LAS VEGAS - Miguel Cotto told a story of his last trip to Las Vegas when he was getting ready for his first WBO super-lightweight title defense against Randall Bailey at Mandalay Bay in 2004.

It was going to be Cotto's first headlining fight on an HBO card in Las Vegas.

"In Vegas, when you're in the main event, it's one of the biggest things you can do," Cotto said. "It's one of the greatest achievements of my career."

So Cotto was walking through the Mandalay Bay casino a few days before the fight and a security guard tried to throw him out of the casino because he thought Cotto, then 24, was a minor.

Cut to two days ago. It's 15 minutes after Cotto met with a small group of boxing writers. He had just told us about almost getting kicked out of the Mandalay Bay casino.

Cotto was trying to make his way to the final pre-fight news conference with his team and his wife and four kids. The MGM Grand security guards, which were guarding the entrance to the ballroom, held firm and didn't allow Cotto's wife and kids in because they didn't have press credentials.

This was absolutely astonishing considering Cotto's mug is plastered on posters throughout the MGM Grand. A preview show of Cotto-Antonio Margarito runs on a loop on plasma screens throughout the casino. Cotto's grill adorns billboards all around Sin City. There is no way anyone in Las Vegas this week would not recognize Cotto.

This was not some autograph-seeking psycho trying to sneak into the news conference. This was the world champion who is going to be fighting Margarito in the main event on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The security guards were literally standing next to life-size cardboard cutouts of Cotto and Margarito, yet, they were telling Cotto his family members needed credentials to get into the news conference.

Cotto didn't lose his cool. He didn't throw a tantrum. I was ready to do it for him, but I held back. Cotto got his family's credentials taken care of and was back in 20 minutes to face the media. He never even brought up the incident.

The only reason I know is because I was standing behind him when it happened.

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