The biggest boxing match of the year is scheduled for Saturday.
No, it won’t involve Manny Pacquiao. Neither Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Instead, it’s a championship rematch between two fighters who demand a resolution from their last battle against each other — Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto.
The compelling storyline coming into the fight is Margarito, the challenger and the winner of the first fight, is searching for a climb back to the top of the boxing world after being found guilty of wearing plaster prior to his fight with Shane Mosley.
Cotto, the defending WBO super welterweight champ, is looking for revenge and claims he was a victim of Margarito using the hand wraps against him.
I didn’t realize the magnitude of this matchup until when HBO aired a joint interview with the two fighters after the Pacquiao-Marquez fight on Nov. 12, when the Q&A quickly erupted to an emotional debate about whether Margarito’s win was legitimate.
It’s not going to be the most purchased pay-per-view fight of the year (and probably not even of the past 30 days). But if you’re into heartfelt sports stories, this is definitely a sporting event you need to watch.
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