• Age: 27 (10-29-80)
• Residence: Caguas, Puerto Rico
• Birthplace: Caguas, Puerto Rico
• Record: 32-0, 26 KOs
• Height: 5’7”
• Reach: 67”
• Manager, trainer: Evangelista Cotto (uncle)

MIGUEL COTTO (32-0, 26 KOs)…

World championship fights - 12-0, 10 KOs…

WBA welterweight world champion, four successful title defenses...

Former WBO jr. welterweight world champion, six successful title defenses…

Former WBC International super lightweight champion, five successful title defenses…

2000 Olympic representative for Puerto Rico, 139 pounds…

2000 Puerto Rican National amateur champion, 139 pounds…

1997, 1998, 1999 Puerto Rican National amateur champion, 132 pounds…

At the age of 27, Miguel is a seven-year pro. The WBA welterweight world champion, he won the title in December, 2006, and has made four successful title defenses.

Miguel is in his prime and making his mark as one of the top fighters in the ring today.

He will be in one of the most highly-anticipated fights of the year when he faces former IBF and WBO welterweight world champion Antonio Margarito on July 26 in Las Vegas.

Promoter Bob Arum told Dan Rafael of ESPN.com, “I get really excited about a fight like this because I know it can't be anything but great. That’s why we’re calling it ‘The Battle.’ It’s a tough-ass fight. Two real men fighting. There won’t be any playing around. No ducking or dodging. These are two guys who will go at it. That is their style. And don’t forget the element that it is Mexico vs. Puerto Rico, which is the great rivalry in boxing.”

These guys both have great chins, great determination and great power. It’s going to be some battle.”

Miguel is coming off a dominant performance in his last fight in April, a fifth-round TKO against Alfonso Gomez.

After the fight, Fightwriter.com’s Graham Houston reported, “Miguel Cotto just seems to get better all the time. He was faster and slicker than I have ever seen him in his five-round win over game but outclassed Alfonso Gomez.... The methodical, break-them-down fighter of his early career has evolved into a multidimensional boxer-fighter who can, as they say, do it all.

“Gomez was just as game and willing as I had expected him to be but Cotto was on a far higher level. It was master against pupil, a latter-day version of Kid Gavilan’s famous beatdown of Chuck Davey.

“Cotto’s combination punching and hand speed were breathtaking, while his left jab has developed into a jarring weapon, quite possibly as hard as the right hand of some fighters. You don’t often see a fighter knocked down by a jab, but Gomez was, in the fifth round, by which time everyone had seen enough.

“It was not as if Gomez fought badly. He jabbed, hooked, threw right hands, and gave it his best effort, but Cotto was vastly superior in every aspect of the game

“Now Cotto is to meet Tijuana’s Antonio Margarito in a clash that will be as eagerly anticipated as any big fight in recent years. As long as compelling fights such as Cotto versus Margarito continue to be made, boxing will be just fine.”

Miguel scored his his career-best win in his previous fight in November, 2007, a 12-round unanimous decision in an exciting fight against former lightweight, welterweight, and super welterweight world champion Shane Mosley.

After the fight, Kevin Iole reported on Yahoo.com, “Whatever superlatives you apply, it is clear that Miguel Cotto has arrived at the top of the boxing heap. Cotto proved his worthiness to rank alongside boxing’s greatest champions by besting Shane Mosley in a pitched battle. The result wasn’t so much an old star fading off into obscurity as it was of a world-class fighter stepping up his game and toppling a still-formidable foe.”

Dan Rafael wrote, “As terrific as Cotto has been since turning pro after the 2000 Olympics, the Puerto Rican star still lacked that true superstar name on his résumé. Now he’s got it after an outstanding performance in an exciting fight against Mosley, a surefire Hall of Famer.

“All in all, it was a tremendous performance from one of the sport’s stars. Cotto...is in his prime right now. He’s zooming up the pound-for-pound list and is must-see TV when he fights.”

Graham Houston wrote, “Viewers watching on TV or in the crowd of more than 17,000 saw a fight well worthy of the welterweight division’s long and proud history. This was a high-quality contest, 12 rounds of sharp, smart boxing and solid hitting on both sides, with Cotto doing a little more to earn a well-deserved verdict...

“Round after round each man was giving of his best - matching wits as well as wicked punches. Neither ever seemed to be in serious trouble or on the verge of going down but the punches they gave and took would probably have halted lesser men.

“Cotto found himself in a fight that was tough and intense - the closest fight of his career - but he kept an impressive composure and showed real ring intelligence to go with his well-known strength and pressure. This was a fight that Cotto won by virtue of boxing skills rather than body blasting.

“It was Cotto’s night, and he looks like the sort of fighter who will just keep getting better, but Mosley was magnificent in defeat. As Jim Lampley said, there were no losers in this fight - and boxing was the big winner.”

After the fight, Shane Mosley said, “It was a great fight. Miguel is very strong. Not only was he powerful with pressure, but he can also box. He really mixed it up and did a great job out there tonight. He’s a young lion on his way to greatness.”

Miguel’s career continues to build momentum year after year. The Mosley fight drew a crowd of 17,135 at Madison Square Garden. On the eve of the Puerto Rican Day parade on June 9, the Judah fight drew a capacity crowd of 20,658 at the Garden. On the eve of the parade in 2006, his fight against Paulie Malignaggi drew over 14,000. Miguel also headlined at the Garden before the 2005 parade and drew over 10,000 fans. His last three fights in Puerto Rico drew capacity crowds, as well.

Miguel won the WBO jr. welterweight world title at the age of 23 in September, 2004, and made six successful title defenses before vacating the title to move up in weight.

He is experienced against top opposition and has beaten current or former world champions Shane Mosley (W12), Zab Judah (TKO11), Paulie Malignaggi (W12), Ricardo Torres (KO7), DeMarcus Corley (TKO5), Randall Bailey (TKO6), Carlos Maussa (TKO8), and Cesar Bazan (TKO11). He has also beaten previously undefeated contenders Carlos Quintana (TKO5) and Kelson Pinto (TKO6), as well as veteran contenders Muhammad Abdulaev (TKO9), Victoriano Sosa (TKO4) and Lovemore Ndou (W12).

Miguel’s webpage address is www.miguelcotto.com.

Key Fights – 2008 – 4TH WBA W WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - in his last fight on 4-12-08 in Atlantic City, NJ, he TKO’d Alfonso Gomez (18-3-2): the fight headlined at Boardwalk Hall, and Miguel dominated; he scored a knockdown with a right hand to the body in 2nd round, then scored another knockdown with a left hook to the body in the 3rd; Miguel scored a knockdown with a jab in the 5th round, and the referee stopped the fight after the round; after the fight, Miguel said, “I wanted to work and do it the right way.”...

2007 – 3RD WBA W WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 11-10-07 in New York, NY, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against former lightweight, welterweight, and super welterweight world champion Shane Mosley (44-4): the fight headlined at Madison Square Garden and drew a crowd of 17,135; it was a close, exciting fight, and both fighters gave impressive performances; the momentum shifted back and forth: Miguel started fast, landed the sharper punches, and swept the 1st round on all three scorecards, but Mosley scored well with right hands and won the 2nd and 3rd on two scorecards; Miguel was more consistent and swept the 4th round, but Mosley rallied and swept the 5th; Miguel came back to sweep the 6th and after six rounds, led by scores of 58-56, 58-56, 57-57; the 7th was a three-way split – one judge scored for Miguel, one for Mosley, and one had it even, but Miguel swept the 8th; Miguel changed tactics in the 9th round: he boxed and moved and Mosley became more aggressive, and both were effective at times - Miguel won the 9th round on two scorecards, Mosley won the 10th on two, then Miguel came back and won the 11th round on two; Miguel was cut over his right eye by a clash of heads in the 12th, and Mosley won the round on two scorecards; scored 116-113, 115-113, 115-113; after the fight, Miguel said, “We both did our best and we both gave it our all. Mosley hit me with some real hard punches. However, I trained in camp with speed and movement and to face his kind of power. I did all that in Puerto Rico before I got here. I thought I was ahead the entire fight. I thought I had a big lead.”...

2ND WBA W WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 6-9-07 in New York he TKO’d lefthanded former IBF and WBO jr. welterweight and undisputed welterweight world champion Zab Judah (34-4): the fight headlined at Madison Square Garden, drew a capacity crowd of 20,658, and was a sensational battle; Judah started fast - he rocked Miguel with a left uppercut midway through the 1st round, but went down later in the round from a low blow (replays showed it was just below the belt) and took about a minute to recover; Judah staggered Miguel with a straight left hand late in the 2nd that cut Miguel’s lower lip badly, but went down from another low blow in the 3rd round (replays showed it was very low) and Miguel was penalized one point for the foul; Miguel kept pressing forward, rallied in the following rounds, and Judah was cut over his right eye in the 4th (replays showed it was from a clash of heads, but it was not ruled by the referee) and his nose was bloodied in the 5th round; Miguel was cut badly over his right eye in the 6th (replays showed it was also from a clash of heads); Judah came back in the 7th round and staggered Miguel with a left uppercut, then rocked him with a series of punches later in the round, but Miguel rallied and scored a knockdown with a series of punches, finished with a left hook, that dropped Judah to one knee in the 9th; Miguel scored another knockdown with a series of punches that put Judah flat on his back in the 11th round – he got up, but Miguel staggered him with another series of punches and the referee stopped the fight at 0:49...

1ST WBA W WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 3-3-07 in San Juan, PR, he TKO’d former three-time world title challenger Oktay Urkal (38-3): the fight headlined at Coliseo Roberto Clemente and drew a capacity crowd; Urkal gave a good effort, but Miguel dominated the fight; he constantly pressed forward, landed the harder punches, and used a strong body attack; Miguel was cut over his left eye by a clash of heads in the 5th round, and Urkal was penalized one point for another head butt in the 7th round; he was penlized another point in the 11th round for the same foul, and his corner stopped the fight at 1:01; after 10 rounds, Miguel led by scores of 100-89, 98-91, 97-92; aftr the fight, Miguel said, “I am going to get my cut taken care of, and I’m going to prepare for June. Judah is next. I have to prepare hard for him. My cut made him feel brave. The headbutts bothered me. I don’t know if they were intentional or not, but they bothered me. I also had blood trickling in my eye.”...

2006 – WON VACANT WBA W WORLD TITLE - on 12-2-06 in Atlantic City, NJ, he TKO’d previously undefeated lefthander Carlos Quintana (23-0): the fight headlined at Boardwalk Hall and drew a crowd of 7,412; Miguel was very impressive; he started fast and rocked Quintana with a right hand midway through the 1st round and landed the sharper punches in the 2nd, but Quintana rallied in the 3rd and 4th rounds; Miguel stepped up his pace in the 5th – he rocked Quintana with a left hook midway through the round, and scored a knockdown moments later with a left hook to the body; Quintana got up, but Miguel scored another knockdown with a series of punches, and Quintana, battered and bruised around his eyes and with a bloody mouth, did not continue after the round; after five rounds, Miguel led by scores of 48-45 on all three scorecards; after the fight, Miguel said, “I felt very strong at this weight. I could do anything I wanted to do. Every punch I threw was hard. I tried to get him to the liver the whole fight.”...

6TH WBO JW WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 6-10-06 in New York he won a 12 round unanimous decision against previously undefeated Paulie Malignaggi (21-0): the match headlined at Madison Square Garden and drew a crowd of 14,365, and it was an exciting fight; Miguel dominated the early rounds – he cut Malignaggi over his left eye in the 1st round and scored a knockdown with a left hook in the 2nd; Malignaggi gave a tremendous effort and rallied in the middle rounds – he won the 5th, 6th, and 9th on all three scorecards - but Miguel finished the fight strongly and gave him a severe beating; he bloodied Malignaggi’s nose in the 10th round and his mouth in the 11th, and Malignaggi had a bad swelling on his right cheek; both fought hard until the final bell and had the fans on their feet; scored 116-111, 116-111, 115-112; after the fight, Miguel said, “I’m happy with the decision. It was a more tough fight than I expected. I always go into the ring to win round by round.”; Malignaggi underwent surgery a week later for a fractured right cheekbone, and went on to win the IBF jr. welterweight world title...

5TH WBO JW WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 3-4-06 in Bayamon, PR, he TKO’d Gianluca Branco (36-1-1): the fight headlined at Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez and drew a capacity crowd of around 15,000 that started chanting, “Cotto…Cotto…” during the start of the undercard bouts and continued through the main event; Miguel gave a strong performance and dominated the fight; he outworked Branco, worked the body well, and steadily wore him down; Branco was cut on his scalp by a clash of heads in the 5th round, and was swollen under his right eye and on the right side of his jaw in the 6th; Miguel landed a left hook to Branco’s right shoulder in the 8th round, and Branco grabbed his shoulder in pain and turned away from the action; the referee stopped the fight at 0:49; after seven rounds, Miguel led by scores of 70-63, 69-64, 69-64; after the fight, Miguel said, “I knew I had to take my time with this guy, I never wanted to be reckless. I felt I was putting enough pressure on the guy. I felt a lot stronger than him, I was breaking him down. It was just a matter of time. I started to work on him with the first ring of the bell. It wasn’t an easy fight, it was a tough fight. He did not hurt me. He had his good punches, but this was our night. He came to try and use his style, to try to block and then punch. I think I looked better than September 24. I’m going to try to do this from now on. The fight with Torres was a war, this was a boxing fight. A win is a win.”…

2005 - 4TH WBO JW WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 9-24-05 in Atlantic City he TKO’d previously undefeated WBO No. 1 ranked contender Ricardo Torres (28-0): the bout was co-featured with Wladimir Klitschko-Samuel Peter at Boardwalk Hall, and drew an attendance of 10,137; it was a great fight with dramatic shifts of momentum; Miguel fought aggressively and started fast - he scored a knockdown midway through the 1st round, but Torres came back and staggered Miguel early in the 2nd, then scored a knockdown midway through the round - Miguel got up and Torres attacked furiously, but Miguel weathered the storm and staggered Torres late in the round; Miguel wore down Torres with a relentless body attack, and scored another knockdown in the 4th round, but Torres rallied again and staggered Miguel midway throught the 5th; Miguel recovered and scored a knockdown in the 6th, then scored another knockdown in the 7th round - Torres got up but was unsteady, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:52; after six rounds, Miguel led by scores of 57-53, 57-53, 56-53; Miguel suffered a broken eardrum in the fight; Torres went on to win the WBO jr. welterweight world title; after the fight, Miguel said, “I didn’t expect it to be so tough and to go back and forth like it did. I’m glad people saw that I can take a punch and fight back. All the time I was thinking I had to win the fight, no matter how. I didn’t care how I won, I had to win. It showed the public that I can hit, and I can take a punch. We worked very hard to get to this point. This is the first time I’ve been knocked down. We’ve lived all the things a boxer can live. Now I’ve been through all that a great fighter must go through, all the adversity inside the ring, and I still won the fight.”…

3RD WBO JW WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 6-11-05 in New York he TKO’d 2000 Olympic gold medalist Muhammad Abdulaev (15-1): the fight headlined at Madison Square Garden, and drew a crowd of 10,231; it was the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade, and fans waved Puerto Rican flags and chanted Miguel’s name; Abdulaev, who had beaten Miguel in his first fight at the 2000 Olympics, gave a strong effort and relentlessly pressed forward, but Miguel dominated the early rounds – he boxed and moved effectively, consistently outworked him, and won the first five rounds on all three scorecards; Miguel caused a swelling over Abdulaev’s right eye in the 6th, but Abdulaev stepped up his pace and won the 6th round on one scorecard and the 8th on all three; Miguel continued to score with sharp combinations, and Abdulaev, with his right eye completely shut, signalled the referee to stop the fight at 0:57 of the 9th round; after eight rounds, Miguel led by scores of 79-73, 79-73, 78-74; after the fight, Miguel said, “He still had the same style from when I fought him in the Olympics. He was strong and came forward through the fight, just as he did in the Olympics, but tonight I worked him well. He’s a great athlete, but he was hurt and he knew his body couldn’t go on any longer.”; Miguel rode in the parade the next day as Grand Marshall…

2ND WBO JW WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 2-26-05 in Bayamon he TKO’d former WBO jr. welterweight world champion and lefthander DeMarcus Corley (29-3-1): the event drew a capacity crowd of around 15,000 to the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez and it was an exciting fight, fast-paced from the opening bell - Miguel scored a knockdown with a left hook in the opening minute of the 1st round, and staggered Corley later in the round, but Corley rallied late in the 2nd; Corley staggered Miguel early in the 3rd with a right hook to the temple, but Miguel weathered the storm, recovered, and outworked Corley in the 4th; Miguel rocked Corley midway through the 5th, then scored a knockdown with a left hook to the body; Corley got, but Miguel pressured him, Corley went to one knee, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:45; after the fight, Miguel said, “The fight was difficult, more difficult than I had planned, but fortunately, we were able to get the win. I came out strong and I wanted to be aggressive. In the first round, I knocked him down and he was shaky. I kept on pressuring him, but he’s a solid fighter. It was the first time that someone hit me twice with some good, solid shots in one round. I respect Corley, and I salute him.”…

2004 - 1ST WBO JW WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 12-11-04 in Las Vegas, NV, he TKO’d former WBO jr. welterweight world champion Randall Bailey (28-4): the fight was co-featured with the Wladimir Klitschko-Danny Williams main event at Mandalay Bay; Bailey started fast and landed two hard right hands in the 1st round, but Miguel dominated the rest of the fight; he scored one knockdown with a right hand that dropped Bailey to his knees in the 2nd round, and another with a right hand that dropped Bailey to one knee and cut him over his left eye in the 3rd; Miguel steadily wore down Bailey with hard body punches, and the referee stopped the fight on the advice of the ringside doctor at 1:39 of the 6th; after the fight, Miguel said, “I got him real good with the right hand, but the body work was the plan. I knew if I could get to the body I would win the fight.”…

WON VACANT WBO JW WORLD TITLE - on 9-11-04 in San Juan, PR, he TKO’d previously undefeated Kelson Pinto (20-0): it was the main event at the Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot, and drew an announced crowd of 12,200; Pinto had beaten Miguel two times as an amateur; it was an exciting battle, but Miguel dominated - he staggered Pinto with a left hook in the 1st round and scored a knockdown with a right hand-left hook conbination in the 2nd, but Pinto kept coming back and there were some fierce exchanges; Miguel staggered him again in the 3rd and 4th rounds, then scored a knockdown with a left hook in the 5th; Miguel scored another knockdown with a series of punches in the 6th, and Pinto’s corner threw in the towel to stop the fight at 2:28; Miguel wore trunks on which were sewn the names of all of Puerto Rico’s world champions; after the fight, he said through an interpreter, “Today, there’s one more. I’ve got to be honest, I was very nervous. But you know, when you look at my record and you look at his, and the progress that I’ve made, I knew I would win. We knew that he was hurt in the previous round. My corner said, ‘Jump on him,’ and that’s what we did. I was in front of my people, I couldn’t let them down. I know that with my determination and the good work, I can beat anybody.”…

5TH WBC INTERNATIONAL SL TITLE DEFENSE - on 5-8-04 in Las Vegas he won a 12 round unanimous decision against former world title challenger Lovemore Ndou (38-6-1): it was the co-featured bout on the fight card headlined by Juan Manuel Marquez vs Manny Pacquiao, and an exciting, hard-fought battle; Miguel pressed the action in the early rounds - he outworked Ndou, consistently landed the harder punches, and buckled Ndou’s knees in the 6th; Ndou gave a tremendous effort, kept fighting hard, and rallied in the late rounds, but Miguel boxed and moved effectively and won by scores of 117-111, 116-112, 115-113; after the fight Miguel said, “He was a tough guy. He has a lot of experience. It was a tough fight, but these are the kind of opponents I need. This is what I need if I am going to step up to that next level.”…

4TH WBC INTERNATIONAL SL TITLE DEFENSE - on 2-28-04 in Las Vegas he TKO’d former two-time world title challenger Victoriano Sosa (37-3-2): Sosa gave a strong effort and rocked Miguel late in the 2nd round, but Miguel scored a devastating TKO; he bloodied Sosa’a lip and staggered him with a left uppercut in the 3rd round; Miguel scored three knockdowns in the 3rd - the first with a left uppercut to the chin, the second with a left hook to the head, and the third with a left hook to the body - and the referee stopped the fight without a count at 2:51; after the fight, Miguel said, “Sosa’s a good fighter, as he showed against Mayweather and Spadafora. He’s the best I’ve fought. But my team thought he would be a good fight for me, and I won. I’m just trying to get better every time I go into the gym. I’m glad people think that I have.”…

2003 – 3RD WBC INTERNATIONAL SL TITLE DEFENSE - on 12-6-03 in Bayamon he TKO’d previously undefeated Carlos Maussa (16-0): the fight headlined at Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez and drew an announced crowd of 10,000, and Miguel gave a sensational performance; Maussa is tall, awkward and very determined, and was coming off an impressive TKO win against unbeaten prospect Jeffrey Resto, but Miguel dominated the fight; he scored a knockdown in the 3rd round and steadily wore down Maussa; Miguel staggered him in the 8th round, and Maussa’s corner stopped the fight at 2:02; after the fight, Miguel said, “The fights are won in the ring, not by talking or at the press conferences. He was tall and had long arms, and that’s why it was difficult to attack his body. But little by little, I wore him down.”; Maussa went on to win the WBA super lightweight world title…

2ND WBC INTERNATIONAL SL TITLE DEFENSE - WBA SL WORLD TITLE ELIMINATOR - on 9-13-03 in Las Vegas he TKO’d former world title challenger Demetrio Ceballos (26-4): Ceballos gave a good effort and pressed forward, but Miguel dominated the fight; he boxed and moved effectively, consistently outworked Ceballos and landed the harder punches, then switched to the lefthanded stance in the 6th round and rocked Ceballos several times; he rocked Ceballos with a series of punches in the 7th and Ceballos’s corner stopped the fight at 2:28; after six rounds, Miguel led by scores of 60-54, 60-54, 60-55; after the fight, Miguel said, “It’s a great win. He’s the most experienced fighter I’ve ever faced in the ring.”…

1ST WBC INTERNATIONAL SL TITLE DEFENSE - on 6-28-03 in Bayamon he knocked out former three-time world title challenger Rocky Martinez (38-8-1): the fight headlined the card at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez and drew a capacity crowd of around 15,000; Miguel was very impressive; he cut Martinez over his right eye in the 1st round, then scored a knockdown with a left hook to the body in the 2nd and Martinez was counted out at 2:42…

On 4-19-03 in Fresno,CA, he knocked out former world title challenger Joel Perez (34-5-2): Miguel was busier and sharper, scored a knockdown with a left hook to the body in the 4th round and Perez was counted out at 1:29; after the fight, Miguel said, “As the rounds went on I felt better. I decided to pressure him more in the third round.”…

WON VACANT WBC INTERNATIONAL SL TITLE - on 2-1-03 in Las Vegas he TKO’d former WBC lightweight world champion Cesar Bazan (39-5-1): it was a step up in class for Miguel and his most impressive win; he dominated the fight - Miguel scored a knockdown in the 1st round and bloodied Bazan’s nose in the 2nd; Miguel consistently kept a busier pace, landed the sharper punches, and wore him down; Bazan kept fighting back hard, but his right eye gradually swelled shut from repeated left hooks; Miguel rocked him in the 11th round, and the referee stopped the fight at 0:16; after 10 rounds, Miguel led by scores of 99-90, 99-90, 100-89; after the fight, he said, “I expected a tough fight and got one. I never lost my composure..I never thought I was ever in any kind of danger.”…

2002 - on 11-22-02 in Caguas, PR, he TKO’d Ubaldo Hernandez (18-9-2): Hernandez gave a good effort, but Miguel steadily wore him down - he bloodied his nose in the 2nd round, then rocked him a couple of times and cut him under his right eye in the 4th; Miguel hurt Hernandez with a body punch in the 7th round, then scored a knockdown and Hernandez was counted out at 1:31…

On 9-14-02 in Las Vegas he won a 10 round unanimous decision against former four-time world title challenger John Brown (23-9): it was a step up in class of opposition for Miguel and the first time he went 10 full rounds; Miguel dominated the fight - he scored a knockdown in the 2nd round, staggered Brown in the 8th, and won by scores of 100-88, 100-89, 100-89; after the fight, Miguel said, “You can’t knock everybody out. Sometimes you have to go the distance. He had a difficult style and I had go to the southpaw stance to try to confuse him.”…

He debuted at the age of 20 on 2-23-01 in Austin, TX, and TKO’d Jason Doucet (debut): Miguel scored two knockdowns in the 1st round, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:12; after the fight, Miguel said, “I was just happy to get the first win under my belt. He had a lot of courage and was very strong.”…

AMATEUR, PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Miguel said, “I was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico. I have two brothers. I’m the youngest. My father was in the military, in the National Guard here in Puerto Rico for 25 years. My mom stayed at home and teach us how to live.

“When I was 11 years old, my weight was 156 pounds and I tried to lose weight with boxing. My brothers were already boxing and I tried to do the same. I started at the Gym Bairoa in Caguas. I lost weight, but I started to feel something for boxing. In the beginning, it was just for game, but then I start to feel like, a love for boxing.

“Jose Miguel Cotto is my brother. Juan Miguel boxed amateur, he never changed to professional. In my house, everyone is called Miguel. My father is Miguel Angel, Juan Miguel is my older brother, Jose Miguel is my brother, and me, Miguel Angel. My little kid is Miguel Angel, too. Jose Juan Cotto is my cousin.

“I had 125 amateur fights with 23 losses. I fought Panchito Bojado, Ricardo Williams. I fought Kelson Pinto, Muhammad Abdulaev.

“I was Puerto Rican national amateur champion from ’97 to 2000, all at 132 pounds, but the last year at 140.

“I fought with Ivan Calderon when I was amateur, 100 pounds. [note: Calderon is the WBO jr. flyweight world champion] He beat me three to two. After that, we make the team of Puerto Rico to represent Puerto Rico in international competition. We were both in the Olympics in 2000. He’s still at 105 pounds. He’s, if not the best, one of my best friends.”...

AMATEUR HIGHLIGHTS: 2000 Olympics, Sydney, Australia, 139 pounds: in his first bout on 9-20-00 he lost a 17-7 decision against Muhammad Abdullaev of Uzbekistan, who went on to win the gold medal; looking back, Miguel said, “I felt that I did the best I could at the Olympics. Unfortunately, some judges don’t see it that way. But I was very happy with my performance, and I felt that I won that fight.”…

2000 Central American and Caribbean Games, Caracas, Venezuela, 139 pounds - GOLD MEDALIST: in the finals he won a 16-6 decision against Maikel Perez of Cuba...

2000 Giraldo Cardin Tournament, Las Tunas, Cuba, 139 pounds – SILVER MEDALIST: in the finals he was stopped in the 2nd round against Diogenes Luna of Cuba...

1997, 1998, 1999 Puerto Rican National amateur champion, 132 pounds; 2000 Puerto Rican National amateur champion, 139 pounds…Miguel has been called “The greatest amateur boxer ever from Puerto Rico”…

He fought several other top amateurs: Miguel was 2-1 in three fights against Panchito Bojado of Mexico; Miguel said, ‘My wins were decisive. One was five to zero and the other was eight to seven. The one that I lost was six to seven.”…

2000 USA-Puerto Rico Dual Meet – on 8-15-00 in Tacoma, WA, Miguel won a 28-22 decision against Ricardo Williams Jr.…

Miguel returned to the ring in January, 2002, for the first time since being injured a car accident in August, 2001 – driving to a 5:30 A.M. workout, he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a concrete wall; he said, “Sometimes I feel the shoulder pain, the shoulder tired. But any other problems about that, no.

“It was a very serious accident. I broke my arm and shoulder in four different places. I think being in the shape I am in really helped.”…in addition to a scar on his right shoulder, he has a six-inch titanium rod in his right arm...

He said, “I’m lefthanded. I do everything with my left hand. The only thing I can do with my right hand is fight. I feel more comfortable fighting righthanded when I’m beginning.”...

STRENGTHS: Has an aggressive style, good skills and movement…an accurate combination puncher with good punching power – at his best, he pressures his opponents and wears them down...a good body puncher…is poised and polished in the ring…is versatile – he can also box and move effectively…is naturally lefthanded, and can switch effectively to the lefthanded stance…is always in top condition…tough, durable, and determined, has tremendous heart…comes from a strong family boxing background...had a strong amateur background…is experienced against top opposition...

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 32 fights…196 total rounds…96 world championship rounds…

AVERAGE LENGTH OF BOUTS: 6.1 rounds…

KNOCKOUT PERCENTAGE: 81 %…

DISTANCE FIGHTS: 12 rounds - 3 (3-0)…11 rounds – 3 (3-0)…10 rounds – 1 (1-0)…