http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/latinamerica/la-sp-prmex15-2008jul15,0,7837977.story?track=rss
Depending on who's doing the counting, there have been nearly five dozen world title fights between boxers from Mexico and Puerto Rico and most have been classic brawls.
"In other countries people go crazy to see a soccer game between Spain and Italy, Italy and England," said boxing writer Gerardo Fernandez of the Puerto Rican daily Primera Hora. "Well, it's the same ambience for a boxing match between Mexico and Puerto Rico."
It's not hard to figure out why. They are Latin American lands with similar backgrounds and cultures. And in both lands, boxing is revered.
"They're two countries in which boxing is the national sport," said Jose Sulaiman, president of the World Boxing Council. "It's the sport that's in their hearts. There's a special rivalry over which Latin country has the best boxers."
The latest chapter was written on Saturday. An AWESOME fight between Miguel Cotto (Puerto Rico) and Antonio Margarito (Mexico).
This was a highly anticipated matchup, Cotto's the unbeaten stylist and favourite. Margarito is the Mexican hardman, comes forward, feels no pain, gets stronger as the fight goes on.
As one boxing pundit put it:
After coming down from the nature high of being one day away from arguably the best fight in the Mexican vs. Puerto Rican boxing rivalry since Fernando Vargas lost to Tito Trinidad in December of 2000, there is one question that comes to mind; why are we so lucky?
Then again, why would Bob Arum put Miguel Cotto in the ring with the most avoided fighter in the world in Antonio Margarito?
Another at http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=16700&more=1
Within sections of the media, the fans and even the fighters themselves, we have long heard grumbles of the best fighters don’t fight the best, instead choosing to fight the opponent who offers the “least risk for the most reward”. However in the past few years this trend seems to have changed, with these two fighters at the forefront which has ultimately lead to them confronting each other in which is possibly the biggest fight in the game at the moment.
Make no mistake about it, come July 26th you will see two warriors enter the ring in the prime of their careers and leave the ring knowing they have gave every ounce of their body in search for victory. I cannot envisage any other scenario after the fight other than we talk about this battle in the same way as we reminisce about Marquez - Vazquez, Castillo - Corrales, Gatti - Ward and many others. The question is though, and it is a question that has got everyone talking, just who will emerge victorious?
It had all the makings of an epic, and it was.
Best links I can find at the moment are
http://www.justin.tv/standnfight/174613/Margarito_Cotto_Pt_1
http://www.justin.tv/standnfight/174617/Margarito_Cotto_Pt_2
The low res doesn't really do it justice though, best to torrent it if you can.
Satisfaction guaranteed (assuming you have an attention span than lasts beyond 10 minutes)
