Miguel Cotto: "I’m not Tito!"
Puerto Rican mega-talent on verge of becoming boxing’s next superstar.
By Mike Indri
Retired Boxers Foundation
(New Jersey State representative)
 
This past Monday, an invitation-only media roundtable luncheon brought out several of the top boxing writers from the New York area. The media event was held in one of the city’s finest and most respected establishments, the NY Friars Club. The writers showed up ate the NY Friars Club for basically one reason, Miquel Cotto. Cotto (23-0 with 19 KO’s) will be making his Madison Square Garden debut on June 11th, in front of an estimated crowd in excess of 15,000. The bigness of the event has not eluded boxing’s fastest rising star.

"Growing up in Puerto Rico I never thought I would ever fight at Madison Square Garden and it‘s very motivating to me," stated the humbled fighter. 

"I went to the gym when I was eleven years old to lose weight, that’s when I started boxing!"
 
Another motivating factor for the 24 year old Cotto, while not publicly admitting so, is his opponent for this event. Cotto will be making his third defense of the WBO Jr. Welterweight title against the dangerous and not unfamiliar mohamad Abdullaev.

Abdullaev crushed the perennial Puerto Rican National amateur champion’s (1997-2000) Olympic dream in their opening round bout at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney; a bout which Abdullaev won handily, 17-7, en route to his earning a gold medal at 139 pounds.

"I was very frustrated after my Olympic loss, but I put it behind me and trained very hard to get where I am now.  It’s a closed chapter in our careers." stressed the likeable Cotto.
 
Abdullaev (15-1, 12 KO’s) hasn’t enjoyed the meteoric rise in his professional career as Miguel Cotto, but sees this fight against his extremely popular arch-rival as his opportunity to reach the next level.

"At this time he (Cotto) is the best, but I’m doing all I can to change that and to win this fight!"
 
The timing couldn’t be better for "Team Cotto" as the 140 pound division is at it’s peak in popularity and more importantly, it’s profitability; due to the exorbitant amount of truly talented and exciting boxers currently fighting at the jr. welterweight level. Floyd Mayweather, Arturo Gatti, Ricky Hatton, Vivian Harris, and Kostya Tszyu, make this weight class the richest in all of boxing today! 
 
"There isn’t a clear # 1 at 140lbs., we all have the chance to be the best," acknowledged Cotto, "The best fighters in our division are fighting now.  Everyone thought Tszyu was # 1, he isn’t anymore - we will see who is the best."
 
As if Cotto’s popularity and appeal couldn’t get any higher, his promoter, the legendary Bob Arum of Top Rank, feels that his fighter will keep improving; as a boxer and as a major ticket seller. 

"Cotto is not a complete fighter yet, he is still a work in progress," noted Arum who is excited about Cotto’s future, "he is a kid dedicated to getting better and better, and he will stay at this weight (140lbs.) for the foreseeable future."

Addressing the media, Arum also touched on the intangibles not usually thought about by most fighters but, Miquel Cotto is not like most fighters.

"There are many factors outside of boxing which determine a fighter’s status as a box office star, and Cotto has what it takes to be a superstar."

"Cotto is an appealing fighter; much more appealing than Trinidad," observed Arum, "He can be much bigger than Tito Trinidad!"

This weekend will be a giant piece in the "Miguel Cotto Boxing Superstar" puzzle. Cotto can avenge his Olympic defeat at the hands of Mohamad Abdullaev in front of a crowd filled with his ravenous and appreciative Puerto Rican boxing fans. Cotto is also scheduled to serve as the Honorary Grand Marshall for New York’s Puerto Rican Day parade the following afternoon.

Another of those intangibles that Bob Arum was alluding to; eloquently said by Cotto himself, "when I’m not fighting, I’m with my family; my wife and three children.  I sacrifice a lot being away training for my fights, so I want to be with them and stay together."

In the night’s co-feature, former world champion Joel Casamayor (31-3, 19 KO’s) will take on the undefeated Almazbek "Kid Diamond" Raiymkulov (20-0 with 12 KO’s) in a lightweight title elimination bout.