Margarito VS Cotto : 5 years anniversay today July 26, 2008 - July 26, 2013

How times fly huh.. What do you remember about that day?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8Oj0sW27Mc

I remember thinking "no way is Margarito's using legal handwraps. He'll probably get busted if he ever fights anyone trained by Nazim Richardson, that guy would check more carefully."

You know what I was just chucking some dates into boxrec to see what happened 10, 20 years ago, didn't do 5 ;D

I remember wanting Margarito to win. An amazing exhibition of will versus skill. I remember thinking it was something very special and pure to see Cotto wilt like that under extreme pressure. There's also a part of me that secretly dislikes Cotto, not sure why, maybe its because at 140 I feared for Ricky Hatton's long term health should they let the Hitman share a ring with Cotto.

De La Hoya vs Trinidad, that was probably one of the most boring mega fights ever, the most exciting part of the fight was when De La Hoya started to act bizarre and run around. The crowd was booing the fight.

I was rooting for Margarito, I am still bitter about Zab so I enjoyed it, I've come to believe what happened that night was a crime and enjoyed the rematch

I just had started dating this 19 year old chick during that summer and she hated my friends so I ended up ditching her to go watch this fight at a sports bar.

I had money riding on margarito cuz not only do I know him personally but it was one of those fights where u knew that ur fighter was gonna win. I knew margos chin and constant would be too much for the rican and when it happened, everybody at the spot went wild. It was a pro mexican crowd od never forget.

I had just moved to Las Vegas from Pittsburgh. Had a huge fight party that night. I was single then, and I showed it that night. Had people tell me ( not huge boxing fans ) that they loved it.

I remember Margarito breaking Cotto's nose and making him quit. Years later Cotto's groupies decide to blame some imaginary wraps for him losing. Like if the 267 punches he got hit with had nothing to do with it

Watching it live on TV I could see Cotto was winning but slowing down due to the pressure and I felt a shock was on a bit like Tyson v Holyfield.

I remember being happy about it. I liked Cotto a lot, but to me Margarito spent so long battling outside of the spotlight, it felt like a hard-working guy who never got his just due FINALLY got his shot and came up big.

Of course, after he got busted, I`m convinced he used illegal handwraps in a lot of his fights, including this one. So in hindsight I just feel bad that Cotto had to take such a beating at the hands of a cheater.

Of course I was devastated. Then, when Margo got caught cheating for the Mosley fight... and to add injury to insult he got KTFO'ed.... I risked getting thrown out of a hotel room I was staying at, I was joyfully screaming so loud. Finally, the rematch was sweet. No doubting the cheater's good chin. But he got the boxing lesson of his life, and nudged a little closer toward retirement in disgrace. A "Where Are They Now" TV special would probably find him pushing fries at a Tijuana McDonalds..... except nobody really cares enough to wonder.

I remember that the fight was going Cotto's way for a while but Margarito's relentless pursuit got him the title. I liked Cotto but even though he was good, I felt he could have been better. Then it was Shane's time and Richardson was a hawk with great instincts and he spotted something that could have been a first In Margarito"s camp but to hear others talk it was probably according to naysayers a commonality and that we don't know for sure. The bad wrappings. I won't go into that and remember that night with Cotto Margarito was on top of the world and Shane shot him down off his perch later resurrecting his individual standing. Did he wear those wraps with the first Cotto fight? We'll never know and a victory was recorded and the rematch was a different time and place. The atmosphere was eerie and fear was in the air and yet Cotto overcame the first beating and I wondered if there was ever going to be a rubber match. That was then and this is now.