Miguel Cotto
Miguel Cotto | |||||||||||||
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Cotto in 2010 | |||||||||||||
Statistics | |||||||||||||
Real name | Miguel Ángel Cotto Vázquez | ||||||||||||
Nickname(s) | Junito | ||||||||||||
Rated at |
Middleweight Light middleweight Welterweight Light welterweight | ||||||||||||
Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||||||||||||
Reach | 67 in (170 cm) | ||||||||||||
Nationality | Puerto Rican | ||||||||||||
Born |
Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. | October 29, 1980||||||||||||
Stance | Orthodox | ||||||||||||
Boxing record | |||||||||||||
Total fights | 45 | ||||||||||||
Wins | 40 | ||||||||||||
Wins by KO | 33 | ||||||||||||
Losses | 5 | ||||||||||||
Medal record
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Miguel Ángel Cotto Vázquez (born October 29, 1980), best known as Miguel Cotto, is a Puerto Rican professional boxer. He is the first and only Puerto Rican to win world titles in four different weight classes, and is a former WBC, lineal and The Ring magazine middleweight champion. The Transnational Boxing Rankings Board currently ranks him as the world's number one middleweight.
As an amateur, Cotto represented Puerto Rico in the lightweight and light welterweight divisions at various international events including the 1999 Pan American Games, the 2000 Summer Olympics and the 1998 Junior World Championships, where he won a silver medal. He began his professional career in 2001, and on September 11, 2004, he defeated Kelson Pinto for the WBO junior welterweight championship. He defended the title successfully a total of six times, before vacating it when he ascended to the welterweight division.
In his first welterweight fight, he defeated Carlos Quintana for the vacant WBA welterweight championship. Cotto successfully defended this title against Oktay Urkal, Zab Judah, Shane Mosley and Alfonso Gómez, before losing it to Antonio Margarito. On February 21, 2009, Cotto defeated Michael Jennings to win the vacant WBO welterweight championship. He defended the title against Joshua Clottey before losing it to Manny Pacquiao on November 14, 2009. On June 5, 2010, Cotto competed in his first fight at light middleweight, defeating Yuri Foreman for the WBA super welterweight championship, before losing it in his biggest fight to date against Floyd Mayweather, Jr. on May 5, 2012. On June 7, 2014, Cotto defeated Sergio Martínez to capture the TBRB, WBC and The Ring middleweight titles. In doing so, he became the first Puerto Rican fighter in history to win a world title in four different weight classes.
Cotto started out his career as a hard-hitting pressure fighter, but has evolved over the years into a more refined boxer-puncher. Many former opponents name Cotto as their hardest punching opponent, with Paulie Malignaggi (whom Cotto fought at light welterweight) going as far as to call Cotto's power "near superhuman". Cotto is considered to be one of the greatest fighters of his generation and also to be one of the best Puerto Rican boxers ever, among the likes of Félix Trinidad, Wilfred Benitez, Hector Camacho, Wilfredo Gomez, and Carlos Ortiz.
Early years and amateur career
Cotto was born in Rhode Island, to Puerto Rican parents, and relocated to Caguas, Puerto Rico with his family before he was two.[1] There are several figures linked to boxing in his family, including his late father Miguel Cotto Sr., his brother José Miguel Cotto, his second cousin Abner Cotto, 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 in Caguas.[2] There, he was able to develop into a top amateur fighter.[2] The young Cotto participated in several international tournaments, these include: The 1998 Junior World Championships that took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he finished in second place while competing in the Lightweight division.[2] 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 that took place in Winnipeg, 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.[2] 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.[2]
Professional 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 twice and 100-88.[3]
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.[4]
On September 13, 2003, Cotto defeated Demetrio Ceballos by knockout in the seventh round at Las Vegas. 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.[5]
Cotto's first fight of 2004, was a fourth round knockout victory over the former world title contender Victoriano Sosa. 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 in Las Vegas, and almost being removed from the Mandalay Bay Hotel, where the fight was held, by a security guard who thought he was an unaccompanied minor.[6]
On April 8, 2004, he defeated the former world title challenger, Lovemore N'dou, by unanimous decision in Las Vegas.[7] The first three rounds of the fight had a slow pace with neither of the boxers establishing control of the fight.[7] Cotto dominated the fourth and fifth rounds managing to land combinations on N'dou's head.[7] 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.[7] The judges gave Cotto scores of 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113.[7]
Junior Welterweight
On September 11, 2004, Cotto faced Kelson Pinto from Brazil, for the vacant World Boxing Organization 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. During this card Cotto utilized a defensive stance with his hands in a high position instead of his usual aggressive orthodox stance.[8] 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.[8]
On December 11, 2004, he successfully defended his title, beating former world champion Randall Bailey by knockout in the sixth round, as part of the Vitali Klitschko-Danny Williams undercard in Las Vegas.[9] Cotto's performance was described as a result of hand speed and accuracy.[9] During the fight Bailey received punches in his face that opened cuts over and under both of his eyes.[9] 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.[9] Eleven days later, on December 22, 2004 the Puerto Rican boxing commission named Cotto as Puerto Rico's fighter of the year for 2004.[10] Cotto's second title defense took place on February 26, 2005 in the Rubén Rodríguez in Bayamón, Puerto Rico against Demarcus Corley.[11] 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.[11] During the fight both boxers were deducted one point following illegal low blows.[11] Cotto scored three knockdowns before the fight was stopped by the referee at 2:45 of the fifth round following a combination by Miguel.[11] 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 [Cotto] hurt."[11] 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, 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.
On June 11, 2005, Cotto faced the last man to beat him as an amateur, former Olympic gold medalist Mohamed Abdulaev from Uzbekistan. As amateurs, Abdulaev eliminated Cotto from the first round of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. This time they met as professionals in New York City's Madison Square Garden. Before the beginning of the fight Cotto received a positive ovation from the public.[12] During the first round Miguel went on the offensive scoring hits on Abdullaev's head and body while he was in a defensive stance.[12] In the fourth round a left hook by Miguel hurt Abdullaev, who proceeded to focus his hits on Cotto's body.[12] Abdullaev's offense was effective in the sixth and seventh rounds and as a result of this Cotto assumed a defensive stance.[12] Following the eighth round Abdullaev's eye was swollen to the point of being almost entirely closed.[12] 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.[12] After being examined by the doctor Abdullaev indicated to the referee that he could not continue, this way Cotto retained the Welterweight division championship.[12]
Miguel's third championship defense took place on September 24, 2005 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, against Ricardo Torres of Colombia.[13] In the first round Cotto had an offensive advantage and scored a knockdown on Torres.[13] In the second round after trading hits Torres scored a knockdown on Miguel.[13] The last seconds of the round were evenly matched with both boxers finishing the round injured.[13] 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.[13] Cotto dominated the fourth round and Torres won the fifth.[13] 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.[13]
On March 4, 2006, Cotto defended his WBO Junior Welterweight title by knocking out Gianluca Branco, who had to give up during the eighth round of their bout due to a shoulder injury.[14] Cotto dominated the fight as a result of jab combinations in a card that took place in Bayamón, Puerto Rico.[14] 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.[15] Cotto opened a cut over Malignaggi's right eye in the first round, [15] 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".[15] Cotto won the fight by unanimous decision with scores of 116-111 and 115-112.[15] 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.[15]
Welterweight
You may watch Miguel Cotto vs various fighters here |
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.[16] 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.[17] On June 9, 2007, Cotto defended the WBA Welterweight Title against Zab Judah 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.[18]
Miguel Cotto and Shane Mosley fought on November 10, 2007 at Madison Square Garden in a card made possible by a legal settlement between Top Rank Boxing, Cotto's promoter, and Mosley's promoter, Golden Boy Promotions.[19] The fight was broadcast on HBO Pay-Per-View and was won by Cotto via unanimous decision. During the course of the fight Cotto pursued Mosley who was reacting in a slow fashion.[20] Late in the fight Mosley displayed more aggression at one point becoming the aggressor.[20] 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."[20] 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.[21] 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.[22]
On July 26, 2008, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, 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 scored the fight even.[23] HBO analyst Harold Lederman 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.
Corner changes
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 welterweight title. After both pugilists used the first round to study their opponent's style, the tempo accelerated during the second.[24] In the third, Cotto pursued the offensive more fluidly, connecting with jabs and hooks.[24] 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.[24] Jennings incorporated, but the referee decided to stop the fight.[25] 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.
On June 13, 2009, Cotto defended this championship against Joshua Clottey, in a fight that was originally intended to be an unification that also included the International Boxing Federation's title. In the first round he 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.[26]
Immediately after this fight, negotiations began to pursue a contest against Manny Pacquiao. Even before Pacquiao defeated Ricky Hatton, Bob Arum, who represents both Cotto and Pacquiao, stated that he was interested in this matchup.[27] Subsequently, Pacquiao expressed interest in fighting Cotto.[28] 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.[29]
On November 14, 2009, Pacquiao defeated Cotto by TKO 55 seconds into the 12th round, dethroning Cotto as a WBO welterweight champion.[30] The fight generated 1.25 million buys and 70 million dollars in domestic pay-per-view revenue, making it the most watched boxing event of 2009.[31] Pacquiao earned around 22 million dollars for his part in the fight, whilst Cotto earned around 12 million dollars.[31] Pacquiao-Cotto also generated a live gate of $8,847,550 from an official crowd of 15,930.[31]
Light Middleweight
Cotto vs. Foreman
After the Pacquiao fight, Cotto moved to the light middleweight division. On June 5, 2010, he fought against undefeated Israeli WBA Light Middleweight Champion Yuri Foreman at Yankee Stadium in New York. Bob Arum had said that if Cotto were to win, he would become a frontrunner to defend the WBA belt against Manny Pacquiao in November. Cotto stated that he would consider a return to the welterweight division, in case of an interesting fight.[32]
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.[33]
On March 12, 2011, Cotto defeated Ricardo Mayorga in a 12th round TKO, retaining his WBA Light Middleweight title on the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Cotto vs. Margarito II
On December 3, 2011, Cotto defeated Antonio Margarito via TKO 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 Manny Pacquiao and the one that almost kept the New York State Athletic Commission from granting him his boxing license because of the special procedure that was performed on it in 2010.
Cotto vs. Mayweather
On May 5, 2012, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. faced Miguel Cotto for the WBA (Super) Light Middleweight/Super Welterweight belt. 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. When they hugged at the end, Mayweather told Cotto, "You are a hell of a champion — the toughest guy I fought."
Cotto vs. Trout
Cotto's next fight was on December 1, 2012, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. His opponent was the undefeated WBA Super Welterweight Champion Austin Trout. Cotto lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Cotto vs. Rodríguez
Cotto faced Delvin Rodríguez on October 5, 2013, at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. 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 Rodriguez with a sharp left hook. In the beginning of the third round, with Rodriguez still feeling the effects of the left hook at the end of round two, Cotto forced Rodriguez in to the ropes landed a left hook to the temple, followed by flurry of punches which knocked Rodriguez onto the canvas. The referee then stopped the fight and gave Cotto a third-round TKO victory.
Middleweight
Cotto vs. Martinez
Cotto faced WBC and The Ring Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez for the titles on June 7, 2014 in his first fight in the middleweight division at Madison Square Garden. It should be noted that Martinez was inactive for a year before this bout and had two separate surgeries performed on his right knee.[34] Throughout the fight, journalists and fans alike, noticed Martinez was unable to bend, flex and support his own weight while moving in the ring.[35][36] 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.[37] 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. With the win, Cotto became the first Puerto Rican boxer to win world titles in four different weight classes.
Cotto vs. Alvarez
Cotto lost to Saul "Canelo" Alvarez 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. 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 Canelo and blocking many of his shots. Cotto later told reporters in Puerto Rico that he felt he won.[38]
WBC withdraws recognition of Cotto
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.[39] 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 Saúl Alvarez has agreed to do so."[39] 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.[40]
Professional boxing record
40 Wins (33 knockouts, 7 decisions), 5 Losses, 0 Draws[41] | ||||||||
No. | Res. | Record | Opponent | Type | Rd., Time | Date | Location | Notes |
45 | Loss | 40–5 | Saúl Álvarez | UD | 12 | 2015-11-21 | Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada | Lost Lineal and The Ring Middleweight titles. |
44 | Win | 40–4 | Daniel Geale | TKO | 4 (12), 1:28 | 2015-06-06 | Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York | Retained WBC, Lineal and The Ring Middleweight titles. |
43 | Win | 39–4 | Sergio Martínez | RTD | 9 (12), 3:00 | 2014-06-07 | Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York | Won WBC, Lineal and The Ring Middleweight titles. |
42 | Win | 38–4 | Delvin Rodríguez | TKO | 3 (12), 0:18 | 2013-10-05 | Amway Center, Orlando, Florida | |
41 | Loss | 37–4 | Austin Trout | UD | 12 | 2012-12-01 | Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York | For WBA Light Middleweight title. |
40 | Loss | 37–3 | Floyd Mayweather, Jr. | UD | 12 | 2012-05-05 | MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada | Lost WBA (Super) Light Middleweight title. |
39 | Win | 37–2 | Antonio Margarito | TKO | 10 (12), 0:03 | 2011-12-03 | Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York | Retained WBA (Super) Light Middleweight title. |
38 | Win | 36–2 | Ricardo Mayorga | TKO | 12 (12), 0:53 | 2011-03-12 | MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada | Retained WBA (Super) Light Middleweight title. |
37 | Win | 35–2 | Yuri Foreman | TKO | 9 (12), 0:42 | 2010-06-05 | Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York | Won WBA Light Middleweight title. |
36 | Loss | 34–2 | Manny Pacquiao | TKO | 12 (12), 0:55 | 2009-11-14 | MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada | Lost WBO Welterweight title. |
35 | Win | 34–1 | Joshua Clottey | SD | 12 | 2009-06-13 | Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York | Retained WBO Welterweight title. |
34 | Win | 33–1 | Michael Jennings | TKO | 5 (12), 2:38 | 2009-02-21 | Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York | Won vacant WBO Welterweight title. |
33 | Loss | 32–1 | Antonio Margarito | TKO | 11 (12), 2:05 | 2008-07-26 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada | Lost WBA Welterweight title. |
32 | Win | 32–0 | Alfonso Gómez | RTD | 5 (12), 3:00 | 2008-04-12 | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey | Retained WBA Welterweight title. |
31 | Win | 31–0 | Shane Mosley | UD | 12 | 2007-11-10 | Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York | Retained WBA Welterweight title. |
30 | Win | 30–0 | Zab Judah | TKO | 11 (12), 0:49 | 2007-06-09 | Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York | Retained WBA Welterweight title. |
29 | Win | 29–0 | Oktay Urkal | TKO | 11 (12), 1:01 | 2007-03-03 | Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan | Retained WBA Welterweight title. |
28 | Win | 28–0 | Carlos Quintana | RTD | 5 (12), 3:00 | 2006-12-02 | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey | Won vacant WBA Welterweight title. |
27 | Win | 27–0 | Paulie Malignaggi | UD | 12 | 2006-06-10 | Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York | Retained WBO Light Welterweight title. |
26 | Win | 26–0 | Gianluca Branco | TKO | 8 (12), 0:49 | 2006-03-04 | Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez, Bayamón | Retained WBO Light Welterweight title. |
25 | Win | 25–0 | Ricardo Torres | KO | 7 (12), 1:52 | 2005-09-24 | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey | Retained WBO Light Welterweight title. |
24 | Win | 24–0 | Mohammad Abdullaev | TKO | 9 (12), 0:57 | 2005-06-11 | Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York | Retained WBO Light Welterweight title. |
23 | Win | 23–0 | DeMarcus Corley | TKO | 5 (12), 2:45 | 2005-02-26 | Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez, Bayamón | Retained WBO Light Welterweight title. |
22 | Win | 22–0 | Randall Bailey | TKO | 6 (12), 1:39 | 2004-12-11 | Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada | Retained WBO Light Welterweight title. |
21 | Win | 21–0 | Kelson Pinto | TKO | 6 (12), 0:32 | 2004-09-11 | José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum, Hato Rey, San Juan | Won vacant WBO Light Welterweight title. |
20 | Win | 20–0 | Lovemore N'dou | UD | 12 | 2004-05-08 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada | Retained WBC International Light Welterweight title. |
19 | Win | 19–0 | Victoriano Sosa | TKO | 4 (12), 2:51 | 2004-02-28 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada | Retained WBC International Light Welterweight title. |
18 | Win | 18–0 | Carlos Maussa | TKO | 8 (12), 3:00 | 2003-12-06 | Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez, Bayamón | Retained WBC International Light Welterweight title. |
17 | Win | 17–0 | Demetrio Ceballos | TKO | 7 (12), 2:28 | 2003-09-13 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada | Retained WBC International Light Welterweight title. |
16 | Win | 16–0 | Rocky Martinez | KO | 2 (12), 2:42 | 2003-06-28 | Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez, Bayamón | Retained WBC International Light Welterweight title. |
15 | Win | 15–0 | Joel Perez | KO | 4 (10), 1:29 | 2003-04-19 | Selland Arena, Fresno, California | |
14 | Win | 14–0 | Cesar Bazan | TKO | 11 (12), 0:16 | 2003-02-01 | Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada | Won vacant WBC International Light Welterweight title. |
13 | Win | 13–0 | Ubaldo Hernandez | KO | 7 (10), 1:31 | 2002-11-22 | Coliseo Héctor Solá Bezares, Caguas | |
12 | Win | 12–0 | John Brown | UD | 10 | 2002-09-14 | Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada | |
11 | Win | 11–0 | Carlos Alberto Ramirez | KO | 3 (10), 2:34 | 2002-07-30 | Lucky Star Casino, Concho, Oklahoma | |
10 | Win | 10–0 | Justin Juuko | TKO | 5 (10), 2:44 | 2002-06-22 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada | |
9 | Win | 9–0 | Juan Angel Macias | TKO | 7 (10), 1:54 | 2002-05-03 | Orleans Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada | |
8 | Win | 8–0 | Sammy Sparkman | TKO | 2 (10), 2:49 | 2002-03-01 | Coliseo Guillermo Angulo, Carolina | |
7 | Win | 7–0 | Joshua Smith | TKO | 2 (8), 1:24 | 2002-01-11 | Coliseo Héctor Solá Bezares, Caguas | |
6 | Win | 6–0 | Arturo Rodriguez | KO | 2 (6), 2:52 | 2001-07-28 | Staples Center, Los Angeles, California | |
5 | Win | 5–0 | Rudolfo Lunsford | TKO | 4 (6), ? | 2001-07-01 | Pier 10 Arena, San Juan | |
4 | Win | 4–0 | Martin Ramirez | UD | 4 | 2001-05-20 | San Juan | |
3 | Win | 3–0 | Waklimi Young | UD | 4 | 2001-04-28 | Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, New York | |
2 | Win | 2–0 | Jacob Godinez | TKO | 2 (4), 1:17 | 2001-03-30 | Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas | |
1 | Win | 1–0 | Jason Doucet | TKO | 1 (4), 2:12 | 2001-02-23 | Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas | Professional debut. |
Personal life
Cotto is married to Melissa Guzmán[42] with whom he has two children, Alondra and Miguel Cotto III.[43] Cotto has another daughter from a previous relationship, who was born in November 2006.
Still an active boxer, Cotto also owns and presides a boxing promotion named "Promociónes Miguel Cotto", which organizes fight cards in Puerto Rico.[44] Similarly he founded "El Ángel", a non-profit organization that promotes physical activity and measures against infant obesity.[45] Marc Ecko, fashion designer and owner of Eckō, selected Cotto when promoting the brand within the sport, citing the boxer's "fearless" demeanor as one of the main reasons behind this agreement.[46] As a product of this partnership, Eckō produced boxing gear for him as well as mainstream clothing accessories for the general public.
Titles in boxing
Major World Titles:
- WBO Light Welterweight Champion (140 lbs)
- WBA Welterweight Champion (147 lbs)
- WBO Welterweight Champion (147 lbs)
- WBA Light Middleweight Champion (154 lbs)
- WBA (Super) Light Middleweight Champion (154 lbs)
- WBC Middleweight Champion (160 lbs)
Minor World Titles:
- WBB Light Middleweight Champion(154 lbs)
The Ring/Lineal Championship Titles:
- The Ring Middleweight Champion (160 lbs)
- Lineal Middleweight Champion (160 lbs)
Regional/International Titles:
- WBC International Light Welterweight Champion (140 lbs)
- WBA Fedelatin Light Welterweight Champion (140 lbs)
- WBO NABO Light Welterweight Champion (140 lbs)
Pay-per-view bouts
Date | Fight | Billing | Buys | Network |
---|---|---|---|---|
June 9, 2007 | Cotto vs. Judah | X-Plosive! | 225,000 | HBO |
November 10, 2007 | Cotto vs. Mosley | Fast & Furious | 400,000 | |
July 26, 2008 | Cotto vs. Margarito | The Battle | 450,000 | |
November 14, 2009 | Pacquiao vs. Cotto | Firepower | 1,250,000[47] | |
March 12, 2011 | Cotto vs. Mayorga | Relentless | 250,000 | Showtime |
December 3, 2011 | Cotto vs. Margarito II | The Battle 2 | 600,000[48][49][50][51] | HBO |
May 5, 2012 | Mayweather vs. Cotto | Ring Kings | 1,500,000[52] | |
June 7, 2014 | Cotto vs. Martínez | Battle of Kings | 350,000[53] | |
November 21, 2015 | Cotto vs. Alvarez | Battle of Latinos | 900,000 |
See also
- List of current world boxing champions
- List of boxing triple champions
- List of boxing quadruple champions
- List of Puerto Rican boxing world champions
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- Boxing at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- Ring Magazine pound for pound top 10 rankings
- The Battle (boxing)
- Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto
- Miguel Cotto vs. Yuri Foreman
References
- ↑ "Cotto devengará $4 millones ante Delvin Rodríguez (vídeo)" (in Spanish). NotiCel. 2013-10-02. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Miguel Cotto's Biography". Braging Rights Corner. 2002. Retrieved 9 August 2007.
- ↑ Dan Rafael (2002-09-14). "Cotto's star continues to rise". USA Today. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
- ↑ Sean Stowell (6 May 2004). "Cotto Sounds the Alarms". Archived from the original on February 11, 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
- ↑ John Gregg (13 September 2003). "Cotto Grinds Up Ceballos In Seven". Archived from the original on June 7, 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
- ↑ Doug Fischer (29 February 2004). "Sosa calls Cotto 'a very hard puncher'". Retrieved 11 June 2007.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Gregory Robinson. "Not Quite as Exciting as the Main Event..". Archived from the original on May 18, 2006. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
- 1 2 Luis Escobar. "Cotto Cuts Down Pinto Captures Crown". Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved 16 June 2007.
- 1 2 3 4 John Gregg (11 December 2004). "Cotto cuts down Bailey". Archived from the original on April 10, 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
- ↑ "Cotto, boxeador del año en Puerto Rico" (in Spanish). 24 December 2004. Retrieved 10 June 2007.
- 1 2 3 4 5 John Gregg (26 February 2005). "Cotto Tested By Corley Scores TKO". Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Thomas Gerbasi. "Cotto avenges last loss; Casamayor, 'Diamond' draw". Retrieved 11 June 2007.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 John Gregg (24 September 2005). "Jersey War Cotto KO's Torres". Archived from the original on June 7, 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
- 1 2 "Cotto Breaks Down Branco!". 4 May 2006. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Richmann (2006-06-13). "Ringside Boxing Report: Miguel Cotto - Paulie Malignaggi". SaddoBoxing.com. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
- ↑ Dan Rafael (2 December 2006). "Cotto crushes Quintana in five; Margarito goes distance". Retrieved 11 June 2007.
- ↑ Luis Escobar (3 March 2007). "Cotto Halts Urkal On 11th Round TKO". Archived from the original on June 30, 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
- ↑ "Cotto KOs Judah to retain crown". BBC News. 10 June 2007. Retrieved 10 June 2007.
- ↑ ESPN (15 August 2007). "Cotto-Mosley to take place on November 10th.". ESPN. Retrieved 15 August 2007.
- 1 2 3 Vivek Wallace. "Cotto Outpoints Mosley". East Side Boxing. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
- ↑ Noel Algarín Martínez (13 April 2008). "Deportes". Otra victoria para Miguel Cotto (in Spanish). Primera Hora.
- ↑ Carlos González (4 July 2008). "Deportes". La AMB resalta la labor de Cotto (in Spanish). Primera Hora.
- ↑ "Margarito stops Cotto". Sky Sports. 27 July 2008. Retrieved 27 July 2008.
- 1 2 3 Ángel M. Rivera. "Deportes". Round por round (in Spanish). El Nuevo Día. p. 93.
- ↑ Kevin Iole (21 February 2009). "Cotto drops Jennings, claims WBO title". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 21 February 2009.
- ↑ "Cotto overcomes cut, wins split decision". espn.com. June 14, 2009.
- ↑ DANNY BUENAFE, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau Chief. "Arum: After Hatton, Pacquiao may fight Cotto". ABS-CBN News.
- ↑
- ↑ "Pacquiao-Cotto duel whets fight fans’ appetite for action". GMA News Online.
- ↑ Archived October 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
- 1 2 3 "Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight sells 1.25 million pay-per-views". ESPN.com.
- ↑ Vester, Mark (May 29, 2010). "Miguel Cotto Would Consider a Return To Welterweight". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved May 29, 2010.
- ↑ Vester, Mark (June 6, 2010). "Miguel Cotto Punishes Yuri Foreman, Captures WBA Title". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
- ↑ Diego Morilla (12 May 2014). "Sergio Martinez: 'I feared I would never walk again' - Ring TV". Ring TV.
- ↑ Rafe Bartholomew. "Miguel Cotto–Sergio Martinez: The End of Maravilla". Grantland.
- ↑ Scott Christ (9 June 2014). "Opinion: Sergio Martinez's inability to move meant more than Cotto's quality". Bad Left Hook.
- ↑ Albert Samaha. "Sergio Martinez Credits Miguel Cotto, and Not Bad Knee, For Lopsided Loss at MSG". Village Voice.
- ↑ "Miguel Cotto: I Won 8 of 12 Rounds, I Expected To Win - Boxing News". Boxingscene.com. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
- 1 2 "World Boxing Council". Wbcboxing.com. 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
- ↑ "Miguel Cotto: Ask Oscar De La Hoya to give $1.1 million to the WBC and wait". CBSSports.com.
- ↑ "Miguel Cotto Professional boxing record". BoxRec.com.
- ↑ "Miguel Cotto The Family Man". Fabwags. January 2014. Retrieved April 2014.
- ↑ Carlos González. Incómodo Episidio para el campeón (in Spanish). Puerto Rico: Primera Hora. p. 95.
En estos momentos, Cotto se encuentra separado de su esposa Melissa Guzmán, con quien procreó dos hijos, Alondra y Miguel.
- ↑ "Nueva conquista" (in Spanish). ESPN Deportes. 2 May 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
- ↑ Lester Jiménez (20 September 2007). "Miguel Cotto es el "ángel" de los gorditos" (in Spanish). Primera Hora. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
- ↑ Brian Katkin (10 April 2008). "Ecko jumps into ring with Cotto partnership". USA Today. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
- ↑ "Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight sells 1.25 million pay-per-views". Sports.espn.go.com. 2009-11-20. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
- ↑ Mookie Alexander (10 May 2015). "Canelo's KO over Kirkland brings boxing a step closer to Miguel Cotto PPV blockbuster". Bloody Elbow.
- ↑ "“Fighting Words” — Deontay Wilder Gets A Reality Check - Boxing News". Boxingscene.com. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
- ↑ "Beating Pacquiao: A Conversation with Tim Bradley - Pacquiao vs Bradley - News". TopRank.com. 2012-05-31. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
- ↑ "Miguel Cotto: Boxing’s third best PPV performer". Boxing News 24.
- ↑ "Floyd Mayweather-Miguel Cotto rakes in $94M in PPV sales". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
- ↑ "Miguel Cotto-Sergio Martinez promotors say pay-per-views subpar". Espn.go.com. 2014-06-23. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Miguel Cotto. |
Awards and achievements | ||
---|---|---|
Vacant Title last held by Zab Judah |
WBO Light Welterweight Champion September 11, 2004 – October 27, 2006 Vacated |
Vacant Title next held by Ricardo Torres |
Vacant Title last held by Ricky Hatton |
WBA Welterweight Champion December 2, 2006 – July 26, 2008 |
Succeeded by Antonio Margarito |
Vacant Title last held by Paul Williams |
WBO Welterweight Champion February 21, 2009 – November 14, 2009 |
Succeeded by Manny Pacquiao |
Preceded by Yuri Foreman |
WBA Super Welterweight Champion June 5, 2010 – September 10, 2010 Promoted |
Vacant Title next held by Rigoberto Álvarezas Regular Champion |
Vacant Title last held by Winky Wright |
WBA Super Welterweight Champion Super Title September 10, 2010 – May 5, 2012 |
Succeeded by Floyd Mayweather, Jr. |
Preceded by Sergio Martínez |
WBC Middleweight Champion June 7, 2014 – November 17, 2015 Stripped |
Vacant Title next held by Saúl Álvarez |
The Ring Middleweight Champion June 7, 2014 – November 21, 2015 |
Succeeded by Saúl Álvarez |