Pardon the bullet points, but I need to get ready to head out on the town. Our seats were OK, if not great. 1) Astonishing fight. Both men were prepared and gave it their all to win, which is all you can ask. It was an honor to be there, sharing the same space as those two warriors. 2) Speed usually kills, but the fight came down to stamina and chin. Cotto's body language worsened dramatically around the 7th, and at that point you knew he was in trouble. 3) I didn't attempt to score the fight, but to me it appeared very close prior to the 11th. Most in our vicinity agreed. I told my buddy that I thought the official scores may be wildly divergent. Classic case of cleaner shots versus pressure. 4) The initial body shot by Margarito that hurt Cotto sounded like a handgun. I winced when it landed. 5) The crowd was electric and intense, yet peaceful. I didn't see a single fight. There was tremendous national pride evident in the stands, and there seemed to be a mutual respect between the Mexicans and Puerto Ricans at the end. 6) I don't think Cotto can defeat tonight's version of Margarito. He can't fight the kind of fight he'd need to defeat him. I thought he could take a close decision, but he can't. 7) We all should hope that Cotto's career is not permanently damaged as a result of that punishment. The last round was an execution, and it was a sound decision by the corner to stop it. 8) There are two ways to defeat Margarito: a) Beat him at his own game or b) outslick him for 12 rounds. 9) Paul Williams is the rare fighter who represents A, while Floyd Mayweather represents B. 10) Mayweather would take a wide decision from Margarito. Antonio is too slow, and we know that Floyd's legs hold up for an entire fight. Two years from now, though, who knows. 11) I'm not sure how a Williams/Margarito rematch would go, but I'd like to see it. I'd probably favor the Mexican fighter this time. 12) Michael Buffer's voice is slipping big-time. We should cherish him for as long as we can. 13) If you can afford a trip to Vegas to watch a big fight, I highly recommend it. And that's especially true if the fighters involved are non-Americans, because the Pinoys and Mexicans and Puerto Ricans are much more nationalistic than we Americans, and it's fantastic to walk among them.
They started at $100, going up from there, but we moved into a better section. The fight was nearly full, but not entirely. I paid $50 to watch Pacquiao/Morales II at the Thomas & Mack Center, which is bigger. For ODLH/Mayweather, the tix were more expensive. It depends. It's the other stuff (airfare/hotel/local transportation) that gets you.
My first thought was that a rib may have cracked. All the punches by both guys were loud, but that one was taken up a whole notch. Devastating body shot.
That's Sickening. Calzaghe/hopkins Starting Prices Were $250 And There Were Only 500 Of Those Tickets (ONLY SOLD IN AMERICA). Most People Paid $350 Or $450 For Fairly **** Seats. UNBELIEVABLE THAT YOU PAY $50 OR $100 FOR MUCH BETTER FIGHTS INVOLVING NON-BRITS.
