Cotto – Margarito: Vegas, Baby! Vegas?

By Jason Pribila

Shortly after Miguel Cotto got out of the shower following his pummeling of Alfonso Gomez on April 12 in Atlantic City, Top Rank Promoter, Bob Arum told the media that he would like to match Miguel against Antonio Margarito, who was an hour removed from knocking out Kermit Cintron. July 26th would most likely be the date, but the venue was yet to be determined. That “TBD” may have just become a bit clearer, now that the Nevada State Athletic Commission amended its rule on glove size.

The NSAC implemented a provisional rule a few years ago that stated fighters above 135lbs would have to wear 10oz. gloves. Previously 10oz. gloves were only mandated to be worn by fighters above the welterweight limit of 147lbs. This rule was put into place in an attempt to protect fighters from head injuries, a concern that may have been brought to the forefront by the tragic death of Levander Johnson, who slipped into a coma following a loss to Jesus Chavez in September, 2005.

On Thursday afternoon, NSAC executive director Keith Kizer said, “We found no evidence that an 8oz. glove would be significantly less safe than a 10oz. glove in those weight classes.” And the board voted 4-0 to give the fighters the choice of which gloves they would like to wear, 10oz. gloves would remain if the camps could not agree.

Now that the decision has been made, Arum will now consider the MGM Grand in Las Vegas as a possible venue to host the fight. He is scheduled to meet with Team Cotto Tuesday(April 29) to discuss where the fight will take place. It has been reported that Cotto would refuse to wear anything but 8oz. gloves, and Margarito, while more flexible, would also prefer to wear the lighter gloves. The ruling should make both men happy.

My original thought was that a fight in Vegas would allow Margarito to fight in front of a more partisan crowd. Cotto has developed a solid fan base on the East Coast, especially after packing Madison Square Garden on the eve of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade for the last three years. In contrast, Margarito was clearly the villain inside Boardwalk Hall when he entered the ring against Cintron, who also hails from Puerto Rico. A fight in Vegas would allow more Mexican fans to make the trip to support their countryman.

However, I now feel that it would be Cotto that has the most to gain from the fight taking place in Vegas. His fight against Zab Judah, in June 2007 attracted over 20,000 adoring fans. Many of those fans were in town for the following day’s parade, where Cotto would also serve as Grand Marshall. The Mosley fight in November attracted about 2,000 less fans, despite being aided by a much deeper undercard. Each of those fights was critically acclaimed, but failed to do great at the box office when the PPV numbers were announced.

Cotto and Margarito co-headlined a Showtime doubleheader in Atlantic City on December 2, 2005, against Carlos Quintana and Joshua Clottey, respectively. There were about 9,000 fans in attendance on that cold winter night, around two thousand less than what was projected. And on April 12, the attendance in the same building was announced at 9,427, a number that may cause one to question how many “new” fans have climbed aboard the Cotto Express.

Reports on the internet said that the Gomez fight did one of the lowest ratings ever (2.1) for a HBO World Championship Boxing telecast. This low rating is alarming because of the recent quality of Cotto’s victories, Margarito vs Cintron promised to be an exciting co-feature, and Gomez gained popularity during his run on the TV reality series “The Contender”.

Wherever this fight takes place it is going to attract a great live gate. Arum feels that a fight in Vegas will improve the Pay Per View Numbers, due to the additional media coverage from the west coast. With the budget for boxing coverage in newspapers shrinking, it’s more likely for an east coast newspaper to send a reporter to Vegas.

Media coverage or not, win or lose, when the Mexican fans see how dedicated Cotto is to going after his opponent’s body, he may just gain a whole new legion of fans. If he does so in Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s Playground, maybe even “Money” will be forced to take notice.

April 29,2008

****

Editor’s Note: Reports on the Internet suggest Cotto has not yet signed to fight Margarito. A meeting has been called for today(April 29) between promoter Bob Arum and Cotto. One can only assume to finalize the deal.