By: Saul Lelchuk

In the course of a pre-fight analysis of this match-up, a sportswriter wondered what would happen when an irresistible force [Margarito] met with an immovable object [Cotto]. We now know the answer. The object moves.

This comparison turned out to be an apt one, but in a different way than was originally intended. The truth is that Margarito became, for 32 vicious minutes, both irresistible and immovable.

Both fighters were in top physical condition, weighing in at 147 pounds exactly and looking to be in extraordinary shape. In many ways, this fight figured to be one of the most important in their respective careers. For Cotto, it was seen as the ultimate test in a long line of them, and one that, if passed, would put him into the very top of the pound-for-pound rankings and earning brackets. For Margarito it was, finally, his big chance to prove he truly belonged at the top of the division