What does Miguel Cotto gain from beating Sadam Ali? Not much...
- By Behind The Gloves
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- 29 Nov, 2025
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On Saturday night, Miguel Cotto will enter a boxing ring for the final time as a professional fighter as he defends his WBO light middleweight world title against Sadam Ali in Madison Square Garden, New York. The Garden is familiar territory for Cotto, where he has fought no fewer than nine times during a hall-of-fame-worthy career that began in 2001.
Cotto, in a storied career in which he captured world titles in four weight divisions, faced names such as Shane Mosley, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Sergio Martinez and Canelo Alvarez, going 2-3 against these opponents. He won some and lost some, but he always gave a good account of himself and provided fans with value for money through a hard-hitting, all-action style that resulted in many memorable ring battles. Moreover, he always conducted himself with class and decency in and outside the ring. Cotto famously takes his role as a representative of his native Puerto Rico, where he possesses national hero status, extremely seriously. It should not come as any surprise to learn that, as part of the deal for his fight on Saturday, Golden Boy Promotions will donate a percentage of each ticket sold for the fight to aid the relief effort in Puerto Rico in the wake of the devastation brought by Hurricane Maria.
While remaining faithful to his Latino roots, Cotto also appreciated the value of engaging and connecting with an English-speaking audience, to give himself a voice and to increase his own marketability. Despite not speaking a lick of English until his mid-twenties, he taught himself the language and boasts impressive fluency in it today. There is a lot to like and admire about Miguel Cotto, an awful lot. However, the same can hardly be said about Saturday’s fight...
Sadam Ali is not a marquee boxing name, but still commands respect in the sport. He was a talented amateur and an intriguing welterweight prospect for some time until getting his bubble burst in a world title shot against Jessie Vargas. Vargas, who is not a big puncher, thoroughly outclassed and beat up the New Yorker before stopping him in the ninth round. Ali is coming off three straight wins, although his most recent, against Johan Perez, was far from convincing, with Ali being wobbled and hurt a number of times by the veteran gatekeeper. Against Cotto, Ali will be moving up in weight to light middleweight where he has only fought once previously in his career. In short, he has zero business being in the ring with Cotto on Saturday night. According to Team Cotto, Ali represented the best available opponent after Errol Spence Jr, Mikey Garcia, Danny Garcia, Jessie Vargas and Lamont Peterson turned down the fight. None of whom, it might be added, are light middleweights.
Team Cotto are no fools: the other titleholders at 154 lbs simply do not offer a favourable risk/reward ratio.
Erislandy Lara, Jermell Charlo and Jarrett Hurd are all too big, too fresh and hit too hard. I would favour each to beat the current incarnation of Cotto convincingly. Even WBA (regular) light middleweight champion Brian Castaño - the greenest and arguably weakest of the division’s titleholders - would be dangerous at this stage of the Puerto Rican idol’s career. No-one wants to see Cotto go out on a humiliating and physically damaging defeat, especially after the ring wars he has gone through and all he has done for the sport of boxing. It does, however, beg the question of why he needs to fight again at all. He certainly does not need the money. In addition to making many millions of dollars during his career, he has handled his finances astutely by all accounts, securing his and his family’s future. Neither does he need the respect. Cotto faced the best fighters of his generations during his career. He will gain zero credit from beating a hand-picked opponent like Ali; an unexpected loss would not rob him of his Hall of Fame credentials, but it would be highly embarrassing as well as a disappointing end to a magnificent career.
Winning the vacant WBO light middleweight title in his last fight surely should have been enough. That in itself was a veritable gift on a silver platter against Yoshihiro Kamegai, a career welterweight, who earned the fight on the back of a draw and win against shopworn gatekeeper Jesus Soto Karass. In a predictable mismatch of skills, Cotto shut out Kamegai on the scorecards, but never came close to stopping the tough-as-nails Japanese warrior, despite hitting him everything but the kitchen sink (Cotto set a personal Compubox record for power punches landed in the fight).
Miguel Cotto will go down in boxing history as one of its all-time greats. He has undoubtedly earned the right to go out on his own terms.
Equally, we as boxing fans, have every right to criticise a stupid and meaningless title defence.
When all has been said and done, December 2nd will go down as a footnote on the final page of Cotto’s career history, a detail that in years to come will likely prove as obscure as Mike DiBiase’s name on Archie Moore’s ledger. Far worse opponents than Ali have admittedly undertaken the role of many a boxing legend’s final dance partner, but that is as much as can be said in mitigation.
Article by: Paul Lam
You can follow Paul on Twitter at: @PaulTheWallLam
In a bout that many believed would be a routine defence for Cotto in his final bout, challenger Ali produced a career best performance, utilising his superior speed and movement to hurt Cotto repeatedly throughout the fight to claim the monumental upset victory with scores of 115-113, 115-113 & 116-112.
A capacity crowd at Cotto's adopted home of Madison Square Garden turned up to watch bid their hero farewell, and the evening began with a party atmosphere. However, the 29-year-old Ali was in no mood for sentiment as he showcased his skill and boxing ability to trouble the four-weight World champion.
Any notion that the underdog Ali was simply there to claim a paycheque was quashed in the second round, when a hard right hand counter had Cotto badly hurt. It was a sign of things to come, with Ali looking the fresher, hungrier fighter as the bout wore on.
“I had him hurt here or there in the first couple of rounds. I knew I had to do something, or he would have dug in." said the newly crowned WBO Champion.
"By the 11th, I thought the fight was close. Whatever Golden Boy Promotions has next, I’ll take it. Good things happen to good people. I have been training since I was 8 years old, and I am glad I got this win at MSG, in my hometown.”
Following a 21-month hiatus from the sport, Cotto returned in August to claim his sixth World title with a comprehensive points victory over Yoshihiro Kamegai. However, there would be not fairytale farewell for the Caguas-native, as he struggled to keep pace with the younger man over the twelve round distance.
Cotto would claim a torn bicep hindered his performance in the post-fight press conference, but as always, remained respectful of his opponent and praised Ali's performance before going on to thank his beloved fans in a heartfelt address.
"Something happened to my left bicep, seventh round." said Cotto.
"I don’t want to make excuses, Sadam won the fight. It is my last fight. I am good, and I want to be happy in my home with my family.
“Thank you for all the fans, I am proud to call Madison Square Garden my second home. I had the opportunity to provide the best for my family because of the sport.”
The fight remained competitive until the final bell, with the pro-Cotto crowd screaming with each shot landed - and, in some instances, missed - by their idol.
It was not to be though, with Ali rubber-stamping his victory down the stretch with more precision punching that drew a reaction from the 37-year-old Cotto, who looked every bit his age following a career laden with brutal wars with some of boxing's best.
Ali entered the bout a sizeable underdog in just his second career bout north of 147lbs, but it was he who claimed the close unanimous decision on the scorecards, much to the dismay of the packed Garden arena. It was a fair and just decision, with Ali deserving the nod due to his neat boxing style and eye-catching flurries.
For Cotto, the bout is a disappointing end to a tremendous career. After action-packed encounters down the years, it seems that 'Father Time' has indeed caught up once more with one of the sport's fabled warriors. For Ali, his unlikely victory will open doors that many felt were locked for the 2008 Olympian, and with a win over one of the top fighters of his era, will now look to push on under the guidance of Golden Boy Promotions.
“I worked hard for it.” said Ali.
“I took advantage of this fight, and I made sure to make it count. I want to thank God, and also thank Team Cotto. They could have taken an easier fight if they wanted to.”
Article by: Rob Tebbutt
You can follow Rob on Twitter at: @RobTebbutt
European super lightweight champion Anthony Yigit overcame a sluggish start against Joe Hughes to retain his title by comfortable unanimous decision.
Yigit entered the contest amid suggestions that he would face fellow unbeaten super lightweight star Josh Taylor should he come through unscathed, however, Hughes presented a tough proposition from the opening bell with educated use of the left hand to the head and body.
After being shocked into life by the bright start from his opponent, Yigit pulled himself back into the contest in the middle rounds, finding a nice rhythm behind his southpaw jab and utilising his superior speed and footwork to force Hughes to miss.
The unbeaten Swede would pull away down the stretch, scoring consistently with his left hand over the top and controlling the distance well. Hughes, to his credit, continued to march forward bravely, but was unable to consistently string together the same offense that had been so effective earlier in the bout.
With the fight coming to a close, Yigit continued to motor, landing at will on Hughes in the eleventh and twelfth rounds as he sought his eighth stoppage as a professional. However, Hughes would soak up the pressure and showed tremendous resolve, seeing the final bell of what was an entertaining, well-matched bout.
The judges unanimously scored the fight in favour of the champion with scores of 119-109, 118-112 & 118-110, but in truth, the bout was somewhat closer than the scorecards suggested. Overall a solid performance from Yigit, who now has his eyes set on World title opportunities - potentially at lightweight - after pouring cold water on a potential clash with the aforementioned Taylor during his post-fight interview.
Canelo Alvarez, the worldwide boxing phenomenon who is currently enjoying a well-deserved vacation in Europe, sent a warm message to Miguel Cotto (41-5, 33 KO's), the only four-division world champion in Puerto Rico's rich boxing history and the current WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion, as he prepares for the final fight of his illustrious career against Sadam "World Kid" Ali (25-1, 14 KO's) at Madison Square Garden. The event will take place on Saturday, Dec. 2 and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Canelo, who faced Cotto in Nov. 2015 for the Middleweight Championship of the World in one of the most important fights of this era, sent his best wishes to the legendary Puerto Rican as he closes the book on his career.
"Miguel Angel Cotto, I just wanted to wish you success in your fight," said Canelo. "I know that it is the last fight of your extraordinary career. I think that you did a lot for the sport of boxing. I wish you success in your life after you retire. Now it's your time to enjoy everything you did for the sport of boxing and everything that boxing has given you."
"Personally, it was an honor to be in the ring with you. I learned a lot from that fight. It was an honor, and I wish you all the success in the world in your retirement. A strong hug from me, and much success!"
Cotto vs. Ali, a 12-round fight for the Cotto's WBO World Junior Middleweight Championship, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Miguel Cotto Promotions. Vargas vs. Negrete is a 12-round fight for Vargas' WBC World Super Bantamweight Title and is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Miguel Cotto Promotions in association with Promociones del Pueblo. The event is sponsored by Tecate, "THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING, " " Hennessy: Never Stop. Never Settle.", and Casa Mexico Tequila. The event will take place Saturday, Dec. 2 at Madison Square Garden in New York City and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. The RingTV.com livestream will begin at approximately 6:45 p.m. ET/ 3:45 p.m. PT.
Tickets for Cotto vs. Ali are priced at $500, $300, $200, $100 and $50 and are on sale. Tickets can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com , www.goldenboytickets.com or www.MSG.com .
For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com , and www.promocionesmiguelcotto.com , and www.hbo.com/boxing. Follow on Twitter at @cottopromotions, @GoldenBoyBoxing, and @hboboxing, and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/realmiguelacotto . Visit us on Instagram at @GoldenBoyBoxing and @realmiguelacotto and follow the conversation using #CottoAli.
Source: Golden Boy Promotions [Press Release]
The 31-year-old from Brentwood takes on Churcher over 12-rounds for the belt that instantly propels the winner into the top-15 in the IBF World rankings.
Mullender was crowned the new English Middleweight Champion back in June after beating former Champion and club mate Lee Markham to avenge his loss at the 02 Arena in 2016.
He decided to vacate his English title in September in order to secure a shot at the IBF title but is still determined to secure a British title showdown with Frank Warren stablemate Tommy Langford in 2018.
“The British title is 100 per cent in my sights still,” asserted the Essex boxer. “But given the option to fight for this IBF belt and earn a top-15 World ranking, it’s silly to turn it down because just one or two defences and you could get up in the top-5 in the World.
"You never know what opportunities that could lead to – someone with the World title may choose you as a voluntary defence and every fight could also push you up further for the British.”
Newport's Churcher, 37, holds a record of 13 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw and is currently enjoying a 7-fight winning streak that stretches back to September 2011.
James DeGale MBE (23-1-1, 14 KOs) tops an unmissable evening of boxing in the capital when he makes the fourth defence of his IBF Super-Middleweight World Title against American Caleb Truax (28-3-2, 18 KOs); Lee Selby (25-0-1, 9 KO's) defends his IBF Featherweight crown against Mexico's Eduardo Ramirez (20-0-3, 7 KO's);
Light-Heavyweight ‘Beast’ Anthony Yarde (13-0, 12 KOs) defends his WBO Intercontinental and European belts against Nikola Sjekloca (32-4-1, 11 KOs), Heavyweight sensation Daniel Dubois (5-0, 5 KOs) aims to continue his KO streak when he faces former Anthony Joshua opponent Dorian Darch (12-5-1, 1 KO) in his sixth contest;
Hugely-popular former English Welterweight Champion Johnny Garton (20-1-1 7 KOs) fights for the Vacant IBF European Welterweight title;
WBO European Lightweight Champion Craig Evans features in an eight round International contest and rising talents Archie Sharp (Welling), Sanjeev Sahota (Hornchurch), Ben Smith (Wycombe), Hamza Sheeraz (Ilford), Umar Sadiq (Ilford) and debutant Harvey Horn (Chigwell) complete an action-packed night of boxing.
Tickets for The Boys Are Back In Town priced at £40 (Upper Tier), £50 (Lower Tier), £70 (Floor), £100 (Floor), £150 (Floor) and VIP/Hospitality £250 are now on sale via See Tickets, Eventim and Ticketmaster:
See Tickets
0871 230 7148
www.seetickets.com
Eventim
0844 249 1000
www.eventim.co.uk
Ticketmaster
www.ticketmaster.co.uk
Source: Frank Warren PR [Press Release]
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The Boxing Academy offers an alternative education pathway for students who are at risk of exclusion, or who have already been excluded, from mainstream education. Their mission is to offer high quality alternative education to even the most hard-to-reach young people, realised through the discipline, ethos and culture of boxing.
Warren, Yarde and Dubois were joined by The Boxing Academy's Principal Anna Cain to give a talk on the benefits of boxing to the media and students in attendance before both fighters laced up their gloves and put on a knockout training session.
“We thought it would be appropriate to come down here today with two of our young stars Anthony Yarde and Daniel Dubois," said Warren. "Boxing is a catalyst to help educate youngsters and give them some direction in their lives. The work that Anna and her staff do here is absolutely fantastic and it’s a real pleasure to be here today to meet you all.
“It’s nice to give something back to the community and I can't wait to welcome you all to our show next week. I feel that boxing doesn’t always get the respect that it deserves and it is places like this that highlight the positive impact boxing can have on people’s lives. Boxing can give youngsters much needed self esteem and respect that can help them moving forward in life.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Frank, Anthony and Daniel to The Boxing Academy," said Principal Cain. "It is no surprise that people in boxing get the point of this school, you don’t have to be a boxer for the sport to have a positive effect on your life. Boxing is a force for good. It’s incredibly positive. From our point of view, we love the fact that we can be a proper school with the ethos of a boxing gym.
“The results and the student’s achievements at the school and after they leave us are testament to the quality of the teachers, boxers and staff. They all do a brilliant job and we couldn’t do it without them. It is brilliant that Frank has invited our pupils, staff and their families along to his event at the Copper Box Arena next Saturday and we are all looking forward to a great evening of boxing!”
“I was born in Hackney and I grew up in Stratford so I can relate to a lot of you," said Yarde. "The streets are tough but sport, and boxing especially, has put me on the right path in my life. If I could give any advice to the kids in attendance today it would be to make yourself a leader. Make something of yourself, it’s never too late to change your life around. Work hard towards something and you’ve got a better chance, trust me.”
“Sport has always been a part of what I’ve done day to day," said Dubois. "I’ve always been around a gym – I was very energetic as a kid and that needed to be controlled in a positive way. I was five when I started boxing as a little nipper. As you go on you get more addicted to it and you want to go further and further.
"It is brilliant to see how the discipline of boxing is being used to help the students here at The Boxing Academy and it’s a pleasure to be here today to share my story with them."
To find out more about The Boxing Academy and the work they do visit www.theboxingacademy.co.uk .
On December 9th Light-Heavyweight ‘Beast’ Anthony Yarde (13-0, 12 KOs) defends his WBO Intercontinental and European belts against Nikola Sjekloca (32-4-1, 11 KOs) while Heavyweight sensation Daniel Dubois (5-0, 5 KOs) aims to continue his KO streak when he faces former Anthony Joshua opponent Dorian Darch (12-5-1, 1 KO) in his sixth contest.
Remaining tickets for The Boys Are Back In Town priced at £40 (Upper Tier), £50 (Lower Tier), £70 (Floor), £100 (Floor), £150 (Floor) and VIP/Hospitality £250 are now on sale via See Tickets , Eventim and Ticketmaster :
See Tickets
0871 230 7148
www.seetickets.com
Eventim
0844 249 1000
www.eventim.co.uk
Ticketmaster
www.ticketmaster.co.uk
Managed by Joel Diaz, Trained by Samuel Contreras Sr., Cesar was aspiring to one day win the WBC Green Belt. Today on behalf of WBC President, Mauricio Sulaiman, the WBC appoints Cesar Diaz as our WBC Honorary Champion. Cesar had an impeccable amateur record, beating some Top prospect Professionals in their days as amateurs. He fell in love with the sport of Boxing and accepted the discipline and hard work that came with it. Cesar Diaz' pro debut was televised for this reason, he was an exciting fighter with a great future in Boxing ahead of him. We have no doubt one day he would compete for the Green Belt. Outside of the ring, Cesar was a kind human being, with a big heart and a priceless smile. For this and so much more, its only right to say Farewell like a Champion. WBC will be present at his services December 14th from 4pm-8pm to make this formal announcement to his family and friends.
Source: WBC [Press Release]
On Saturday night, Miguel Cotto will enter a boxing ring for the final time as a professional fighter as he defends his WBO light middleweight world title against Sadam Ali in Madison Square Garden, New York. The Garden is familiar territory for Cotto, where he has fought no fewer than nine times during a hall-of-fame-worthy career that began in 2001.
Cotto, in a storied career in which he captured world titles in four weight divisions, faced names such as Shane Mosley, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Sergio Martinez and Canelo Alvarez, going 2-3 against these opponents. He won some and lost some, but he always gave a good account of himself and provided fans with value for money through a hard-hitting, all-action style that resulted in many memorable ring battles. Moreover, he always conducted himself with class and decency in and outside the ring. Cotto famously takes his role as a representative of his native Puerto Rico, where he possesses national hero status, extremely seriously. It should not come as any surprise to learn that, as part of the deal for his fight on Saturday, Golden Boy Promotions will donate a percentage of each ticket sold for the fight to aid the relief effort in Puerto Rico in the wake of the devastation brought by Hurricane Maria.
While remaining faithful to his Latino roots, Cotto also appreciated the value of engaging and connecting with an English-speaking audience, to give himself a voice and to increase his own marketability. Despite not speaking a lick of English until his mid-twenties, he taught himself the language and boasts impressive fluency in it today. There is a lot to like and admire about Miguel Cotto, an awful lot. However, the same can hardly be said about Saturday’s fight...
Martin J Ward wants is aiming to crown the best year of his career by landing the vacant European Super-Featherweight title against Juli Giner at a sold-out York Hall, Bethnal Green on Wednesday December 13, live on Sky Sports.
Ward landed the British title for keeps and took the Commonwealth strap from previously unbeaten Anthony Cacace in July, and the 26 year old can tee up an even bigger year in 2018 by beating Giner.
The 24 year old Spaniard is looking to regain the title he landed in November 2015 and has been on Ward’s radar in the past – now the pair meet in a scrap that the hometown favourite believes he’ll have too much for the visitor.
“I’m really excited for this fight, I can’t wait for it,” said Ward. “It’s my time to win this European strap, I’m going to take the opportunity and grab it with both hands.
“As soon as I turned pro, my aim was to win the British Title first. After I won the title outright I thought to myself “What’s next?” and this is the next natural progression on from that.
“We got the British Title defences in the bank and then won the Commonwealth which put me forward to be mandatory for this European title. I’ve got the Championship rounds behind me against some good operators so far, I’ve got to just keep on progressing and going through the levels.
“We looked at Juli Giner a couple of years ago as a potential opponent. We tried to get the fight on, but it didn’t materialise. I’ve watched him over the last couple of years so he’s been on my radar. I think I’ll have too much for him on the night, there’s no two ways about it that title is coming home with me on December 13.
“Since the fight has been made, I’ve looked back over him but I don’t tend to watch too much. I’ll leave the strategy and planning to Tony but I’m confident I’ll have his number.
“He’s an experienced campaigner at this level, having previously won the European title so I don’t think he will be too fazed by fighting at York Hall. He’s been in there with some decent fighters, he’ll be coming to knock my block off. It’s my job to put him in his place.
“It’s my goal to be a World champion but I have Giner in front of me first, I can’t be overlooking him at this stage.
“I can see myself being too fast and too sharp for him. He’s a good, solid pro but I’ll take him to pieces in the later rounds. I’ve been training very hard for this and I’m ready to put on a show.”
Ward and Giner clash on a big night of action in east London, topped by Katie Taylor’s first defence of her WBA World Lightweight title against American Jessica McCaskill.
Jake Ball and Miles Shinkwin clash for the WBA Continental Light-Heavyweight title, Team GB Rio Olympians Joe Cordina and Lawrence Okolie look to end their first term in the paid ranks on a high, Birmingham’s Gamal Yafai and young Essex talents Felix Cash and Ted Cheeseman also taste action.
Source: Matchroom Boxing [Press Release]