LAS VEGAS -- By the sixth round, Miguel Cotto had thrown every ounce of his power at Antonio Margarito, and he hadn't made a dent.
The Tijuana Tornado was more of a Terminator, Cotto was discovering. Margarito mercilessly moved forward through every punch with little more than a flinch, and Cotto realized he would spend this fight on his heels.
Margarito just won't back down, not even from an unbeaten champion -- and that's why every welterweight in the world should be even more afraid of their division's new king.
Margarito stopped Cotto in the 11th round Saturday night with a masterpiece of relentlessness, capping a dramatic bout at the MGM Grand Garden by claiming the WBA 147-pound title with two knockdowns.
"I told my corner I would wear him down and then knock him out," said Margarito, who won his third welterweight belt. "He never hurt me, but that was the game plan, to come out early strong and to wear him down and knock him out. I got him with body shots, and then I hit him in the head, and then I knocked him out."
Though Cotto (32-1) fought admirably, Margarito (37-5, 27 KOs) -- so often ducked by the division's best fighters in recent years -- seemed to expend all the bottled-up energy he had from several years of waiting to be a Vegas headliner.
Miguel Cotto falls to the canvas after taking a flurry of punches from Mexican fighter Antonio Margarito in the 11th round. Margarito's knockout victory was his 27th.
Cotto controlled the early rounds but gradually lost faith in his ability to slow down the taller Mexican star with the stone chin, leading to a major momentum swing in the middle rounds. Cotto rallied in the 10th, but he was spitting blood, and another barrage from Margarito dropped him to one knee 80 seconds into the 11th.
Margarito chased him until the Puerto Rican star finally went down again. With Cotto bleeding and woozy, the champion's corner stopped the fight with 55 seconds left, sending Margarito's team into a delirious celebration of a long-awaited victory.
"I told you I was a great fighter, just like Cotto is a great fighter," said Margarito, who was ahead on two of the three judges' scorecards when it ended. "He showed how tough he is. I felt I hurt Cotto in the sixth round. I felt he was going down. I told my trainer, 'I'm going to knock him out.' He said, 'I'm sure you are, but don't get overconfident. Be careful."'
Caution isn't a specialty of Margarito, who has long been a looming nightmare for the division's top fighters because of his heedless style and tough chin. Among the many slights Margarito has received, Floyd Mayweather Jr. turned down an $8 million payday to avoid facing him in 2006 - a dodge that resonated with Cotto, who also couldn't get the Pretty Boy to return his promoters' calls.
Cotto, unable to speak clearly through tears and welts, was taken to a hospital from his locker room.
"I am very proud and very happy I was able to give the fans a great fight," Cotto said. "Life continues. It's not over for me. I'm going to take a long rest, decide what to do next. This night was Margarito's night. He's an excellent fighter. He did his job better than I did."
This fight came together in April when Cotto and Margarito trounced two challengers on the same card in Atlantic City. Promoter Bob Arum immediately gave both fighters the matchup they craved, putting his two top welterweights together for a joint debut as Vegas headliners.
Arum said Cotto's $3 million guarantee could balloon to $7 million after the fight's impressive pay-per-view sales, while Margarito also will make much more than his guaranteed $1.5 million.
With this career-making win, Margarito will be among the finalists for the wildly lucrative spot opposite Oscar De La Hoya on Dec. 6 in the Golden Boy's farewell fight in the same MGM Grand ring. De La Hoya previously was circling Margarito for the fight, but Cotto's battered face might give De La Hoya second thoughts about both fighters.
"Oscar De La Hoya is one of the best," Margarito said. "If he comes through with his promise, we can give Mexicans a true battle."
De La Hoya previously said he would be reluctant to take on another Mexican fighter -- particularly one who rearranges faces like Margarito does. If the Golden Boy goes with Cotto, Manny Pacquiao or a lesser challenge, Margarito could be looking forward to a unification fight with the winner of next weekend's IBF title bout between Zab Judah and Joshua Clottey.
The loss clearly stunned Cotto, who had shown remarkable resourcefulness after being staggered in two 140-pound fights earlier in his career. Though Cotto carried the early action, Margarito bloodied Cotto's nose and mouth before picking at the wounds throughout the middle rounds.
Cotto landed 43 percent of his 655 punches, but Margarito's superior work rate was reflected in his 987 total punches. Margarito jabbed poorly, but landed 237 power shots to Cotto's 179 -- most in the final few rounds.
Margarito, who took three of his five career losses as a teenager in Mexico, lost his WBO welterweight title to Paul Williams last year with an uncharacteristically slow start. He claimed the IBF title three months ago by battering Kermit Cintron, but had to give up that belt to make the match with Cotto -- a gamble that paid off immensely.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
