Ex champ Cotto open for rematch with Pacquiao

A Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto rematch?

Why not, said the two-time champion from Puerto Rico.

Cotto answered with a brief yes when asked if ever he wants a return bout with Pacquiao, who scored a 12th-round stoppage when they met for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight strap last November at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The two-time welterweight champion from Caguas, Puerto Rico was in attendance when Pacquiao defended his 147-pound belt against Joshua Clottey at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas over the weekend.

Issues concerning weight could hinder the possible return bout between the two popular fighters.

Pacquiao and Cotto fought at a catch weight of 145lbs when they squared off the ring four months ago.

But with Cotto challenging Yuri Foreman three months from now for the world junior middleweight title, that meant the Puerto Rican will be adding six pounds more to make it at 154, a weight class Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s equally popular trainer, said is too big for the Filipino.

Both Cotto and Pacquiao, however, are being promoted by Top Rank, opening the possibility of the two meeting again at a higher catch weight.

Source: Author Unknown  | GMANews.TV

Cotto, Viloria in comeback fights

ARLINGTON – Former Sydney Olympians Brian (The Hawaiian Punch) Viloria and Miguel Cotto got together here to witness the historic Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey bout that marked the first-ever boxing event at the Cowboys Stadium last weekend.

And they clearly drew inspiration from Pacquiao’s showing before a crowd of 50,944 fans. Cotto occupied a ringside seat while Viloria sat right by the ring apron, doing broadcast chores on the TV panel for Solar’s live satellite coverage.

The day before the fight, Cotto was spotted eating breakfast with WBC president Jose Sulaiman and his party at the Riverwalk Café in the Gaylord Resort and Convention Center where the boxing fraternity stayed for the weekend.

Cotto and Viloria exchanged notes when they saw each other at the resort.

“We’ve known each other since we were about 14 fighting in junior international competitions,” said Viloria. “In 1998, we participated in a US-Puerto Rico dual meet where I was named best US boxer and he was the best Puerto Rican boxer. We both made it to Sydney for the Olympics. Miguel was a lightwelterweight then and the American representative Ricardo Williams won the gold medal. I fought in the flyweight division.”


Viloria beat Russia’s Sergei Kazakob, 8-6, in his first Olympic bout then lost a 6-4 decision to France’s Brahim Asloum who went on to win the gold and further became a world pro champion. Cotto was eliminated by Uzbekistan’s Muhammad Abdullaev, 17-7, in his first outing. Abdullaev eventually bagged the gold and lost to Cotto later in the pros. Both Viloria and Cotto were victimized by the gold medalists in their divisions in the Olympics.

Now, the 29-year-old friends are again in a similar situation. They’re smarting from losses. Cotto hasn’t fought since losing to Manny Pacquiao on a 12th round stoppage last November. Viloria ran out of steam and was also stopped in the 12th round in losing his IBF lightflyweight crown to Colombia’s Carlos Tamara at the Cuneta Astrodome last January.

On the comeback trail, Cotto and Viloria are moving up a weight class. Cotto is booked to challenge WBA lightmiddleweight titlist Yuri Foreman at Yankee Stadium in New York on June 5 while Viloria said he’ll fight again – this time as a flyweight – in May.

“I don’t see a problem bringing my power over to the next division,” said Cotto. Viloria said the same thing.

Cotto would’ve earned a tidy sum if he bet for the Pacquiao-Clottey fight to go the distance. The winner was a foregone conclusion so the wagers were mainly on whether the fight will go 12 or less.

Before the fight, Cotto predicted that Pacquiao wouldn’t be able to knock out Clottey.

“I’ve fought them both and I was the common opponent in their last fights,” said Cotto. “I lost to Manny and beat Clottey. I think Clottey’s too strong for Manny because he’s so much bigger. He’ll be able to take Manny’s power but he won’t win because he doesn’t throw enough. If he lets his hands go, maybe, it’ll be a different story. But the way I see it, Manny will win by a unanimous decision.”

Cotto was right on the money.

Viloria foresaw a slight variation.

“Manny’s too fast for Clottey,” said Viloria. “He’ll run rings around him. He’ll frustrate Clottey until he finally gives up. It could be a late stoppage. I don’t think Clottey will go down but he’ll be so badly beaten up the referee will stop it. The frustration could also lead to a disqualification if Clottey loses his head and gets desperate.”

Viloria was in town with his fiancée Erika Navarro. They are set to get married on Dec. 3 in Oahu.

Source: Joaquin Henson  | Philstar.com

Will Foreman put Cotto out of his misery?

I hate to say it but I think WBA light middleweight champion Yuri Foreman is going to put former World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Miguel Cotto out of his misery on June 12th, at the Yankee Stadium, in New York.

The only good thing that I can think of that outcome is that at least Cotto will likely have a huge crowd to see if for what could be his last fight of his career. That’s a great way for Cotto to go out.

If Cotto gets bloodied and battered like I think he will, at least he’ll have his fans there to see him fight for what should be the final time. I think Cotto is crazy for moving up in weight and taking on Foreman. After the beatings that Cotto has taken on fights against Antonio Margarito, Joshua Clottey and Manny Pacquiao, I think he is making a tragic mistake in moving up in weight to fight a big fighter like Foreman.

I can see why Cotto is doing it. He’s probably thinking about winning an easy paper title over the light-hitting Foreman and then using the title as Pacquiao bait to get the Filipino fighter to go after it to see if he can win an easy 8th world title. It’s a good plan in theory, but I think it’s not one that the short 5’7” Cotto is capable of carrying out.

Foreman hits harder than some people think, hard enough to splatter Cotto’s face and open up all that scar tissue around both of his eyes. Cotto seems to bleed nowadays if you look at him wrong, and I think Foreman will quickly have Cotto bleeding like a stuck pig on June 12th. And as we saw in his fights against Margarito, Clottey and Pacquiao, Cotto is a lot less aggressive once he suffers a cut.

It’s like he loses 40% of his aggression once he gets cut, and starts backpedaling and hanging on the ropes. Cotto getting a cut against a fighter like Foreman is almost a given. It’s not that Foreman hits really hard, but he has an excellent head first attack in which he lowers his head like a billy goat and comes charging in. It’s almost impossible for his head not to come in contact with the face or the top of his opponents head when he does this.

I give the fight two, maybe three rounds before Cotto is cut the first time by Foreman’s head. Once the blood starts flowing, Cotto will probably be running like scalded dog trying to stay away from Foreman. The fight is as good as lost at that point for Cotto, because Foreman will jab him to death from the outside and continue with his knife-like attacks with the lowered head.

As badly bloody and beaten up looking that Cotto looked in his fight against Margarito, that won’t be nothing compared to what Foreman is going to do to Cotto’s face on June 12th. I can see Cotto’s corner stopping the fight to save him from taking any further punishment by the 9th or 10th round. Cotto’s face will be covered with blood, as will his trunks and shoes.

Literally, Cotto will probably look like someone took a large bucket of blood and slowly poured it on him to make sure it soaked him completely. At that point, I think it’s pretty much the end for Cotto. I can’t see him continuing on after losing to Foreman.

If Cotto moved back down in weight to the welterweight division, he’d just as likely take a similar – but not as bad – beating from the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jr., Shane Mosley, Andre Berto and of course Pacquiao. And I don’t want to see Cotto get beaten up again by Pacquiao, but there’s probably very little chance of those two fighting again, because I think Foreman is going to rip Cotto to shreds in their fight and retire him.

Source: William Mackay  | BoxingNews24.com

Cotto advises Pacquiao to be strict vs Clottey

Puerto Rican fighter Miguel Cotto gave some words of advice to his former foe, pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, for his upcoming clash against Ghanaian Joshua Clottey.

“Manny will have to be very strict because Clottey has a lot of strength and has good defense,” Cotto told HBO as quoted by FightFan.com.

The Puerto Rican fought both Pacquiao and Clottey, the headliners of “The Event” which will be held at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas on March 13.

Cotto relinquished his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title to Pacquiao last November when he lost via a 12th round technical knockout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Prior to his loss, Cotto edged Clottey by split decision at the Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York City last June.

“It will be a tough fight,” the Puerto Rican added. “I believe the guy who is the best prepared and in the best shape will win the fight.”

Pacquiao has already kicked off his training at the Wildcard Gym in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.

American trainer Freddie Roach told 8countnews.com that the seven-division champion is in a “pretty good shape” at the onset of his training camp.

Meanwhile, Cotto (34-2, with 27 knockouts) is slated to challenge World Boxing Association (WBA) super welterweight champion Yuri Foreman of Israel on June 12 at the Madison Square Garden.

It will be the first title defense for the undefeated Israeli who has a 28 wins (8 KOs) and 1 no contest.

Source: Author Unknown  | abs-cbnnew.com

Miguel Cotto-Yuri Foreman is Close For June 12 Clash

According reports coming out of Puerto Rico, a deal for Miguel Cotto to make a jump to 154-pounds to challenge unbeaten WBA champion Yuri Foreman is very close. An announcement by the fighters' mutual promoter, Top Rank, can happen as early as next week.

The fight would take place on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade - June 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Murray Wilson, Foreman's manager, expected to land a fight with Manny Pacquiao, but the Filipino champion rejected his man and instead agreed to fight Joshua Clottey on March 13. The original plan was for Cotto-Foreman clash.

"We have returned to the original plan, which was a defense against Cotto in June," Wilson told Primera Hora. "It is the fight that Miguel wanst and so do we.

It would be a pleasure to have the opportunity to fight against someone who we consider a great champion. We still don't have anything signed to fight against Miguel, but on a scale from the 1 to the 10 - I would have say that the possibility of the fight taking place is a 9."

Source: Mark Vester  | BoxingScene.com

Miguel Cotto's father passes at 57

In quite a tragic story, Miguel Cotto Sr., father of two-division champion Miguel Cotto and junior welterweight contender Jose Miguel Cotto, passed away after suffering a heart attack while driving his car in Caguas, Puerto Rico.

Cotto felt ill while driving, he stopped his car and asked a clerk, Douglas Melendez, who worked at a local liquor store to call an ambulance. Cotto died not long after.

"He stopped [his car] and asked me to call an ambulance. I went and I called," Melendez told Primera Hora.

Melendez complained that he called 911 at least four times before help arrived. He called at 2:04 pm, 2:14 pm, 2:15 pm and 2:53 p.m. The last call was to report the death of Cotto. Both Cotto childred arrived at the scene once the news hit.

Evangelista Cotto, the brother of Cotto Sr., was barely able to speak when he gave his thoughts on the death of his brother. The two of them had not spoken in months after Evangelista and Miguel Cotto Jr. had their explosive blow-up at the start of 2009. Evangelista and Cotto Jr. traded words over a dispute on how the training camp would run for June's Joshua Clottey defense. It led to a physical brawl that sent Evangelista to the hospital and Miguel Jr. hired a new trainer. Evangelista later filed a lawsuit against the younger Cotto. Cotto Sr. took the side of his son.

Evangelista regrets never patching things up with Cotto Sr.

"It is unfortunate that we never sat down to talk and fix things. These are things that one has no control over. This is very sad. ... It's an incredible pain and suffering for me," said Evangelista to Primera Hora.

Felix Trinidad Sr., father and trainer of three-division champion Felix "Tito" Trinidad, took some time to talk about Cotto Sr.

"This news saddens me very much. What a way to start the year," said Trinidad. "I know the Cotto family for many years and although we did not share much, I know he was a good man. My condolences to Miguel Cotto, his wife and whole family."

Miguel Cotto Comments on The Death of His Father

During the day, we received the news of the sudden and unexpected death of Don Miguel Cotto Sr., father of former world champion, Miguel Cotto, Jr.

The event has taken everyone by surprise, including the Cotto family and the followers of boxing. The following statement has been released to the press in general, requesting adequate time to process and channel the terrible loss. In a statement below:

"We appreciate all of the tokens of affection and sympathy. It is a very painful moment for me and for my entire family. I hope that everyone respect our request for space to overcome this difficult moment" Miguel Cotto, Jr.

Funeral arrangements will be announced later. There will be a mass for Cotto Sr. in his neighborhood of Canaboncito in Caguas, Puerto Rico and later he will be cremated.

RIP Miguel Cotto Sr.

An interview with Miguel Cotto, Sr. father of WBO Welterweight Champion Miguel Cotto during the Pacquiao vs Cotto Press Conference.

Source: Mark Vester  | BoxingScene.com

Miguel Cotto: "Pacquiao's Refusal Raises Questions"

Former two-division champion Miguel Cotto does not understand why Manny Pacquiao is refusing to accept Floyd Mayweather Jr's terms for random Olympic-style drug testing to be in place for their March 13 fight.

Cotto was stopped by Pacquiao last month in Las Vegas. In a statement sent to BoxingScene.com, Cotto said Pacquiao should agree to the requested tests to eliminate any doubts about his talents. He feels that Pacquiao's refusal to take unrestricted tests will create questions among the public.

"I am in complete awe with Manny's reaction to this matter. He has always been a great athlete and a gentleman. Why in the world would he require restrictions or conditions for the tests? It is a golden opportunity for him to dissipate all worldwide rumors surrounding his figure and the use of enhancement drugs. His refusal to commit to the tests without conditions raises questions," Cotto said.

Cotto wants Olympic-style drug testing to be in place for every boxing fight and not just Pacquiao-Mayweather. And if Mayweather or anyone else asked Cotto to take those type of tests, he would take them without hesitation.

"Olympic type drug testing is the most efficient tool for the sport to secure fair play. My recommendation to all boxing authorities in the world is to implement it across the board. I would agree to it without hesitation or reservations. It is the only way to ensure that the outcome of a bout is the strict result of conditioning and ability. To magnify your talent with drugs is repulsive," Cotto said.

MIGUEL COTTO: "I AM COMPLETELY SHOCKED BY THE RESPONSE FROM MANNY
source: Ben Thompson | fighthype.com

"I am completely shocked by the response from Manny on this matter. He has always been an excellent athlete and a gentleman. Why is it that he's requesting restrictions or conditions to the tests? It is the perfect opportunity for him to dispel all the rumors around himself and the use of steroids. His refusal to submit to the tests without conditions certainly raises questions", stated former welterweight champion Miguel Cotto as he shared his thoughts on the recent controversy surrounding the request for random blood testing in the highly-anticipated clash between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

After being dominated and stopped in the 12th round by Pacquiao this past November, Cotto shared his respect for the Filipino icon, stating that he was the best fighter he ever fought. "I take nothing away from Manny. We both made a great fight...He is fast and stronger than we thought he would be," Cotto would tell FightHype's own Percy Crawford just last week. However, with all the recent talk regarding Pacquiao's reluctance to take random blood tests, Cotto is now singing a different tune.

"The Olympic-style drug tests are the most efficient tools to assure fair play in the sport of boxing. My recommendation is that all the authorities around the world implement a similar system. I would accept to do it without hesitation or reservation," the Puerto Rican star would tell Carlos Gonzalez of Primera Hora. "It is the only way to ensure that the result of a battle of this magnitude is due to conditioning and abilities of each fighter. Trying to amplify the abilities with drugs is revolting."

Although Cotto brings up some valid points regarding improved testing in the sport of boxing, his comments about Pacquiao are peculiar after taking his defeat so humbly. Given the fact that just last week, Cotto was praising Pacquiao, but now, he's questioning his stance on blood testing, one has to wonder if Cotto is merely using this opportunity to justify the lopsided beating he took.

Source: BoxingScene.com

Ring Fan Poll: Pacquiao-Cotto is Event of the Year

Big events in boxing generally fall into two categories: competitive matchups between elite fighters and “super fights” involving at least one star who attracts the attention of the world outside of boxing whether the fight is competitive or not.

Once upon a time the biggest boxing event of the year was often a combination of the two categories -- such as Sugar Ray Leonard-Thomas Hearns I or Marvin Hagler-Leonard -- but that hasn’t been the case in recent decades, not until this year’s showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto.

The Nov. 14 welterweight bout, which Pacquiao won by 12th-round stoppage, was a hardcore fan’s dream match that received extensive coverage in the mainstream sports media.

It was a significant bout garnering significant attention, which translated into significant numbers. The live pay-per-view event sold 1.25 million buys, which generated $70 million in revenue, making it the most lucrative bout of the year.

The fight, which matched the sport’s pound-for-pound king against the most formidable fighter he’d ever faced above 130 pounds, was an easy sell to hardcore fans.

However, HBO, which produced and distributed the Pacquiao-Cotto pay-per-view show, made sure that casual fans knew as much about the fight and the combatants as possible via its 24/7 program and comprehensive digital marketing of the bout on its various internet and social network platforms.

High-quality video ads of Pacquiao-Cotto that were featured on HBO.com, HBO You Tube, HBO Facebook, HBO My Space, HBO Twitter and major websites such as I-Tunes, Yahoo.com, ESPN.com, AOL.com, and Foxsports.com garnered tens of millions of views in the final weeks leading into the fight.

However, those media platforms were only as good as the fighters and the stories of their careers.

Pacquiao-Cotto was the story of a Filipino idol finally crossing over into the consciousness of the American sports fan.

It was the story of a fallen Puerto Rican star climbing his way back from defeat and trying to prove to the boxing world that his first loss didn’t ruin him.

The story was the challenge. Cotto was the first real welterweight Pacquiao had faced. Pacquiao was the most dynamic opponent Cotto had ever fought.

The story was about history. Pacquiao was vying for an unprecedented seventh title in seventh weight class.

Pacquiao-Cotto was a story worth telling and for the first time in a long time a significant fight involving two non-American boxers was written up in major U.S. magazines and newspapers such as Time, Sports Illustrated, the Wall Street Journal, and New York Times.

And the best thing for the sport occurred the night Pacquiao and Cotto touched gloves in the middle of the ring -- the fight lived up to its hype.

For four rounds the welterweights engaged in fight of the year-caliber action, but after scoring two knockdowns, Pacquiao asserted his dominance and set into motion an eventual showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr. that could rekindle general interest in boxing that great matches like Leonard-Hearns and Hagler-Leonard once generated.

Source: The Ring

Miguel Cotto: "I take nothing away from Manny... He is fast and stronger than we thought"

"I take nothing away from Manny. We both made a great fight...He is fast and stronger than we thought he would be...He is fast and stronger than we thought he would be," stated former welterweight champion Miguel Cotto as he talked about his loss to Manny Pacquiao, his future plans and more.

PC: How are you doing Miguel?

MC: I'm doing pretty good, enjoying the holiday season.

PC: Now that you have had time to reflect on the Pacquiao fight, where do you feel you went wrong?

MC: Well, some details did not came out the way we wanted, but I take nothing away from Manny. We both made a great fight.

PC: Was coming down to 145 tougher than you thought it would be since you hadn't weighed 145 or less since 2006?

MC: I felt really good at that weight. It wasn't a problem for me.

PC: We all know Manny has a ton of speed, but was he a bigger puncher than you thought he would be?

MC: He is fast and stronger than we thought he would be.

PC: A lot of people felt that your corner should have stopped the fight. Was that not an option for you?

MC: No, I didn't want the fight stopped. I was feeling good.

PC: I read where you plan on retiring at 30, which is next year for you. Is that accurate and what led to that decision?

MC: I always said that when I get to age 30, I was going to be out of the ring. That decision has been made and has nothing to do with my defeats.

PC: When I think of Miguel Cotto, I think of a warrior; a fighter that can punch with both hands and also a fighter that would fight anyone. How would you like to be remembered?

MC: As a good fighter and a great champion.

PC: You have one, possibly two fights left if you plan on retiring in the fall of next year. What caliber of opponents would you like to go out facing?

MC: As I always said, I'm just another employee of Top Rank. I'm willing to fight the big names out there.

PC: Although the fight looks shaky now, who do you like if Pacquiao and Mayweather did hook up?

MC: The one with the best condition will win.

PC: It was a pleasure and my honor to conduct this interview. I truly appreciate your time and would like to thank Eric for setting this up. Is there anything you want to say in closing?

MC: Anytime. Thanks for the opportunity. It is a pleasure for me.