LAS VEGAS - Mexico and Puerto Rico have some of the most passionate boxing fans in the world, so it is no wonder that fireworks usually ensue when fighters from Mexico and Puerto Rico step into the ring to face each other.

Fighters from Mexico and Puerto Rico have met in at least 60 world-title bouts, creating many memorable fights.

Wilfredo Gomez vs. Carlos Zarate, Salvador Sanchez vs. Gomez, Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Hector “Macho” Camacho and Felix Trinidad vs. Oscar De La Hoya and Trinidad vs. Fernando Vargas have all done their part to stoke the rivalry.

Miguel Cotto said he feels an obligation to live up to the great Puerto Rican fighters from the past when he defends his WBA welterweight title against Mexican Antonio Margarito today at 6 p.m. at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on HBO PPV ($49.95).

“It's great to be a part of this rivalry,” Cotto said. “It's good to have an opportunity to be another chapter in this rivalry. It's good for us. It's in our hands to try and make this fight at the same level as the people from our past.

“I know if you put one Puerto Rican boxer in front of a Mexican boxer you are going to have a good fight.”

Margarito has tried to downplay the Mexico vs. Puerto Rico rivalry, but he said he knows he will be carrying his countrymen's hopes into the ring with him.

“All of the Mexicans, when they get up into the ring, are going to give it their all,” Margarito said. “They are going to do whatever it takes to win even if they have to die in the ring. But I'll tell you one thing, I think Cotto can fit into that same category.”

Top Rank's Bob Arum, who promotes both Cotto and Margarito, has shied away from promoting heavyweights to focus on Latin fighters because he recognized how passionate the fans in the Latin community are.

“In both countries, they love the sport and it is a major attraction,” Arum said. “When you have that many passionate fans as those in Mexico and Puerto Rico, and when you have two great fighters, you are going to get that type of reaction.

“It's the same as when we had Italians and Irish and the Jews fighting each other in New York. It went on for years. There were fierce rivalries and fans loved to watch those fights. It was natural. Now, a lot of people don't have a rooting interest in one or the other fighter.”

Cotto held the WBO super-lightweight title from 2004-07, making six title defenses before moving up to welterweight and winning the WBA 147-pound title with a fifth-round TKO over Carlos Quintana. Cotto solidified his position as the top welterweight in the world with an 11th-round TKO over Zab Judah and a unanimous decision over Sugar Shane Mosley last year.

Some believe Cotto has the potential to one day take over the mythical title of best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, which is held by Manny Pacquiao. Cotto doesn't like to get into those debates, but when asked, he puts himself at the top of the heap. A triumph over Margarito would move him one step closer to that pound-for-pound title.

“If you ask me who is the best fighter in the world, I'm going to say Miguel Cotto,” Cotto said. “But it is not my job to make such lists. This fight is not for the pound-for-pound belt. It's for the WBA welterweight championship.”

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.