Boxing News: Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto Signs With Jay Z's Roc Nation Sports

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Boxing News: Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto Signs With Jay Z's Roc Nation Sports By Justin Gloria on March 06 2015 4:47 PM


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Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico is signing a contract to join the growing boxing stable of Roc Nation Sport, hip-hop artist Jay-Z’s sports agency. Roc Nation Sports’ recently added contender Andre Ward to their line-up and the two boxers are some of the many sports stars who are now part of Jay-Z’s team. Floyd Mayweather Jr. of the U.S. slips through the ropes below Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico as referee Tony Weeks (R) moves in during the WBA super welterweight title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada May 5, 2012. REUTERS/R. Marsh Starks

Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico is signing a contract to join the growing boxing stable of Roc Nation Sport, hip-hop artist Jay Z’s sports agency. Roc Nation Sports’ recently added contender Andre Ward to their line-up and the two boxers are some of the many sports stars who are now part of Jay-Z’s team.
Percy Crawford of FightHype.com confirmed Cotto’s deal with Roc Nation and stated that the Puerto Rican will reveal it officially by Thursday on ESPN’s First Take. Crawford also said that the move has “left a sour taste in the mouth of Top Rank President Todd duBoef”. Cotto was previously under contract with Top Rank in the past years.

Other athletes to be promoted by Roc Nation Sports are Major League Baseball’s CC Sabathia, Rusney Castillo, Yoenis Cespedis and Robinson Cano, National Football League’s Dez Bryant, Geno Smith, Hakeem Nicks, Jalen Strong and Ndamukong Suh, National Basketball Association’s Kevin Durant, Wilson Chanlder and James Young and Women’s National Basketball Association’s Skylar Diggins.
Cotto was initially scheduled to fight Canelo Alvarez in May but both parties failed to agree on the negotiations early in 2015. Alvarez will fight James Kirkland on May 9 leaving Cotto without a scheduled bout for 2015. Top Rank reportedly tried to pit him against contender Timothy Bradley, who also fights under Bob Arum’s promotional outfit, but that plan is temporarily shelved with Cotto’s move to Roc Nation Sports.
Cotto was also pegged as one of the possible opponents for Floyd Mayweather before the American decided to take the fight against Manny Pacquiao.
Cotto, who was born in Providence, Rhode Island in the United States but resides in Caguas, Puerto Rico, has a record of 39 wins with 32 knockouts against 4 losses in his pro career. After back-to-back losses in 2012 to Mayweather and Austin Trout, he has won two straight bouts against Delvin Rodriguez in 2013 and Sergio Gabriel Martinez in 2014 when he won the World Boxing Council world middleweight title after Rodriquez retired in the 10th round.

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Boxing News 2015: Miguel Cotto Predicts Manny Pacquiao Win Over Floyd Mayweather Jr. Because Of Freddie Roach

Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico is one of the few fighters who was the common opponent of both Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. Having had the experience in fighting both, the Puerto Rican is picking Pacquiao over Mayweather in their super fight on May 2, 2015 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada in the United States.

“After working with Freddie [Roach] I think Freddie is going to be huge in the fight,” Cotto said to the New York Pos. “I’m ruling for Manny.”

Cotto’s contention is owed to the fact that he had worked with Freddie Roach in the past. Roach, the world-renowned trainer who handles the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, California and who has worked with Pacquiao to become a household name since 2011, worked with the Puerto Rican starting in 2012 and largely credited by Cotto for resurrecting his career.
Cotto lost to Austin Trout on Dec. 1, 2012 and hired Roach after the first back-to-back defeats in his storied career. He bounced back with two wins in his next two fights winning over Delvin Rodriguez in 2013 and then over Sergio Gabriel Martinez to cop the World Boxing Council world middleweight title in 2014.
"A lot of people have said that Michael Jordan wouldn't be Jordan without [Scottie] Pippen. I think I've found my Pippen in Freddie Roach," Cotto said of Roach in 2013. Recently, Cotto moved from Bob Arum’s Top Rank Promotions to join hip-hop artist Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports. While he’s changing promotional outfits, Cotto is still expected to be trained by Roach in his upcoming fights.
Cotto faced Mayeather Jr. on May 5, 2012 when he lost via unanimous decision to the tune of 117-111, 117-111 and 118-110 all in favour of the undefeated American. Some three years before that, he also lost to Pacquiao via technical knockout in the 12th round. Similar to the Mayweather losss, Cotto was also dominated in the scorecards, 109-99, 109-99 and 108-100 before the fight stoppage.
Mayweather (47-0-0, 26 KOs) and Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs) will battle for welterweight supremacy in the bout many consider as the “Fight of the Century” and in this super fight, Pacquiao’s and Mayweather’s former rival Miguel Cotto is picking the Filipino over the American to come out on top after the May 2 fight night.