NOW retired four-weight world champion Miguel Cotto was successfully operated on at San Juan’s Pavia de Santurce Hospital on Wednesday in his native Puerto Rico.
Cotto, who lost his farewell fight – and his WBO crown – last Saturday (December 2) to Sadam Ali in New York, was seen to by Dr Omar Morales who repaired the ruptured distal tendon of the biceps on his left arm.
The injury occurred in the seventh round even though the fighter completed the remaining five rounds with the injury. Cotto’s punch output decrease coincided with the damage.
“The operation was successful,” Miguel Cotto Promotions vice-president Hector Soto told El Vocero’s Carlos Narvaez. “Miguel entered surgery at 7am and by 12 noon was on his way home. Dr Morales repaired the tendon without trouble. Now it’s a matter of resting,” added Soto.
The six-time champion will need upwards of three months rehabilitation.
Cotto had overcome Ali’s fast start to take control of the middle rounds before suffering the injury.
“He did not complain. It wasn’t until the end of the fight that they came to realise the magnitude of the injury,” said Soto.
Cotto retires as Puerto Rico’s only four-weight world champion and was denied the chance of being the only Puerto Rican to hang up his gloves as a reining champion. His record reads 41-6 (33).
