Cotto and Margarito victorious in Atlantic City

Cotto crushes Quintana!

Photos by Mike McGuigan

The Welterweights were rumbling in Atlantic City and tonight Showtime treated fans to four of the divisions very best squaring off against each other. In the Main Event, Miguel Cotto made the leap to elite status by knocking out the highly regarded Carlos Quintana in the 5th round with a liver shot. The co feature saw The Tijuana Tornado Antonio Margarito handling Ghana native Joshua Clottey and getting a clear cut unanimous decision.

The Cotto - Quintana fight started off with Quintana being the boxer and Cotto trying to get on the inside. Q fired off the jab and was able to land and also at times would exchange with the powerful Cottobut would not get the better of these encounters. The second, third and fourth round saw the slippery Quintana frustrate Cotto by throwing the jab and getting out of harms way. Q also began to shoot off the straight left which found its mark more times than not. Cotto wanted to bang and occasionally caught Q but for the most part it was Q slipping and moving. Things changed big time in the fifth as Cotto figured his opponent out, he lands big upstairs to start the round and then begins to focus on the body. Cotto rocks Q with a left hook to the ear and soon after lands another left to Q's kidney which sends him to the canvas grimmacing in pain. Q gets up but gets dropped again. The round ends but Q wants no more and doesn't come out for the next round.

Winner: Miguel Cotto 5th round TKO

Antonio Margarito and Joshua Clottey had an up and down battle which at times had the massive explosions that were expected but at other times it seemed to me like Clottey was just taking rounds off. Margarito did basically the same thing all fight, 2 jabs - straight right - uppercut or 2 to the body - uppercut - hook. Clotteys best punch was the left hook which seemed to land every time he threw it. He also landed some nice counters when Margarito worked the body. Overall it was a solid fight but I am beginning to believe that Margarito is more hype than ability. Let's see him in against Cotto or Collazo.

Winner: Antonio Margarito unanimous decision

In other action
Chucky Mussachio blew away ring veteran Tony Pope scoring an early 1st round knockout

Yuri Foreman withstood a very game Donnie McCrary winning a unanimous decision


















































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