In what is seen in some circles as an ongoing battle between MMA & boxing, this Saturday fans will get their choice between offerings from the sports’ two biggest players.

HBO Boxing offers what many are hailing as a possible fight of the year candidate, as Ring Magazine’s #2 & #4 rated welterweights square off at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Puerto Rican Miguel Angel Cotto (33-1, 27 KOs) dons the gloves only a day before NYC’s Puerto Rico Day Parade (!) to fight a risky bout against Joshua Clottey of Ghana (35-2, 20 KOs). Clottey is a skilled inside technician who will bring a size advantage and a high work rate similar to Cotto’s. Cotto brings a better jab, but both have excellent left hooks to the head and body. It’s a tough fight to call, but it’s looking like a memorable action bout in front of a raucous and partisan (not to mention, last I checked, a near-sellout) crowd.

The same night, ZUFFA counters with an offering of… well, I don’t even know what this UFC 99 in Cologne, Germany offers. (OK, I’ll admit Caol Uno vs Spencer Fisher sounds fun, but is it really worth a PPV?) This show’s problems have been chronicled here and elsewhere, including poor sales and possible loss of its carrier on British TV. Maybe Wanderlei Silva will surprise me and have a great fight vs. Franklin after having lost four of his last five (three by brutal KO, if you’re keeping track)… maybe Kongo vs Valasquez will be something to remember besides a slew of groin shots that Kongo now admits he throws intentionally (surprise!)… maybe the German crowd will sing “Danke Schoen” and make it all worthwhile.

Maybe, but I’m not banking on it. Score one for the Marquis of Queensbury. The noble art of pugilism wins this round. Here’s my breakdown of the fight you should be watching this weekend:

A converted southpaw from Caguas, Puerto Rico, Miguel Cotto is an all-action fighter with good all-around skills; but a particularly fantastic left hook. If you watch him in action vs. Shane Mosley here, maybe you’ll see why I catch every fight of his I can, as to some surprise, he establishes a jab beautifully along with his more characteristic excellent work inside against another pound-for-pound entrant.

Cotto would attempt to do some of the same in this 2008 bout with Antonio Margarito, but it wasn’t to be. In what was later named many fans’ 2008 Fight of the Year, Cotto would gut his way to an even score on my card going into the 10th; but it was there he (and his undefeated record) was finally stopped by the bigger man.

Despite the fact that Margarito has since been suspended due to a plaster being found in his handwraps in a later bout, many are taking that last bout’s result to heart. In fact, none other than Al Bernstein is picking Clottey to defeat Cotto in his column at Saddoboxing.com… he describes it as “not that hard” a pick, too:

“In virtually all his major fights, Cotto has had lapses that nearly cost him wins. I don’t believe he can knock Clottey out and so he will have to do it over the long haul to win this match. He will have one or more of those lapses and Clottey will take advantage. And this post Margarito Cotto may not be confident and resilient enough for get past the crisis when it happens…and it will happen. Joshua Clottey may not be an A-lister right now, but he will be after June 13th.”

He may be right. Cotto’s fans often describe how he could really be undefeated since his only loss is to “Plasterito,” but the truth is there have been some fights he was close to losing as well.

Cotto’s opponent on Saturday, Joshua Clottey, comes from the Ga tribe in Ghana; the same tribe which brought us fellow champions Ike Quartey and Azumah Nelson. He is a big welter who was weighed unofficially at 170 lbs right before he fought Diego Corrales in a bout which was contested at 149 lbs. Film of his demolition of Corrales reveals Clottey a good defensive boxer, adept and slick on the inside, who can pound his opponent out with a diverse set of combinations. Particularly, look for his viscious uppercut which could tear Cotto to shreds if the hometown favorite lowers his posture too much.

Clottey also had the makings of a memorable bout against Margarito. Fighting on the undercard of Cotto’s bout with Carlos Quintana, Clottey was matching well with the “Tijuana Tornado” until injuring his hand and fading to a decision loss.

Throughout the bout and throughout his career, Clottey keeps his hands in good position, and has a bit of head movement besides, but his footwork is a little plodding. Despite Bernstein’s lack of confidence in Cotto’s mental game, it’s not hard to imagine him out-boxing Clottey and earning a decision victory with a combination of infighting and fighting at range. This, in fact, strikes me the most likely outcome.

I expect fireworks this weekend in NYC, but when the dust clears, I think it’s going to be a good day to be Puerto Rican. Only better perhaps, if you’re a boxing fan of any origin.