By Scoop Malinowski

The one and only boxing historian, author, editor, writer Bert Randolph Sugar was a fascinated ringside observer in Las Vegas at the Margarito vs. Cotto spectacle. Ten days after the event, Sugar is still almost in awe of what he witnessed. Here is his account of the classic welterweight championship showdown…

“We finally got a fight that acquitted the build-up. If Margarito was hit by lightning, you’d take the lightning to the hospital. Margarito is one of the toughest I’ve ever seen. Joshua Clottey fought him and broke both hands on his head. I think his next fight is against Godzilla. The worst thing he could have done was win the fight as he did. ‘Cause who in the hell wants to fight him now? Not Paul Williams. Maybe Godzilla. I don’t know.”

“I have never seen this before - where they sold the flags (on site) of both Mexico and Puerto Rico. They were waving them and waving them, it really was electric. It was a wonderful atmosphere and a great fight. The irony was - half the interviewers I talked to - called him Margarita, other than Margarito. As if he was a drink. They didn’t know who the hell he was. This fight did much better than expectations.”

“Whereas Pacquiao-Diaz did under 200,000 (Pay-per-view buys), this did over 425,000 - one of the biggest fights. And they were right on buying it. People were calling this fight the Fight of the Decade. There’s only been one decade in this century. It’s a FIGHT of the CENTURY. You’ve got 2009 on. And we knew going in how good this was going to be.”

I suggest that boxing needed this monumentally successful event and Bert Sugar replied, “I don’t know if boxing needed this but they got it. And hopefully will re-inspire others to pay attention to what we have - which is a great sport.”

Out of curiosity, I ask how he thinks Floyd Mayweather would do against the ferocious and relentless Margarito. “Mayweather could slip most of the punches but all he’d have to do is be hit by one. Remember, it was guys like Jose Luis Castillo who gave Mayweather his biggest problems.”

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