by David P. Greisman
Bob Arum of Top Rank, promoter of Miguel Cotto, was asked after Cotto-Margarito 2 about how Cotto was able to have such success rebounding from his loss two years ago to Manny Pacquiao.
“Because he lost to Pacquiao. That’s no disgrace,” Arum said. “The first four rounds with Manny, if you remember, were touch and go, and then Manny overwhelmed him with his speed. So he lost the fight. That didn’t mean the end of Miguel Cotto.
“Obviously he’s a very good fighter, and so we gave him a big fight in Yankees Stadium with Yuri Foreman, and then he fought Mayorga on a very successful pay-per-view, and now Margarito. I didn’t do anything to build him back up. We just provided him with the type of fights that were appropriate.
“There were three knockouts, but he had plenty of knockouts before. He’s a terrific fighter. He’s really one of the top fighters of this era. Make no mistake about it — I think he’s a sure shot to be a Hall of Famer one day.”
David P. Greisman is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow David on Twitter at twitter.com/fightingwords2 or on Facebook at facebook.com/fightingwordsboxing, or send questions and comments to fightingwords1@gmail.com