If you thought Antonio Margarito brought a metric ton of pressure in his epic 2008 stoppage win over Miguel Cotto, the Mexican brawler says that this time around, he's going to up the ante. From Sal Rodriguez, via BoxingScene.com:
"The first time I beat him, I can tell you that I never looked for the knockout. This time, I'm going to put a lot more pressure on him. I feel very strong, physically I'll be fine and I'm positive he won't win. I'm going to knock him out. I do not want leave the outcome to the judges, especially in New York which is practically a branch of Puerto Rico."
Margarito (38-7, 27 KO) is of course three and a half years older than he was in the first fight, not to mention he's taken some hellacious beatings from Shane Mosley and Manny Pacquiao since then, plus he lost about a year of his career due to the hand wraps scandal pre-fight with Mosley in January 2009. And then there's the fact that, you know, some still have questions about his entire career because of that, notably including the Cotto fight, which was Margarito's best win ever (and likely always will be).
At 33, does anyone figure he has the stamina and physical health left to do more than he did the first time against Cotto? He walked him down all night, took a ton of punishment to do so, and eventually broke down the Puerto Rican. Cotto (36-2, 29 KO) is now 31 himself. Neither of these guys are in the shape they were the first time they met. If the fight resembles the first bout, I'd expect it to be a lot shorter than a TKO-11 this time, no matter whose hand is raised.
Cotto vs Margarito II will take place on December 3, live on HBO pay-per-view from Madison Square Garden.