Re-watched Cotto vs Marg

[BTL]

Cotto is gonna hit him and run... Hit him and run, that's what he has to do to win.

[AntonTheMeh]

You mentioned committing to the body

In order to commit to the body, you have to stay inside. Jabs and shots from the outside aren't going to get it done. Body work is something you have to work on from round 1.

Body shots are close up shots for the most part and you have to remember Marg is taller and bigger than Cotto, I don't think that Stewards game plan will be to stay inside with him especially understanding that the upper cut is Marg's best shot.

If Cotto is to win, it's going to be at the end of that jab, with incredible stamina and movement and using his intelligence and boxing to out point Marg for 12 rounds. I don't see Cotto stopping or hurting Marg.

i didn't say commit to the body. committing would indicate that his whole gameplan needs to be based on that. that's not what I'm saying. by comparison, he needs to go to the body because he did next to nothing of in the first fight. that's why margs outlasted him.

cotto can't try to out box him a whole 12 at margarito's pace, he needs to try to outbox him at his own pace; and the best way to do that would be to slow him down a little with the occasional body shot.

[TintaBoricua]

The burning question:

1. Can Margarito's face hold up? We know his chin hasn't shown ANY deterioration, but his face could be another story. Had the Pacquiao fight been refereed by Bayless, that fight would've been over in the 9th or 10th round. Plain and simple.

I honestly think the fight will not be as exciting as the first fight. The reason why the first one had so much drama was because Cotto was undefeated and Margarito was really hungry to pull off the upset and he did in a BRUTAL back-and-forth slugfest that ended in a bloody mess. I think the anticipation of the fight will be greater than the fight itself.

What happens in the fight? I think Cotto will look good in spots and, if the Margarito from Pacquiao's fight shows up, even THAT version will be competitive against Cotto. Because if Margarito has shown us anything, it's that he's willing to go to hell and back to discourage you into thinking you cannot outlast him. ANY NORMAL HUMAN BEING, AFTER HAVING THEIR ORBITAL BONE SHATTERED IN THE FOURTH ROUND, WOULD NOT HAVE LASTED TWELVE ROUNDS AGAINST A QUICK-PUNCHING SOUTHPAW WITH COMBINATIONS LIKE MANNY PACQUIAO. Margarito is as TOUGH as they come.

Having said that, the fight will be held in MSG, scoring and crowd may favor Cotto, and in the back of his mind he knows how much crap he'd get if he'd get stopped again.

In the best case scenario, Cotto somehow cuts or causes swelling on Margarito that they stop the fight, but Margarito is NEVER visibily hurt. Expect boxingscene to have threads like, "That was a bull**** stoppage! Margarito was going to beat Cotto had the referee not stopped it!"

In the worst case scenario, Cotto goes the distance and loses a 8-4 UD or an iffy split decision from GENEROUS judging.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, MARGARITO IS NOT GOING TO STOP COTTO. My thread is over at the betting boards, if anyone wants a straight bet with me, I'm all ears.

[-Huey-]

I think this fight may be better than the first. Even if Cotto gets busted up I think he will keep going, in the back his mind, he knows that a win over Margarito will make the cloud over that first fight even darker. He would redeem himself and prove that he's always been the better fighter.