::Antonio Margarito is Ready for Cotto!::

06/30/2008

Photo by Felipe Leon

 

 

 

 

Last week SDFights.com sat down with two time welterweight champion and SDFights.com ranked #1 Antonio Margarito as he took a short weekend break from his Los Angeles based camp in preparation for his much awaited July 26th challenge of undefeated Miguel Cotto for the WBA 147 lbs title billed as "La Batalla/The Battle" promoted by Top Rank and being held at the MGM in Las Vegas, NV.  Margarito was in his hometown of Tijuana, MX, enjoying the fight card that was held last Saturday night in the city's Municipal Auditorium.  Surrounded by his wife Michelle and an assortment of friends and family, Margarito looked happy and in shape as a multitude of well wishers paraded in front of him in hopes of getting a photo or an autograph with the always amiable Margarito.  "I am very happy.  I don't want to disappoint my people and I am bringing the title back to Tijuana and I am proud to have all these people show their support."

 

Margarito, who is coming off from his second annihilation of Kermit Cintron last April where he captured the IBF title, knew that he had all it took to beat the once defeated Cintron again, "I always trust in my preparation.  By preparing yourself to the fullest, I believe that fights can be easy.  I didn't plan for a knockout but the KO came.  I did mention that I was going to knock him out but only because I knew I had prepared myself correctly."

 

In the pre fight promotion, Cintron seemed confident that he was going to be able to reverse his first and only loss in his pro ledger that came from the hands of the "Tijuana Tornado".  So sure of it Cintron was that he had no qualms in disrespecting his conqueror with comments and hand signals such as the hand across the neck which he performed at the official weigh in towards Margarito.  Such antics did not go unnoticed, "It did bother me.  It wasn't like the first time that we fought.  He started to make his remarks, giving me the blade under the chin sign, and I am sure you noticed that when he went down I was waiving my arms for him to get up because it upset me that he had gone down."  Margarito continues, "truthfully that is not me, but it came to me naturally to want him to get up so I can keep punishing him for what he had said and done." 

 

But a true gentleman recognizes a gentleman as Margarito stresses to point out, "I do want to mention that after the fight he was a true gentleman because when we were in our dressing rooms and he asked if he could visit me in mine.  He apologized for the things he had said and done and he said that I was too strong that he had thrown everything at me and couldn't hurt me and he wanted to wish me luck against Cotto."

 

In late June when his mega fight with Cotto was announced, Margarito had the opportunity to get up close and personal with his future rival in promotional tour that took them to L.A., Mexico City, New York, Las Vegas and Caguas, Puerto Rico.  "Its very important to promote the fight and to go on that mini tour.  We all know that this is a big fight.  We all know that there is a great rivalry between Puerto Rico and Mexico.  Cotto is not a fighter who talks a lot.  He also likes to do his talking in the ring just like me and I think its going to be a great fight."

 

During that tour, Margarito had some choice words for his opponent.  Margarito mentioned that he hoped that Cotto prepared himself extra well for their fight in which in turn Cotto responded that he did not need to prepare himself any more for Margarito that he had done for previous opponents.  "Maybe it was an error in my part to tell Cotto to prepare extra hard for our fight.  The reason I said that was for him to bring a good fight into the ring and for there not to be any excuses after the fight in case he loses and he says that he didn't have a good camp.  Maybe I was wrong in making that comment.  He says that he always gets well prepared.  I am glad that he comes in at one hundred percent so that we can give the fans a great fight."

 

Likewise Margarito states that he is not overly preparing himself for the fight "I have always prepared myself for two months.  Its going to be the same length for this camp like any other.  I think that two months is enough."  He continues, "I see this fight just like any other despite the big promotion that is being made.  I don't think that I am fighting my toughest opponent but I do think that this is the most important fight of my career.  I don't want to disappoint my people.  I am happy to be a part of this great fight and all the promotion that it has gotten but in reality I am focused in Cotto just like I have focused on my previous opponents."

 

Now with truly one of the most anticipated fights this year if not since Cotto made his debut in the welterweight ranks, Margarito is back in the Montebello, CA area where he has prepared himself since being under the tutelage of his manager Sergio Diaz getting ready for the bout that many boxing fans and critics will give Vazquez-Marquez III a run for its money for fight of the year.

 

"My preparation is going great for Cotto.  We have preparing ourselves about a month in Los Angeles.  I feel that I have the right sparring partners.  I know that it is a tough fight but we are going to come out with our hand raised."  Antonio continues, "we are using different type of sparring partners that in the past, about the same height as Cotto and very similar in style. I think that the base of the fight is in the preparation.  We are going to get prepared to the fullest and we are going to come back to Tijuana with that title."

 

Despite Cotto being undefeated and having had a great run at welterweight so far with his triumphs over Quintana, Judah and Mosley, Margarito feels he is much more of a threat than those fighters especially in the 147 limit "I don't like to pat myself in the back.  The only thing that I can say is that the fans know and I will say that he has made a great career at super lightweight but for me, he has never fought a natural welterweight.  All those that he has beaten have come from lower weight classes.  Mosley was a lightweight and Zab Judah a super lightweight.  I think that I will be the first natural welterweight that he has fought."  But Margarito is fully aware who Miguel Cotto is "I think that I do have the advantage for being a natural welterweight.  But I am not over confident.  I don't take any opponent for granted.  The only thing that I have confidence in is my preparation."

 

Margarito is confident that likewise Cotto fully understand who he will be stepping into the ring against on July 26th, "I don't know what he is thinking or how he sees me but I think that deep down they know that they are going against a tough fighter.  I am sure his trainers have told him that.  But like I have said before, its all in how you get ready, how you prepare yourself and I am sure that I will get to the fight at more than one hundred percent for this fight."

 

Always a boxing fan, Margarito has his hand on the pulse of the sport.  Although concentrating on his upcoming challenge, Margarito is always aware of the going ons in boxing, "sincerely, I don't know if Mayweather Jr. is retiring although supposedly this time he made it official.  Like everybody knows he didn't want to fight me and he was still considered the best pound for pound.  I respect Cotto and his team because he is willing to fight me and Mayweather Jr. didn't.  If he is gone, well, let him go and if he returns, then we will be here in case he wants to fight."

 

"I never believed that the fight was going to end in one round.  In the first fight, Paul Williams displayed that he isn't a solid champion since they took his title in his first defense.  I don't know what happened to his rival in the second fight.  i don't know if Quintana didn't prepare himself well or if truly Williams was able to hurt him but I never thought that it would end in the first round."  But while Williams now holds once again the title that hung around his waist for five years, the WBO strap, Margarito has not given thought in seeking revenge for his most recent loss, "I am not thinking in any of that, I am focused on Cotto one hundred percent.  First is Cotto and then they will begin to make plans but at this point I don't know what they have planned for me."

 

With the winner of Margarito-Cotto rumored to be near the top of the list for a possible bout versus the "Golden Boy" Oscar De La Hoya in what would be his farewell fight, such murmurs have reached the ears of the "Tijuana Tornado", "There has been a lot of talk about me possibly facing De La Hoya in December.  Oscar has even mentioned it.  There has been talk of the winner of my fight with Cotto possibly facing him.  If he wants to make one more fight before retiring, I think it will be a great fight."

 

But Margarito is no stranger to De La Hoya as Margarito has been in between the ropes with the "Golden Boy", "I have sparred with De La Hoya in about three or four different camps of his.  I was relatively young, I wasn't a champion yet.  To his face I once mentioned to him that he should give me an opportunity to face him.  He would always laugh it off and he would say that maybe in the future.  Then he would tell me for me to beat somebody that he had beaten and I knocked out David Kamau in two round just like he did and he knows that we had this conversation."  

 

 

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