Why was Cotto able to beat Margarito in the rematch?

[New England]

He stayed off the ropes for the most part and that eye of margs swelled like a mofo after second round.

solid points

that fight was stopped because of the eye, which had already been injured. cotto could have landed the stuff he was throwing in the second fight for 20 rounds. margarito wasn't going anywhere, but his eye swelled shut.

[AntonTheMeh]

Marg had 9 rounds and did not do jack. You think he was actually going to accomplish something if the fight was not stopped? Seriously, the way these nut swallowers try to act like Marg was going to win that fight if he was allowed to continue is really pathetic. You really sound childish, he lost, and even if it went to 12, he was not going to knock Cotto out,nor was he going to win on points. You really need to grow up.

of course they think that.

[jazluvr]

Three major reasons:

1. Cotto's agility was dramatically improved for the second fight. His directions changes were very smooth which made it much more difficult for Margarito to walk him down and cut off the ring. Additionally, he glided away from exchanges much easier after landing his shots giving Margarito no stationary target to fire back at. Based on how Cotto performed, and the limited video evidence we have of Pedro Diaz' training, this was clearly a major priority for them and they succeeded admirably.

2. In the first fight, it was Margarito's uppercuts that really hurt Cotto and turned the fight in his favour. Second time around, Cotto made sure that wasn't going to happen by making a few small adjustments. Obviously, he didn't stand and trade as much, but more importantly, when Margarito did get him against the ropes, Cotto stuck his head right into Margarito's chest so there was no space to throw that shot. It frustrated the hell out of Margarito, and because Cotto's agility and footwork was so superior, when Margarito tried to reposition himself Cotto just stepped out of danger.

3. Margarito was simply not as good a fighter as he was in the first fight. The Mosley and Pacquiao fights, and in particular the long layoff left him well off the pace Cotto set. He struggled to cope with Cotto's increased workrate (in terms of movement), and when he did get in range he was swinging like a rusty gate. Given the adjustments Cotto made, I'm not sure the Margarito of the first fight would have beaten him. But the guy that showed up for the second sure as hell didn't stand a chance.

Excellant post! ^^^100% agree. I voted "The beating Pacquiao gave Margarito ruined him" but i also wanted to vote Pedro "Diaz improved Cotto". Cotto fight a great game plan.

No way Cotto was going to lose that fight if it went the full 12 rounds. He was way up on the cards and Margo was not going to ko Cotto.

[El Angel]

Cotto could have won the first fight with the tactics he used in the second fight, pushing Margarito instead of leaning on him in clinches. Used his jab deeper into the fight, still didn't throw any body shots though, something he should've done.

[Vasyl’s dad]

Cotto didn't lean over his lead foot as much, stayed off the ropes, clinched when close, and didn't eat nearly as many uppercuts as before. Had a lil drs help with a premature stoppage as well.

[jazluvr]

still didn't throw any body shots though, something he should've done.

i don't know why he abandoned the body shots, that was his trademark punch. I want to see him employ it in his arsenal against Trout, "and future fights"

[-jose-]

i don't know why he abandoned the body shots, that was his trademark punch. I want to see him employ it in his arsenal against Trout, "and future fights"

I seriously believe he abandoned the body shots in the second fight for one reason only and that was he really felt that Margarito cheated the first time and he just wanted to cause as much damage to his eye as possible...straight up payback.

[El Angel]

I seriously believe he abandoned the body shots in the second fight for one reason only and that was he really felt that Margarito cheated the first time and he just wanted to cause as much damage to his eye as possible...straight up payback.

I think this is definitely a possibility, it was clearly more than just a fight to Miguel, he wanted revenge. But his body punching output has just dropped since his early years, when he just wrecked people with it. He doesn't have to be that guy, but he needs to employ it more, especially against someone like Trout, who likes to move.

[El Angel]

i don't know why he abandoned the body shots, that was his trademark punch. I want to see him employ it in his arsenal against Trout, "and future fights"

He needs to use it much more often. He still throws them beautifully, just not near often enough.

[Vasyl’s dad]

Marg had 9 rounds and did not do jack. You think he was actually going to accomplish something if the fight was not stopped? Seriously, the way these nut swallowers try to act like Marg was going to win that fight if he was allowed to continue is really pathetic. You really sound childish, he lost, and even if it went to 12, he was not going to knock Cotto out,nor was he going to win on points. You really need to grow up.

Care to refresh my memory about the demarco linares bout?