A Boxing Memory: Miguel Cotto

A Boxing Memory: Miguel Cotto

Miguel Cotto didn’t get the fairytale finish to his quite magnificent sixteen-year career. But in truth, it didn’t matter. Cotto still had his peace. At 37, his time was up. He knew it. His body knew it. Like virtually every fighter before him, Cotto went out on a defeat. It wasn’t the garden party he deserved for what he had served up in those wonderful sixteen years.

It was the 10th time Cotto had headlined at the iconic Madison Square Garden. The 2008 Olympian Sadam Ali wasn’t expected to spoil the grand farewell. But the incredibly tough and gifted Puerto Rican was 37, and his ageing body had nothing left to give. Ali beat him on points. Even though the final dance was missing a few crucial steps, Cotto still very nearly pulled off one final victory. But for Cotto, after nearly seventeen years in the sport, he was done.

Cotto, who won world titles in four weight divisions, had nothing left to fight for. He didn’t need to fight again, and like many before him, the odds are that he will resist the temptation to try one last time. Cotto has talked about not missing boxing, and you sense these are not words from a fighter thinking about one more dance. Content and happy with what he achieved. In truth, he should be. And so should we. Cotto won world titles at light-welterweight and all the way to middleweight. The style evolved over the years, allowing Cotto career longevity, and despite some high-profile defeats, there were many memorable nights in those twilight years.

Defeats to the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Canelo Alvarez, and Austin Trout were no disgrace, and Cotto was almost certainly on the slide and failed to dim what came before. As ever, we should judge on the prime and not the decline.

Cotto was born in 1980, a stellar amateur career included representing his country in the Pan American Games, and the 2000 Sydney Olympics came to a natural conclusion when Cotto turned professional in 2001. Just three years later, he was a world champion courtesy of a 6th round stoppage win over Kelson Pinto to claim the WBO light-welterweight title in his twenty-first fight. Cotto defended his belt six times, including a win over Paulie Malignaggi in 2006 in what would be his final defence of his title before the inevitable move up in weight.

A win over Carlos Quintana in late 2006 earned Cotto the vacant WBO welterweight bauble. Four defences followed, including memorable nights and victories over Shane Moseley and Zab Judah. Those two wins say plenty about the talents of Cotto. But defeat and controversy were coming.

Antonio Margarito took away the unbeaten record of Cotto in 2008 when he stopped Cotto in 11 bloody rounds. But time would leave that win for Margarito with much suspicion. It was a brutal savage fight, probably even more savage than we first imagined. But was it a fair fight? Cotto certainly believes it wasn’t. A shadow was cast on the win that made Margarito at one time the hottest fighter in the sport. A supposed signature win that is now viewed as something very different.

Just six months later, Margarito was fighting Shane Mosley, and Nazim Richardson got sight of some yellow stains on Cotto’s hand wraps. The local commission made Margarito take off his wraps, and a further examination revealed the yellow stains were plaster of pairs. Margarito was fighting with loaded hands. A leaked photo then emerged of similar stains on his wraps from the Cotto fight. Add in photos that seemed to indicate Margarito’s wraps were also split, and Cotto could be excused for any conspiracy theories that were being formed in his mind.

With freshly wrapped hands, Margarito still fought Mosley and lost. And heavily. In truth, it was a total annihilation. Margarito and his trainer, Javier Capetillo, were banned from boxing. After a year, Margarito got his licence back.

“I knew there was something wrong the night I lost to Margarito. I just wanted revenge.” Cotto would later say. Margarito pleaded his innocence in both fights. A case of believing what you want. Cotto never forgot and clearly thought he was the victim of foul play in their first meeting. Many agreed.

Three years after his first fight, Cotto got his opportunity to inflict his own brand of justice. Cotto had won and lost the WBO welterweight title, and by the time he fought the tainted Mexican again, he was the reigning WBA light-middleweight champion. Margarito served his ban, lost to Manny Pacquiao in a terribly one-sided fight in 2009 and the Mexican suffered a broken orbital bone and a cataract in his right eye and his career was put at risk once again. The rematch with vengeance and revenge in its narrative was delayed as a consequence. But boxing always finds a way when there is money to be made and Margarito, who had surgery to correct his eye problems, was given a license to fight in New York with more than a hint of controversy.

Margarito said he was prepared to die in that Madison Square Garden ring. Cotto was professional and battered his way to revenge for many things. The Mexican was stopped, humbled, and a thoroughly beaten fighter. More than arguably, he was lucky to be fighting again, period. After three years of waiting, Cotto had finally found what he had been looking for since losing his unbeaten record in such suspicious circumstances.

Cotto fought on with defeats to Mayweather, and Trout but a stoppage win over Sergio Martinez in 2014 earned Cotto the WBC middleweight title. Cotto beat Daniel Geale before losing on points to Alvarez in 2015. The loss to Ali two years later ended his career. Cotto left the sport with 41 wins and just six defeats. Cotto was one of the greatest fighters ever to come out of Puerto Rico.  

Photo/Painting Credit: Amanda Kelley