By Dan Ambrose: Former IBF welterweight champion Antonio Margarito (38-7, 27 KO’s) recent right injury that he suffered in his loss to Manny Pacquiao last November is still giving Margarito a lot problems, enough to where his scheduled September 17th fight against WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto may not be able to take place. Margarito suffered a fractured right orbital bone in the loss to Pacquiao and the injury is failing to heal the way that his team had hoped it would.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Margarito will have the eye examined next week at the University of Utah’s John A Moran Eye Center. Margarito’s promoter Bob Arum said in the LA Times article “The eye is still giving him trouble. It has not completely healed.”

Eye injures are very serious and some of them can lead to permanent problems that often shorten a fighter’s career. It’s unclear now whether Margarito’s eye will heal up enough for him to return to action anytime soon. As such, Arum is reportedly considering matching Cotto up with middleweight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in September if Chavez Jr. wins his next fight against WBC middleweight champion Sebastian Zbik next month on June 4th. Chavez Jr. has a good chance of winning that fight because Zbik isn’t considered all that good of fighter.

Chavez Jr. is a very beatable fighter as well, but he’s been pushed up the rankings and is now at the number #1 spot despite having faced two fringe contenders during his career in John Duddy and Billy Lyell. Cotto would have a great chance then at picking up the WBC paper title and winning a third world title. It wouldn’t be the same, of course, of Cotto facing the best fighter at middleweight in Sergio Martinez, but then again Cotto would likely have no chance whatsoever against Martinez if he were to fight him. Chavez Jr. is a much more beatable fighter for Cotto and would give him a nice WBC belt that he would then likely immediately give up rather than face some of the contenders.