Cotto vs. Margarito 2: Why Gambling on Cotto Is the Safe Bet

How big of an advantage do illegal hand wraps provide for a boxer?

That’s the big question as we approach Saturday’s super welterweight 12-round match at Madison Square Garden between Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto.

This is the second time these two have fought, but the first bout has a giant asterisk above it. Margarito won the fight, but it was his last win before being busted for illegal hand wraps against Shane Mosley. Since then he’s been knocked out by Mosley and destroyed by Manny Pacquiao to the point where he needed severe eye surgery.

That’s why taking Cotto -230 is the smart bet. Margarito is a cheater that needed assistance to become one of boxing’s best. At a Wednesday press conference, Cotto really gave it to Margarito, calling him a “criminal” and an “embarrassment to boxing.”

Cotto even took it a step further. "You know why I call you a criminal?" Cotto said. "Because a criminal uses a weapon to try to harm someone."

This fight is personal, and Cotto is desperate to settle the score. He really hates everything about Margarito, and vengeance is the only option. He couldn’t even ride in the same elevator with his opponent for a media event this week. Sure, all fighters hate their opponent leading up to the match, but this is different.

He also has the benefit of a bullseye on his opponent's face.

Margarito still has been dealing with the eye injury that Pacquiao handed him, and he was just barely cleared for this weekend’s fight. Expect plenty of hooks to be landing to that eye.

Remember, Cotto was a 2-to-1 favorite in their first bout, before the illegal wraps were discovered and Margarito had won by knockout. Now that the two are on an even playing field, expect the extreme determination of Cotto and the weak right eye of Margarito to be the difference.