The great Muhammad Ali failed to do it, Sugar Ray Leonard failed to do it, George Foreman also came up short. While the greatest boxer of all time, Sugar Ray Robinson, failed to tick this particular box himself. And on Saturday night in New York, Miguel Cotto’s name was added to the long, long list of great, great fighters who were unsuccessful in their attempts at going out as a winner in their final fight.
James Slater
What next for new WBO 154 pound champ Sadam Ali?
We all knew Sadam Ali could box, and last night’s win over an admittedly faded (but still great) Miguel Cotto put “World Kid” on the world stage once again. Ali, 26-1(14) has rebounded well from his March 2016 stoppage loss to Jessie Vargas, the 9th round TKO being the sole defeat on the record of the 29 year old.
Ali rebounded to beat three solid fighters in Saul Corral, Jorge Silva and Johan Perez, and now he has the scalp of future Hall of Famer Cotto on his resume. What next for the new WBO super-welterweight champ? Ali has shown he is as fast as a 154 pounder and he was down at welterweight (where the loss to Vargas took place) and he has looked strong also. It would be great to see Ali in there with the other reigning 154 pound champions – Jermel Charlos, Erislandy Lara and Jarret Hurd.
Classy Cotto waves goodbye on a loss, heads to The Hall of Fame
Arguably the finest fighter to have come out of Puerto Rico, four-weight champion Miguel Cotto said goodbye last night in New York, leaving the sport he lit up in a major way with class and dignity. Cotto doesn’t go out with the win he and his fans wanted – a faster, younger, bigger Sadam Ali instead winning a pretty wide 12 round UD over the 37 year old great, but Cotto goes out on his own terms all the same.
Cotto was unable to cope with the speed and movement of Ali, 26-1(14) and the former king also injured his biceps in the seventh-round. Dropping a decision that read 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 again, Cotto walks away with a 41-6(33) record. But more than that, Cotto walks away “feeling good,” with no excuses.
Does Gennady Golovkin still have to go up in weight in order to become a truly great fighter?
Recently, middleweight king Gennady Golovkin spoke of the possibility of moving up a division to super-middleweight – if “a big fight is there.” Go back a few months, and the critics were telling everyone how GGG has to move up if he’s to be remembered as a true great. Do people still feel this way after all Triple-G has achieved as a middleweight?
Is the Lomachenko-Rigondeaux winner the pound-for-pound No.1; Fighter of The Year?
There will be much at stake a week from today, when pound-for-pound stars and former amateur greats Vasyl Lomachenko and Guillermo Rigondeax meet one another at the historic Madison Square Garden in New York: this a most fitting venue, seeing as how the two master boxers will make history by becoming the first ever fighters to have both won two Olympic gold medals and then fought each other at pro level.
David Price returns to action tomorrow night, not ready to call it quits yet
“If I’m going out I need to go out knowing I’ve put everything into training”
David Price, 21-3-0-1(18) is ready to give it yet one more go. Last seen losing to Christian Hammer in February of this year – Price scoring an early-rounds knockdown before being stopped in the seventh-round – the giant from Liverpool will face little-known Kamil Sokolowski in Essex tomorrow night.
Luis Ortiz gets benefit of the doubt from WBC, still allowed to fight for the title despite failed drugs test
It seems there is a chance, if a small one, that we could still see Deontay Wilder defend his WBC heavyweight crown against Cuban Luis Ortiz. As fans know full well, Ortiz tested positive for a banned substance shortly before his scheduled November 4 challenge of Wilder, the fight being scrapped – much to the annoyance of Wilder, who saw yet another big fight/payday crumble due to no fault of his own.
Bob Arum not interested in seeing Pacquiao-McGregor clash: He can’t spell fight
Judging roughly by the posts and comments of fight fans on the various forums and boxing websites, there is average at best interest in a Manny Pacquiao-Conor McGregor fight. Pac Man recently appeared to call out the MMA star via social media, and though some people are intrigued by the prospect of yet another crossover fight that would pit McGregor with another superstar boxer, many other fans are not thrilled at the idea.
Ricky Hatton says Tyson Fury beats Anthony Joshua: I think he stands him on his head
British legend Ricky Hatton has been watching former heavyweight king Tyson Fury up close and personal. Training for his planned 2018 ring return at Hatton’s gym, Fury has, according to “The Hitman” who spoke with The Manchester Evening News, been displaying impressive hand and foot speed.
Lomachenko vs. Rigondeaux: Will we see an outright winner on December 9?
We’ve been treated to some big, big fights this year, but the best may be still to come; as pound-for-pound stars and former amateur greats Vasyl Lomachenko and Guillermo Rigondeaux are gearing up for their truly fascinating December 9 meeting.
Both great boxers took part in a conference call with the media yesterday – Lomachenko saying he feels Rigondeaux has taken the fight merely for the payday, Rigondeaux having none of it, asking, even demanding, that we give him full credit after he wins.