SAN JUAN, PR - Miguel Cotto will face Brazilian power puncher Kelson Pinto for the fourth time on September 11, 2004 in a twelve round fight for the vacant WBO 140 pound championship.
Cotto and Pinto fought each other three times in the amateurs, with Pinto coming out on top two of the three times. However this time it will be their first meeting as professionals, with the winner becoming a world champion for the first time.
Both fighters are undefeated in their careers thus far and are considered two of the more powerful fighters in the very competitive junior welterweight division.
In his last fight, Miguel Cotto, 20-0 (16 KOs) was forced to go the full twelve rounds for the first time. Miguel earned a unanimous decision against former world title challenger Lovemore Ndou, 38-6-1.
Cotto proved to the boxing world he was here to reckoned with. He pressed the action in the early rounds and consistently landed the harder punches, and even buckled Ndou’s knees in the 6th round.
Ndou put out a tremendous effort to keep it close by mounting a comeback in the late rounds, but at the end of the night the judges' scorecards read 117-111, 116-112, and 115-113 for Cotto.
"He was a tough guy. He has a lot of experience. It was a tough fight, but these are the kind of opponents I need. This is what I need if I am going to step up to that next level," Cotto said after the fight.
The late action impressed the appreciative crowd, who rose to their feet and cheered on both gladiators. Unfortunately this type of positive crowd response has been a rarity so far in Cotto's young career.
"I just try to do the best I can. I guess sometimes the people are kind of quiet, but they are also expecting. A lot of people are expecting something good to happen eventually in my fights, and I never disappoint. I always try come with something that the fans will enjoy and remember," Cotto feels.
Miguel Cotto was born on October 29, 1980 and hails from the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. A native of Caguas, he ironically shares his birthday with another famous Puerto Rican boxer: Wilfredo Gomez.
"I'm sure you know that in Puerto Rico we have had a lot of great boxers. I liked all of them, but the one I really looked up to was Wilfredo Gomez," said Cotto.
His brother, Jose Miguel Cotto, is also a professional boxer whom many think is destined to become a world champion. Jose Miguel so far is undefeated in 21 bouts.
As a youngster, Cotto was brought to the famous Bairoa Gym in Caguas, where Juan Carazo and Alberto Mercado also trained. There, he was able to develop into a top amateur fighter who ended up winning several international competitions and represented Puerto Rico at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
After being eliminated from those games in the first classificatory round, Cotto decided to turn professional.
As a professional, Cotto has a record of 20-0 with 16 knockout wins. He has taken on strong competition, beating fighters such as John Brown, Cesar Soto, Justin Juuko, Cesar Bazan and Victoriano Sosa.
It's almost hard to believe that Cotto's early success was almost all for not, when in August of 2001, Cotto suffered a dangerous injury that threatened his boxing career.
While driving to the gym for a scheduled 5:30 A.M. workout, Cotto fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a concrete wall. Cotto was eventually hospitalized with a fractured arm and several other injuries.
"It was a very serious accident. I broke my arm and shoulder in four different places. I think being in the shape I am in really helped."
Cotto bears a scar on his right shoulder and a six-inch titanium rod in his right arm as a result of the accident. The always positive Miguel managed to find a positive side to the accident.
"This kind of helped me. It made me think more about my family and be more focused on my career, because I almost didn't have one."
Most boxing experts agree that Cotto has an excellent chance at becoming a world champion in the near future. However Cotto is not one to read his own press clippings. He even admits he has things he still needs to work on.
"The way I look at it is just go to the gym, learn as much as I can and get better at everything. I never concentrate on just one thing to do, I go in there and polish everything. I want to make a complete fighter out of myself," Cotto said.
The high praise and pressure from his countrymen who desperately hope he follows in the footsteps of the great Puerto Rican fighters before him has not bothered Cotto a bit. He surprisingly remains cool and composed with both feet on the ground.
"I never look at is as pressure. I look at as people behind me who want me to do well. I really think of it as a positive, because when I step into the ring I really want to do well for my people. I love doing well for them, and I want them to keep backing me. It's motivation more then anything," Cotto said.
Cotto's maturity at such a young age has served him well and his proud promoter Bob Arum couldn't be happier.
"There's something unique and special about Miguel. I would say he is definitely the best prospect we have had since Floyd Mayweather. We really and truly believe he will be a superstar," says Arum.
"We think he has everything going for him. He has power, intelligence and ring smarts. He is a terrific prospect."
Many disagree and consider him an uncrowned champion already.
