Miguel Kotto

Childhood and youth .

Miguel Angel Cotto was born on October 29, 1980 in Providence, Rhode Island. When the boy was 2 years old, his family moved to their historical homeland. The childhood of the future world boxing star was spent in the small town of Caguas, in the eastern part of the island of Puerto Rico. The entire male half of the Cotto family was engaged in boxing. Miguel suffered from excess weight. His uncle, Evangelista Cotto, taught fist art in one of the halls of Caguas. The man began to train his nephew. At first, boxing classes did not give pleasure to the young Puerto Rican. Over time, training has become a habit. Thus began the long journey of the most titled boxer in the history of the Island of Champions. Orlando Fernandez, the world champion among professionals, trained with young Miguel in the Banana Gym in Caguas.

Amateur career

Cotto has won the Puerto Rico National Championship 6 times. In 1997, Miguel won the bronze medal at the Central American tournament and won the regional tournament in Colombia. In 1998, he won three silver medals at major international lightweight tournaments: the Pan American Youth Games (Mexico), the World Junior Championships (Argentina) and the Central American and Caribbean Games (Venezuela). In 1999, Miguel took part in tournaments among adult athletes: the World Championships in Houston (USA) and the Pan American Games in Winnipeg (Canada), and also won the prestigious tournament named after his compatriot Jose Torres. Thanks to his victory at the Central American and Caribbean Games, Cotto won the right to represent his country at the Sydney Olympics. At the main tournament of the fourth anniversary, Miguel lost in the first round to the future winner Mukhammadkadir Abdullayev. After 5 years, fate brought two fighters together in the professional ring and the result of the rematch was in favor of Cotto. Upon returning from the Olympic Games, the young Puerto Rican decided to test his strength in the professional ring. His plans were disrupted by a terrible accident. Cotto received an open fracture of his right hand, which almost led to the end of his sports career. The fighter was provided with fast and qualified medical care. Thanks to the efforts of doctors, the athlete's hand was restored. In 2001, Cotto tested her strength in fights in the "pro" ring. His amateur record is 125 wins and 23 losses.

The manner of fighting

Miguel is short (170 centimeters) and does not have a large arm span. He's left-handed in life. In the amateur ring, Cotto often changed his stance during the fight. In professional boxing, he worked in the left-handed position-right-handed. The Puerto Rican has perfectly placed blows with his arm bent at the elbow: left in the liver area and left side in the head. At the beginning of his career, Miguel did not often use his right hand in combat. As the style was formed and experience gained, he began to use power right punches more often: from below to the solar plexus area and the right straight in the classic deuce. Miguel perfectly "knits" combinations of punches at an average distance. He feels comfortable in close combat under a hail of blows from an opponent and knows how to masterfully act "short". During his career, Cotto trained under the guidance of several well-known specialists: Joe Santiago, Emanuel Steward, Pedro Diaz. At the final stage of his professional career, the Puerto Rican worked with Freddie Roach and Marvin Somodio. Roach did not break Miguel's style, but improved his strengths. Productive cooperation allowed Cotto to win several bright victories at the end of his career and enter the history of boxing: he became the first boxer from Puerto Rico to submit to four weight categories.

Professional boxing and the beginning of the path

Thanks to his bright style, Cotto became a popular fighter in the rings of the USA. In 2003, he came close to a title fight in the first welterweight division. Confident victories over Cesar Bazan, Rocky Martinez, Carlos Maussa and Victoriano Sosa made Miguel a mandatory contender in several major versions. The managers of the young Puerto Rican were in no hurry to bring their fighter to the hegemon of the division - Konstantin Tszyu. Cotto won a difficult victory over Lovemore Ndu and got the right to fight for the vacant WBO title. On September 11, 2004, Miguel knocked out Kelson Pinto and became the new WBO world champion. 6 belt defenses followed against the best fighters of the division: Randall Bailey, Demarcus Corley, Mukhammadkadir Abdullayev, Ricardo Torres, Gianluca Branco and Paul Malignaggi. In duels with the best, through mistakes and missed shots, Miguel formed his unique style. He became a star of world boxing. His body was growing. Weight loss was becoming more and more difficult for him. Cotto decided to move to the welterweight division.

The status of the best fighter of the welterweight division

On December 2, 2006, Cotto stopped compatriot Carlos Quintana and won the vacant WBA welterweight belt. It's time for big fights. Miguel defended the title in a fight with Olympic silver medalist Oktay Urkal and knocked out ex-absolute world champion Zaba Judah. On November 11, 2007, Cotto entered the main fight of life. His opponent, the legendary Sugar Shane Mosley, shackled the champion in the opening rounds. Miguel seized the initiative and won by unanimous decision. Victory over the great fighter allowed the Puerto Rican to enter the top 10 of the pound for pound rating.

Fight with Antonio Margarito

In 2008, Bob Arum decided to organize a mini-tournament in the welterweight division: the formidable Mexican Antonio Margarito was to meet the current IBF champion Kermit Cintron, and Miguel Cotto was to defend the WBA belt against Alfonso Gomez. According to Arum's idea, the winners of the pairs had to come together in a fight for the title of the best fighter of the welterweight division. Cotto and Margarito won victories over their counterparts thanks to crushing blows to the liver area. However, the IBF demanded that the Mexican conduct a mandatory title defense against Joshua Clottey. The fight with Cotto was already planned and Antonio physically did not have time to hold two fights in a short period of time. Margarito's team decided to vacate the IBF title for the fight with Miguel. Cotto was looking "behind" Margarito. Miguel's team was planning a money fight with Oscar De La Hoya. To achieve the goals, it was necessary to crush the formidable Mexican. The Puerto Rican was the favorite at the rate of 3 to 1. A restless atmosphere prevailed in the coaching staff of Cotto. A quarrel with the Evangelist led to a fight between uncle and nephew. On July 26, 2008, the audience watched one of the best fights in the history of the welterweight division. Margarita tirelessly put pressure on the champion. Cotto effectively acted as number two. In the 6th round, the Mexican's efforts paid off. He did not pause, and Miguel began to stop in a frontal position and miss punches. Antonio was building up momentum. By round 11, Miguel's face had turned into a bloody mask. His nose was broken and soft tissues were damaged. He got down on one knee twice. The referee stopped the beating. Cotto suffered the first defeat of his career.

Return

The crushing defeat led to a six-month pause. Cotto came back and knocked out Michael Jennings. The vacant WBO belt was at stake in the fight. Miguel finally broke off relations with his uncle and appointed his nutritionist, Joe Santiago, as a coach. Top Rank company planned to organize a super fight between Miguel Cotto and Filipino boxing star Manny Pacquiao. The Puerto Rican had to defend the WBO title against Joshua Clottey. The fight turned out to be difficult for Miguel. Cotto received a severe dissection and was unable to implement his plan. In an equal fight, the opinions of the judges were divided. Two voted in favor of Cotto: 115-112, 116-111, and the third judge scored in favor of Clottey: 114-113. The fight between Miguel and Manny took place within the intermediate weight category - 145 pounds (65.8 kilograms, the welterweight limit - 147 pounds (66.7 kilograms)). On November 14, 2009, Pacquiao beat Cotto. Miguel put up a decent resistance to his opponent in the first two rounds. In 3 and 4 he was knocked down. The Filipino was building up the advantage. In the 12th round, after another attack by Pacquiao, referee Kenny Bayliss stopped the fight. Cotto lost the WBO title and suffered the second defeat of his career.

The third title and fight with Floyd Mayweather

on June 5, 2010, Cotto knocked out Yuri Foreman and became the new owner of the WBA title in the first middleweight. He became a world champion in three weight categories and equaled legendary compatriots in this indicator: Wilfredo "Wilfred" Benitez, Wilfredo "Bazooka" Gomez, Hector "Macho" Camacho and Felix "Tito" Trinidad. Miguel made a successful defense of the WBA title against the scandalous Ricardo Mayorga and took revenge from a principled opponent - Antonio Margarito. On May 5, 2012, Miguel lost to Floyd Mayweather and lost the WBA title. Cotto looked decent against the best boxer in the world. The Puerto Rican's fatigue and the lost "championship rounds" tipped the scales in Floyd's favor. In the next fight, Cotto unexpectedly lost to the left-handed Austin Trout. The second consecutive defeat forced Miguel to completely reconsider his attitude to training. He started training under the guidance of the famous Freddie Roach.

Final stage of career

In 2013, Miguel returned to the ring with a confident victory over Delvin Rodriguez. The audience saw the former Kotto - aggressive and using power punches from the front left hand. The collaboration with Freddie Roach turned out to be productive and allowed the Puerto Rican to write his name in the history of boxing. On July 7, 2014, Miguel defeated Sergio Martinez due to his opponent's refusal to continue the fight after the 10th round, became the new owner of the WBC middleweight belt and the first world champion in the history of Puerto Rico in four weight categories. Cotto knocked the Argentine down three times in the first round and dominated throughout the entire distance of the fight. A year after the legendary victory over Martinez, Cotto defended the WBC title in a fight with Daniel Gil. Due to disagreements with the World Boxing Council, Miguel was stripped of his world champion status. On November 21, 2015, the Puerto Rican lost in a close match to Saul Alvarez. There was a break in Miguel's career. He signed an agreement with the famous rapper Jay Z and his promotion company Roc Nation Sports. Cooperation has not led to positive results. The company failed to organize Cotto's fights against Juan Manuel Marquez and James Kirkland. In 2017, Miguel stopped working with Roc Nation Sports. He returned to the ring on August 28 in a duel with Japanese Yoshihiro Kamegai. Cotto won and added a sixth WBO middleweight title to his collection. On December 2, 2017, Miguel lost to Sadam Ali and decided to end his sports career. His professional record is 41 wins, 33 by knockout and 6 defeats.

Post-career life, family and business

In 2008, Miguel married Melissa Guzman. The couple has three children: Luis, Alondra and Miguel. Cotto has an older daughter from his first marriage. The Puerto Rican is a family man. He likes to spend time with his wife and children. The family was always present at the champion's fights. Miguel's brothers, Jose Miguel and Abner, are also professional boxers. During his professional career, Cotto earned $185 million. He has invested in several projects. In 2017, Miguel opened the promoter company Promociones Miguel Cotto. Cotto organizes fights in Puerto Rico and helps young fighters take their first steps in the professional ring. Champion has created a non-profit charitable organization that helps children suffering from obesity and heart disease. Miguel collaborates with the famous fashion designer Mark Eco. Marco's firm Ecko Unlimited uses Miguel's name as its clothing brand. Miguel Cotto is a legendary figure in the world of professional boxing. He is the most decorated boxer in the history of Puerto Rico. Miguel boxed against the strongest fighters of his time. He has won 6 world titles in four weight categories. Cotto is a role model in the ring and beyond.