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Miguel Cotto (born October 29, 1980) is a
professional Boxing|boxer from Puerto Rico. A
native of Caguas, Puerto Rico|Caguas, he shares,
coincidentally, his birthday with another famous
Puerto Rican boxer: Wilfredo Gomez. His brother,
Jose Miguel Cotto, is also a professional boxer
whom many think is destined to become a world
champion. Jose Miguel is undefeated in 24 bouts.

Cotto was taken as a little kid 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 won
several international competitions and represented
Puerto Rico at the 2000 Sydney Olympic
Games|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 24-0 with
20 knockout wins. He has been able to beat some
strong competition, such as former world title
challenger John Brown (boxer)|John Brown (by a 10
round decision, at the Oscar De La Hoya-Fernando
Vargas fight undercard) and former world champion
Cesar Soto|Cesar Cobrita Soto, by a knockout in
round 11.

In 2001, Cotto suffered a dangerous injury that
threatened his boxing career: As he was driving to
the gymnasium at 5 am in the morning one day, he
apparently fell asleep and had an accident,
breaking his arm and requiring hospitalization. 

On September 13, 2003, Cotto beat former title
challenger Demetrio Ceballos by a knockout in
round seven at Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas. With
this, he was ranked number one by the World Boxing
Association|WBA in his division, which is lead,
2004|as of 2004, by Kostya Tszyu.

Cotto himself began 2004 by beating Sammy Sosa's
cousin, the former world title challenger
Victoriano Sosa, by a knockout in round four. This
was after a mishap filled previous week to the
fight, which included Cotto having to wait for
four hours for his luggage bags to arrive (after a
2am local time arrival) at McCarran International
Airport in Las Vegas, and almost being removed
from the Mandalay Bay Hotel, where the fight was
held at, by a security guard who thought he was an
unaccompanied minor.

On April 8 of 2004, he defeated the former world
title challenger, Lovemore Ndou, over twelve
rounds, by the unanimous scores of 117-111, and
115-113 (twice), once again, in Las Vegas.

On the early morning hours of June 9 of that year,
Cotto and his family were involved in another car
accident, this time with his wife as driver.:
driving from Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico|Aguas
Buenas to Caguas on a darkened road after picking
up their children, their car skid off the road and
landed upside down. According to police reports,
she saw a black bag on the road. Fearing the bag
might contain a dead body or anything else, she
avoided it but lost control of the car, leading to
the accident. Neither the driver or the passengers
involved in the accident were hurt, and Cotto was
able to fly to New York the next day, where he
would take part in a series of promotional
activities with fellow boxer and friend, Ivan
Calderon (boxer)|Ivan Calderon

For his next bout Cotto would face the highly
skilled Brazilian Kelson Pinto for the vacant WBO
junior welterweight title. Pinto was not a
stranger to Cotto, as amateurs they had met in the
ring before at the Sydney 2000 Olympics with Pinto
beating the then 19 year old Cotto. 
This fight was being televised by HBO from San
Juan, Puerto Rico. And after much anticipation
from Cotto's home crowd and boxing fans eager to
witness the potential of this young prospect the
fight was on.  Pinto figured he could outbox and
outsmart the younger shorter Cotto, after all he
had beaten him before.  This proved to be a fatal
mistake, as Cotto, hungry and eager to seek
revenge and also not let his home crowd down
started out beautifully and in the second round 
Pinto was floored with a right to the chin
followed by a vicious left hook to the side of the
head.  The crowd was ecstatic, but the brave Pinto
got up the canvas and survived the round.  Pinto,
after realizing that he was facing a vast improved
Cotto with deadly power in both hands decided he
would have to box, keeping Cotto away using his
long jab, it worked well for most of the third and
fourth rounds however Cotto would occasionally
slip in a combination here and there.  The fifth
round started out the same, and as Pinto's courage
started to build up towards the end of the round
he moved closer to Cotto and tried to trade with
him.  This proved to be fatal, and once again
Cotto unloaded his artillery with at least five
vicious punches including an upper cut that
staggered the Brazilian, and on his was to the
canvas Cotto's punching power and incredible speed
would land one last punch as the Brazilian was
dropped for the second time in the fight.  Saved
by the bell Cotto did not waste any time when they
came out for the sixth.  He launched into full
attack, landing a right hand to the jaw and
unloading power punch after power punch against
the helpless Brazilian who was trying hard to
block punches to no success. One last left hook to
the body dropped Pinto and referee Roberto Ramirez
stopped the fight just as Pinto's corner was about
to throw the towel.


On December 11, he retained the title for the
first time, beating former world champion Randall
Bailey by a sixth round knockout, as part of the
Vitali Klitschko-Danny Williams (boxer)|Danny
Williams undercard in Las Vegas.

Eleven days later, on December 22, the Puerto
Rican boxing commission named Cotto Puerto Rico's
fighter of the year for 2004.

On February 26, 2005, Cotto made his second
successful title defense by knocking out former
world champion Demarcus Corley in the fifth round
at the Ruben Rodriguez coliseum in Bayamon, Puerto
Rico|Bayamon (see: Cotto vs. Corley). 

Just a few days after retaining the crown versus
Corley, Cotto received another personal blow, when
his stablemate and friend, former 2004 Olympian
Joseph Serrano, was shot to the head upon leaving
the Bairoa gym. Serrano has (so far) survived the
shot, he is in critical but stable condition at a
local hospital.

On June 11,2005 he faced the last man to beat him
as amateurs. Future gold medalist Mohamed Abdulaev
from Uzbekistan.  As amateurs Abdulaev eliminated
Cotto from the first round of the 2000,Sydney
Olympics. But this time they met as professionals
in New York City's Madison Square Garden. During
that fight Abdulaev's right eye was swollen shut,
realizing it would impair him from seeing any of
Cotto's dangerous left hooks he complained to the
referee of not being able to see, and after the
ringside Dr. viewed the eye the fight was halted
in the 9th round, and Cotto retained his WBO Jr.
welterweight title.

==Also see==
*List of famous Puerto Ricans