Miguel Cotto Says Sergio Martinez Can't Make the Money Antonio Margarito Can

Miguel Cotto (36-2, 29 KOs) defends his WBA junior middleweight (154 lbs) world title against Antonio Margarito (38-7, 27 KOs) on December 3 in New York's famous Madison Square Garden.

Sergio Martinez (47-2-2, 26 KOs), the current Ring middleweight (160 lbs) champ was once considered a possible opponent for Cotto.

When questioned by the LA Times as to why Margarito, an unranked opponent, was chosen over Martinez, Cotto answered:

"

What other names are out there for me to make money against? Floyd, Manny and Antonio. You think Sergio Martinez will make me this kind of money?

"

Cotto and Margarito have a rivalry built form their 2008 classic that resulted in a knockout win for Margarito in Round 11.

That knockout win came under question when Margarito was found with plaster in his handwraps before a January 2009 clash with Shane Mosley (46-7-1, 39 KOs).

Since then, fans have been in fierce debate as to whether Margarito's gloves were tampered when he gave Cotto his first loss. Top Rank, the promoter of both fighters, is betting big money this rematch will be highly lucrative.

Cotto is being paid a guarantee of $5 million dollars and a larger percentage of the pay-per-view revenue while Margarito is expected to net $2.5 million and a much smaller percentage of pay-per-view revenue.