Cotto Downplays Bruises on His Face, Sparring Rumors

By Miguel Rivera

WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33KOs) of Puerto Rico has downplayed the bruises on his face and internet rumors of being pushed around during sparring sessions.

Cotto will take on Mexican superstar Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (45-1-1, 32KOs) on November 21 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. HBO Pay-Per-View will carry the bout. The fight taking place at a catch-weight of 155-pounds.

Cotto, winner of his last three by knockout, is preparing with his Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California.

In a few recent photos that were circulated on social media, Cotto's face displayed some bruising and even a decent shiner. Unsubstantiated rumors quickly sprung in that Cotto was being pushed around by his sparring partners.

The Puerto Rican veteran shoots down the rumors and says the bruising on his face, still evident as of yesterday, is nothing more than extreme hard work in the gym with very physical sparring.

"I'm a fighter. If I didn't like getting hit, I would find myself in the wrong sport. [The bruises are] just the kind of hard work that we've being doing," said Cotto. "Every fight is different. I'm taking Canelo very seriously. I will give the maximum [amount of effort]and beat him on November 21."