Miguel Cotto vs Antonio Margarito 2

On Saturday, December 3, 2011, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito faced off in a highly anticipated rematch at Madison Square Garden, New York. The bout, promoted by Top Rank, featured Cotto defending his WBA World Super-welterweight Title for the first time. The fight was aired on HBO Pay-per-view, with Steve Smoger serving as the referee. Both fighters weighed in close to the agreed-upon catchweight of 153 pounds, with Cotto at 152¼ lbs and Margarito at 152½ lbs.

Cotto, hailing from Caguas, Puerto Rico, entered the fight with a record of 36-2-0, while Margarito, from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, came in with a record of 38-7-0. The Puerto Rican champion sought to avenge his previous loss to Margarito in 2008 and successfully did so, dominating the match from the start. Cotto's high connect percentage and evasive manoeuvres allowed him to effectively dodge and parry the majority of Margarito's shots.

In the fourth round, Cotto's swift left jab caused Margarito's right eye to swell significantly, impairing the Mexican challenger's vision. Despite managing to land several uppercuts in rounds five and six, Margarito could not halt Cotto's momentum. Cotto's relentless attack on Margarito's body and his superior lateral movement frustrated Margarito throughout the bout.

By the ninth round, Margarito's right eye had swollen shut, prompting the referee to call a stop to the fight at the 3:00 mark. Cotto was declared the winner by retirement, retaining his WBA World Super-welterweight Title.

Bob Arum disclosed that Cotto earned $5 million, plus a percentage of pay-per-view profits, while Margarito received $2.5 million and a smaller portion of the PPV upside.