Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito II: How Will Nick Diaz Help Cotto's Chances?

UFC 143 headliner Nick Diaz is probably as polarizing in MMA circles as he is in Boxing circles, and with all the talks of scheduled training camps with the likes of Andre Ward, it's not too difficult to see either his name or UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre's name turn up in Boxing-related discussion.

GSP is noted for always seeking out a few tips from Freddie Roach in order to help his Boxing flow naturally in fights, but of course, he's not the only MMA fighter with ties to Boxing.

You'll remember, if you enjoy both sports, that guys like Andrei Arlovski have trained with Roach, and UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva did once desire to fight Roy Jones Jr, but Diaz wasn't quite able to get in the type of sparring he wanted with Ward, who faces Carl Froch on December 17th—the same day that Strikeforce is set to air their brand of MMA, headlined by Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez and Lightweight dark horse Jorge Masvidal.

Diaz's trainer, the legendary Cesar Gracie, did however tweet that the former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion was asked to be used by WBA Super World Welterweight Champion Miguel Angel Cotto in preparation for his December 3rd rematch with Antonio Margarito.

Fans will remember that Margarito handed "Junito Cotto" his first pro loss, but the controversy currently surrounding that win stems from the "loaded wraps" controversy that took place prior to the Shane Mosley fight in which Margarito was simply annihilated.

Cotto clearly wants to avenge the loss, and coupling that drive for payback in with the words he will exchange during HBO's "Face Off with Max Kellerman" and the momentum of Cotto's current two-fight winning streak, choosing Diaz to help him out seems warranted, but how exactly will Diaz help Cotto out?

It’s a question that some might be asking themselves right now, but any Boxing fan that also dabbles in MMA might know the answer off the bat, and for those that don’t watch much of Nick Diaz or much of MMA in general, the gist of it goes something like this:

Diaz is arguably one of the best training partners Cotto could have in order to prepare for Margarito—probably the closest he could get to having Margarito with him to prepare him for December 3^rd without actually have the real Margarito with him—because Diaz is a constant aggressor that will always take punishment while he gives it out, but his cardio is some of the best you’ll find in combat sports, his stamina is second only to the final boss of a video game, he always does insane damage to his opponents and he always breaks spirits in the cage, often to the point where none of his opponents are the same  after fighting him.

Similarly, Margarito has always been an aggressive fighter in his own right, and he’s always had the stamina to withstand punishment while pressing the action and dictating the pace of the fight—and not only that, but also he has the experience against top opposition along with some serious punching power, which is most effective when he goes to the body.

Cotto is a different fighter than he was the last time he fought Margarito, and while he’ll give up four inches in height and six inches in reach to Margarito, he’ll likely be the quicker of the two, but he has to of course prepare himself for a situation in which Margarito tries to back him up and pour on the same punishment that he mounted in their last affair.

If anyone could give Cotto a good idea of what to do if history should repeat itself on December 3^rd, it'd be Diaz.

While Margarito may not bring it completely like how Diaz brings it, they are similar in their abilities to attack both the head and the body, and with Diaz being the man to set the pace in training that Cotto will have to be prepared for in the real-time rematch, Cotto may even the score with his arch-rival Margarito and set the score for a possible trilogy, if the need exists after December 3^rd.