Cotto vs. Margarito: Why Unheralded Fight Will Blow Away Pacquiao vs. Marquez

Prior to Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez III last month, there was plenty of buildup. In fact, it was one of the more hyped fights in recent memory. While Saturday's Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito bout hasn't gotten the same attention, it promises to be a much better fight.

Make no mistake, Pacquiao vs. Marquez III was entertaining, but the style of fighting itself wasn't something that would be appealing to a wide range of audiences. Boxing purists certainly appreciated Marquez's defensive tactics, but it didn't make it a particularly enthralling fight to watch.

The Pacquiao factor also made it a pretty special matchup. Pacquiao is one of probably only two boxers, along with Floyd Mayweather, who is able to transcend the sport in this day and age. People who don't normally get excited for boxing anticipated the Pacquiao fight, even though he didn't look particularly good in his majority-decision victory.

Neither Cotto nor Margarito may be as well known to a casual fan, but they are certainly big names in the sport of boxing. The two combatants fought two and a half years ago, and if that fight is any indication of how Saturday's bout will go, it will be a Match of the Year contender for sure.

The first fight had the storyline of Cotto being an undefeated phenom, and while that may no longer be the case, Cotto being out for revenge is a pretty interesting story in and of itself. Cotto dominated the early stages of the first fight, but he ultimately let it slip away and squandered an opportunity.

It wasn't simply Cotto's shortcomings that led to a Margarito win, though, as Margarito unleashed a barrage of punches on Cotto in the middle and latter stages of the fight. Cotto ultimately could no longer weather Margarito's storm as he succumbed to a knockout in the 11th round.

The excitement from Pacquiao vs. Marquez III stemmed mostly from the perception that Marquez was going to pull the upset. That obviously didn't come to fruition, but his counter punching befuddled the normally explosive Pacquiao, which was quite a scene in its own right.

Cotto vs. Margarito I was all about non-stop action though, and all signs point to that being the case once again on Saturday. Margarito is a high-volume puncher regardless of the situation, so we already know he is going to throw down at will, and Cotto will likely be more aggressive to avoid another letdown.

If you like to watch boxing for the storylines and the logistics, then you may find Pacquiao vs. Marquez to be better. In terms of excitement and pure match quality, however, I don't think there is any question that Cotto and Margarito will put on a better show in their second go around than Pacquiao and Marquez did last month.