's a machine. I doubt he's having confidence issues. He'll probably take an easier fight before the year is over, and then fight Tony again next year. It will be Cotto's adjustments that make the difference.

This could become a legendary rivalry.

I think I echo'ed the thoughts of most people who watched the first six rounds of the fight... Rolling with the punches in the center of the ring and creating angles with lateral movement will take less energy from Cotto then the Mayweather act he tried to pull off...

[Live Dog]

Sure. And when is this rematch happening?

Did you even hear Miguel Cotto talk about a rematch? That mutha****a said he's planning on taking a LONG vacation and then coming back later int he year (not against Margarito).

Yeah, maybe it happens...when Margarito is old and slowed down.

slowed down.......ahhahahhahahhahahhaha

[DoomCity202]

Cotto needs to work on defense....to hell with all of that running.

Slip and block some of that **** and then rely on footwork.

He needs more angles also.

Like Baby Floyd.

[KTerceira]

Guys I got to run ....

Thanks for the thoughts and fodder for future work.. Props to all you FAN-ADDICTS ...

[IMDAZED]

Cotto needs to work on defense....to hell with all of that running.

Slip and block some of that **** and then rely on footwork.

He needs more angles also.

Like Baby Floyd.

Basically, he needs to be someone he's not. Like Floyd.

[poeticlsykuac]

What a lot of people don't realize is that Margarito used his strengths and tools and they eventually won him the fight over Cotto's strength and tools.

Margarito obviously realizes he has a great chin by this point in his career, so he covered his body and threw a lot of shots to the body in just the first 2 rounds(I counted just over 30 body punches THROWN to the body, not necessarily landed). Margarito protected his body moving his elbows in and out well.

Cotto's chin did not nor will it ever match up to Margarito's, if they were to exchange Cotto would have lost in 4 rounds, that was obvious in the second.

Cotto stood on his left hook in the first round, but he got dinged early and didn't want anything to do with Margarito in an exchange, the second round proved this further.

Margarito constantly throws punches with power from all angles, he will hit you with shots you don't see coming. Look at the first minute of the first round vs. the last two minutes. This changed Cotto's game plan early on, he realized shots were going to come whether he was standing in front of him or not, so why stand in front of a bigger stronger man? He took a page out of Mayweather's book but he is no Mayweather.

Cotto didn't really land to much clean in the first round, he did land but nothing significant enough to give him the confidence to stand in there. While Margarito landed the unnoticed to the announcers hard body punches.

At the beginning of the first 3 rounds in the first minute Cotto tried standing in but he got stung each time and went to his stick and move category.

Margarito also put a little distance between himself and Cotto when Cotto was on the ropes, which negated clinching. If he clinched it would have looked ugly in that he would have had to jump towards him to clinch. Margarito's upper cuts didn't come in flurries till midway in the fight when Cotto was tired. The few times that Cotto tried to clinch Margarito freed a hand and just continued to throw punches till Cotto let go and covered up.

You know when he started moving away from his strength, his patented left hook and towards Margarito's stronger right he was in trouble so in the first two rounds. Cotto complained in the third round about a low blow on the hip, I had never seen him complain in a pleading way like that, I knew he was scared at that point.

By the 7th round Cotto was doubling over from every left hook to the body, and it was just a matter of time before Margarito took him out.

[KTerceira]

What a lot of people don't realize is that Margarito used his strengths and tools and they eventually won him the fight over Cotto's strength and tools.

Margarito obviously realizes he has a great chin by this point in his career, so he covered his body and threw a lot of shots to the body in just the first 2 rounds(I counted just over 30 body punches THROWN to the body, not necessarily landed). Margarito protected his body moving his elbows in and out well.

Cotto's chin did not nor will it ever match up to Margarito's, if they were to exchange Cotto would have lost in 4 rounds, that was obvious in the second.

Cotto stood on his left hook in the first round, but he got dinged early and didn't want anything to do with Margarito in an exchange, the second round proved this further.

Margarito constantly throws punches with power from all angles, he will hit you with shots you don't see coming. Look at the first minute of the first round vs. the last two minutes. This changed Cotto's game plan early on, he realized shots were going to come whether he was standing in front of him or not, so why stand in front of a bigger stronger man? He took a page out of Mayweather's book but he is no Mayweather.

Cotto didn't really land to much clean in the first round, he did land but nothing significant enough to give him the confidence to stand in there. While Margarito landed the unnoticed to the announcers hard body punches.

At the beginning of the first 3 rounds in the first minute Cotto tried standing in but he got stung each time and went to his stick and move category.

Margarito also put a little distance between himself and Cotto when Cotto was on the ropes, which negated clinching. If he clinched it would have looked ugly in that he would have had to jump towards him to clinch. Margarito's upper cuts didn't come in flurries till midway in the fight when Cotto was tired. The few times that Cotto tried to clinch Margarito freed a hand and just continued to throw punches till Cotto let go and covered up.

You know when he started moving away from his strength, his patented left hook and towards Margarito's stronger right he was in trouble so in the first two rounds. Cotto complained in the third round about a low blow on the hip, I had never seen him complain in a pleading way like that, I knew he was scared at that point.

By the 7th round Cotto was doubling over from every left hook to the body, and it was just a matter of time before Margarito took him out.

Good solid post....Damn there goes my job ...

[poeticlsykuac]

Good solid post....Damn there goes my job ...

Sweet I am tired of my job. When do I start? hehe jk

[Gabe is beast]

Cotto needs to work on his conditioning hes needs to be able to start good and finish better. This time the match should be at madison square Garden at cotto home turf.Then IF cotto wins they bring it a a place were the there will be a more splitt crowd like atlantic city.

[la pantera]

I hear a lot about how Cotto needs to make adjustments and he can win the fight...that's fine an all...but what about Margarito? he can also make adjustments and come back even stronger. Listen Cotto gets credit from all the fans and he was a warrior but he will never beat Margarito, period. It all comes down to chin and size. If the rematch is signed Cotto will be KOd faster. Margarito knows more about Cotto after fighting him, no way he lets him cruise to a decision.