Just another one of Wacko's Drunken Round by Rounds : Cotto vs Margarito!

[Wacko3205]

Wacko's Drunken Round by Round of the Cotto vs Margarito Super Fight.

Once again me bwoyo's...finally...long over due...it's time for another installment of Wacko's Drunken Round by Round. It's been a looooooooooooong time comin' & ole' Wacko'll probably be a bit rusty...but I'll do me drunken damnedest not to disappoint!!

This up & coming installment of Wacko's Drunken Round by Round features what is sure to be one of the tuffest battles of young Cotto's career & quite possibley...a battle of the ages. This one, dear friends, could end up being as taxing on the fans as it will be the fighters...& quite possibley a candidate for fight of the year.

Just days away from Wacko's birf day...this Saturday night on July the 26th, 2008 former world champion Antonio Margarito (36 fights, 5 losses, & 26 ko's) squares off against one of boxing's fastest rising super stars & the current WBA champion Miguel Angle Cotto (32 fights with 26 ko's & no losses) live on HBO Pay-Per-View at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada for bragging rights as to whom the legit kingpin of the welterweight division is.

It's going to be one hell of a night & a tuff call to make...because this one's gonna be a mouf' fulla knuckle sanwiches fo' sho!!!

As always...I like to do a little jaw jacking & get a little bit of hype built up amongst all me fellow forum goers prior to the bouts. This match up is a bit different...this bout here really needs no silly banter...nor does it need to be hyped, as most of us have been on pins & needles for the last month or so at the mere mention of either fighters name concerning the outcome.

So let's just get right down to it.

The Wackster's Factors of the Fight

Factors for or against Margarito:

Factor #1 : Size. One of the main factors of the match in Margarito's favor is that...quite simply...he is the bigger man & he's been established at this weight a bit longer. He's been here, there, & back again & in the end he will more than likely be the stronger man of this night. In Wacko's opinion...Cotto will be fighting a toe to toe battle with someone that cracks as hard...maybe harder than Cotto has ever been clipped. Either way it's an up hill battle in several departments regarding Margartio...size & power will be the tip top one's of them. Factor to Margarito.

Factor #2 : Speed & Abilities. It's been noted that Margarito is one of the most feared & heavy handed hitters of the welter class...but power aint everything & lately...Margarito has been beaten with a little ring work. He's often a terror within the ropes...but the rangey & lankey Paul Williams basically took Margarito to the cleaners with his speed & jab. While Cotto is the smaller man...he's the better boxer of the two, IWHO, provided that he fights with his head & not his heart. Cotto has proven of late that he can box & take pressure going forward or backwards...maybe accuracy & speed will work out for Cotto...but again...that's provided that he uses it. Cotto looked good against Mosley & great against Judah & unbelieveable against Gomez...but he was still fighting smaller men. Cotto's speed coupled with his size & power could work for him if he uses his head & boxing smarts all night long. Factor to Cotto.


Factor #3: Chin & Durability. While Margarito looked exposed against Williams...it was more of being outworked. Margarito by nature seems to have one hell of a beard...Cotto on the other hand has shown a bit of vulnerability to the ole' noggin. Admittedly, it's hard for ole' Wacko to bet against Cotto...but I'll have to in this department because he has been rocked & he has been dropped. Either way...both fighter's are tuff as nails...but one's gonna have to bend. My money's on Cotto's chin faltering first. Factor to Margarito.

Factor #4: Age. As I have hammered out above...there is no doubt that lately Cotto has begun to rely on speed, slickness, & skillfully thrown combinations to the body...& brutally so I might add. Many attribute the age of Cotto to be the big difference between these two combatants this weekend...I just don't know that I see it. I gotta disagree with the scribes totally on this one...hell...I'll go on record & disagree with them on pretty much everything in regards to this match up. The question that most writers & fans are haggling over is : "Has Margarito seen too many wars?" Tuff question...right? Wrong. While many will say that Margarito is getting old & this is just the right time for Cotto to catch the Mexican mauler...I will firmly disagree. Margarito has handled some pretty tuff customers in the past...granted none are like Cotto...but tuff none the less. Margarito went toe to toe with Paul Williams...he just could'nt get past that reach advantage...which as I said above will hender Cotto. While Cotto is young & strong...I still feel he's strongest at 140lbs. The age is a toss up for me...which brings me to the last factor...quite simply...experience.

Factor #5: Experience. This is a tuffy. As far as ring time...this goes to Margarito...but...you have to look at who Margarito has faced in comparison to Cotto. Cotto has only a fraction of ring time in comparison to battles/wars & such...but of late...Cotto has faced the better opponents. While I don't think that Cotto is as experienced in certain situations...he has adapted well to various styles...names such as Quintana, Bailey, Pinto, Mosley, Judah, & Abdullaev all took severe beatings from Cotto & it showed...but will that happen against a bigger & stronger man? Can Cotto take that much punishment & fight smart once Margarito pours it on so to speak? I just don't think so. Again...I have to lean towards Margarito on this one...but only because I think that once Cotto tastes the mat...& he will...he won't use his head to gut it out. Factor to Margarito.


Factors for or against Cotto:

Factor #1: Size. Most feel that Cotto has an advantage due to the fact that he is young, strong, fast, & has'nt taken that much punishment...& I will conceded that he's young...but not stronger & not bigger. Cotto is generally a trencher...an in-fighter. Cotto likes to get in close, use his size & pressure & bust a fighter up on the inside (body) & then take out the head...he'll have some serious issues doing this with Margarito because Antonio does the same exact thing. Margarito has a longer reach & he's also taller than Cotto. Physical advantages such as these will make a difference on fight night. Factor to Margarito.


Factor #2: Power . This is a tuff one for me. Cotto is strong...he's a devastating power puncher when the body shots reign in...but is he actually more powerful than Margarito? Not sure. Overall...I just don't think so & the range of Margarito coupled with the power...that's what worries me. Ah hell...I just don't know for sure...but I'm going to lean towards Cotto on body shots & Margarito on the head. Factor to Cotto...maybe...or maybe Margarito.

How bout an even split there?

Factor #3: Speed & Abilities. As I said before...I don't think that Margarito is as accomplished or nearly as fast as Cotto. Lately Cotto has had success against speedsters...he's really only fought a handful at 147lbs...Sugar Shane Mosley, Zab Judah, Carlos Quintana, & Paul Malignaggi...but those are serious names to compare to a brawler of Margarito's stature & in all truth...the man pales in comparison to those four monikers. Sorry Margarito fans...but he does...skill wise atleast. Honestly I feel that if Cotto is going to have any real shot at surviving a Margarito onslaught...he'll have to keep him on the back foot & stay on his ribs. I believe that if Cotto can gain some type of momentum against Margarito...if he can become the bigger man & negate Margarito's reach...this could swing in his favor. I gotta go with Cotto on speed, talent, & abilities. Factor to Cotto.


Factor #4: Chin & Durability. As a Cotto fan...one has to take note that Miguel has been in some serious nail biters. He's shown vulnerability at times when he never should have. Cotto often likes to scrap & go toe to toe...leaving himself exposed & often clocked into stumble mode. Most worrisome...the Corley & Torres bouts. The x-factor in this one though...the one thing that has me hoping was that Cotto took Judah's best & Mosley's best & kept on battering relentlessly. I'm just not sure that he's gone up against someone of Margarito's power, size, & will...this is definently a factor against Cotto if he sticks his jaw out there...& he will...even if not...Antonio will find it. Factor to Margarito.

Factor #5: Age & Experience. While Cotto is younger & fresher than Margarito...he lacks the experience & know how to pace himself against a fighter like Margarito. There are times that Cotto has shown a lack in the fundamentals of what to do when hurt or stunned. At the onset of Cotto's career he used to box a lot more in the past...now he seems to get caught up in pleasing the crowd & often leaves himself open to shots that a fighter of his caliber should see coming from a mile away. If Cotto fights smart he does well...when Cotto fights for Puerto...he seems to often get rocked & caught. It's no small fact that we have a Puerto/Mexico rivalry brewing...& honestly...I think that equates to Cotto going for a knockout...& thus he might end up wearing one. I'll lean towards Antonio on this one. Factor to Margarito.

Continued below...