"Portrait of a losing side, proof positive that you can't out-punch machinery. Proof also of something else: that no matter what the future brings, man's capacity to rise to the occasion will remain unaltered. His potential for tenacity and optimism continues, as always, to outfight, outpoint, and outlive any and all changes made by his society, for which three cheers and a unanimous decision rendered from the Twilight Zone."
- Rod Serling, 1963
Miguel Cotto found himself traveling into a dimension he had never once explored in his young boxing career. At some point in this monumental fight, Cotto realized that he was not fighting a man in the ring tonight, "he was fighting a robot, or to be exact, and android, definition: an automation resembling a human being" (Serling). His opponent, Antonio Margarito showed the world that there is no tougher man in the sport of boxing, than The Tijuana Tornado.
Cotto dashed from the gates with an impressive first round, dominating with his stiff jab and following up with vicious combinations (punches that can and have knocked out many tough fighters in the past). The next four or five rounds followed suit - Cotto moved around the ring in circles putting on a display of boxing, landing clean hard shots as Margarito continued to give relentless chase.
It was not overly apparent, but every round after the second, Margarito seemed to slowly gain momentum, as if someone in the boiler room finally decided to slowly start adding more and more coal to the fire. About half way through the seventh round, it was obvious that the fight was rapidly starting to head in a very different direction - the locomotive had finally reached full speed. Margarito's relentless pressure ultimately started catching up to Cotto, forcing him to trade punches in the middle of the ring.
"And now we have our classic," said Max Kellerman.
From that point forward, Miguel Cotto had come to the realization that not even his best blow could inflict any damage on his unrelenting opponent and he did the only thing that was rational - turn to survival mode. Cotto resorted back to sticking and moving to avoid danger like he did so easily for the first couple of rounds, but this time Margarito was on another level, stalking Cotto and throwing non-stop punches until they finally started to do some damage.
In round eleven, Margarito continued to eat huge right hands and left hooks as he shadowed his opponent's every move until he finally found Cotto exaclty where he wanted him. Margarito cornered Cotto against the ropes and pummeled him from all directions. Even while taking a beating, Miguel managed to get off a 1-2 that may have KO'd most fighters, but not his opponent on this night. Margarito ate the stiff shots and fired one more upper cut, forcing Cotto to take a knee.
Cotto rose to his feet only to be met by a charging bull, and once again dropped to a knee to avoid fruther damage. Cotto, face covered in blood, showed the toughness of true champion and once again climbed to his feet. But it was obvious he had enough.
Miguel Angel Cotto's cornerman threw in the towel with a minute to go in the 11th round of the fight. A fight that crowned a new welterweight champion of the world and made us all proud to be fans of the sweet science that is boxing .
More to come on Cotto vs. Margarito
