Cotto vs. Margarito 2: Loss Will Jar Memory of Margarito's Cheating Ways

When boxers are gearing up for a rematch, it’s not unusual for the fighter who lost the first time around to claim that he should have won. In the case of Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito, though, Cotto has a much more concrete point to make than many defeated fighters.

Six months after his 2008 TKO over Cotto, Margarito was caught using illegal hand wraps in a loss to Shane Mosley. Margarito blamed his trainer (whom he dismissed over the incident), but the California boxing commission didn’t believe his claim that he himself had no knowledge of what was going inside his gloves.

Cotto even claims to have photographic proof that Margarito pulled the same trick in defeating him, though no violation has been officially proven in that fight. Regardless, the specter of cheating hangs heavy over tonight’s match.

The best way for Margarito to dispel some of those whispers would be to beat Cotto again in a clean fight (and obviously, this one is going to be carefully monitored). Unfortunately for the Tijuana Tornado, Cotto is going to come out on the winning side this time around.

Even in the first match, it was clear that Cotto is the superior boxer, but the brawling Margarito had the stamina to outlast him that time. Coming off a devastating defeat by Manny Pacquiao (and ensuing eye surgery), Margarito isn’t likely to hold up nearly as well in this meeting.

Once Margarito loses (likely by decision), he’ll be left wide open for questions about the validity of his first win over Cotto. Even if nothing is proven—and, Cotto’s alleged photos notwithstanding, it’s likely nothing ever will be—Margarito will never be able to escape the suspicion of being dirty.