The round of 2008 - No 4

Antonio Margarito v Miguel Cotto, MGM Grand Garden Arena,  Las Vegas, July 26 - round 6

For five rounds it went to plan, for five rounds Miguel Cotto looked to fast, too clever, but there are few boxers as relentless as Antonio Margarito. The Mexican had been expected to be another step on Cotto's ladder to superstardom, but no, Margarito turned the tables and wore the Puerto Rican down.

Round six was when the change in the classic bout, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in July, happened. It started as had most of the previous rounds, Margarito plugging forward, Cotto sticking around long enough to land a combination before moving away. But he hadn't managed to deter Margarito, despite a large swelling developing under the Mexican's right eye. By round six, Margarito was still plugging forward, Cotto was starting to slow.

The Mexican's style is as basic as the come. He planted his feet in front of Cotto and began swinging. For the first minute, things went as planned for the Puerto Rican, who was light on his feet and leant back in the ropes to make Margarito miss. But the ropes were beginning to become a trap to Cotto. Margarito continued to throw endless punches but there seemed fewer escapes for Cotto. At the end of the round, Cotto was trapped in a corner and Margarito landed four consecutive left hooks. The Puerto Rican looked tired as he made his way back to the corner.

HBO's punch stats for the round favoured Cotto, revealing that he had landed 32 of 66 punches thrown in the round, while Margarito had landed 23 of 107. But the more telling blows had come from Margarito - he had started to turn the tide.