Cotto - Margarito: This Time It's Personal

As expected, Miguel Cotto had too much for Ricardo Mayorga at the weekend and stopped his foe in the 12th round to reclaim his WBA Light-Middleweight belt.

Mayorga put up a spirited display but the ice-cool focus and undoubtedly better boxing skills of Cotto shone through, marking something of a resurgence for a fighter who had looked dispirited with the sport since losing to Antonio Margarito in 2008.

Bringing in respected trainer Emanuel Steward appears to have helped Cotto rediscover his zest for boxing. Margarito, on the other hand, is coming off the back of a brutal beatdown to Manny Pacquiao in which he absorbed 12 rounds of punishment.

Rewind to the night in July 2008 after Cotto and Margarito fought and their prospects were very different.

Julio Cesar Chavez entered the ring to cogratulate Margarito on his 11th round stoppage of Cotto after a thrilling fight in which Cotto had boxed well to take charge in the first half before Margarito's relentless pressure caught up with the back-pedalling Puerto Rican.

At that stage Margarito was king of the welterweights and looking ahead to fortune and fame but a downward slide was to follow after Margarito was found to have had tampered handwraps before taking on Shane Mosley. That night he was taken apart in nine rounds and his reputation and legacy were called into question.

People asked: Was the win over Cotto legitimate?

The roles have reversed and after beating Mayorga, Cotto is looking at facing Margarito in a rematch.

The tension between the two was clear at the after-fight press conference where Margarito, a spectator at the contest, came to the podium and offered his hand to Cotto only to be turned away with an icy glare.

If the fight goes ahead - with July suggested for the rematch to take place - this would be a chance for Cotto to move on from the dark clouds of that fight once and for all. Cotto may or may not have lost a bit of bounce since then but he still has the quality to beat most contenders out there.

Margarito has looked jaded since Mosley starched him but he's still got a sting in the tail. Cotto - who showed focus and purpose against Mayorga, keeping his emotions in check - will need the same approach if he's to overcome his nemesis.

Cotto - Mayorga: The Quiet Man and The Wild One

He's at it again. Snarling, spouting obscenities, threatening the worst - it's Ricardo Mayorga regurgitated for another big time fight night.

This time around on Saturday (March 12th) Mayorga (29-7-1) is trying to snatch the WBA Light Middleweight belt off the calmer and more collected Miguel Cotto (35-2).

In the build up to the fight Mayorga has mocked Cotto's eyebrows, compared him to Ricky Martin, flexed his stomach muscles and warned his opponent: "Don't take a knee on me!"

Who will prevail?

Mayorga has been around the block a bit. More than eight years ago he shocked Vernon Forrest to scoop the number one spot at welterweight. His wildman antics, crazy haymakers, machismo and strong chin won through with a stunning third round victory.

Since then the gloss has slowly gone.

Mayorga followed that fight up with a contentious majority decision in a rematch with Forrest before losing the title against speedster Cory Spinks.

His three most notable fights since have included knockout losses to Felix Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosley.

He's a fighter that's been on the slide for some time. Wins over an overweight Fernando Vargas and journeyman Michael Walker in his past three three fights do not paper over the cracks.

However, hype helps and Mayorga always talks the talk. This time around he seems to have Cotto seething - not the first time an opponent has looked riled before getting in the ring with El Matador.

Miguel Cotto is enjoying something of a renaissance under new trainer Emanuel Steward, who steered him to a WBA Light Middleweight title against Yuri Foreman in June last year. Following that fight Cotto took the rest of the year off - a very sensible move as he had looked washed out with the sport following a gruelling defeat to Manny Pacquiao in November 2009. It should be a break for the better and look for a fresher fighter, ensuring the weight has come off without problems.

Who wins this one?

Cotto undoubtedly has the better skills. He ususally likes to come forward with a high guard, bobbing and weaving, poking out a regular jab and walking down his opponent. He likes to squeeze his opponent against the ropes and wail away, suffocating them with pressure.

However, as demonstrated against Shane Mosley, Cotto - while not being the most fleet-footed fighter - can box decently going backwards. He sometimes likes to switch to southpaw too although this fight may be too high profile to try any of that. But Cotto, if he has sense, will look to box his way through to gain control.

Mayorga, meanwhile, will be licking his lips for a brawl. He had a granite chin at welterweight but over the years has become more vulnerable. His best hope will be to throw one of his wild, looping shots and catch Cotto to the side of the head - where he's proved vulnerable in the past.

El Matador will be the underdog but it's worth considering many observers had him beating high quality opponent Shane Mosley in their 2008 contest before Mayorga was caught with an explosive shot in the final round.

Further, he gained a majority decision over Fernando Vargas in 2007 up at super-middleweight. Now, Vargas may have been faded and heading towards retirement at the time but the size issue could be a factor. Mayorga took Vargas' shots and coped with his size and strength. By contrast, Cotto is far smaller having started his career as a light-welterweight.

So, Mayorga may look to bully Cotto with strength and push him around the ring.

But despite the hype and bluster I think it will be the same old story we've seen in previous years with Mayorga coming up short.

I can envisage Cotto using his superior boxing skills to ward off Mayorga in the early rounds. Any sense of weakness or doubt in Mayorga and Cotto will pounce, pushing forward. I don't think he'll have the strength or power to score a stoppage though. Instead, I think he'll look to put on a boxing masterclass.

Mayorga's best chance is to score a looping haymaker. Although Cotto isn't always hard to catch, I believe trainer Steward will have done enough to tighten up the defence to stop any nasty surprises.

Prediction: Cotto, wide points decision win.


Postcript: Miguel Cotto looked excellent in stopping Mayorga in the 12th round. A heavy blow had Mayorga tumbling to the ground which led him to claim a nasty thumb injury. After picking himself up, Cotto came steaming in and had Mayorga against the ropes. Mayorga then indicated he did not want to carry on. The scores at the time of the stoppage were 107-102 on all three judges' cards. Cotto displayed a few bruises afterwards and Mayorga - despite the way he ended the fight - was given credit for putting on a better than expected showing.