Cotto vs. Margarito: Antonio's Post-Fight Comments Make Retiring Impossible

If Antonio Margarito wants to be able to enjoy another sunset, retiring would be a bright idea.  

Miguel Cotto treated Margarito's already beaten eye like a bull's eye.  He targeted for and pounded it until the Mexican fighter began losing sight which stopped Saturday night's fight.  Despite the risk returning to the ring would bring, Margarito dug himself a hole with his post-fight comments making it tough to retire.

According to Reuters, Doctor Barry Jordan said after the fight: “His eye was gradually closing. I felt it was safer to stop the fight.  His lid was completely closed for three rounds.  He had no vision in that eye.  I think it would have been dangerous for him to go back in.”

Cotto broke open a cut on Margarito’s eye in the third round and that’s where he aimed the rest of the way.  After being sent to the hospital against Manny Pacquiao, Margarito’s vision is in danger.  Going blind isn’t just a potential risk; it will happen if he continues to fight.

Margarito had no interest in erring on the side of caution after judges dealt him his eighth loss, though.  He complained about the stop of the fight saying: “They were out to protect him (Cotto) because I was going forward.  I hurt him.  He hits like a girl.  I never felt the punches.”

After such a statement—I never felt the punches—it’s hard to believe Margarito would retire.  If he cares about his reputation at all, retiring would damage his legacy even further.  It couldn’t get much worse after his hand-wrap disaster against Shane Mosley, but downplaying an injury that immediately leads to your retirement would do the trick.

It would without a doubt be wise for the 33-year-old Margarito to call it quits.  He still has half his life to live and rolling the dice with eyesight is insane.  Still, it’s difficult to imagine him retiring under the given circumstances.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.  Follow him on Twitter.