Miguel Cotto

Puerto Rican boxer who became the first fighter from his country to win world titles in four weight divisions, closing his career with a signature run at Madison Square Garden.

Born Miguel Ángel Cotto Vázquez on 29 October 1980 in Caguas, Puerto Rico, Miguel Cotto took up boxing at age 11 and represented Puerto Rico as an amateur before turning professional in 2001. He built his early career as a hard-hitting pressure fighter, winning the vacant WBO light welterweight title in 2004 and defending it six times before moving up in weight. Cotto won the WBA welterweight title in 2006 and defended it successfully, including a memorable stoppage of Zab Judah in 2007, before losing the belt to Antonio Margarito in 2008 and later to Manny Pacquiao in 2009. He rebuilt his career at light middleweight, winning a world title there, before suffering another significant loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2012 in what was considered one of Mayweather's toughest fights. Cotto's career-defining achievement came on 7 June 2014 at Madison Square Garden, where he dropped Argentine middleweight champion Sergio Martínez three times before the fight was stopped in the tenth round, making Cotto the first Puerto Rican boxer in history to win world titles in four different weight divisions. He defended the middleweight title once before moving back down to face Canelo Álvarez in 2015, losing a competitive fight. Cotto retired on 2 December 2017, fittingly at Madison Square Garden — where he had fought ten times — following a loss to Sadam Ali in his final bout, fighting through a torn bicep. He finished his career with a record of 41 wins and 6 losses, including 33 knockouts, and six world titles across four weight classes, cementing his status as one of Puerto Rico's greatest-ever boxers alongside Félix Trinidad and Wilfredo Gómez.

Evolved from a hard-hitting pressure fighter into a skilled counter-puncher over his career

One of Puerto Rico's greatest-ever boxers and a beloved fixture at Madison Square Garden