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Carrie Stroup here with the latest Cotto-Margarito fight odds. Sportsbook.com had this one listed pretty close compared to some other high profile fights of late. Cotto was the -225 favorite while Margarito was coming in at +175 or just shy of 2/1. The OVER/UNDER number of rounds is 10.5. Be sure to claim up to $250 in FREE CASH when you open an online betting account with Sportsbook.com here today. Use promo code CARRIE STROUP
WBA Super World light middleweight title bout
Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
One of the best fights of the past decade gets a sequel when Miguel Angel Cotto defends his WBA super light middleweight belt against Antonio Margarito Saturday night in New York.
Their 2008 bout was a classic, with the veteran Margarito (38-7-1, 27 KO) withstanding an early beating before taking over the fight in the middle rounds and finishing Cotto (36-2, 29 KO) off in the 11th. But the win was controversial, as Margarito was found to have loaded gloves in his next fight, a TKO loss to Shane Mosley, and was rumored to have had plaster in his hand wraps when he beat Cotto. Margarito hasn’t fought since a bludgeoning at the hands of Manny Pacquiao last year, and there’s no doubt Cotto has been waiting for his revenge. He’s younger, faster, more aggressive and simply the better fighter. And considering the suspicious circumstances of their first fight, Cotto is the pick, in a decision.
The Margarito loss was the first of Cotto’s career, and he suffered a second one to Pacquiao a year later. But since then, he cruised past Yuri Foreman at Yankee Stadium last year and beat Ricardo Mayorga comfortably in March.
It’s been all downhill for Margarito since the first meeting. His illegal hand wraps were discovered pre-fight against Mosley, who then disposed of Margarito in nine. After the fight, the California State Athletic Commission suspended Margarito and trainer Javier Capetilo for one year. He took more than 15 months off before defeating Roberto Garcia, but six months later (Nov. 13, 2010) came the Pacquiao beating. Despite a 17-pound weight advantage on Pacquiao, Margarito lost a lopsided unanimous decision and needed facial surgery for a broken orbital bone and a cataract in his right eye, contributing to the year-long layoff.
The 31-year-old Cotto hasn’t fallen off much, if at all, since their 2008 bout. But Margarito, now 33, looked slow and plodding in the Pacquiao fight. Cotto will be tough for him to handle.
Margarito did survive the 12 rounds with Pacquiao, and the Mosley loss was the only time he’s been knocked out. However, the New York State Athletic Commission was hesitant to even grant Margarito a license in light of the injuries he sustained against Pacquiao. If Cotto dishes out any sort of significant damage to Margarito’s face, officials could be quick to step in and end it.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
