Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito II

The Battle 2

Date	03 December, 2011[1]
Location	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Title(s) on the line	WBA Super World Welterweight Championship
Miguel Cotto vs.  Antonio Margarito
Junito		Tony
Tale of the tape
Caguas, Puerto Rico	From	Tijuana, Mexico
36-2 (29 KO)	Pre-fight record	38-7-1 (27 KO)
5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)	Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Orthodox	Style	Orthodox
WBA Super World Welterweight Champion	Recognition	Former IBF/WBO/WBA Welterweight Champion
Result	tbd

Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito II is a Boxing Super Welterweight fight for the WBA Super World Super Welterweight championship.^[2] The bout is going to be held on December 3, 2011, at Madison Square Garden, in New York, New York, United States.^[3][4] Both teams reached an agreement on the contract weight for their rematch: 153 pounds.^[5] When Cotto and Margarito met in 2008, they waged their memorable welterweight title bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Margarito came on strong in the fight's second half to stop Cotto in the 11th round of a bloody battle, a win was later tainted when Margarito was caught trying to enter the ring in his next fight, against Shane Mosley, wearing loaded hand wraps.^[6] Many believe he got away with wearing illegal gloves in the fight with Cotto.^[7]

Background

Cotto

After uniting with famed trainer, Emmanuel Steward, Cotto became Light Middleweight champion when he defeated Yuri Foreman, in a very bizarre way^[8], at the Yankee Stadium^[9] on June 05, 2010. In round 7, Foreman slipped and badly injured his knee. He somehow found a way to finish and survive the round and would continue his fight in to round 8. With his corner growing even more concerned as time passed and the punishment on their fighter mounted, they threw in the towel stopping the fight in round 8. Arthur Mercante (referee) cleared the ring and restarted the fight. Foreman would eventually succumb to the pressure of Miguel in the following round after the fight restarted. He made one defense of his world title on March 12, 2011 against Ricardo Mayorga, with a technical knockout in the 12th round, at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.^[10] He was ahead by five points on all three ringside scorecards entering the final round. He then unleashed a vicious left hook that sent the wild-swinging Nicaraguan to the canvas.^[11] Although Mayorga got up, he told referee Robert Byrd when the fight resumed that he couldn't go on. He said it wasn't the effect of the left hook that made him quit, but an injury to his thumb during the exchange.^[12]

Margarito

Margarito made a ring return against Robert Garcia on May 08, 2010 in Aguascalientes, Mexico after his suspension from boxing.^[13] He wasn't able to renew his license in California so the fight was made Mexico. He also parted ways with old trainer Javier Capetillo and began training with Robert Garcia.^[13] He fought Manny Pacquiao for a vacant Light Middleweight title suffering a one-sided decision loss before a delighted crowd of 41,734 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.^[14] Pacquiao cemented his claim to being the best boxer in the world by dominating the bigger but slower Margarito almost from the opening bell. Pacquiao –who gave away 4½in in height and was at a six-inch reach disadvantage^[15] – won round after round, opening a cut on Margarito's cheek and closing his right eye. He had his orbital bone broken and also developed a large cataract in the right eye as a result of Pacquiao's repeated blows. His orbital bone was repaired and there were no complications.^[16] It took a couple months before Margarito was able to get back to training, thus having to reschedule twice for a second bout with Cotto. Margarito was originally told he could continue to box only as long as he didn't have cataract surgery, but that the blurry vision in his right eye would not improve. But they did this different kind of surgery that day, a half-hour surgery. They removed the cataract and put in a new lens. His vision is a whole lot better and will continue to get better.^[17]

Reported fight earnings

Promoter Bob Arum revealed that Cotto will be paid $5 million plus a larger percentage of the $54.95 pay-per-view sales for fighting Margarito on Dec. 3 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, where Cotto is 6-0 and is anticipated to draw a heavy crowd of supporters. Margarito, said Arum, will be paid $2.5 million plus a smaller pay-per-view percentage than Cotto.^[18]

• Miguel Cotto $5,000,000 vs. Antonio Margarito $2,500,000

Location Controversy

New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) initially denied Margarito a boxing license on October 31, 2011. The rationale for the denial was not due the cheating allegations, but instead due to the damage to Margarito's eye in the Manny Pacquiao fight. An appeal was filed and a hearing took place to where several leading eye doctors testified that Margarito should be allowed to fight. A final decision is expected on November 18, 2011. Without a license, Margarito cannot fight in the state of New York.

Several major figures have received criticism for this actions surrounding this fight. NYSAC chairwoman Melvina Lathan was in attendance when the fight was announced, potentially indicating that the NYSAC supported the fight. In addition, Bob Arum and Top Rank did not give an indication that the fight may not occur at Madison Square Garden when promoting the fight, causing fans to nearly sellout Madison Square Garden with 2 weeks remaining before the fight as well as spend money on flights, hotels, etc. Plus, there is criticism that the license issue is not to be resolved until 2 weeks before the fight.

Arum initially stated that if Cotto was not licensed to fight, then Vanes Martirosyan would take his place on the card. However, Arum later stated that the fight would be moved to a venue in a state that Margarito holds a license.^[19]

On November 18, 2011, the NYSAC did not make a final vote as expected. Instead, they ordered Margarito to be examined by their own doctor. Based on the findings of their own doctor, they will make a decision on if Margarito receives a license.^[20]

Main Card

• Super Welterweight Championship bout: Miguel Cotto (c) vs. Antonio Margarito

• Lightweight Championship bout: Brandon Rios (c) vs. John Murray

• Welterweight bout: Mike Jones vs. Sebastian Andres Lujan

• Light Middleweight bout: Pawel Wolak vs. Delvin Rodriguez

Preliminary card

• Light Middleweight bout: Glen Tapia vs. Mike Ruiz

• Light Heavyweight bout: Mike Lee vs. TBA

• Light Heavyweight bout: Sean Monaghan vs. Santos Martinez

• Featherweight bout: Braulio Santos vs. Tommy Garcia

International Broadcasting

Country / Region	Broadcaster
United States	HBO

Notes

1. ^ BoxRec Boxing Records. Boxrec.com. Retrieved on 2011-08-19.
2. ^ Rafael, Dan (July 20, 2011). "Garden to host Cotto-Margarito II". ESPN. http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/6787381/madison-square-garden-host-miguel-cotto-antonio-margarito-ii. Retrieved Augsust 19, 2011. 
3. ^ Gonzalez, Jhonny (Augsust 7, 2011). "Steward expects Tough Margarito in the Cotto Rematch". Boxing Scene. http://www.boxingscene.com/steward-expects-tough-margarito-cotto-rematch--42407. Retrieved Augsust 19, 2011. 
4. ^ "Margarito-Cotto II set for Madison Square Garden on December 3". Sports Illustrated. July 20, 2011. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/mma/boxing/07/20/cotto-margarito/index.html. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
5. ^ Reeno, Rick (Augsust 24, 2011). "Cotto vs Margarito-deal reached for 153 says Diaz". Boxing Scene. http://www.boxingscene.com/cotto-vs-margarito-deal-reached-153-says-diaz--42988. Retrieved September 3, 2011. 
6. ^ Pugmire, Lance (March 26, 2009). "Margarito's hand wraps contained plaster elements". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2009/03/margarito-wraps.html. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
7. ^ "Margarito-Cotto II rumored for Dec. 3". Fox Sports. Hune 16, 2009. http://msn.foxsports.com/boxing/story/Antonio-Margarito-Miguel-Cotto-II-rumored-for-Dec-3-061. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
8. ^ Rosenthal, Michael (June 6, 2010). "COTTO WINS TITLE, FOREMAN GAINS RESPECT IN DEFEAT ON STRANGE NIGHT". Ring TV. http://ringtv.craveonline.com/blog/123665-cotto-wins-title-foreman-gains-respect-in-defeat-on-strange-night. Retrieved August 22, 2011. 
9. ^ Sandomir, Richard (June 02, 2010). "Stadium Doubleheader: A Reception and a Bout". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/03/sports/03undercard.html. Retrieved August 22, 2011. 
10. ^ Pugmire, Lance (March 12, 2011). "Miguel Cotto stops Ricardo Mayorga with a TKO in 12th round". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2011/03/cotto-vs-mayorga-live-coverage-of-tonights-fight.html. Retrieved Augsust 22, 2011. 
11. ^ Dahlberg, Tim (March 13, 2011). "Cotto stops Mayorga in 12th". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/boxing/2011-03-13-2290259102_x.htm. Retrieved Augsust 22, 2011. 
12. ^ "Miguel Cotto Stops Ricardo Mayorga With 12th Round Knockdown". Latino Fox News. March 13, 2011. http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/sports/2011/03/13/miguel-cotto-stops-ricardo-mayorga-12th-round-knockdown/. Retrieved August 22, 2011. 
13. ^ ^{a b} Iole, Kevin. (2010-08-06) Garcia can make his name with Margarito. Yahoo Sports. Retrieved on 2011-08-23.
14. ^ "Manny Pacquiao masterclass deals Antonio Margarito a brutal beating". The Guardian. November 14, 2010. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/nov/14/manny-pacquiao-masterclass-antonio-margarito. Retrieved Augsust 23, 2011. 
15. ^ Ambros, Dan (August 4, 2010). "Margarito out of hospital after successful surgery". Boxing News 24. http://www.boxingnews24.com/2010/08/margarito%E2%80%99s-trainer-says-antonio-will-try-to-box-pacquiao-%E2%80%93-news/. Retrieved Augsust 23, 2011. 
16. ^ "Margarito out of hospital after successful surgery". USA Today. November 18, 2010. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/boxing/2010-11-18-antonio-margarito-out-of-hospital_N.htm. Retrieved Augsust 23, 2011. 
17. ^ Rafael, Dan (July 5, 2011). "Miguel Cotto to face Antonio Margarito". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=6740879. Retrieved Augsust 23, 2011. 
18. ^ Pugmire, Lance (2011-09-22). "Miguel Cotto embraces cash for Antonio Margarito rematch". L.A. Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2011/09/cotto-embraces-cash-for-margarito-rematch.html. Retrieved 2011-10-01. 
19. ^ http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/7244749/antonio-margarito-medical-issue-relocate-msg-fight-vs-miguel-cotto
20. ^ http://espn.go.com/new-york/story/_/id/7251099/antonio-margarito-ordered-new-york-commission-eye-examined

See also

• Mexico – Puerto Rico boxing rivalry
• Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito 1st Meeting
• Face Off with Max Kellerman

Preceded by vs. Ricardo Mayorga	Miguel Cotto's bouts December 3, 2011	Succeeded by [To be determined]
Preceded by vs. Manny Pacquiao	Antonio Margarito's bouts December 3, 2011	Succeeded by [To be determined]