By Ted Sares:
Apparitions are often confused with hauntings. The difference is that apparitions are “live” (intelligent consciousness) and hauntings are “recordings.”
LOYD AUERBACH, interview
No, I am not talking about Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik, though the title fits. . This “Ghost” is named The Ghost of Margarito” and has been seen in at least two fights since the first Cotto-Margarito war in 2008. I first witnessed its eerie presence in the Clottey-Cotto fight in June 2009 where it appeared in the late rounds and soon had Junito back peddling. Unfortunately, Clottey did not go on the chase and let “Junito” escape with a SD victory. But against Manny Pacquiao five months later, the Ghost made a much earlier and haunting appearance and Cotto’s reverse direction started earlier. Pac Man, smelling blood, went after Cotto like a Chicago cop goes after a war protester. It got to the point where referee Kenny Bayless was looking for an opportunity to stop the destruction and finally found it early in the last round.
Now if history is any indication, Margo’s intimidating aura should give him the advantage going into the rematch. Who can forget the thrilling way the tide tuned in their first fight and how “The Tijuana Tornado” began to dictate matters in the late rounds using his savage uppercuts to render Junito’s face a bloody mess. Margarito began the serious stalk and stun and hurt Cotto badly. He went in for the kill, but a mercy stoppage ended the slaughter. Many see a similar outcome this time, but that was then and this is now.
Since that fateful day in July 2008, Antonio Margarito has gone 1-2 taking two brutal beatings at the hands of Sugar Shane Mosley and Manny Pacquiao. In between, he beat Roberto Garcia in a less than compelling, albeit dominating 10 round bout in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Now” brutal” is a word used generously by most boxing writers, but this time, the two losses suffered by Antonio were truly horrific to use a more descriptive word. Mosley rocked him from pillar to post with molar-rattling rights, and Manny, with more variety to his brand of violence, just about tore his eye open. For most fighters, those would be career-enders.
For his part, Cotto has gone 4-1 since the Margarito beat down. The two against Jennings and Foreman were walk-over’s, but against Clottey and an aging Mayorga, he looked vulnerable. Still, he seems to have recovered reasonably well though he will never be the Cotto of old.
This Time
Margarito will never be the stalking monster that he once. Not after having gone through what he did against Cotto, Mosley, and Manny. Fact is, Margarito may be completely done given the serious eye issue and savage punches he absorbed. In fact and for what it’s worth, he was seen at the Rios-Antillon fight wearing dark sun glasses. His hand speed, which was never super fast, and his great ability to handle punishment and keep coming will likely not be there for him this time around, nor will his punch volume. Thus, I can envision Cotto cautiously boxing his way to a UD victory picking his spots with solid shots to the body and occasional hooks upstairs in a less-than-exciting affair. If Cotto fights like he did in 2008 (which is also highly questionable), I see the distinct possibility of Antonio’s corner eventually and reluctantly using the white towel.
But, and this is essential to the fight’s outcome, if the Ghost of Margarito reappears and gets inside Junito’s head as an apparition—that is, as something very real, it will not haunt him; it will destroy him. Margarito will start the chase and stun the now more vulnerable Cotto with uppercuts and the type of heavy body blows that were able to hurt Manny. After that, he will make the “kill” before the referee or corner can make a mercy stoppage.
What do you think will happen?
Visit the author’s web site at www.tedsares.com for a great photo tour