Cotto, who pummeled Antonio Margarito at Madison Square Garden in December, was praised as a robust opponent.

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He out-boxed the taller Margarito through the early rounds, frequently landing a series of punches before dancing away from danger.

BBC: Margarito ends Cotto unbeaten run

In the seventh round a pair of Margarito upper-cuts found their mark and rattled Cotto, who began to bleed from his nose.

BBC: Margarito ends Cotto unbeaten run

Antonio Margarito World Super Welterweight Championship for the week leading up to November 12, which will be broadcast live on HBO PPV.

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Margarito continued to chase his opponent down and inflicted further damage towards the end of the 10th round, sending Cotto back to his corner clearly exhausted.

BBC: Margarito ends Cotto unbeaten run

But Margarito, four inches taller than his opponent, continued to stalk Cotto and eventually began to wear down the smaller man by trapping him against the ropes.

BBC: Margarito ends Cotto unbeaten run

Margarito finally forced Cotto to his knee after a hard combination and then continued to unload as his opponent staggered around the ring, finally going down a second time as the towel flew in.

BBC: Margarito ends Cotto unbeaten run

" He called the treatment of Margarito "unfair.

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Saturday's Cotto-Margarito rematch at the remodeled Garden offers the backdrop of bad blood (Cotto lost in 11 rounds in 2008) and a lingering controversy the revocation of Margarito's boxing license in California after a sticky substance was found on the hand wraps he used in a 2009 fight with Shane Mosley.

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