Cotto vs. Margarito 2: Unscripted Emotion of Non-Title Fight Is Great for Sport

Usually, we watch fighters stand nose-to-nose in the press conference or weigh in, but there is no real bad blood. After the fight is over, the fighters often exchange a heart felt embrace that shows love and respect. That will not happen tonight, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito absolutely hate each other.

It all stems from the controversy surrounding the cement laced hand wraps of Antonio Margarito. The popular and aggressive Mexican fighter was found to have illegal hand wraps before his fight against Shane Mosley. He subsequently lost that fight and his license shortly after.

That opened speculation on whether Margarito used the same type of illegal hand wrap against Cotto in their first fight. In that fight, Cotto was stopped in the 11th round in a classic bout.

Both fighters exchanged major blows and Cotto seemed to outbox him, but is it possible Margarito had a little "extra" behind his punches?

Cotto presented pictures of Margarito's hand wraps on an intense face to face in HBO's 24/7 lead in hype show.

The emotion and hatred was real, intense and a bit uncomfortable. That said, it is great for the sport. Boxing needs a fight to take place that brings about a true and real spirited rivalry that goes beyond titles and competition.

It is the closest thing to the dramatic appeal that is present in the scripted action from professional wrestling. For wrestling fans that buy into the storylines, it augments the appeal of the match.

In those cases, the animosity is almost always manufactured, tonight it is as authentic as you'll ever see in a boxing ring.