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Miguel Ángel Cotto Vázquez (born October 29, 1980) is a Puerto Rican former
professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...
who competed from 2001 to 2017. He is a multiple-time world champion, and the first Puerto Rican boxer to win world titles in four weight classes, from
light welterweight Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight or super lightweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional boxing In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, ...
to
middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...
. In 2007 and 2009, he reached a peak active pound for pound ranking of seventh by '' The Ring'' magazine. Cotto started out his career as a hard-hitting pressure fighter, but evolved over the years into a more refined
boxer-puncher Throughout the history of gloved boxing styles, techniques and strategies have changed to varying degrees. Ring conditions, promoter demands, teaching techniques, and the influence of successful boxers are some of the reasons styles and strategie ...
as he moved up in weight. As an
amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, self-taught, user-generated, DIY, and hobbyist. History ...
, Cotto represented Puerto Rico in the
lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...
and
light welterweight Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight or super lightweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional boxing In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, ...
divisions at various international events, including the
1999 Pan American Games The 1999 Pan American Games, officially the XIII Pan American Games or the 13th Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event that was held from July 23 to August 8, 1999, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and surrounding towns and ...
, the 2000 Olympics, and the 1998 Junior World Championships; the latter in which he won a lightweight silver medal. Having begun his professional career in 2001, Cotto defeated Kelson Pinto for the WBO light welterweight title in 2004. He made six successful defenses before vacating the title to move up in weight. In his first
welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...
fight, in 2006, Cotto defeated Carlos Quintana for the vacant WBA title. He successfully defended it four times before a career first loss to Antonio Margarito in 2008. The following year, Cotto won the vacant WBO welterweight title and defended it once before losing it to
Manny Pacquiao Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. (; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician and former professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He served as a Senator of the Phil ...
in the same year. In 2010, he moved up to
light middleweight Light middleweight, also known as junior middleweight or super welterweight,PeBoxRec/ref> is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing The light middleweight division (also known as junior middleweight in the IBF or super welterweight in the WBA a ...
and won the WBA title from Yuri Foreman. Having been promoted by the WBA to Super champion status, Cotto won a 2011 rematch against Margarito. He lost the WBA (Super) title in 2012 to Floyd Mayweather Jr., in one of the most anticipated fights in modern boxing history. The year would end on a further sour note for Cotto, as he lost in an upset to Austin Trout. Two years later, Cotto defeated Sergio Martínez to win the unified WBC, ''Ring'', and lineal
middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...
titles. In doing so, he became the first four-weight world champion from Puerto Rico. In 2015, he defended his titles once before losing to Canelo Álvarez. After more than a year of inactivity, Cotto returned in 2017 to become the WBO light middleweight champion, but lost the title in his final fight to
Sadam Ali Sadam Ali (born September 26, 1988) is an American professional boxer who held the WBO junior middleweight title from 2017 to 2018. He also challenged once for the WBO welterweight title in 2016. Early life Ali was born in 1988 in Brooklyn, New ...
.


Early years and amateur career

Cotto was born in
Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...
, to Puerto Rican parents, and relocated to
Caguas, Puerto Rico Caguas (, ) is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, and east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey. Caguas was found ...
, with his family before he turned two. There are several figures linked to boxing in his family, including his late father Miguel Cotto Sr., his brother
José Miguel Cotto José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...
, his second cousin
Abner Cotto Abner Cotto Román (born August 10, 1987) is a Puerto Rican professional boxer who currently competes in the lightweight division. He is a member of the Cotto family, which has produced a professional world champion and multiple amateur ...
, and his uncle and former boxing trainer Evangelista Cotto. Cotto began boxing as a child to help lose weight, not anticipating it to end up being his career path. He was taken to the
Bairoa Gym Bairoa Gym is a boxing gym located in Caguas, Puerto Rico. ''El gimnasio Bairoa'', as it is known in Spanish, is the most famous boxing gym in Puerto Rico because of the list of world champions and top contenders who have trained there. 2005 sh ...
in Caguas. There, he was able to develop into a top amateur fighter. The young Cotto participated in several international tournaments, these include: The 1998 Junior World Championships that took place in
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, where he finished in second place while competing in the Lightweight division. His three victories here were by points, the results were: Andrey Kolevin of Ukraine by points 15–3, Dana Laframboise of Canada by points 6–1, and Darius Jasevicius representing Lithuania 9–5. His only loss was to Anton Solopov of Russia by points with a score of 8–9. In 1999, Cotto competed in the
Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is hel ...
that took place in
Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,60 ...
, Canada. He only fought once in a loss to Dana Laframboise of Canada by points with a final score of 2–5. Following his participation in the Pan American tournament, Cotto was part of the Boxing World Championships in
Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
. He lost his only fight by points to Robertas Nomeikas. In his final amateur tournament, Cotto represented Puerto Rico as a Light Welterweight at 2000 Sydney Olympic Games where he lost to Mahamadkadir Abdullayev of Uzbekistan by points. Cotto decided to turn professional after the loss to Abdulaev, ending his amateur career with a record of 125–23.


Trainers

* Evangelista Cotto - February 2001 - April 2009 * Joe Santiago - April 2009 - February 2010 * Emmanuel Steward March 2010 - September 2011 * Pedro Diaz - October 2011 - December 2012 * Freddie Roach July 2013 - December 2017


Professional career


Early career

Early in his career Cotto defeated former world title contender John Brown by decision in the tenth round. He led the score through the entire fight and scored a knockdown in the second round. The judges gave Cotto scores of 100–89, 100–89, and 100–88. In 2001, Cotto suffered a dangerous injury that threatened his boxing career. As he was driving to the gymnasium at 5 a.m., he apparently fell asleep and crashed, breaking his arm and requiring hospitalization. On September 13, 2003, Cotto defeated Demetrio Ceballos by knockout in the seventh round at
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...
. In a fight where Cotto injured Ceballos with numerous combinations in the sixth round, switching between the orthodox and southpaw stances. In the seventh round Cotto displayed an aggressive style that led to the referee stopping the fight with 0:32 remaining in the round. With this, he was ranked number one in his division by the
World Boxing Association The World Boxing Association (WBA), formerly known as the National Boxing Association (NBA), is the oldest and one of four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Council (WBC), International Boxi ...
. Cotto's first fight of 2004, was a fourth-round knockout victory over the former world title contender
Victoriano Sosa Victoriano Damián Sosa (born April 17, 1974 in La Vega, Dominican Republic) is a boxer. Personal Sosa is second cousin of Major League Baseball player Sammy Sosa. Amateur career Member of the 1992 Dominican Olympic Team as a Featherweight. ...
. This was after an eventful week prior to the fight, which included Cotto having to wait four hours for his luggage to arrive (after a 2 a.m. local time arrival) at
McCarran International Airport Harry Reid International Airport is an international airport in Paradise, Nevada, and is the main government airport for public use in the Las Vegas Valley, a metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Nevada, about south of Downtown Las Vegas. ...
in Las Vegas, and almost being removed from the
Mandalay Bay Mandalay Bay is a 43-story luxury resort and casino at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned by Vici Properties and The Blackstone Group and operated by MGM Resorts International. It was developed by Circus Circu ...
Hotel, where the fight was held, by a security guard who thought he was an unaccompanied minor. On April 8, 2004, he defeated the former world title challenger, Lovemore N'dou, by unanimous decision in Las Vegas. The first three rounds of the fight had a slow pace with neither of the boxers establishing control of the fight. Cotto dominated the fourth and fifth rounds managing to land combinations on N'dou's head. N'dou won the seventh and eighth rounds after landing more accurate hits than Cotto. The last three rounds were even with both fighters establishing short periods of control in the fight. The judges gave Cotto scores of 117–111, 116–112, and 115–113.


Light welterweight

On September 11, 2004, Cotto faced Kelson Pinto from
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, for the vacant
World Boxing Organization The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxing ...
junior welterweight title. This represented the third fight between them, with Pinto being victorious in their two previous encounters, both of which took place while they were still amateurs. The fight was televised by HBO from San Juan,
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
. During this card Cotto utilized a defensive stance with his hands in a high position instead of his usual aggressive orthodox stance. Over the course of the fight Cotto scored three knockdowns and won the World Boxing Organization Junior Welterweight Championship by knockout in the sixth round. On December 11, 2004, he successfully defended his title, beating former world champion
Randall Bailey Randall Bailey (born September 13, 1974) is an American professional boxer. A veteran of the sport for over twenty years, he is a former world champion in two weight classes, having held the WBO light welterweight title from 1999 to 2000, and the ...
by knockout in the sixth round, as part of the
Vitali Klitschko Vitali Volodymyrovych Klitschko (; uk, Віта́лій Володи́мирович Кличко́ ; born 19 July 1971) is a Ukrainian politician and former professional boxer who serves as mayor of KyivDanny Williams undercard in Las Vegas. Cotto's performance was described as a result of hand speed and accuracy. During the fight Bailey received punches in his face that opened cuts over and under both of his eyes. As a result of the cuts Bailey was examined by the ringside physician. Following this Bailey expressed that he didn't want to continue and the referee stopped the fight at 1:39 of the sixth round. Eleven days later, on December 22, 2004, the Puerto Rican boxing commission named Cotto as Puerto Rico's fighter of the year for 2004.


Cotto vs. Corley

Cotto's second title defense took place on February 26, 2005, in the Rubén Rodríguez in
Bayamón, Puerto Rico Bayamón (, ) is a city, municipality of Puerto Rico and suburb of San Juan located in the northern coastal valley, north of Aguas Buenas and Comerío; south of Toa Baja and Cataño; west of Guaynabo; and east of Toa Alta and Naranjito. ...
against Demarcus Corley. During the fight Cotto practiced a boxing style that was more aggressive than usual, trading hits with Corley over the course of the first round. During the fight both boxers were deducted one point following illegal low blows. Cotto scored three knockdowns before the fight was stopped by the referee at 2:45 of the fifth round following a combination by Miguel. Corley claimed that the referee stopped the fight prematurely stating that "the ref just stopped the fight premature. If he wanted to stop the fight, he could have stopped it when I had ottohurt." Just a few days after retaining the crown versus Corley, Cotto received a personal blow, when his stablemate and friend, former 2004 Olympian
Joseph Serrano Joseph Serrano (born April 18, 1984 in Caguas, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican who was an amateur boxing star. Serrano had an award-winning career as an amateur. A member of the Bairoa Gym boxing team, he met, among others, Miguel Cotto during ...
, was shot in the head upon leaving the Bairoa gym. Serrano survived the shot, but was in critical but stable condition at a local hospital.


Cotto vs. Abdulaev

On June 11, 2005, Cotto faced the last man to beat him as an amateur, former Olympic gold medalist Mohamed Abdulaev from
Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...
. As amateurs, Abdulaev eliminated Cotto from the first round of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. This time they met as professionals in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
's
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...
. Before the beginning of the fight Cotto received a positive ovation from the public. During the first round Miguel went on the offensive scoring hits on Abdullaev's head and body while he was in a defensive stance. In the fourth round a left hook by Miguel hurt Abdullaev, who proceeded to focus his hits on Cotto's body. Abdullaev's offense was effective in the sixth and seventh rounds and as a result of this Cotto assumed a defensive stance. Following the eighth round Abdullaev's eye was swollen to the point of being almost entirely closed. In the ninth round following accurate punches by Cotto the fight's referee paused the fight and asked the ringside doctor to examine Abdullaev's eye. After being examined by the doctor Abdullaev indicated to the referee that he could not continue, this way Cotto retained the Welterweight division championship.


Cotto vs. Torres

Cotto's third championship defense took place on September 24, 2005, at
Boardwalk Hall Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, formerly known as the Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall, is a multi-purpose arena in Atlantic City in Atlantic County, New Jersey. It was Atlantic City's primary convention center until the opening of the Atlant ...
in
Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.
, against Ricardo Torres of
Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...
. In the first round Cotto had an offensive advantage and scored a knockdown on Torres. In the second round after trading hits Torres scored a knockdown on Miguel. The last seconds of the round were evenly matched with both boxers finishing the round injured. Cotto was apparently in better condition when the third round began and was dominating the fight at that point. With two minutes remaining in the round one of Cotto's punches landed in Torres' beltline. Following this Torres was granted thirty seconds to recover by the referee. Cotto dominated the fourth round and Torres won the fifth. Cotto won and scored a knockdown in the sixth round. At 1:24 of the seventh round a left hook by Cotto knocked Torres out. On March 4, 2006, Cotto defended his WBO Junior Welterweight title by knocking out
Gianluca Branco Gianluca Branco (born 20 September 1970) is an Italian former professional boxer who competed from 1995 to 2014. He held the European super-lightweight title twice between 2001 and 2009, the European Union welterweight title from 2012 to 2013, th ...
, who had to give up during the eighth round of their bout due to a shoulder injury. Cotto dominated the fight as a result of jab combinations in a card that took place in
Bayamón, Puerto Rico Bayamón (, ) is a city, municipality of Puerto Rico and suburb of San Juan located in the northern coastal valley, north of Aguas Buenas and Comerío; south of Toa Baja and Cataño; west of Guaynabo; and east of Toa Alta and Naranjito. ...
.


Cotto vs. Malignaggi

Cotto's next scheduled match was against the then-undefeated Paul Malignaggi in a fight that took place on June 10, 2006, in
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...
. Cotto opened a cut over Malignaggi's right eye in the first round, which, according to Malignaggi, affected his performance over the course of the fight, by stating "this was the first time in which I was cut, and the blood kept going into my eye. And it bothered me the entire fight. I was not able to see very well. Cotto's a great fighter, but I'm disappointed, as I wanted to be the champion". Cotto won the fight by unanimous decision with scores of 116–111, 116–111, and 115–112. Malignaggi suffered a fractured right orbital bone and his jaw was injured, he was taken to Roosevelt Hospital after the fight's outcome was announced.


Welterweight


Cotto vs. Quintana

Cotto relinquished his title in late 2006 and announced his intention to move to the welterweight division to challenge Carlos Quintana for the WBA's championship. The fight took place on December 2, 2006. Cotto defeated Quintana by technical knockout in the fifth round. Following a punch to the body, Quintana surrendered prior to the start of the sixth round and Cotto won the vacant World Boxing Association Welterweight Championship. Cotto's Welterweight reign began successfully on March 3, 2007, when he retained his belt with a technical knock out victory in the eleventh round over Oktay Urkal. Urkal's corner threw in the towel because he was apparently down in the fight, and had just had a second point deducted for a head butt, leading to his corner's belief that the referee was unfair.


Cotto vs. Judah

On June 9, 2007, Cotto defended the WBA Welterweight Title against
Zab Judah Zabdiel Judah (born October 27, 1977) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2019. He held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the IBF and WBO junior welterweight titles between 2000 and 20 ...
in New York City, performing before a sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden. The bout included a knockdown and a point deduction registered for Cotto, who established dominance on the offensive following a close start. At the moment of the stoppage, the judges had Cotto leading 97–91. Cotto won by technical knockout in the eleventh round when the referee stopped the fight.


Cotto vs. Mosley

Miguel Cotto and
Shane Mosley Shane Mosley (born September 7, 1971), often known by his nickname "Sugar" Shane Mosley, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2016. He held multiple world championships in three weight classes, including the IBF l ...
fought on November 10, 2007, at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...
in a card made possible by a legal settlement between
Top Rank Boxing Top Rank, Inc. is a boxing promotional company founded by Jabir Herbert Muhammad and Bob Arum, which was incorporated in 1973, and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Since its founding, Top Rank has promoted many world class fighters, including Muh ...
, Cotto's promoter, and Mosley's promoter,
Golden Boy Promotions Golden Boy Promotions, Inc. is an American boxing promotional firm based in Los Angeles, California. The company was established in 2002 by eight-time world champion (in six divisions) Oscar De La Hoya, borrowing his nickname "Golden Boy." His ...
. The fight was broadcast on HBO
Pay-Per-View Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program g ...
and was won by Cotto via unanimous decision. During the course of the fight Cotto pursued Mosley who was reacting in a slow fashion. Late in the fight Mosley displayed more aggression at one point becoming the aggressor. Cotto's performance was described as "a rare moment in sports when a sudden star rises from what is categorically termed as goodness, to the cusp of greatness." On April 12, 2008, Cotto successfully defended the championship against Alfonso Gómez. Throughout the fight Cotto scored three knockdowns before the fight was stopped following the fifth round, when the doctor indicated to the referee that Gómez couldn't continue. Cotto was selected the World Boxing Association's "Boxer of the Year", during the organization's annual award celebration, which took place in
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
.


Cotto vs. Margarito

On July 26, 2008, at the MGM Grand in
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...
, Cotto suffered his first loss as a professional to Antonio Margarito in an unsuccessful title defense. Cotto had taken the early initiative, frequently landing a series of punches on Margarito during the early rounds while using his footwork to avoid danger. However, Margarito presented constant offensive pressure of Cotto and eventually began to wear down Cotto's resistance by trapping him against the ropes. Cotto was hurt in the seventh round after a pair of Margarito uppercuts caused his nose to bleed. Margarito continued to chase his opponent down and inflicted further damage towards the end of the tenth round. Margarito then threw a series of punches at the start of the eleventh round, with Cotto against the ropes and bleeding profusely. A combination from Margarito finally forced Cotto to his knee. He got up, but Margarito continued landing combinations. Evangelista Cotto threw in the towel after Cotto again fell to the canvas in the corner of the ring. Two judges had Margarito ahead by a score of 96–94 at the time of the stoppage, while the third judge had the fight even. HBO analyst
Harold Lederman Harold Lederman (January 26, 1940 – May 11, 2019) was an American boxing judge and analyst. He began his career as a boxing judge in 1967 and joined the cast of ''HBO World Championship Boxing'' in 1986, and was there until HBO dropped boxing ...
had also scored the fight even. Cotto's loss to Margarito has since come under suspicion due to Margarito's subsequent attempted use of illegal hand-wraps in a fight against Shane Mosley.


Cotto vs. Jennings

Cotto returned to action on February 21, 2009, in a card held at the Madison Square Garden, sporting the first of his trademark tattoos which he has expanded on ever since. This time competing against Michael Jennings for the vacant
WBO The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxing ...
welterweight title. After both pugilists used the first round to study their opponent's style, the tempo accelerated during the second. In the third, Cotto pursued the offensive more fluidly, connecting with jabs and hooks. One round later, Cotto scored two knockdowns on Jennings, who was able to continue until the recess. In the fifth, Jennings was trapped against the ropes, which Cotto utilized to connect a right hook to score a third knockdown. Jennings incorporated, but the referee decided to stop the fight. With this action, Cotto was awarded a technical knockout victory, in the process winning his second championship in the welterweight division. On April 8, 2009, Cotto fired his uncle from the team's staff, following a violent discussion where his property was damaged. However, neither side expressed interest in pursuing any sort of legal action. Consequently, Cotto named Joe Santiago, who had served as the team's nutritionist as his new trainer.


Cotto vs. Clottey

At an official press conference on April 14, 2009, in New York, it was announced that Cotto would be defending his title against Ghanaian boxer
Joshua Clottey Joshua Clottey (born October 6, 1977) is a Ghanaian former professional boxer who competed from 1995 to 2019, and held the IBF welterweight title from 2008 to 2009. As an amateur, he competed at the 1994 Commonwealth Games. At the peak of his car ...
, in a fight that was originally intended to be an unification that also included the
International Boxing Federation The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Cou ...
's title on June 13, 2009. An attendance of 17,734 packed
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. In the first round Cotto scored a knockdown after connecting a jab. In the third round an accidental head clash opened a severe laceration over Cotto's left eye. The injury bled profusely during the fourth round, but he was able to control the pace. In the fifth round, Clottey was pushed to the floor during an exchange and was injured in his left knee, receiving time to recover before the contest resumed. In the sixth, Cotto trapped Clottey in a corner and gained offensive advantage. During the next two rounds, Clottey controlled the offensive, noticing that Cotto was unable to see right punches. During the last rounds, Cotto decided to employ his technique from outside, while the fight's tempo remained close. The judges decided the fight's outcome by split decision, awarding scores of 115–112 and 116–111 for Cotto and 114–113 for Clottey. When the scorecards were read, Clottey shouted, "Oh no! This can't happen", then went over to Bob Arum and said, "That's it, I quit, I'm done with boxing. I can't take it anymore." Arum said he thought it was 'a magnificent fight and you have to continue.'


Cotto vs. Pacquiao

Immediately after the Clottey fight, negotiations began to pursue a contest against
Manny Pacquiao Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. (; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician and former professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He served as a Senator of the Phil ...
(49-3-2, 38 KOs). Even before Pacquiao defeated
Ricky Hatton Richard John Hatton (born 6 October 1978) is a British former professional boxer who competed between 1997 and 2012, and has since worked as a boxing promoter and trainer. During his boxing career he held multiple world championships at l ...
, Bob Arum, who represents both Cotto and Pacquiao, stated that he was interested in this matchup. Subsequently, Pacquiao expressed interest in fighting Cotto. The fight was sanctioned as a world title fight in the welterweight division, where the weight limit is 147 pounds, however Cotto's camp agreed to fight at a catchweight of 145 pounds to accommodate Pacquiao's smaller physique. Cotto's camp also conceded the larger share of the purse to Pacquiao, who received a 65% share of pay-per-view buys, compared to Cotto's 35% share. On November 14, 2009, the fight took place in front of a sold-out crowd of 16,200 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Pacquiao defeated Cotto via TKO, 55 seconds into the 12th round, dethroning Cotto as a
WBO The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxing ...
welterweight champion. With the win, Pacquiao made history becoming the first ever seven-weight world champion. The fight generated 1.25 million buys and 70 million dollars in domestic pay-per-view revenue, making it the most watched PPV boxing event of 2009. Pacquiao earned around 22 million dollars for his part in the fight, whilst Cotto earned around 12 million dollars. The fight also generated a live gate of $8,847,550 from an official crowd of 15,930.


Light middleweight


Cotto vs. Foreman

After the Pacquiao fight, Cotto moved to the
light middleweight Light middleweight, also known as junior middleweight or super welterweight,PeBoxRec/ref> is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing The light middleweight division (also known as junior middleweight in the IBF or super welterweight in the WBA a ...
division. On June 5, 2010, he fought against undefeated
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i WBA light Middleweight Champion Yuri Foreman at
Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the orig ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. Bob Arum had said that if Cotto were to win, he would become a front runner to defend the WBA belt against
Manny Pacquiao Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. (; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician and former professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He served as a Senator of the Phil ...
in November. Cotto stated that he would consider a return to the welterweight division, in case of an interesting fight. Cotto ended up knocking Foreman down with a signature left hook to the body in the ninth round, after Foreman tore his knee, Cotto, claiming the WBA light middleweight title, his fourth overall in three different weight divisions.


Cotto vs. Mayorga

On January 19, 2011, in a press conference at Times Square, New York, Bob Arum and Don King, working together for the first time in five years, officially announced that Cotto would defend his WBA light middleweight title against former two-division world champion
Ricardo Mayorga Ricardo Antonio Mayorga Perez (born October 3, 1973) is a Nicaraguan professional boxer and former mixed martial artist. In boxing he is a former two-weight world champion, having held the unified WBA (Unified), WBC, ''Ring'' magazine, and lin ...
at the
MGM Grand Garden Arena The MGM Grand Garden Arena (originally known as the MGM Grand Garden Special Events Center) is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena located within the MGM Grand Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip. Sporting events From its opening on December 18, 1993 ...
in
Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
on March 12, 2011, live on Showtime PPV. In front of 7,247 at the MGM, Cotto defeated Mayorga via TKO in the 12th round, retaining his WBA light middleweight title. Throughout the fight, Mayorga looked to engage, however the discipline on Cotto played a big part in the win, saving his big shots for the final round. A left hook landed, which dropped Mayorga and ended the bout. At the time of stoppage, Cotto was ahead by five points on all three judges' scorecards. With the win, Cotto's record for world title fights improved to (17-2). Cotto earned $1 million from the fight and compubox stats showed that Cotto out punched Mayorga 249 to 176 in total punches. In the post-fight, Cotto explained how he won the fight, "The game plan was not to get caught up in any of his antics. He was very heavy handed, I felt his punches the whole fight." He also mentioned how before the last round, his trainer Emanuel Steward told him he would be able to stop Mayorga in the last round, which was the conclusion of the fight.


Cotto vs. Margarito II

On July 30, 2011, it was announced that Cotto would make a second defence of his WBA title against rival Antonio Margarito (38-7, 27 KOs) in a rematch to their first fight, which took place in July 2008. The fight was set to take place at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...
on December 3, 2011. The MGM Grand was also considered as a possible venue. At first, the
New York State Athletic Commission The New York State Athletic Commission or NYSAC, also known as the New York Athletic Commission, is a division of the New York State Department of State which regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of New York, ...
(NYSAC) denied Margarito a boxing license on October 31, 2011. The reason for the denial was not due to the cheating allegations, but instead due to the damage to Margarito's eye in the
Manny Pacquiao Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. (; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician and former professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He served as a Senator of the Phil ...
fight. An appeal was filed and a hearing took place to where several leading eye doctors testified that Margarito should be allowed to fight. A final decision was expected on November 18, 2011. Without a license, Margarito could not fight in the state of New York. Arum initially stated that if Margarito was not licensed to fight, then
Vanes Martirosyan Vanes Martirosyan ( hy, Վանես Մարտիրոսյան; born May 1, 1986) is a former Armenian-born American professional boxer from 2005 to 2019. He has challenged twice for a light middleweight world title in 2013 and 2016, and once for a ...
would take his place on the card. However, Arum later stated that the fight would be moved to a venue in a state that Margarito holds a license. On November 18, 2011, the NYSAC did not make a final vote as expected. Instead, they ordered Margarito to be examined by their own doctor. Based on the findings of their own doctor, they would make a decision on whether Margarito received a license. The New York State Athletic Commission granted Antonio Margarito a license to box in New York after a hearing in Manhattan. A sold-out crowd of 21,239 was announced. Cotto avenged the defeat from 2008 stopping Margarito in the 10th round. The fight was stopped at the start of the 10th round because of the condition of Margarito's right eye, which was swollen shut. This was the same eye that was badly damaged in his fight with Pacquiao and the one that almost kept the
New York State Athletic Commission The New York State Athletic Commission or NYSAC, also known as the New York Athletic Commission, is a division of the New York State Department of State which regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of New York, ...
from granting him his boxing license because of the special procedure that was performed on it in 2010. At the time of stoppage, Cotto lead 89–82 on all three judges' scorecards. For the fight, Cotto earned a minimum $5 million, the figure would increase due to PPV shares and Margarito earned $2.5 million.


Cotto vs. Mayweather Jr.

On February 1, 2012, undefeated seven-time world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (41-0, 25 KO's) announced that he would challenge Cotto for his WBA 'Super' light middleweight title at the MGM Grand on May 5, 2012. Mayweather took to Twitter, "I’m fighting Miguel Cotto on May 5th because Miss Pac Man is ducking me." He also claimed to have offered Pacquiao a guaranteed $40 million, with $20 million upfront. The last time Mayweather fought at 154 pounds was in 2007, in his win against Oscar De La Hoya. Mayweather came in at 151, while Cotto came in at 154 pounds. The fight started off with Cotto establishing himself as the fight's aggressor, but with Mayweather winning the first two rounds using effective counter-punching and body movement to block most of Cotto's punches. However, in the third round Cotto seemed to successfully swarm Mayweather and land decent flurries to steal himself the round. Then from rounds 4-9 the action was closely contested, with both fighters using their partially contrasting styles in attempts to one-up the other. Ultimately though, Mayweather managed to adjust to Cotto's new rhythm of attacking in flurries and used his now-newly tweaked counter-punching style to win a lot of the final rounds, in what people thought had secured Mayweather the decision victory. Cotto had Mayweather against the ropes many times, resulting in some damage and a lot of bleeding from Mayweather's nose. Cotto's eyes had some partial swelling. Mayweather won via unanimous decision with scores of 117–111, 117–111, and 118–110. The crowd booed loudly when the scores were read out. Cotto was humble in defeat, "The judges said I lost the fight; I can't do anything else. I'm happy with my fight and performance and so is my family. I can't ask for anything else." When they hugged at the end, Mayweather told Cotto, "You are a hell of a champion — the toughest guy I fought." Cotto landed 105 of 506 punches thrown (21%), while Mayweather landed 179 punches of 687 thrown (26%).


Cotto vs. Trout, Rodríguez

On August 31, 2012, terms were agreed for Austin Trout to defend his WBA light middleweight title against Cotto on December 1 at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...
in New York City. 13,096 attended the Garden. Trout started the fight off fast, using his quick combinations to continually get his punches off first against Cotto. Trout also used his superior footwork to evade most of Cotto's punches, and was able to out muscle Cotto off the ropes when he was cornered in the fight. During the middle rounds, Cotto found success trapping Trout on the ropes and keeping him there, ripping Trout with body shots and finding the range with his left hook. Trout regained control in the later rounds, even backing Cotto up later in the fight, and stunned Cotto several times down the stretch with his straight left hand. Trout won the fight by a wide unanimous decision, giving him the biggest win of his career thus far. The judges' scores were 117–111, 117–111, and 119–109. Trout landed 238 of 779 punches (31%) and Cotto landed 183 of 628 punches thrown (29%). After the fight, Trout called out fellow light middleweight champion Canelo Álvarez. The fight averaged 1.047 million and peaked at 1.4 million viewers, which set a record for Showtime boxing. On July 6, 2013, it was announced that Cotto would next fight light middleweight contender
Delvin Rodríguez Delvin Antonio Rodríguez (born May 4, 1980) is a Dominican professional boxer who has challenged three times for a world title (once at welterweight and twice at light middleweight). Professional career Welterweight Delvin defeated Shamone Alv ...
(28-6-3, 16 KOs) in a bout promoted by Top Rank. It would mark the first time Cotto would fight under the Top Rank banner since his contract expired in December 2011. Cotto recruited Hall of Famer Freddie Roach as head trainer. The bout was scheduled for October 5 with the venue likely being in Florida. The
Amway Center Amway Center is an indoor arena located in Downtown Orlando, Florida. The arena is home to the Orlando Magic of the NBA, the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL, and the Orlando Predators of the National Arena League. Amway Center hosted the 2012 N ...
in
Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...
was later confirmed as the venue and the fight was made official on July 23 at the Disney Atrium. An attendance of 11,912 was announced. Cotto looked like the Cotto of old, by displaying an aggressive style early on in the fight and landing powerful body shots. One punch in his arsenal that was brought back to life, was the vicious left hook which he was known for in his days of dominance in the junior welterweight and welterweight divisions. The second round saw Cotto landing body shots at will and with less than 10 seconds left in the round he staggered Rodríguez with a sharp left hook. In the beginning of the third round, with Rodríguez still feeling the effects of the left hook at the end of round two, Cotto forced Rodríguez in to the ropes landed a left hook to the temple, followed by flurry of punches which knocked Rodríguez onto the canvas. The referee then stopped the fight and gave Cotto a third-round TKO victory. Over the course of the fight, Cotto landed 55 of 110 punches thrown (50%), 47 of which were power punches and Rodríguez landed 16 of his 68 thrown (24%). The fight averaged 1.555 million viewers on HBO, the highest rating for 2013.


Middleweight


Cotto vs. Martinez

In February 2014, it was announced that Cotto would challenge WBC, ''The Ring'' and lineal middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (51-2-2, 28 KOs) for the titles on June 7, 2014, in his first fight in the middleweight division at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...
. Martinez was inactive for a year before the bout and had two separate surgeries performed on his right knee. Throughout the fight, journalists and fans alike, noticed Martinez was unable to bend, flex and support his own weight while moving in the ring. Martinez himself proclaimed that his knee had nothing to do with the outcome of the fight and his struggles were a result of a body shot. Cotto knocked Martinez down 3 times in the first round and once in the ninth round before Martinez retired on his stool before the tenth round, giving Cotto the win by ninth-round corner retirement. The attendance was announced 21,090 at the Garden. At the time of stoppage, all three judges had the fight 90–77 for Cotto. With the win, Cotto became the first Puerto Rican boxer to win world titles in four different weight classes. According to CompuBox Stats, Cotto landed 212 if 395 punches thrown and Martinez landed 100 of his 322 thrown. Cotto had a base purse of $3 million but guaranteed $7 million and Martinez was guaranteed $1.5 million, which could increase from PPV sales. Highlights were shown on regular HBO a week later and averaged 970,000, peaking at 1.126 million. The fight generated $20 million from 350,000 buys on HBO PPV. This was considered a disappointment as HBO projected the fight would do around a 500,000 buyrate. Bob Arum, Cotto's promoter stated the reason for a downfall in PPV buys was simply because there was too many of them. Martinez's promoter Lou DiBella added that there was a lot events that same weekend, which would have impact on the boxing event. The promotion did however make a profit due to the $4.7 million live gate.


Cotto vs. Geale

In March 2015, Cotto signed with
Jay Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one o ...
's
Roc Nation Sports Roc Nation Sports is the sports management division of Roc Nation. History Roc Nation Sports was founded by Shawn "JAY-Z" Carter in Spring 2013 in partnership with Creative Artists Agency, a prominent talent agency based in Los Angeles. Roc Nat ...
. In April they announced that Cotto would be making his first defence of his titles, after winning them nearly a year ago, against 34 year old former unified middleweight champion
Daniel Geale Daniel Geale (born 26 February 1981) is an Australian former professional boxer who competed from 2004 to 2016. He held the unified WBA (Super) and IBF middleweight titles between 2011 and 2013, and the IBO middleweight title from 2007 to 2009 ...
(31-3, 16 KOs) on June 6, 2015, at the
Barclays Center Barclays Center is a multi-purpose list of indoor arenas, indoor arena in the New York City Boroughs of New York City, borough of Brooklyn. The arena is home to the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association and the New York Liberty o ...
in New York. There was issues relating to weight for Geale, who already struggled to make the 160 pound limit previously. Cotto stated if he wanted the fight, he would need to accept a catch weight of 157 pounds. on the weigh in, Cotto weighed 153.6 pounds, whilst a weigh-drained Geale weighed in at the limit of 157 pounds. On fight night, Geale stepped on the HBO scales and weighed 182 pounds. After three one-sided rounds, Cotto knocked Geale down twice in the fourth round to retain his world titles. After the second knockdown, referee Harvey Dock asked Geale if he wanted to continue, in which Geale replied 'No', prompting Dock to wave off the fight at 1:28 into round 4. Compubox stats showed, at the time of stoppage, Cotto had landed 68 of 183 punches thrown (37%) and Geale landed 33 of 127 (26%).
Gennady Golovkin Gennadiy Gennadyevich Golovkin ( Cyrillic: ; also spelled Gennady; born 8 April 1982), often known by his nickname "GGG" or "Triple G", is a Kazakhstani professional boxer. He has held multiple middleweight world championships, and is a two-ti ...
was in attendance. In the post fight interview, Cotto said Canelo is next and if Golovkin is available after that, he would fight him. The fight was a success on HBO averaging 1.589 million viewers and peaked at 1.621 million viewers.


Cotto vs. Alvarez

Cotto lost to Saul "Canelo" Álvarez on November 21, 2015, via unanimous decision. The fight was close throughout as both boxers were cautious in their attacks, neither fighter was seriously hurt. As Cotto attacked with a jab the whole fight, and didn't sit down on his punches, instead deciding to employ movement. Álvarez responded with power punches, landing especially to the body. Both fighters showed iron chins, with Cotto repeatedly coming back after hard shots to the head. The scorecards at the end of the night were highly controversial as they did not show the competitiveness of the fight, with many boxing pundits having Álvarez winning by a round or two, others called it a draw. The official judges' scorecards read 119–109, 118–110, and 117–111 for Álvarez.
ESPN.com ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc. History Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including: ...
had the fight much closer, but still scored it in favour of Álvarez at 115–113. According to CompuBox, Álvarez landed 155 of 484 punches (32 percent), and Cotto landed 129 of 629 (21 percent), with Álvarez landing the heavier blows and inflicting more damage. There was a fraction of the boxing world that felt Cotto won by both a small margin, while others felt he won decisively. Cotto left immediately after hearing the scorecards, with his team and family. Cotto did not attend the post-fight press conference, but Freddie Roach in his place stated that he believed his fighter won, by outscoring Álvarez and blocking many of his shots. Cotto later told reporters in Puerto Rico that he felt he won.


WBC withdraws recognition

On November 17, 2015, in the week leading up to his fight with Alvarez, the WBC announced that they were withdrawing recognition of Cotto as their Middleweight World Champion. The WBC's reasoning was "After several weeks of communications, countless attempts and good faith time extensions trying to preserve the fight as a WBC World Championship, Miguel Cotto and his promotion did not agree to comply with the WBC Rules & Regulations, while Canelo Alvarez has agreed to do so." This meant that, though Cotto was stripped of his title, Alvarez still had the opportunity to win the championship. Cotto then stated publicly that the reason the WBC stripped him of his title was because he refused to pay their sanctioning fees, which he believed to be excessive.


Return to light middleweight

There were negotiations from January 2016 for a fight between Cotto and former four-weight division champion Juan Manuel Márquez. The main issue between both camps being the weight issue with Marquez looking to fight at no more than 147lbs and Cotto looking to fight at 155lb catchweight. Miguel Cotto Promotions told ESPN.com that negotiations had broke down on August 2 as both camps could not settle on what weight the fight would be at. Cotto still planning to return to the ring in December.


Cancelled James Kirkland fight

Miguel Cotto Promotions told Ringtv.com that a deal had been finalized for Cotto's ring return on February 25, 2017, against veteran American boxer James Kirkland (32-2, 28 KOs) at
The Ford Center at The Star Ford Center at The Star is a 12,000-seat indoor stadium located in Frisco, Texas. Its main use is as the Dallas Cowboys' practice facility. It is also used for Whataburger's Friday Night Stars, an event every Friday showcasing Frisco Independen ...
in Frisco,
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
on HBO PPV. This would be Cotto's first fight since a decision loss to Canelo Alvarez in November 2015. It would also be Kirkland's first fight since May 2015 where he was knocked out by Alvarez. The contracts were signed and the fight was agreed on December 13, 2016, for an agreed catchweight of 153 pounds. The fight was postponed on February 2, after Kirkland cut his nose, this was later revealed as a fracture, eventually cancelling the card. On May 18, 2017, sources confirmed that Cotto had parted ways with promoter
Roc Nation Sports Roc Nation Sports is the sports management division of Roc Nation. History Roc Nation Sports was founded by Shawn "JAY-Z" Carter in Spring 2013 in partnership with Creative Artists Agency, a prominent talent agency based in Los Angeles. Roc Nat ...
. One of the main reasons for the split was due to not having an opponent lined up even though he mentioned 2017 would be his last year in the sport and he would like to have had two fights. A fight with Japanese boxer
Yoshihiro Kamegai Yoshihiro Kamegai (亀海喜寛 ''Kamegai Yoshihiro'', born November 12, 1982) is a Japanese former professional boxer who competed from 2005 to 2018. affiliated with the Teiken Boxing Gym and Golden Boy Promotions. He secured the Japanese super ...
(27-3-2, 24 KOs) was penciled in for June 24, but fell through. HBO also did not back the fight. On May 31, 2017, it was announced that Cotto signed a multi fight deal with
Golden Boy Promotions Golden Boy Promotions, Inc. is an American boxing promotional firm based in Los Angeles, California. The company was established in 2002 by eight-time world champion (in six divisions) Oscar De La Hoya, borrowing his nickname "Golden Boy." His ...
. Part of the deal included to showcase Miguel Cotto Promotions developing prospects, revitalize boxing in Puerto Rico as well as co-promote Cotto's upcoming fights. Golden Boy would also televise fights from Puerto Rico, something that hadn't been done in 2003, live on
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
.


Cotto vs. Kamegai

On May 20, Cotto started working with Golden Boy Promotions to finalize a deal against
Yoshihiro Kamegai Yoshihiro Kamegai (亀海喜寛 ''Kamegai Yoshihiro'', born November 12, 1982) is a Japanese former professional boxer who competed from 2005 to 2018. affiliated with the Teiken Boxing Gym and Golden Boy Promotions. He secured the Japanese super ...
(27-3-2, 24 KOs). Miguel Cotto Promotions Executive Hector Soto said a deal should be finalized in the coming week. On May 24, it was announced a deal was made for a fight between Cotto and Kamegai to take place on August 26, 2017, at the
StubHub Center Dignity Health Sports Park is a multi-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. The complex consists of the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park soccer stadium, the Dignit ...
in
Carson, California Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the South Bay region of Los Angeles, located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately away from Los Angeles International Airport. Incorporated on February 20, 1968, ...
live on HBO. This would be Cotto's 23rd appearance on the network. It was confirmed that vacant WBO light middleweight championship would be at stake, the title was vacated by Canelo Álvarez, who moved up to middleweight. A day after signing a deal with Golden Boy, Cotto revealed that he would fight again on December 2, 2017. Cotto weighed 153.6 pounds for the fight with Kamegai coming in slightly heavier at 153.8 pounds. Cotto reiterated that he would retire on December 31, 2017. In front of 7,689 st the StubHub, Cotto defeated Kamegai via unanimous decision after 12 rounds to claim the vacant WBO light middleweight title and became a 6-time world champion. The three judges scored the fight 120–108, 119–109, and 118–110 all in favour of Cotto. Kamegai gave a good effort but fell short every time he would connect with a punch, Cotto would counter with a combination of his own. Cotto spent the early rounds backed against the ropes on the back foot and still managed to do some damage landing hooks to the head of Kamegai. After round 10, Cotto started boxing on the outside and decided to settle for a decision win, he explained in the post-fight, "I think I did my best and I'm happy with my performance. (Kamegai) is a tough fighter. By the fifth or sixth round, I knew I was not going to be able to stop him." Cotto confirmed he would fight again in December, preferably the winner of Canelo-GGG. The fight, which took place on HBO averaged 730,000 viewers and peaked 805,000 viewers. The fight ended before the
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor, billed as ''The Money Fight'' and ''The Biggest Fight in Combat Sports History'', was a professional boxing match between undefeated eleven-time five-division boxing world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. a ...
fight started on Showtime PPV.


Cotto vs. Ali

In September 2017, former IBF middleweight champion David Lemieux made himself available as Cotto's final opponent, which would take place on December 2, 2017, on HBO at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...
. According to a source, regardless of who Cotto fights, Lemieux would still appear on the card. Also in September, three-weight world champion Mikey Garcia took to social media and called out Cotto for a fight in December. On September 21, he reiterated his desire to move up to 154 to be Cotto's final foe. Cotto's trainer was also open for the fight to take place. On October 7, ESPN reported that terms were agreed for Cotto's final fight against former Olympian and world welterweight title challenger
Sadam Ali Sadam Ali (born September 26, 1988) is an American professional boxer who held the WBO junior middleweight title from 2017 to 2018. He also challenged once for the WBO welterweight title in 2016. Early life Ali was born in 1988 in Brooklyn, New ...
(25-1, 14 KOs) to take place on December 2 at Madison Square Garden. Information in regards to the contracted weight of the fight wasn't discussed at this point. Cotto weighed 151.6 pounds, the lightest he had weighed eight years. Ali came in at 153 pounds. In a surprising upset, in front of 12,391 mostly Puerto Rican fans, Cotto lost his final bout of his career via a 12-round unanimous decision. The three judges' scorecards read 115–113, 116–112, and 115–113 all in favour of Ali, who also claimed the WBO light middleweight title. Cotto stated after the fight that he had torn his left bicep in round 7. Cotto started the fight off well, but appeared to slow down midway. Cotto was hurt several times in the fight, and looked on the verge of being stopped a number of occasions, however Ali never looked as though he was going for a knockout. After round 8, two judges had Cotto in front, whilst the third had it even. Although mentioned the bicep injury, Cotto went on to say, "I don't want to make excuses. Sadam won the fight. It is my last fight. I am good, and I want to be happy in my home with my family." Cotto ended his career with a (8-2) record at MSG. Ali thanked Cotto for giving him the opportunity to fight him, "I worked hard for it. I took advantage of this fight, and I made sure to make it count. I want to thank team Cotto, they could have taken an easier fight if they wanted to." Compubox stats showed that Cotto landed 163 of 536 punches thrown (30.4%), whilst Ali landed 139 of his 647 thrown (21.5%). For his final fight, Cotto earned a minimum purse of $1 million. Ali earned a career high $700,000 purse. Cotto was set to have surgery on December 6 to mend a ruptured biceps tendon, which was successful. Cotto's final professional bout averaged 944,000 viewers and peaked at 1.012 million on HBO.


Retirement

Cotto kept his word and retired after his loss to Sadam Ali. When asked if the fight was his last, Cotto said, "It is. I want to be happy in my home and enjoy my family." Cotto then told the fans, "Thank you for supporting me at every opportunity. "I'm so glad to call Madison Square Garden my home." After a 17-year professional career, Cotto officially retired with a record of 41 wins, with 33 wins inside the distance, and 6 losses.


Personal life

Cotto is married to Melissa Guzmán with whom he has three children, Luis, Alondra and Miguel Cotto III. Cotto has another daughter from a previous relationship, who was born in November 2006. Cotto also owns and presides a boxing promotion named "Promociones Miguel Cotto", which organizes fight cards in Puerto Rico. Similarly he founded "El Ángel", a non-profit organization that promotes physical activity and measures against infant obesity.
Marc Eckō Marc Louis Ecko (né Milecofsky; August 29, 1972) is an American fashion designer, entrepreneur, and artist. He is the founder and Chief Creative Officer of fashion company Ecko Unlimited. He also founded '' Complex'' magazine in 2002. Early ...
, fashion designer and owner of
Eckō Unltd. Yakira, L.L.C. (trade name: Ecko Unltd.) is an American urban fashion company founded by Marc Ecko in 1993. The company makes apparel and accessories under brands including the men's Ecko Unltd. line and the Ecko Red line for girls and women. ...
, selected Cotto when promoting the brand within the sport, citing the boxer's "fearless" demeanor as one of the main reasons behind this agreement. As a product of this partnership, Eckō Unltd. produced boxing gear for him as well as mainstream clothing accessories for the general public. Miguel Cotto's uncle David Cotto was the first Cotto to be a boxer, he was trained by Bob Foster out of Albuquerque New Mexico and Managed by Jack Luce. In the same stable was Clint Jackson and Tommy Cordova. His career was cut short due to a gunshot wound to his right hand while working as an NYPD officer.


Professional boxing record


Pay-per-view bouts


International Boxing Hall of Fame


See also

*
List of WBA world champions This is a list of WBA world champions, showing every world champion certified by the World Boxing Association (WBA). The list also includes champions certified by the National Boxing Association (NBA), the predecessor to the WBA. Boxers who won ...
*
List of WBC world champions This is a list of WBC world champions, showing every world champion certificated by the World Boxing Council (WBC). The WBC is one of the four major governing bodies in professional boxing, and certifies world champions in 18 different weight c ...
*
List of WBO world champions This is a list of WBO world champions, showing every world champion certified by the World Boxing Organization (WBO). The WBO is one of the four major governing bodies in professional boxing, and has awarded world championships in 17 different w ...
* List of ''The Ring'' world champions *
List of welterweight boxing champions A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
*
List of light middleweight boxing champions This is a chronological List of World Super Welterweight / Junior Middleweight / Light Middleweight Boxing Champions, as recognized by four of the better-known sanctioning organizations: * The World Boxing Association (WBA), founded in 1921 as the ...
*
List of middleweight boxing champions Championship recognition 1884–1910 Champions were recognized by public acclamation. A champion in that era was a fighter who had a notable win over another fighter and kept winning afterward. Retirements or disputed results could lead to a cha ...
* List of boxing quadruple champions * List of Puerto Rican boxing world champions * List of Puerto Ricans *
Boxing at the 2000 Summer Olympics The boxing competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia was held at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre in Darling Harbour. The event was only open to men and bouts were contested over four rounds of two minutes each. ...


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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cotto, Miguel 1980 births Boxers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Boxing promoters Living people Olympic boxers of Puerto Rico People from Caguas, Puerto Rico Sportspeople from Providence, Rhode Island Puerto Rican male boxers World Boxing Association champions World Boxing Council champions World Boxing Organization champions The Ring (magazine) champions World light-welterweight boxing champions World welterweight boxing champions World light-middleweight boxing champions World middleweight boxing champions Central American and Caribbean Games silver medalists for Puerto Rico Competitors at the 1998 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in boxing International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees