Cotto vs. Margarito 2: Loss Would End Margarito's Career as Relevant Fighter

To a boxing fan, the name Antonio Margarito is hardly one that's going to elicit a neutral opinion. Most of those opinions aren't going to be good. 

And frankly, there's good reason for that.

As Michael J. Fensom of the Newark Star-Ledger recently reported, Miguel Angel Cotto accused Margarito of cheating when Margarito won their first fight in July of 2008.

True or not, the claim has some foundation to it. After all, Margarito was caught cheating when he fought Shane Mosley, which was his first fight after beating Cotto. 

In their press conference, Fensom quoted Cotto saying some blunt, unpleasant things to Margarito. 

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"You are an embarrassment to boxing."

"

Given that Margarito is only 1-1 since being caught with the plaster against Shane Mosley (a fight he also lost), there's credible reason to at least suspect that a lot of his prior fights were won in a dirty way. 

So, how does Margarito look if he goes out and loses to the same man that he beat in the fight before he was caught cheating? Not very good. Fair or not, his previous wins would all have a cloud over them. 

That doesn't exactly bode well for his future as a relevant fighter. 

No, Margarito needs to go out and win this fight. That's the first thing that needs to happen. But in reality, he needs to be the clear winner. It doesn't necessarily have to be a knockout, but it can't be a terribly close decision either.

No excuses will be good enough. Margarito hasn't earned the benefit of any doubt.

This is more than just one fight for Margarito. At the risk of sounding overdramatic, he's fighting to save the credibility of his entire career.

Without that credibility, he won't be relevant. I'm not saying he'll never fight again, but I wouldn't expect him to fight on anything close to a big stage again if Cotto beats him. Really, that would be just fine. That's a right you earn. 

The only way Margarito can earn that is with a big win here on the big stage. Without it, his career record couldn't be less relevant.

When Margarito was caught cheating, he fell into a hole. It's a hole that only he can dig himself out of. Winning here wouldn't get him completely out of that hole, but it would be a necessary step.