LAS VEGAS – Somewhere in the back of Antonio Margarito’s mind he must picture himself doing to Miguel Cotto what Ricardo Torres did except finish the job. It was Torres who staggered and then dropped Cotto in the second round of their 2005 junior welterweight fight in Atlantic City.
It was the only time in 32 pro fights Cotto had been on the canvas and in real jeopardy of losing a fight. He recovered that night and eventually stopped Torres in the seventh round to retain his title. Still it raised questions about Cotto’s chin, considering two fights earlier the Puerto Rican had been badly staggered by Demarcus “Chop Chop” Corley.
Margarito’s dream would be to test Cotto’s chin again tomorrow night when the two meet for the WBA welterweight title at the MGM Grand (PPV, 9 p.m., $49.95).
“I’m going to be pressuring him,” Margarito said. “My strengths are my power and my stamina and being on top of him all the time. We’ll see how he handles it.”
Margarito (36-5, 26 KOs) would be fooling himself to think Cotto (32-0, 26 KOs) has anything close to a glass jaw. Since moving up to 147 pounds, Cotto hasn’t been seriously hurt despite bouts with heavy-handed punchers like Zab Judah and Shane Mosley.
Cotto, making the fifth defense of his WBA title, says the knockdown he suffered against Torres and the jelly legs against Corley were the result of dehydrating himself to make the 140-pound weight limit as a junior welterweight.
“When you destroy yourself to make a lower weight you suffer the consequences in the ring,” Cotto said. “Now I feel more comfortable at 147, and the people that see my fights can see that.”
Still, the most popular proposition bet at the MGM Sports book yesterday is Margarito by knockout, which is giving 7-2 odds. Cotto remains the overall favorite at minus-280 to Margarito’s plus-240.
Heavy betting is favoring Cotto, which MGM Sports book director Jay Rood, said is a result of the Puerto Rican’s popularity on the East Coast. This will be Cotto’s first Vegas fight in almost four years.
“I don’t want to say he’s a fresh face, but out here he is,” Rood said.
Margarito by knockout might be the fashionable bet. But questions about Cotto’s chin are ancient history.
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Melvina Lathan didn’t politic to become the new chairperson of the New York State Athletic Commission. It was the politicians who came after her.
Secretary of State Lorraine A. Cortes-Vazquez first asked Lathan if she might be interested in the job. Today, Gov. Paterson will make the appointment official.
Lathan, a professional boxing judge for 18 years, succeeds Ron Scott Stevens, who has served as chairman since 2003.
“This is a wonderful challenge for me,” Lathan said yesterday. “I’m ready for this. It’s an exciting position to be in.”
Lathan has been involved in boxing for 20 years, serving as a judge for 18 years where she scored 86 world title fights. She has also traveled throughout the U.S. and abroad for the last 10 years conducting seminars for boxing officials. Lathan seems supportive of getting mixed martial arts regulated in New York. Approval must first come through the legislative process.
“I’d like to encourage more conversation about MMA,” she said. “I love boxing, but there’s room for both.”
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EliteXC’s second live mixed-martial arts show on CBS takes place tomorrow night from the Stockton Arena with Robbie Lawler defending his middleweight title against Scott Smith in the main event.
Lawler and Smith fought on the CBS debut card that drew 6.5 million viewers in May. But the bout was declared a no-contest when Smith was accidently thumbed in the eye in the third round.