5 Most Memorable Miguel Cotto Fights

Despite not being in the best form, Zab Judah was a great name for Cotto and still had shown he possessed enough skill and experience to trouble the Puerto Rican in only his third appearance at welterweight. Maddison Square Garden was ready to see if “Junito” could rise to the occasion.

Judah caused his opponent some problems with his speed and accuracy in the early part of the fight. Cotto’s toughness and will to win saw him wear down his American southpaw opponent – leading to an eleventh-round TKO victory for the Puerto Rican.

Shane Mosley

When Shane Mosely met Cotto, he was still an elite fighter with recent wins over Fernando Vargas x2 and a unanimous decision win over Luis Collazo. Some in the boxing world had tipped “Sugar” to stop his Puerto Rican opponent.

The fight was close, with many split on who had won. Cotto’s aggressive style and brilliant counterpunching in the second half of the contest was enough for him to win via unanimous decision, with the judge’s scorecards reading 115-113 x2 and 116-113.

Carlos Quintana

Cotto went up against his countryman Carlos Quintana on December 2, 2006, in his first fight at welterweight. “Junito” concluded his time at light welterweight with a unanimous decision win over Paulie Malignaggi, with the judges scoring the contest 116–111, 116–111, and 115–112.

His punch power and work rate were too much for Quintana, as he broke him down on his way to a TKO victory in the fifth round. It was a well-executed plan by Cotto, which led to the heavy body shot in the fifth round that saw Quintana fail to appear for the next round, despite the best efforts of his corner. This victory gave the victorious Puerto Rican fighter the vacant WBA welterweight title.

Sergio Martinez

Cotto, to the dismay of many, decided to step up to middleweight, taking on Sergio Martinez, who at the time of their fight had a phenomenal record of 51–2–2. The Puerto Rican legend had Freddie Roach in his corner, but not many gave him a chance in this fight.

He not only defeated “Maravilla,” winning the WBC, The Ring and lineal middleweight titles, but he left Martinez on the canvas on four occasions, with three knockdowns in the first round. The Argentine showed his desire and will to win by making the fight competitive – but Cotto knocked his opponent down again in the ninth round, which prompted the trainer of the Argentine fighter to call off the contest before round 10. This victory made “Junito” the first Puerto Rican to capture titles in four weight classes.

Ricardo Mayorga

On March 12, 2011, Cotto decided to defend his WBA light middleweight title against Ricardo Mayorga in Las Vegas. The Puerto Rican fighter showed his discipline and ring IQ by boxing diligently – refusing to play into Mayorga’s hands, who wanted a brawl.

Cotto executed his tactics perfectly, as seen in the final round, where he landed a beautifully timed left hook, which dropped Mayorga – ending the contest. “Junito” was ahead on all three judges’ scorecards. This victory brought Cotto’s world title record to an incredible 17-2.