After years of frustration, Antonio Margarito went out and took from Miguel Cotto the respect he was due. Neither De La Hoya nor Mayweather Jr. wanted to face this contender. On Saturday night, Cotto understood the reason why!

In what could probably be considered the Fight of the Year, a determined Margarito knocked out the champion in the 11th round. Early on in the fight, Cotto was able to use his speed to land some hard jabs on Margarito. However, the challenger kept on coming.

It was as if Margarito did not know anything else but to walk forward and pressure Cotto, even if it meant receiving some heavy counter punches. From the sixth round onward, Margarito had control of the match and the bout became a massacre. For the first time in his career, Cotto was receiving the same punishment that he had given to so many of his opponents.

As Miguel Cotto left the MGM Grand Garden arena and headed to the hospital, he told the Associated Press: “He's [Margarito] an excellent fighter. He did his job better than I did''.

With a record of 32 wins and 1 loss, Cotto will bounce back and look for a possible re-match against the new champion. As good as Cotto is as a boxer, he has never in his career faced such a hard hitting fighter.

Margarito’s record now stands at 37 victories with 5 losses. Now that this fight is over, it will be interesting to see his next challenger.

Paul Williams is a name to be considered, and Margarito could avenge his loss against Williams if this fight should happen.

Shane Mosley is also another candidate, especially is he beats Ricardo Mayorga in their upcoming clash. A re-match against Cotto is also a probable possibility for Margarito.

It will be interesting to see what happens to both these fighters. One thing is for certain, they gave us an epic bout that should be this year’s best boxing match.

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