Boxing Legend In The Making! (Miguel Angel Cotto)

Member Name: tommyhearns

Product:	Miguel Angel Cotto
Date:	21/11/08 (67 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Everything!

Disadvantages: None

Born 29/10/1980
Height 5' 7"
Reach 67"
Hometown: Caguas, Puerto Rico
Manager/Trainer: Evangelista Cotto (Uncle)
Promoted by Top Rank, Inc.

Miguel Cotto, a Puerto Rican professional boxer is the former WBO Light Welterweight and WBA Welterweight Champion of the world. He currently holds a record of 33 fights, 32 wins (26 KO's) and 1 defeat. Cotto is widely considered as a top 10 pound for pound fighter.

"I've always dreamed of being one of the greatest champions from Puerto Rico, like Wilfred Benitez and Felix Trinidad. I am on my way." Cotto is already the biggest boxing attraction from Puerto Rico. A relentless, intelligent, fast, powerful boxer who follows the old saying "killing the body, kill the head" approach did exactly that when he blow away Kelson Pinto via a 6th round KO thereby claiming the WBO light welterweight crown.

Although skilfully supreme, Cotto had one vulnerability, which made him an even greater attraction. Ricardo Torres, a hard punching Columbian exposed Cotto's weak chin and came close to handing Miguel his first defeat, after knocking him down on several occasions. However, Cotto showed sheer determination and heart to trade blow for blow and to score his own knockdowns to stop Torres in the 7th round.

In 2006, Miguel Cotto headlined at Madison Square Garden against the then undefeated Paul Malignaggi was Cotto's sixth and final opponent at light welterweight. The Puerto Rican put on a boxing master class, opening up a vicious cut over Malignaggi's right eye, hindering his performance throughout the fight. Cotto won a unanimous decision and Malignaggi had to be taken to hospital as he suffered a fractured orbital bone and a broken jaw.

Moving up to 147 pounds (Welterweight), Cotto faced the WBA Champion, Carlos Quintana, another undefeated boxer at the time. Each punch Cotto landed damaged his man, even the jabs to the body seemed to hurt Quintana. Miguel made extremely light work of his fellow Puerto Rican, who was hurt in the 5th round from a lethal body blow and decided to retire before the start of the 6th round, allowing Cotto to claim the WBA crown in his first fight at welterweight. After the fight he said "As always, I go in to fight my fight and win round by round...My shots were bigger, and he didn't stand up to it."

Moving on to bigger paydays and much tougher opponents, Cotto defended his title against former undisputed welterweight champion, Zab Judah on June 7, in front of a sell out Madison Square Garden again. The bout featured several low blows from Cotto's part, which led to a 1-point deduction from his score. Nevertheless, Cotto won by TKO in the 11th round. Judah argued the low blows "took a lot out of me" and claimed the referee was biased.

In what was quite possibly a career defining match up, Cotto faced his toughest test to date in a sure fire hall of famer, Sugar Shane Mosley. The fight was described "a rare moment in sports when a sudden star rises from what is categorically termed as goodness, to the cusp of greatness." Both fighters put on a tremendous performance, but Cotto prevailed earning a unanimous decision.

The fight against Mosley labelled as a war of speed, cemented Cotto's place in the world top 10 pound for pound fighters. By this time he had also won boxer of the year on several occasions from boxing organisations and sports associations.

At the time pound for pound king and number 1 ranked welterweight, Floyd Mayweather was supposedly not interested in fighting Cotto despite a huge payday opportunity. Cotto turned his attention to taking on "the most avoided man in boxing", Antonio Margarito. The Mexican who is a lanky, powerful and unmovable opponent had struggled to obtain a fight and had lost his title to Paul Williams, was given an opportunity by Cotto for a July 26 fight. But this was on the condition Margarito beat Kermit Cintron (IBF welterweight champion) and Cotto successfully defended his title against Alfonso Gomez.

Gomez proved no match for Cotto who his man down three times, once with a powerful jab and another with a vicious body blow. Cotto won the bout after the doctor indicated to the referee Gomez couldn't continue at the end of the 5th round. After the fight, Fightwriter.com's Graham Houston reported, "Miguel Cotto just seems to get better all the time. He was faster and slicker than I have ever seen him...The methodical, break-them-down fighter of his early career has evolved into a multidimensional boxer-fighter who can, as they say, do it all."

On the same night Margarito stopped Cintron for the second time in his career via a 6th round knockout and claiming the IBF title.

As was hoped Cotto and Margarito collided on July 26. Before the fight promoter Bob Arum said ""I get really excited about a fight like this because I know it can't be anything but great. That's why we're calling it 'The Battle.' It's a tough-ass fight. Two real men fighting. There won't be any playing around. No ducking or dodging. These are two guys who will go at it. That is their style. And don't forget the element that it is Mexico vs. Puerto Rico, which is the great rivalry in boxing."

In what was one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year, it did nothing else but deliver all expectations. Cotto dominated the early rounds landing breathtaking combinations and proving problems for Margarito with his incredible hand speed. The Puerto Rican kept a tight defence whilst showing great footwork to move away from danger for six rounds. But Margarito did what he does best and eventually upped the pressure to get Cotto against the ropes and deliver devastating left upper cuts and damaging body blows half way through round seven. A determined Cotto but hurt Cotto survived the round escaping with a nose bleed. With the majority of the crowd chanting for the Mexican Margarito, Cotto came back in the 8th round showing some more swift combinations and damaging left hooks that would knock any other normal opponent out. Unphased and still fresh Margarito piled on the pressure eventually trapping Cotto again to inflict more damage towards the end of the 10th round leaving him to bleed profusely. Cotto tried to continue in the 11th round; however Margarito ended the fight scoring two knockdowns, although on both occasions, Cotto down voluntarily prompting his trainer/uncle to call the fight off. HBO's Max Kellerman dubbed the fight "a boxing classic"

Although the division saw a new king and a top 10 pound for pound fighter, the loss did nothing to damage Cotto's reputation. Miguel showed his supreme ferocious skills and is still one of the boxing's prized assets.

The roots of Cotto's impeccable skills come from his extensive amateur background. He represented Puerto Rico in the 1999 Pan American Games, 2000 Summer Olympics and the 1998 Junior World Championships where he won a silver medal. Compiling a record of 102 wins at amateur level, Cotto became Puerto Rican national champion at several weight classes.

In 2001, Miguel Cotto's boxing career was in jeopardy after he apparently fell asleep at the wheel of a car whilst driving to training. Cotto suffered an arm injury which required hospitalisation. Successful treatment allowed him to return to the ring after a two year lay-off.

Miguel Cotto's next fight is against Michael Jenning's who holds a record of 34 wins (16 by KO) and 1 loss.

Summary: Cotto is a top pound for pound boxer competing at welterweight and holds a record of 32 wins