Junior middleweight world titleholder Miguel Cotto will bring to an end his surefire Hall of Fame career in a defense against Sadam Ali at Madison Square Garden, where Cotto has been a huge draw throughout his career thanks to the tremendous support from the large Puerto Rican community in New York.
“What can you say about Miguel Cotto that hasn’t already been said during his two decades in boxing?” Golden Boy Promotions Chairman and CEO Oscar De La Hoya said. “He is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, a true legend in Puerto Rico, New York and beyond, and a true credit to the sport of boxing.”
The fight with Ali will be Cotto’s 10th at the Garden, where he stands 8-1. He has scored some of his biggest wins here, including against Sergio Martinez for the middleweight world title, a rematch with Antonio Margarito, Shane Mosley, Zab Judah and Paulie Malignaggi. The one loss came by upset decision to Austin Trout in 2012.
Cotto (41-5, 33 KOs), who turned 37 on October 29, said he stands by his previous comments that the fight will be the last of a career in which he has won six world titles and is the only Puerto Rican fighter to win titles in four weight classes (middleweight, super welterweight, welterweight and junior welterweight).
“I’m very excited to be back in the ring for my final fight at the Garden,” said Cotto, who will be making the first defense of the vacant junior middleweight title he won by lopsided decision against Japan’s Yoshihiro Kamegai on August 26. “I’ve worked really hard my entire career to be at this level. I am fully concentrated on getting a great victory on December 2.”
Ali (25-1, 14 KOs), 29, a 2008 U.S. Olympian from Brooklyn, New York, will move up one weight class for the fight. He is excited for the opportunity to ruin Cotto’s retirement party as he fights for a world title for the second time. In March 2016, Ali suffered a ninth-round knockout at the hands of Jessie Vargas in their fight for a vacant welterweight world title. Ali has won three in a row since.
“I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to fight a legend in Madison Square Garden in front of all my fans and on HBO,” Ali said. “My time is now. God willing, I will leave the Garden with the championship belt.”
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