Collazo prepares for fight against winner of Cotto-Quintana

Former Welterweight Boxing Champion Luis Collazo, after scoring a TKO victory 33 seconds into round number six over surprise component Artur Atadzhanov, has successfully landed, along with his team, a June 2007 match against the challenged winner between Miguel Cotto and Carlos Quintana. “I want the winner of Quintana and Cotto,” announced the Don King-promoted boxer. “They are fighting for something that belongs to me and I want it back.” After losing his title in a much-talked about fight against British component Ricky “Hit Man” Hatton this past May, Collazo (27-2, 13 KO) is focused on regaining what was once his: the WBA Welterweight belt. Long-time trainer Nirmal Lorick said, “We want to fight Cotto because he’s one of the top fighters in the world and we want to win back what’s ours.” Considering the pounding of his last two opponents, causing one a broken cheekbone and the other to beg for mercy, yes, Cotto may be one of the most-feared fighters of the world. “To me, I think Luis is the best Welterweight in the world,” said Lorick, “and I think he deserves a chance to fight for his title.” Recently moving up from Jr. Welterweight to Welterweight, Cotto’s given some, including Lorick, reason to believe he’s using steroids. In a recent conference, Lorick responded to a question blowing Cotto’s spot to stir up some action. In preparing the Puerto-Rican New Yorker, Lorick is focusing on Collazo losing some weight and perfecting his already flawless talent. Collazo publicist Ed Rosa initially proposed of a Collazo-Cotto (27-0, 22 KO) match as a publicity stunt. However, with the tremendous support of boxing fans around the world and Team Collazo, the stunt became a much-anticipated reality, appropriately titled, “Let’s Give the People a Fight They Want to See.” Both of Puerto-Rican descent, 25-year-old Cotto and 29-year-old Quintana will step into the ring Dec. 2 in a fight for the WBA Welterweight title.