NEW YORK - Miguel Cotto claimed the World Boxing Council middleweight championship when Sergio Martinez did not answer the bell for the 10th round at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.  Cotto, who used his ferocious left hook and punishing combinations to knock Martinez down three times in the first round, thoroughly dominated the scheduled 12-round bout, and Martinez's corner waved an end to the fight as the bell rang for round 10.

Martinez, who wore supportive sleeves on both his knees, was cut near his right eye and over his left eye and his knees buckled several times during the one-sided contest. Cotto improved to 39-4 while the 39-year-old Martinez fell to 51-3-2.

"We won every round. I'll say this about Sergio. He got up three times in the first round. He's got a lot of balls. Miguel didn't get hit with nothing. His defense was beautiful. When he came back to the corner every round was the same. I kept saying, 'That was your best round yet,'" Roach said.