New York, NY—The final press conference for the Miguel Cotto-Sergio Martínez championship bout was held at the Theater at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday afternoon; the two world renowned fighters expressed themselves as fully prepared and looking forward for their title bout to begin. Martínez remarked, “I come prepared to win as always. I come prepared to fight a war.” The comments of the challenger, Cotto, were quite similar, “We are fully prepared, 100%, for this combat on Saturday. {It will be] a real war on Saturday, that’s what the people want.”
For the 11th time and 6th time in the month of June, Cotto (38-4, 31 KO’s) will be boxing in New York City. He has become a regular headliner at a pre-National Puerto Rican Parade boxing card at MSG. Cotto recently spoke of the meaningful up-coming encounter, “I am very happy to be back in my second home, Madison Square Garden in New York, to once again make history in front of my fans. I will be ready and prepared to do whatever it takes to bring the WBC middleweight championship of the world to my country of Puerto Rico.”
The history of which Cotto spoke will be becoming the first Puerto Rican boxer to become a four-division world champion. Cotto has previously held the the super welterweight, welterweight and jr. welterweight world titles.
The 33 year-old boxing veteran began his pro career in 2001. Before that date, he had a lengthy and successful amateur career of 125 bouts that included those representing his native land in the Olympics, Pan American games, Central American & Caribbean games and the World Junior Championships.
The current titleholder, Martínez (51-2-2, 28 KO’s) is 39 years old. He started his pro career in 1997. His first defeat as a pro came at the hands of Antonio Margarito, It was also his first bout fought outside of his native Argentina. Interestingly, Cotto’s first loss as a pro was also to Margarito in 2008. Margarito’s victories over both boxers were TKO’s in bouts fought in Las Vegas.
Tickets for the Saturday, June 7,bout and the impressive undercard can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office or at Ticketmaster outlets. The bout will also be telecast as an HBO Pay Per View event.