Antonio Margarito might finally get the opponent he wants, even if his name isn't Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Margarito and Miguel Cotto fought to convincing victories Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall, setting up a potential bout between welterweight titleholders.
One of the first sentences out of Margarito's mouth after he defended his WBO title with a 12-round decision over Joshua Clottey was, ``I want to fight the winner of the next fight.''
That would be Cotto, who administered a relentless beating to Carlos Quintana to win the vacant WBA belt. The fight was stopped before Quintana could come out for the sixth round.
Cotto's win on Saturday was reminiscent of his last fight, a 12-round decision over Paul Malignaggi in June in which he fractured Malignaggi's cheekbone.
This time, Cotto (28-0, 23 KOs) came out from the opening bell and mercilessly pounded Quintana, who entered the fight 23-0 with 18 knockouts.
``He was too fast,'' Quintana said. ``I was surprised at his hand speed.''
The fight was the first for Cotto at 147 pounds after six successful title defences of the junior welterweight title he won in 2004. The WBA title was vacated when Ricky Hatton moved up a weight class.
Cotto handled the move up in weight flawlessly.
``I felt very strong at this weight,'' Cotto said. ``I felt I could do anything I wanted to do.''
Quintana, bleeding from his mouth and from under his left eye after absorbing a sustained attack by Cotto, was knocked down twice in the fifth round and staggered back to his corner.
``I could tell from the look in his eye that he didn't want to go,'' Dr. Dominick Coletta, the ringside physician. ``His corner wanted him to go, but he didn't want to.''
Margarito had sought a fight with Mayweather only to be rebuffed in favour of Carlos Baldomir. Mayweather's lopsided win last month set up the fight everyone in boxing has been anticipating, against Oscar de la Hoya at 154 pounds next spring.
Against Clottey (30-2), Margarito trailed early but gradually wore down the Ghanaian, who was appearing in his first title fight.
Clottey outboxed Margarito for most of the first four rounds but appeared to injure his left hand in the fifth round, and pointed to the hand as he went to his corner after the bell.
Clottey later said he broke the knuckle on the index finger of his left hand when he landed a jab to Margarito's head in the fourth round. He said he also hurt his right hand in the seventh round, though he did not specify what type of injury it was.
``I thought I was in control of the fight until I hurt my hand,'' Clottey said.
Margarito did not leave the ring unscathed, and said he injured his right wrist in the sixth round.
Margarito had not fought since knocking out Manuel Gomez in the first round in mid-February in Las Vegas, and he said the layoff hindered him against Clottey.
``The ten months off really didn't help me tonight,'' he said. ``I couldn't get a rhythm going early in the fight.''
Judge Eugene Grant scored the fight 118-109 and judges John Stewart and Paul Venti had it 116-112.
Margarito took control in the middle rounds and pummelled Clottey in the eighth and the ninth, cornering him along the ropes in the latter round for a long stretch and landing numerous combinations.
Clottey's answer in the 10th round was to dance away from Margarito for most of the round, a tactic that drew boos from the crowd at Boardwalk Hall.
On the undercard, undefeated middleweight Yuri Foreman improved to 22-0 with a 10-round decision over Donny McCrary. Foreman sent McCrary (20-5-2) to the canvas in the third round, but McCrary rallied and made Foreman work to earn the decision.
