WBA Welterweight Champion Miguel Cotto shares a billing with Antonio Margarito for the fourth time in an attempt to make a bout between the two of them. While Margarito knocks out Kermit Cintron for the second time on the undercard, Cotto defends his title against Alfonso Gomez of The Contender fame, who upset Arturo Gatti over the summer. Gomez stands no chance against Cotto, going down three times before the ringside doctor advises Referee Randy Neumann to stop the bout after the fifth round.

Miguel Cotto vs. Alfonso Gomez

More than three years after their first fight in which Antonio Margarito may have wrapped his hands in plaster to score a late stoppage over him, WBA Welterweight Champion Miguel Cotto looks for payback. The bad blood boils when Referee Steve Smoger struggles to get the fighters to touch gloves before the fight; however, without the plaster, Margarito is unable to faze Cotto, who fights all bout the way he fought the first six rounds in 2008, easily out boxing and punching his foe. His occipital bone broken against Manny Pacquiao a year earlier, Margarito again suffers from his right eye swelling closed as early as the seventh round. After the ninth round, the ringside doctor advises Smoger to stop the fight, and Cotto stands and stares long at Margarito, having exacted his revenge.

Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito II

In a fight aptly nicknamed "The Battle," Cotto starts strong but cannot hold off the relentless Margarito, eventually submitting in the eleventh.  The question of whether Margarito fought with illegal handwraps remains a mystery to this day. A rematch of this war--at junior middlweight--took place in late 2011, with Cotto emerging the victor.

Miguel Cotto vs. Alfonso Gomez

Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito II

The Battle: Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito I

On this Day