Boxing News

Cotto vs Pinto/Margarito vs Santos - A Fight Fan's Card
by Patrick Connor
9/10 - Puerto Rico. Riddled with great food, fine women, beautiful beaches and a lust for boxing. What more could a young fight fan ask for? For starters, two of the best undefeated prospects going head-to-head, and as if that weren't enough, one of the more exciting, high-octane fighters in the game taking on one of the island's native sons. No need to mention the anticipation that's built up over the past few months.

This Saturday night, Miguel Angel Cotto (20-0 16KO) and Kelson Pinto (20-0 18KO) are set to open up the new Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in Hato Rey to the world of boxing with what promises to be a firework-producing matchup. Although the two have faced eachother before twice in the amateurs (with Pinto taking both by decision), their professional careers have taken slightly different paths. Pinto has spent a good deal of his career in his home country Brazil, off-TV, while Cotto has worked his way through the rankings in a relatively short period of time by bowling over more recognizable opposition.

Miguel Cotto is fresh off a win over the durable-yet-limited Lovemore N'dou in May this year. Cotto outworked, out-punched and generally out-boxed the rugged South African to a booed 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113 decision in what has been his stiffest test to date by far. N'dou is best remembered for giving Sharmba Mitchell just about all he could handle in a losing effort at 2 weeks notice when Kostya Tszyu pulled out of their rematch due to an injury. Cotto let N'dou taste the power early, but realized N'dou wouldn't be fazed by his reputable left hook and kept his composure and usual calm demeanor. N'dou put forth a valiant effort, even landing some stinging combinations in the mid and late rounds, but in the end it was Cotto's footwork, movement and punch output that pulled out a deserved decision win.

Pinto's opposition is a bit more difficult to gauge, however. Aside from a points win over Emanuel Augustus (formerly Emanuel Burton), Pinto's ledger is full of unknowns. The win over Augustus should be a decent indicator in itself though. Against Augustus, Pinto showed a good, hard jab and great conditioning by outlanding and out-working the usually very active veteran over 10 rounds. His height (6'0" - large for a junior welterweight) and his power have proven to be his best assets, even in a handful of fights at welterweight and one at junior middleweight. While his win over Augustus was generally looked upon as a "gimme" considering Augustus' record going in (28-20-5), his team questions whether or not Cotto (who holds the #8 Ring ranking at 140 as of July 21) has been in with such a wily, hard-headed veteran.

It's an undefeated, pressure-fighting prospect/contender with a great left hook against an undefeated prospect with a great right hand. Add a vacant WBO title to the mix and this #1 vs #2 match-up should be plenty exciting. Can't wait to see how this one plays out.

In undercard action, Puerto Rico's Daniel "El Pillin" Santos (28-2-1 20KO with 1 No Contest) squares up against hard-nosed Antonio "El 7 Mares" Margarito (30-3 21KO with 1 No Contest) in a rematch of their 2001 fight that saw Margarito's right eye open up from a clash of heads and the fight stopped, accounting for both fighters' "No Contest's.

Santos, the Ring's #6 rated junior middleweight, has seen his fair share of hardship. After losing a contraversial, riot-inducing amateur match to 1996 gold medalist David Reid in the '95 Pan-Am Games, Santos turned pro and was performing the usual prospect routine of knocking off unknowns before being stopped in 5 by Kofi Jantuah, and two fights later losing contraversial split decision to WBO welterweight titlist Ahmed Kotiev. Santos went on to blast out Kotiev in 5 in the mandated rematch, then defended his WBO strap twice by knockout in Germany and England. Following the subsequent NC against Margarito, Santos moved up to junior middleweight and made veteran Ramon Campas quit half-way through the 11th round for the WBO title. So far he's at 3 defenses against the likes of Michael Lerma, Fulgencio Zuñiga and Mehrdud Takaloo.

The Ring's #1 rated welterweight Margarito brings with him a solid punch, a high output and 3 straight wins by knockout. Fighting mainly at 147, Margarito has stopped Antonio Diaz, Andrew Lewis and Maurice Brantley since his NC against Santos. While he is generally untested at 154, the Tijuana native promises to bring the heat and nab the title, thus setting up a true hardcore match-up against the winner of the Wright-Mosley rematch.

Must I remind to you catch the HBO broadcast at 10:15pm ET/PT this Saturday... I thought not.

RETURN TO TOP