At the very beginning of boxing, Miguel Cotto was not given any pleasure. The boy, forced to train to lose excess weight, persistently wanted to find another sport. Subsequently, the athlete became the only Puerto Rican in the history of boxing who managed to conquer four weight categories.
In the family of Miguel Angel Cotto, all men were involved in boxing. The professional boxers are Jose Miguel and Abner, the champion's brothers. The first coach of his nephew was his uncle. From an unloved occupation, lessons gradually grew into a habit.
The road to victories
The biography of the future star of world boxing began in 1980. The baby was born in Providence on October 29th. With a two-year-old baby, parents from the States moved to their homeland. The future champion spent his childhood in the Puerto Rican town of Caguas.
The training results have been visible since 1997. Miguel won bronze in the Central American tournament. A real career started in the late nineties at the junior national championship. A year later, the athlete took second place in three prestigious competitions.
In the adult competition, Miguel competed in 1999. He won the grand prize at the José Torrera Memorial Tournament.
Victory in prestigious tournaments provided the guy with the right to represent his native country at the Sydney Olympics. After returning, the athlete decided to start a professional career. She allowed his name to sound loudly and the fighter's talent was fully revealed.
Professional career
The series of competitions had to be interrupted due to a serious injury. Cotto resumed fighting in 2001. After the first fight, the name of the athlete turned into a brand. As he gained experience, Miguel used his right hand more often, preferring to strike at medium range. He also felt confident in close combat.
Cotto's memorable style has made him popular in the United States. In 2003, the boxer became a top contender for several awards. After beating Lovemore N'dou, the Puerto Rican won the vacant WBO title. According to this version, the athlete became the new world champion on September 11, 2004, having won the hardest sparring of the Brazilian Kelson Pinto, who had never known defeats.
In battles with the most famous fighters of the division, a unique style of puncher was formed. Increasingly, Miguel was called the star of world boxing. As lightweight competition became impossible, the decision was made to move to the welterweight category.
Cotto won the WBA belt in the selected category in early December 2006. The athlete defeated Olympic silver medalist Oktay Urkal, ex-world champion Zaba Judah. The main battle took place on November 11, 2007.
During the fight against Sugar Shane Mosley, Miguel managed to win. He entered the top ten pound for pound ratings. A mini-tournament was held in 2008 at the welterweight division. The meeting between Antonio Margarito and Cotto ended with the first defeat of the Puerto Rican.
Achievements and failures
The puncher returned to the ring six months later. He won the WBO belt by knocking out Michael Jennings. Joe Santiago became Miguel's new coach. The fight with Manny Pacquiao was not easy. On November 14, 2009, their meeting ended with Cotto's loss of the WBO title. The Filipino also received the "diamond" belt of the World Boxing Council.
After defeating Yuri Foreman in the summer of 2010, Miguel won the WBA junior middleweight title, becoming the best in the world in three categories. She successfully defended the award in a fight with Ricardo Mayorgi and Antonio Margarito. However, he had to lose the title again in 2012. The reason was the loss to Floyd Mayweather.
The defeat in the match with Austin Trout led to a revision of the training program. The boxer's coach was Freddie Ruch. The meeting with Delvin Rodriguez ended with a confident victory in 2013. Once again, Cotto fought brilliantly in the ring, showing the best strikes. In 2014, Miguel beat Sergio Martinez to win the WBC belt. For the first time in boxing history, a Puerto Rican in four categories became the best in the world.
A fight with Gil a year later confirmed Cotto's title. However, disagreements with the World Boxing Council led to the loss of the title. A new defeat took place in November 2015. After that, the boxer took a break. He began a partnership with the rapper's promotion company Jay Z. It lasted until 2017, without giving the desired results.
In and out of the ring
The return to the ring took place on 28 August. Miguel fought Yoshihiro Kamegai. The win allowed the sixth champion title to be added to the collection of awards. The defeat of Sadam Ali in the number of points in early December 2017 made the athlete think about retirement. By that time, there were 6 defeats for 41 victories.
The athlete also took place in his personal life. The first attempt ended in rupture. In this marriage, Cotto became a father for the first time. He does not seek to talk about the ex-chosen one and does not say anything about his daughter.
Melissa Guzman became the boxer's wife. In alliance with her, the athlete had children Luis, Miguel and Alondra. The athlete loves to spend his free time in them. Households were always present at the duels of the head of the family.
It also took place outside the ring. The athlete is in business. In 2017, he opened a promotion company. Cotto conducts fights on the territory of his homeland, supports novice athletes in the professional field. The champion founded a non-profit charitable organization. Miguel helps children suffering from heart disease and overweight.
Collaboration with the famous fashion designer Mark Eco turned out to be successful. The boxer's name has become a brand of clothing produced by Ecko Unlimited.
