By Sammy Rozenberg

The "Mecca of Boxing," New York's Madison Square Garden, was the battleground for one of the most intriguing bouts of the year. WBA world welterweight champion Miguel Cotto (31-0, 25KOs) kept his undefeated record intact by winning a unanimous decision over four-time world champion "Sugar" Shane Mosley (44-5, 37KOs).

The fight was a close pitched battle with Cotto using his power in the first few rounds to break the will of Mosley. Mosley countered by hitting to the body and flicking his jab, but it was Cotto's left jab and right hand that won most of the rounds for him. Mosley was able to neutralize Cotto's money punch, the left hook to the body. It was actually Mosley who played the role of the body puncher.

In the ninth round, Cotto was hurt from a combination of punches from Mosley, who began to pour on the damage as Cotto switched his style and began to stick and move. Cotto was able to use his ability as a boxer to hold onto his lead in the final three rounds to win the decision. The scores were 115-113, 115-113 and 116-113.

To show just how close the fight was, Cotto landed 248 of 675 punches and Mosley landed 248 of 774 punches. Cotto landed the harder telling blows and Mosley began to land most of his shots in the second half of the fight.

In the opinion of many, this fight was the final step before landing a fight against WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. The odds are stacked against Cotto facing Ricky Hatton, should he upset Mayweather on December 8 in Las Vegas. Oscar De La Hoya has set his sights on a bout with Hatton in 2008, with the 56,000 seat Dodgers Stadium as the venue of choice.

Mayweather's options will be running thin after Hatton. Mayweather goes for the money and the money now lies with fighting Cotto. De La Hoya wants not part of a Mayweather rematch, and neither does the boxing public. If he wants to continue fighting after Hatton, he will have to face Cotto in order to maintain his claim as the best fighter in the sport of boxing. Mayweather has not been thoroughly tested in the last few years, facing several fighters who were not at their best. He's yet to face an in-his-prime welterweight who poses a serious threat. Even if he gets by Hatton, a junior welterweight, most experts will say he was too small to beat Mayweather at 147.

In the past, Mayweather has ignored Cotto and wrote him off as a possible opponent. After beating Mosley, it's impossible for him to ignore Cotto any longer.

In February, WBO champion Paul Williams and IBF champ Kermit Cintron, two of the best young fighters in boxing, will put up their titles in a unification showdown. Cintron has to win his upcoming defense against Jesse Feliciano, taking place on the undercard to Fernando Vargas-Ricardo Mayorga on November 23. The winner could also become a viable opponent for Cotto.

On the undercard;

- Former WBO welterweight champion Antonio Margarito (35-5, 26 KOs) destroyed Golden Johnson (25-9-3, 18 KOs) by way of a first-round knockout.

Johnson never stood a chance, several left uppercuts sent him down for the first knockdown of the round. Moments later, Margarito sent him down for a second time with right hands to the body and lefts. The end came when a combination of uppercuts and lefts that sent Johnson down for the third time as the referee waved off the contest.

The win puts Margarito back in the picture in a big way.

- WBC-interim lightweight champion Joel Casamayor (35-3-1, 21 KOs) won a very controversial split-decision over Jose Armando Santa Cruz (25-3, 14 KOs). The scores were 114-113 for Casamayor, 114-113 for Santa Cruz and 114-113 for Casamayor. Ringside observers were calling it the worst decision of the year.

Santa Cruz caught Casamayor with a short counter that sent him down in the first round. Casamayor was coming off a thirteen-month layoff and it showed. He was very rusty, could not get off with his punches and underestimated his former sparring partner, Santa Cruz. He was holding often enough that it was a miracle that referee Steve Smoger did not deduct any points. In the seventh round, Santa Cruz switched to southpaw and began to pepper Casamayor with hard lefts. Santa Cruz controlled the fight as the fight went on to the final bell.

Prior to this bout, Casamayor was regarded as the true lightweight champion. Now, the title of "true lightweight champion" has to awarded to undefeated WBA/WBO/IBF lightweight champion Juan Diaz.

- Junior welterweight prospect Victor Ortiz (20-1-1, 15KOs) crushed veteran Carlos Maussa (20-5, 18KOs) in less than two minutes of the first round. An uppercut started the damage, and then a vicious, short left hand sent Maussa down for the full count. The impact of the punch opened up the cheek of Maussa, who was bloody from the shot.

Ortiz, who did to Maussa what Cotto and Hatton could not in their wins, is now in line to face WBO junior welterweight champion Ricardo Torres of Colombia.

Undercard results by Mark Vester.