Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito: Odds and preview of the fight

Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito: Odds and preview of the fight Saturday will bring the boxing fans another exciting match, the Miguel Angel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito fight for the WBA Welterweight Championship. The fight is scheduled to being at 11:00pm EST on July 26th from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Before we take a look at the two boxers, let's see what are the current odds offered on the fight. At the online sportsbook BodogSports reigning WBA Welterweight champion Cotto is the ultimate favorite and will come out on the ring with odds -265 to win the fight. Meanwhile Margarito is big underdog with odds +205 on winning this Saturday. The total rounds of the Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito fight are favored to go over 9.5 rounds with odds -200 and if a winner is declared before the 9.5 rounds, the bookmaker will pay out on odds +160. Click here if you want to bet these odds.

The fact that Miguel Cotto, 32-32-0-0, is listed as the favorite boxer to win the fight could hardly be a surprise for any boxing aficionado. Cotto, who moved from the WBO in 2006, has reigned the WBA Welterweight Title since December 2nd of 2006, when Cotto challenged and defeated Carlos Quintana by TKO in the fifth round. In March of 2007 Miguel Cotto was challenged by Oktay Urkal, but Urkal's corner threw in the tower in the 11th round. The Puerto Rican was challenged again in June of 2007 by Zab Judah, a fight Cotto won, but not without a controversy. He defended the title by TKO in the 11th round, but Zab Judah argued that two low blows (points deducted) landed by Cotto were intentional and led to the TKO in the 11th. Judah also claimed the referee was biased. Miguel Cotto also won his December 2007 fight against Shane Mosley and on April 12th 2008 successfully defended his WBA Welterweight title against Alfonso Gomez, when in the fifth round the doctor indicated to the referee that Gomez was not able to continue the bout. With this kind of pedigree in the WBA, it's no wonder Miguel Cotto is the odds favorite to win the fight on Saturday.

But on the 26th Cotto will face Mexican boxer Antonio Margarito, 42-36-5-1, who will be a though bite to swallow. A former WBO Welterweight champion, Margarito will make his WBA debut against Cotto, although he is no stranger to WBA fighters. Antonio Margarito decided to challenge Cotto after a successful defense of his IBF title on April 12th 2008 in New Jersey against Kermit Cintron, knocking him out in the sixth round. But instead of fighting with Joshua Clottey (whom he has beaten before), Margarito decided to vacate the IBF and face Cotto instead. Antonio Margarito won the WBO Welterweight in 2002 and defended it three times, then defended his 2005 title four times. Add to this the fact that in 2006 Margarito set a Compubox all-time record of 1675 total punches thrown in a twelve round bout (against Joshua Clottey) and you have yourself a great fight for the weekend. "I am going to prepare for everything," Cotto said about his upcoming fight with Margarito.

Remember - the Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito fight will be on HBO Pay-Per-View. The Cotto vs. Margarito pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $49.95.

Published on 07/20/2008