Beyond Pacquiao-Mayweather: Redemption of Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito

With Sergio Martinez' Knockout of the year over Paul "The Punish Williams and the always abundant discussion of the fight everyone on the planet wants to see(Pacquiao vs Mayweather), it's easy for someone like Miguel Cotto to get pushed out of the spotlight momentarily. 

I've heard people say Miguel Cotto is Manny Pacquiao's next fight. I disagree. They are many other people higher on my list for Pacquiao. The obvious choice would be Flyod Mayweather Jr. However at this point that is pretty much a fantasy pic. As I have mentioned before I'm for Sugar Shane Mosely vs Manny Pacquiao. Style wise, this could be the closest preview to Mayweather vs Pacquiao. His opponents have all been offensive fighters with a "West Coast" Style as opposed to defensive with an "East Coast" style.

For Miguel Cotto I see another big fight. For a moment let's examine Miguel Cotto the boxer and his career. Miguel Cotto was the undefeated Welterweight Champion. He remained undefeated until he faced off against Antonio Margarito. Antonio Margarito took his belt and unsuccessfully defended it against Mosley. 

Prior to the fight with Mosley, Mosley's trainer Nazeem Richardson discovered foul play. The infamous loaded hand wraps along with illegal gloves that would give a fighter a tremendous advantage. After Mosley said he wanted to continue, he proceeded to hand out a vicious beating to Margarito. Sugar Shane Mosely knocked out Antonio Margarito in round nine. Margarito looked nothing like the fighter we were used to seeing. A very different fighter from the one who pried the belt from an undefeated Miguel Cotto.

There is no proof that Antonio Margarito had loaded gloves or wraps in his fight against Miguel Cotto but you have to wonder. You have wonder not only was he cheating then but what would the outcome be on a even playing field. Personally I think Miguel Cotto was robbed. What would his career be like had he never suffered that brutal defeat which tarnished his perfect record. That can effect the confidence and psyche of a fighter to whatever degree. I can imagine Miguel Cotto would definitely want to take another shot at him to redeem himself against the man that took his belt and a piece of his career, possibly illegitimately.

It's clear what Antonio Margarito does in front of a great fighter when  the possibility of foul play
has been completely ruled out.  He transforms into a human punching bag. Cotto couldn't beat Margarito when it was unclear whether or not Margarito had used enhanced equipment in that particular fight. If we assume that there wasn't illegal gear, Mosely would be the logical choice. Mosley destroyed Margarito. Pacquiao demolished Margarito. Let the guys who beat Margarito fight. Cotto couldn't beat him. So why would Miguel Cotto fight Pacquio again when Pacquiao already beat Cotto. What top boxer would want to fight "Margacheato,"as he has been referred to before due to this scandal. I can only think of one, Miguel Cotto.

Antonio Margarito wanted to fight Manny Pacquiao to redeem himself after the the scandal as he talked about it at length on HBO's 24/7. He was unsuccessful. In fact, he has not won a fight against a top caliber fighter since. If he could beat Cotto again, it would prove to the world that he's not a cheater and he really wasn't at fault. For Miguel Cotto, it would give him the opportunity to not only answer the questions but to prove he really is the better fighter.