Michael Marley, Boxing Examiner
There was something missing from the Puerto Rican Day Parade weekend this year in New York.The huge ethnic celebration did have two Boricua-flavored, club boxing shows put on by Lou DiBella at Roseland Ballroom but, unlike several years past, there was no big fight in the city featuring the island nation’s biggest ring star, Miguel Angel Cotto.
Now I’m hearing that Cotto, who has a 36-2, 29 Kos record as he nears his 31stbirthday in October, may grace the ring at historic Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Dec. 3.
“We’re looking at the Garden,” a member of the Cotto camp told me Saturday night. “They’ve been closed all summer for phase one of a three year, three phase renovation of the arena but they reopen soon with the Knicks and the Rangers returning in the fall.”
That’s the favored site for Cotto’s first bout since his resounding TKO 12 over Nicaragua’s zany Ricardo Mayorga on March 12 in Las Vegas.
Less certain is Cotto’s opposition at 154 pounds.
“We’re looking at all the champions,” the Cotto adviser said. “We’d prefer the revenge rematch with (Antonio) Margarito but it looks like he won’t fight until 2012.”
It’s obvious that Manny Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum hopes to shine up Cotto for a possible second shot at the Pinoy Idol next year.
Cotto made a tradition of fighting in New York in midsummer, beating Yuri Foreman in 2010 at Yankee Stadium and whipping Joshua Clottey at MSG the year before.
Cotto also defeated Brooklyn’s Zab Judah in June of 2007 at “the World’s Most Famous Arena” and also posted June victories over Paulie Malignaggi and Muhammad Abdulaaev in Garden bouts going back to 2006 and to 2005 respectively.
The old song asks, “What street compares with Mott Street in July?” but boxing fans in New York definitely noticed that we just had a Puerto Rican Parade Weekend sans the traditional Cotto bout.
(mlcarley@aol.com)
EL Boxing Empress See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress" Keisha Morrisey- Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved
