Sports

JOY IN MARGARITOVILLE!

LAS VEGAS – In a fight that lived up to its hype, Antonio Margarito proved to be too strong and too determined for a courageous Miguel Cotto, winning by technical knockout in the 11th round when Cotto’s corner stepped on the ring apron to stop the bout.

After a savage battle that saw Cotto control the fight early with his speed and quickness, Margarito’s dogged persistence and heavy-handed punching paid off late in the fight.

Bleeding from his nose and his mouth, Cotto dropped to a knee from a Margarito barrage early in the 11th, and then knelt again moments later prompting his corner to enter the ring to stop the bout at 2:05 of the round. Cotto went right from the ring to the hospital.

“He’s a great fighter and great champion,” said Margarito, who captured Cotto’s WBA welterweight title. “I had to put pressure, pressure, pressure, and I broke him down.”

It’s the third time Margarito has won a welterweight title and now he can be recognized as one of Mexico’s great boxing champions.

“Obviously, Cotto is a very strong fighter. I told my corner I would wear him down and then knock him out,” Margarito said. “He never hurt me, but that was the game plan – to come out strong, wear him down and knock him out. I got him with a body shot. Then I hit him the head to knock him out.”

Announcer Michael Buffer called it a “fight fan’s dream come true.” Others had called it a throwback to the days when Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns and Roberto Duran electrified the welterweight division.

It was two welterweight champions meeting in their prime, the kind of mega-fight boxing needed to give the sport a lift.

Cotto, who lost for the first time in 33 fights, entered a little more than a 2-to-1 favorite, though most figured Margarito, four inches taller and with a six-inch reach advantage, would cause Cotto problems with his power and constant pressure.

From the opening bell, Margarito pressured Cotto, stalking him around the ring. But a poised Cotto kept his distance with his jab and fired quick combinations that displayed his speed advantage.

The second round featured fierce action with Cotto willing to hang on the ropes and exchange with Margarito. Each landed solid hard blows with Cotto emerging with a bloody nose. The crowd of passionate Puerto Rican and Mexican fans cheered in unison as the fight began to live up to its hype.

Margarito (37-5, 27 KOs) received two warnings in the third round from referee Kenny Bayless for low blows as he tried to dig hooks to the body. Cotto showed more movement in the fourth, scoring with his jab, quick combinations and an occasional hard uppercut as Margarito came forward. The pattern continued in the fifth round where Cotto rocked Margarito with four-punch combinations.

But Margarito stayed relentless, and in the seventh, he began to rock Cotto with a constant barrage of heavy punches that turned the Puerto Rican’s faces into a bloody mess. The Mexican landed 46 power shots in the seventh, where Cotto was spitting up blood and his face began to show damage.

Margarito’s granite chin and determined persistence continued into the championship rounds, hurting Cotto late in the 10th and again in the 11th when a bloodied Cotto dropped to knee for an eight count. He got up, but was clearly damaged, and soon dropped to a knee again. This time his corner entered the ring waving the white flag.

george.willis@nypost.com