Margarito wants fight against Cotto to test his power

By Boxing News - 06/11/2015 - Comments

margarito33By Dan Ambrose: After hearing all the news about how improved WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33 KOs) under the tutelage of trainer Freddie Roach, former Cotto conqueror Antonio Margarito (38-8, 27 KOs) would like to see for himself if Cotto is punching harder than before or if he’s actually improved.

The 37-year-old Margarito is thinking about making a comeback, and he’s looking for the big fights against the likes of Cotto. Margarito hasn’t fought since 2011 after losing by a 9th round stoppage because of swelling in his surgically repaired left eye.

This is the same eye that Margarito suffered a fractured orbital bone in his 2010 loss to Manny Pacquiao.

“They say that Cotto has a punch like a beast. The truth is I say no,” Margarito said to ESPN Deportes. “They say that now Cotto is with Freddie Roach, he’s a monster, but let’s see, let me make a fight and we will see if it is true,” said Margarito.

I don’t think Cotto will ever fight Margarito again. It would be too transparent if Margarito came back just looking for one big payday fight. For Margarito to get a big fight against one of the top fighters at 154 and 160, he’s going to need to come back and beat some top names and prove that he’s still got it. However, Margarito had lost three out of his last four fights before his retirement, and his slow hand speed and lack of punching power was a real problem for him. But now that he’s been out of the sport for four years, his speed and power couldn’t have improved. If anything, you could expect them to worsen.

It would be good to know why Margarito is suddenly interested in making a comeback. Is he in need of money? Margarito had to have made millions during his career. He couldn’t have possibly have burned through his earnings, could he? It doesn’t make sense for Margarito to be coming back to the sport given the condition his left eye was in.

Margarito’s comeback won’t last too long if his surgically repaired eye doesn’t hold up under the normal punishment from his fights. Even if he faces weak opposition in the early stages of his comeback, his damaged eye could swell up on him again like it did in his rematch with Cotto in 2011. If that happens, Margarito will wind up getting stopped unless the ringside door allows him to fight with a closed eye.



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