Champion Cotto shrugs off Margarito’s warning

With their WBA welterweight showdown just four days away, Antonio Margarito was talking tough about Miguel Cotto.

Speaking to reporters in Los Angeles before his arrival in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Margarito predicted he would knock out Cotto inside of four rounds and take his title.

Cotto found Margarito's prediction amusing.

"If he prepared for just four rounds, it's going to be very painful for him," Cotto said Tuesday at the MGM Grand Garden. "I'm prepared to fight for 12 rounds."

Cotto didn't seem too concerned that Margarito elected not to show up in Las Vegas until late Tuesday night, preferring to train one more day in L.A.

"The last week is the toughest week," Cotto said. "There's a lot on a fighter's mind. If he wants to stay in L.A., that's his business. I'm not offended."

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum wasn't worried, either.

"I don't really care," Arum said. "He'll be here for the press conference (today). He's done yeoman work on the promotion in California. If he shows up a few hours late, who cares?"

• OIL BARON -- If Cotto were to retire from boxing tomorrow, he could live comfortably off his eight gasoline stations and other investments in his native Puerto Rico.

The 27-year-old Cotto said he plans to fight only two or three more years, so he needs something to provide income for his family when he's through with boxing.

"I bought my first gas station in 2003," he said. "Now we have eight."

Four of Cotto's stations are aligned with Gulf and one with Texaco, and three are independently owned and operated. Cotto, who drives a Mercedes-Benz, said even though he is the boss, he gets no discounts at the pump.

"I pay the same price as everyone else," he said. "That's the way to do business properly."

He lets his father, Miguel Sr., oversee the gasoline station operation. In addition, Cotto is a landlord, owning an apartment building with 14 units. The building also is home to his boxing promotional company and a distribution center for the gasoline stations.

Cotto said he stays out of the day-to-day operations and lets his father handle things.

"My father told me once, 'I don't know how to deal with my money, but I know how to deal with other people's money,' " Cotto said. "So I let him take care of everything, and I just concentrate on boxing."

• TICKET SALES -- Arum said 80 percent of the Grand Garden's 16,270 seats have been sold for Saturday's fight.

"I'm very happy with that," he said. "Hopefully, we'll sell out. But we should be close."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.