When Evangelista Cotto stepped on the ring apron, white towel in hand, confirming what had become obvious to everyone but the most bloodthirsty of persons-- his nephew, Miguel, had had enough punishment for the night, if not a lifetime.
If you had seen Cotto and Margarito together somewhere and didn't know who they were, you would never guess that they were both welterweights. At five-eleven, Margarito towers over Cotto's five-seven frame, but it's Margarito's muscle mass that is most remarkable. Making 147 pounds so consistently, and without complaint, might be his greatest accomplishment. Putting him in the ring with a man Cotto's size almost seems criminal.
Yet Cotto seemed very much in control of the fight over the first half with his beautiful lateral movement, fast, sharp combinations, and masterful defense. Cotto made Margarito's long, slow, and wide punches seem amateurish as he deftly pivoted to the left while ripping off shots of his own. Occasionally flipping the lever from semi-auto to full automatic he bounced Margarito's head around then danced away from harm.
But in round six, Cotto stopped moving. Margarito kept punching. And landing.
King Kong was slow too, but he took down a lot of planes.
Cotto resumed his movement in round eight, but bleeding as he was from the nose and mouth, oxygen was becoming a rare and precious commodity for the brave Puerto Rican champion. Yes, he was still out-boxing Margarito, though Margarito didn't seem to mind. As long as there are ropes to keep a fighter in the ring, Margarito has an edge.
By round ten, Margarito's bodyshots had taken away Cotto's legs and all Cotto could do was lean on the ropes and try to block and slip punches. Occasionally ripping off a punch or two, Cotto couldn't keep Margarito off. It seems that one needs more than boxing gloves for that.
Unwilling to be knocked down, Cotto took a knee. Cotto's face, bloody. His championship? Slipping away.
Another barrage from Margarito and Cotto held on. Referee, Kenny Bayless, separated the fighters and Cotto backed across the ring to the opposite corner and knelt down without receiving another punch. Nor should he.
So now the fight is over and the great fight the boxing world expected has come to pass. And two careers are changed forever.
Margarito has a score to settle with Paul Williams, who took the WBO title away from him last July in a very close decision. There are also rumblings that Oscar De La Hoya could be interested in fighting Margarito in December. Although, when the "Golden Boy" watched tonight's fight those thoughts were, doubtless, quickly erased. Margarito is about to make good money and live a dream.
Cotto has turned the corner down a very dark alley. Tonight he was the victim of a physical, and mental, beat-down. That kind of thing changes people forever. For boxers, it can be devastating. A obvious example is Mike Tyson's KO loss to Buster Douglass. Once Tyson was no longer invincible, he wasn't even all that good.
Cotto has some thinking to do.
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