Margorito vs. Cotto: Miguel Cotto Will Have His Revenge on Antonio Margarito

What allegedly happened in Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto's first fight is despicable. Cotto will have his revenge, and it won't be pretty.

It has never been proven, but Cotto has accused Margarito of tampering with his hand wrap by adding plaster. The plaster then hardened Margarito's punches.

The bout was brutal one, but the controversy didn't gain wings until Margarito was caught with altered hand wraps before his fight with Shane Mosley. 

Mosley's trainer, Naazim Richardson, spotted the issue, pointed it out and had the fighter's hands rewrapped. Mosley destroyed Margarito without the plaster-strengthened hand wraps. Margarito subsequently lost his license for over a year.

The Margarito fight changed Cotto's career; it was his first loss and diminished his aura of invincibility. To have that done is one thing—to believe it was done with unfair tactics is another.

This is one of the most personal and emotionally charged fights I can remember.

Most of the time, the conversation during pre-fight hype sessions are just that—pre-fight hype. This appears to be genuine; these guys aren't actors. You can't fake this.

Cotto is the better fighter. If he fights smart early on, he will outclass Margarito. His biggest impediment will be his own emotions.

He is a warrior at heart anyway—that has cost him in the past. Those emotions will be even harder to check this time because theirs is a bitter history.

This is a more mature Cotto, but still one with a huge axe to grind. On Saturday, December 3rd, Margarito will catch the blade of that axe.