General

Cotto/Margo: Bloodlust Rising

Jul 27, 2008, 1:27 AM UTC

I just took my seat here ringside at the MGM Grand for the Cotto/Margarito festivities. Outside the Vegas strip is overcast and sweltering, unbearably hot. Vegas in the summertime - no country for old, or even no longer quite so young, men.
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â†µThe second undercard bout of the PPV broadcast, between Cesar Bazan and Mike Alvarado, is under way. For a while before I came down to my seat, I sat in the press room up in the massive Studio A ballroom where, oh, say three hours from now, give or take a round or two, a couple of very beaten-up fighters will stand at the podium and try to explain to us what happened in the ring. Of course, one will be ecstatic and one will be despondent. Sitting up there, I felt like I could already hear the angry complaints about an unjust decision. If this one goes to the scorecards, there promises to be a very slim margin of error between victor and vanquished. No doubt the loser isn’t going to see eye to eye with the judges’ assessment of the proceedings.â†µâ†µ
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â†µâ†µThe arena is sparsely populated at the moment but beginning to fill up. The raucousness is in its infancy, although it’s breathing hot and heavy out on the casino floor, where Mexican and Puerto Rican flags abound, where bottles of Corona justify the existence of hands, and where drunken but to this point good-natured arguments break out with every lone call of “CO...TTO!” or “MARGAREEEEEEEE-TO!” The news we were getting as recently as a week ago was that ticket sales for the fight were sluggish, but based on the state of the joint right at this moment, I’d say it’s a hands-down sellout. â†µ

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â†µâ†µMargarito just entered the arena with his wife (holms is a serious flogger of the Affliction brand) and when they showed him up on the big screen the crowd went nuts. Have a feeling this is going to be a very pro-Margo crowd up in here - shots of Cotto getting his hands taped have been up on the screen periodically and haven’t garnered much in the way of mania. â†µ

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â†µâ†µOh my oh my, Alvardo just put Bazan down for the count. Aight people, one more appetizer to go - Cesar Canchila and Giovanni Segura - and then it’s the Big Daddy. My heart’s beating fast over here, I swear. I can’t wait for this friggin fight - I don’t think I’ve been this amped since Pavilk/Taylor I. I’ll check back in with you all when we’re getting close to the main event.â†µ

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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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