Puerto Rican warrior Miguel Cotto has long been viewed as one of the perennial contenders of the sport. Not since Felix “Tito” Trinidad has the island of Puerto Rico seen such a dominant force, and despite the efforts of Ivan Calderon and Juan Manuel Lopez, losses and all, Cotto has remained the islands official torch-bearing presence. When you look at the history of Miguel Cotto, the victories speak for themselves, yet on the other side of his resume, there remains an untold story. That proverbial “fly on the wall” is perhaps the only one who knows how many times Cotto, and those close to him, have wondered out loud whether or not his only two professional losses came at the hands of a couple men who opted not to play by the rules. We may never know the truth, but many will continue to speculate that it will be forever concealed with lies.
The unfortunate thing is that whether there was foul play or not, Miguel Cotto, as we once knew him, no longer exist. Depending on who you listen to, he may never surface in that treacherous form again, as beatings suffered at the hands of Mexico’s Antonio Margarito and the Philippines Manny Pacquiao was clearly of the career-ending variety. Leading up to the Mayorga showdown, trainer Emanuel Steward made a statement that spoke volumes. He stated that during a heartfelt one-on-one with Cotto, he told the Puerto Rican slugger that “the only way to truly seal [his] legacy would be to take on at least one of the two men he lost to and avenge the defeat.” For a very long time, Cotto stayed away from the name Pacquiao, and refused to even acknowledge the name Margarito. Time appears to have changed that tune. Not only is he preparing for a December 3rd, Madison Square Garden face-off with Margarito, but if he’s victorious, a subsequent showdown with Pacquiao could be in the cards too, if the stars align. But is he truly ready?
Adding Emanuel Steward and a steady dose of discipline to his regime has certainly helped, but when the bell finally rings on that cold December night, will the heat be too much once again?
Rumors have run rampant about Cotto wanting a catchweight of 150 pounds for the pending showdown, and despite the denial by Arum, complete confirmation one way or the other has yet to come. At times, it can be a bit hard to assess what’s to be considered “mind games” from what’s not, but in this case, clearly, such a sign could signal the exact opposite, as rather than Cotto playing mind games with Margarito, it could strongly suggest that perhaps it’s he who carries remnants of a brutal mental warfare. Margarito will enter the ring with additional battle scars himself, as both Shane Mosley and Manny Pacquiao have ripped away at his once iron-clad frame. Testing a broken orbital bone against a dangerous puncher like Cotto could certainly come with it’s fair share of disadvantages, but beneath the physical layer is a mental note to vindicate himself, as few believe he played fairly the first time around.
When it all boils down, the true pursuit for Cotto is to seal his legacy and place himself on that well-chronicled list of Puerto Rican greats of all-time. As Steward so aptly pointed out, that rite of passage won’t come without a victory over one of the two men to hold victories over him. The guidance of Steward has provided Cotto a chance at a new beginning, but at the end of the day, can it avoid a potentially inevitable fate of resulting in a familiar fashion? Preparation has already begun….but can Cotto retain his status as Puerto Rico’s rising son? Stay tuned.
