Miguel Cotto: ‘I’m leaving on December 31’

Sadam Ali

NO ifs, no buts, Miguel Cotto will finish his career this year. The Puerto Rican legend fights Yoshihiro Kamegai on Saturday (August 26) at the StubHub Center in Carson, California for the WBO super-welterweight title.

After that he expects to have the 47th and final fight of his career in December and Cotto remains adamant that he will then never box again. โ€œThe decision is already made. Iโ€™m leaving on December 31 no matter what happens in my career,โ€ Cotto said.

He explained, โ€œI think 16 years is enough. I have other things to do in my life. I have to take care of family.โ€

โ€œI enjoyed my whole career,โ€ he continued. โ€œIโ€™m really proud of the kind of career that I had.โ€

Cotto however will focus on the task at hand this weekend. โ€œFirst of all I am just thinking about Kamegai and August 26,โ€ he maintained. โ€œIโ€™m going to do my fight.

โ€œLetโ€™s see what Kamegaiโ€™s going to bring.โ€

โ€œIโ€™m always here to do my best, to do whatever it takes to get the victory,โ€ he added. โ€œIโ€™m coming with the same kind of mind for this fight.โ€

He would not be drawn to comment Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor, which happens on the same day as his fight, nor indeed opine on his recent conqueror, Canelo Alvarez and the Mexicanโ€™s upcoming middleweight showdown with Gennady Golovkin. โ€œI have no opinion. Iโ€™m really busy,โ€ he said stonily. โ€œI have enough things to think about.โ€

miguel cotto

He also wouldnโ€™t allow himself to look beyond Saturday and speculate on whom a desirable opponent for his final fight might be. โ€œWeโ€™re going to do what we always do. Weโ€™re going to pick the best challenger out there and weโ€™re going to face them,โ€ he said. โ€œAll I want is to finish my career in the best way possible.โ€

Video: HBO

Share Page