Cotto dominates Gomez to retain WBA belt; Margarito next?

Posted: Sat Apr 12 11:55 PM

Atlantic City, NJ (Sports Network) - Miguel Cotto hardly broke a sweat in earning a five-round technical knockout of challenger Alfonso Gomez, retaining his WBA Welterweight belt and keeping his undefeated record intact with an impressive performance Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall.

Cotto (32-0, 25 KOs) landed 188 punches to Gomez's 63, and the fight was stopped after five rounds once it was clear the challenger was in danger of being seriously injured. The Puerto Rican champ, coming off convincing wins over Shane Mosley and Zab Judah in his previous two fights, will likely face newly crowned IBF Welterweight champ Antonio Margarito in a unification bout this July.

Gomez (18-4-2, 8 KOs) had never previously been knocked down, let alone knocked out, but was clearly overmatched against Cotto Saturday. The native of Mexico withstood a brutal early barrage from the champ, but the beating took its toll sooner rather than later, leading the bout to be stopped by the ring doctor after five.

Cotto dominated the opening two rounds, working a persistent left jab to the center of Gomez's face and knocking the challenger off balance repeatedly. Gomez took his first real stumble of the night late in the second, though it appeared it was not the result of a Cotto punch. A knockdown was awarded anyway, and the judges' scoring had Cotto comfortably ahead through the first three rounds.

By the third, Gomez's right eye was seriously swollen, and though he briefly extended the fight by being more mobile, he was knocked down just before the bell thanks to a vicious series of body shots.

Cotto began the fourth looking for the knockout, pummeling the challenger with a rapid barrage of combinations in an effort to end the fight swiftly. Gomez admirably stayed on his feet through the bell, but he hit the canvas again with over a minute to go in the fifth, and the fight was called by the doctor before a sixth round could start.

In the undercard, Margarito took the IBF belt from defending champ Kermit Cintron with a sixth-round knockout, earning a potential shot at Cotto. Margarito (36-5, 26 KOs) outpunched Cintron 207-89, beating him for the second time in as many bouts. The only previous loss of Cintron's (29-2, 27 KOs) career came at the hands of Margarito, who scored a fifth-round technical knockout in April 2005.

Saturday, Margarito punctuated a rapid combination with a devastating left hook to Cintron's ribs at the 1:03 mark of the sixth round, felling the champ and setting up the potential meeting with Cotto.