SONAHR: June 8, 2014 – ?Miguel Cotto ? middleweight champion.? Not too long ago, that phrase would have sounded as unlikely as ?Floyd Mayweather Jr. ? diplomat? or ?Paulie Malinaggi ? slugger.? When he stepped into the ring at hallowed Madison Square Garden to take on WBC and Ring magazine titlist Sergio Martinez, Cotto was an underdog. Even though the 39-year-old Martinez was coming off a long layoff, had suffered injuries in his last two fights, and looked to be on the downslide, he still figured to be too big and too fast for Cotto, who was moving up in weight.
Despite the fact that he is the younger man, Cotto may well have been the more-damaged of the two. The brutal beatdowns he suffered years ago at the hands of Antonio Margarito (in their first fight) and Manny Pacquiao had to have taken their toll. Still, Cotto had held titles in the junior-welterweight, welterweight and junior-middleweight divisions and had looked impressive in a recent win over Devon Alexander.
In challenging Martinez, Cotto was looking to make history by becoming the first Puerto Rican fighter to win major titles in four weight divisions. He figured to at least be competitive against Martinez, who was rated at No. 7 in The Ring?s Pound for Pound Top 10 despite his inactivity.
As it turned out, Cotto proved more than merely competitive. He was dominant. He made Martinez look like an overmatched old man over nine viciously one-sided rounds. Martinez did not answer the bell for the 10th. His next stop was the hospital, where he went for precautionary treatment.
The first round pretty well told the tale of the fight, as Cotto started like gangbusters, dropping his veteran Argentine opponent three times in that torrid session. It was a round similar to the opening heat of Manny Pacquiao?s first fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, who also hit the deck three times in three minutes. Marquez had enough ring savvy to come back and hold Pacquiao to a draw. Martinez also has plenty of smarts and experience. But it was not enough to hold off Cotto, who was on fire at the Garden.
For round after round, Cotto battered the champion, who displayed his courage by hanging in. That courage kept Martinez on his feet until the ninth round, during which his glove touched the canvas for a fourth knockdown. Staying in his corner when the bell rang for the next round was the right thing for Martinez to do. He had nothing left to prove. He had nothing left ? period.
How easy it would be to say that Martinez was shot, and any of the top middleweights or junior middleweights could have taken him apart as Cotto did. But Cotto stepped up and produced the performance of a lifetime. Who?s to say he could not have done the same against any of the other top middleweights or junior middleweights ? including WBA champion Gennady Golovkin?
It is fitting that Cotto achieved his four-division title goal on the same weekend that fellow Puerto Rican great Felix Trinidad was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Cotto has always fought in Trinidad?s shadow. Now, he has earned the right to stand next to his legendary predecessor. Puerto Rico can be proud of both of them.
