Cotto-Margarito has the makings of another Puerto Rico-Mexico classic

By Robert Morales

When Puerto Rican great Wilfredo Gomez moved up in weight to challenge Salvador Sanchez of Mexico for his featherweight world championship in 1981 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Gomez apparently took Sanchez lightly.

That was made clear to this reporter this week by Jorge Perez, Rafael Garcia and Bobby Goodman. Perez is a sports writer for Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Dia, Garcia worked the corner of Gomez and Goodman was the matchmaker for Don King, who promoted the fight.

To a man, they said Gomez had to lose several pounds in the couple of days before the fight to make the 126-pound weight limit.

They said Gomez was so cocky, he thought Sanchez was a walk in the park and therefore did not train hard. Gomez also talked a lot of trash, demeaning Sanchez at every turn. But Sanchez - who was killed in a car accident a year later - had the last laugh, stopping Gomez in the eighth round of a brutal beating.

The scenario leading to Saturday's fight between Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico and Antonio Margarito of Mexico is much different. Both fighters appear to be training their behinds off, and neither has resorted to any verbal garbage.

"This is something that boxing can really be proud of," said Bob Arum, who promotes both. "Two gentlemen conducting themselves out of the ring like superb gentlemen. And I am really proud of both of these young men and I think they are the best of what boxing has to offer."

These gentlemen are confident, yet respectful of one another. But in just a few days, they will be trying to take each other's heads off at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Cotto will be defending his welterweight world title and Margarito will be trying like heck to take it. Each will have the weight of his respective country on his shoulders, thanks to the long-running rivalry between Puerto Rican and Mexican fighters.

Other than that, there's no pressure.

For Margarito, this is an opportunity to put himself in the same breath as all-time great Mexican fighters such as Julio Cesar Chavez, Carlos Zarate and Ruben Olivares, to name a few.

"Without a doubt, I think winning this fight will put me on another level as a Mexican fighter, as a Mexican idol," said Margarito, 30, of Tijuana. "I think it will fulfill some promises in my career."

Margarito almost never got this opportunity. It was only one year ago that he was upset by Paul Williams, losing his welterweight title via decision at Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Margarito bounced back in fine fashion, again winning a championship by taking Kermit Cintron's belt via sixth-round knockout in April in Atlantic City.

Margarito said he just had a bad night against Williams and that he proved it by knocking out Cintron for the second time; Margarito also stopped Cintron in the fifth round of a title defense in April 2005 in Las Vegas.

If anything, Margarito said, that loss to Williams fueled a fire that is burning from within. It's a fire, Margarito said, that Cotto will have difficulty extinguishing.

"I know I'm more hungry than he is," Margarito said. "I know I want it more than he does and I'm going to get it."

It would seem the best way for Margarito to "get it" would be for him to use his physical attributes to their capacity. Margarito is 5-foot-11, Cotto is 5-7. But Margarito (36-5, 26 KOs) said his height and reach advantage will only work in his favor if he can keep Cotto (32-0, 26 KOs) at arm's length.

"The advantage depends on how we fight," Margarito said. "If it's going to be a close in fight, it doesn't matter how much height or reach I have. But if he tries to get away from me, I can use my height and reach to make him fight."

Well, Cotto has never been one to try and get away from any opponent. He is such a vicious body puncher, he prefers to stay close. If Cotto can coax Margarito into that type of fight, that could very well give Cotto the upper hand.

Cotto, 27, was asked during a recent conference call to lay out his strategy. Smart fighter that he is, he would not get into specifics.

"I will use whatever I need to use to win this fight," Cotto said. "I can't tell you what style I will have to use and until I get in the ring I don't know what style will win this fight – move or box. But I will try to use everything and I always feel better when I do that."

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this matchup is the rivalry. Perez said that when Gomez lost to Sanchez, it crushed Puerto Rican fans on the island. He said many still haven't forgiven Gomez for not being at his best.

Mexican fans also love their fighters. But Cotto may be under more pressure to win than Margarito. With Felix Trinidad Jr. washed up, Cotto is the current Puerto Rican boxing idol. Margarito has yet to achieve such a lofty status in his homeland, so a loss by him to the undefeated Cotto probably would not do him much harm in the eyes of his loyalists.
But Cotto has tried not to get too caught up in all the hoopla of the feud. He doesn't like comparisons of any kind, whether they be of a particular fight or fighter.

"A lot of people will compare me to the great Puerto Rican fighters," Cotto said. "I don't compare myself to the other greats. I just try to do my work to win for me and my family and my country and the people who root for me."

Saturday's fight may be different in many ways than Gomez-Sanchez. But if Cotto loses, it could have a similar effect on the island faithful.