Cotto-Margarito I was clean. Cotto looked better after 9 rounds in 2008 (Photos)

[paulf]

Great fight, great performance by Cotto, and the stoppage was fair. I'd have like to see one more round but it is what it is. I think we can all agree it was ****** to let Pac-Marg go the full 12.

I was really put off by the commentary team though. Manny Steward was naturally very negative about Cotto's fight plan, even though he was putting on the performance of his career. Bitter much? And the thing that frustrated me most was Kellerman and Lampley saying Margarito's shots "didn't have the power they did in the first fight for some reason" Are they ****ing high?

How can you say Margarito's shot's were weaker when he wasn't landing anything? Cotto used his lateral movement to **** up Margarito's aggression and keep him from dong what he did in the first fight. He spent absolutely zero time against the ropes. I didn't compare (and don't trust) Compubox, but it looked like Marga landed about 60% of the number shots he landed in the first fight, and very few of them were telling blows. Margarito's uppercut, which he landed at will in the first fight, was only seen about once a round.

Below: Cotto's face before the 9th round of last night's fight.


vs

Cotto coming out for round 9 in the first Margarito fight


Cuts aside, his face looks a little better in the first fight, even though he'd been hit with far, far more power shots than he last night. So how did Margarito damage Cotto equally/more than he did in the first fight if he was both without loaded wraps and landed far fewer clean blows?

Opinions? I think team HBO were looking for any reason to back up their well voiced opinion that Cotto-Margarito one wasn't a fair fight. And I think they were wrong.

[Evil Abed]

Great fight, great performance by Cotto, and the stoppage was fair. I'd have like to see one more round but it is what it is. I think we can all agree it was ****** to let Pac-Marg go the full 12.

I was really put off by the commentary team though. Manny Steward was naturally very negative about Cotto's fight plan, even though he was putting on the performance of his career. Bitter much? And the thing that frustrated me most was Kellerman and Lampley saying Margarito's shots "didn't have the power they did in the first fight for some reason" Are they ****ing high?

How can you say Margarito's shot's were weaker when he wasn't landing anything? Cotto used his lateral movement to **** up Margarito's aggression and keep him from dong what he did in the first fight. He spent absolutely zero time against the ropes. I didn't compare (and don't trust) Compubox, but it looked like Marga landed about 60% of the number shots he landed in the first fight, and very few of them were telling blows. Margarito's uppercut, which he landed at will in the first fight, was only seen about once a round.

Below: Cotto's face before the 9th round of last night's fight.


vs

Cotto coming out for round 9 in the first Margarito fight?


Cuts aside, his face looks a little better in the first fight, even though he'd been hit with far, far more power shots than he last night. So how did Margarito damage Cotto equally/more than he did in the first fight if he was both without loaded wraps and landed far fewer clean blows?

Opinions? I think team HBO were looking for any reason to back up their well voiced opinion that Cotto-Margarito one wasn't a fair fight. And I think they were wrong.

Cotto's face is more prone to swelling after the first fight and the Pac fight.

When you been swelled up like that it gets easier to become that way every time out after.

The key was if Cotto was hurt by the punches.

Which I don't think he was.

[any craic lad?]

I agree Cottos gameplan for the first fight was his downfall backing up to the ropes and not clinching is why he lost.Footwork was excellent last night too.People get all worked up about the fact that Cottos face was bloody mess if Margarito had plaster in his gloves Cotto would have been in a far worse state after taking around 230 power shots off loaded gloves

[any craic lad?]

Cotto's face is more prone to swelling after the first fight and the Pac fight.

When you been swelled up like that it gets easier to become that why every time out after.

The key was if Cotto was hurt by the punches.

Which I don't think he was.

Cotto was not getting with as many flush punches as the first fight to be fair

[BoxingGenius27]

I don't speak spanish fluently, so I chose to watch the fight in spanish last night so I didn't have bias thoughts about the commentators opinions. So I can't really say what HBO commentators said.

But regarding the fight last night. Margarito did hit Cotto in the 2nd fight like he did in the 1st fight. Problem was, the punches didn't have that much of an effect on Cotto this time around like they did the first. If you notice in the first fight, how many times did Max say "Cotto's hurt, Cotto's hurt guys", then how many times did he say it last night? I'm sure they didn't say Cotto was hurt at all last night, because I don't think the punches had the same effect.

Secondly, I think cuts, nose bleads, busted lips, ect mean just as much knots and swelling. You posting a picture after Cotto's face was dried by his corner, doesn't take away from the fact that Cotto was more of a mess in the first fight then he was in the 2nd fight.

I also think that when you're continually getting hit solidly with plaster punches, it will minimize your movement; which is why as the fight went on in the first fight, Cotto was stuck on the ropes after getting whacked by marg. This time when he got whacked, he was either able to counter, or use his legs to get off the ropes.

[paulf]

The key was if Cotto was hurt by the punches.

Which I don't think he was.

I don't think he was hurt by the punches because he was moving with the majority of the shots landed, and opposed to standing there and taking them while stationary on the ropes like so many of them in the first fight. Margarito was scoring all day with the left uppercut (sometimes twice) followed by the right hand chopping down on Cotto in the first fight. I don't think he landed that combo cleanly once last night.

It think it was matter of Cotto taking away Margaritos best qualities, not taking away his plaster, that won him the fight so clearly last night.

[Undefeated]

Scar tissue. Ofcourse Cotto's face will look worse now. Vs the first fight and the Pacman fight. Its pretty obvious his face will swell up different now.

Cotto got hit with plenty of uppercuts last night too.

[Dale Cardon]

Margarito fought a good fight, but the better man won. Smart game plan by Cotto.

props to both.

[Dale Cardon]

I don't think he was hurt by the punches because he was moving with the majority of the shots landed, and opposed to standing there and taking them while stationary on the ropes like so many of them in the first fight. Margarito was scoring all day with the left uppercut (sometimes twice) followed by the right hand chopping down on Cotto in the first fight. I don't think he landed that combo cleanly once last night.

It think it was matter of Cotto taking away Margaritos best qualities, not taking away his plaster, that won him the fight so clearly last night.

amen to this..............

[Wet Bandit]

Its not the punches its the pace. In the words of Emmanuel Steward "Pressure from a taller fighter is different". Margarito is non stop agression and that's why Cotto faded in the first fight. Ricardo Lopez had Cotto out on his feet for god's sake. Nobody has proof Margarito loaded his gloves in their first fight. What we do know for sure is that with legit hand wraps against Pacquiao, Margarito broke a couple of his ribs and had him in more trouble than any other fighter in recent memory. Finally, Margarito's chin wasn't loaded and that boy took Cotto's shots and kept on coming.