On Dec. 2, WBO junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto will step into the Madison Square Garden ring for the final time.
Cotto, 41-5 with 33 knockouts, is retiring after the bout against Sadam Ali (21-5, 14 KOs). The fight will be broadcast on HBO’s World Championship Boxing beginning at 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT.
Cotto has said previously that will not fight beyond 2017, so this is the fans’ last chance to see this future Hall of Famer fight one more time.
This will be Cotto’s 10th fight at the ‘World’s Most Famous Arena,’ and he expressed his excitement in fighting there one more time.
“I’m very excited to be back in the ring for my final fight at The Garden. I’ve worked really hard my entire career to be at this level,” Cotto said. “I am fully concentrated on getting together with Freddie Roach so we can work hard and have a great victory on December 2.”
Cotto is expected to defeat Ali by knockout because of the difference in skill, and due to the fact that Ali was stopped in the ninth round of his welterweight title fight against Jessie Vargas, who only has 10 knockouts in 29 professional fights.
Now, Ali is fighting at junior middleweight against one of the most fierce body punchers of this era. So expect Cotto to earn the 34th knockout of his career.
3️⃣ weeks until the legend @RealMiguelCotto faces @realworldkidali Dec 2 @thegarden LIVE on @hboboxing ???? #CottoAli pic.twitter.com/T3oenpD8qg
— Golden Boy Boxing (@GoldenBoyBoxing) November 12, 2017
Cotto is the only Puerto Rican fighter in history to win titles in four different weight classes. Two things have endeared him to fans: He’s never been in a dull fight and he’s always been willing to fight anyone.
He’s fought the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jr., Shane Mosley, Manny Pacquiao, Sergio Martinez, Zab Judah, Antonio Margarito, and Canelo Alvarez over his 16-year career.
Although he would lose some of those fights, they were all action-packed and fans most definitely got their money’s worth.
So Dec. 2, the 37-year-old Cotto will look to close out his legendary career by giving his fans one last action-packed fight in the arena where he’s had some of his most memorable fights.
You’re not going to want to miss this one.
