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Former three division champ champ Miguel Cotto and undefeated WBA Super Welterweight Champion Austin Trout face off on Saturday, December 1 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Miguel Cotto, Four-Time and Three-Division World Champion
“Austin’s team mentioned that he went to Panama and beat a Panamanian guy and they were in Guadalajara to fight Rigoberto Alvarez. He doesn’t have any of them in front of him. He’s in New York and he is going to have Miguel Cotto in front of him. It’s going to be a great fight.
“Saturday night is going to be a great night for Puerto Rico and for New York.
“I have seen tape on Austin Trout, but not much. Maybe three or four rounds of him fighting, but that is about it. I leave watching tape up to [my trainer] Pedro [Diaz]. He has seen a lot of Trout’s fights and has prepared a game plan for us.
“We looked at our options for this fight and felt that Trout was the best option.
“People here are different to me than in other places. People here help me a lot with their support and cheering. Actually, when people expect so much, that motivates me. I felt that in training camp already. I am very excited.
“People here enjoy every aspect of my boxing style. They enjoy when I move, going after my opponents the way I do.
“Fighting southpaws is not difficult for me. Actually, I’m a converted southpaw. I used to fight southpaw, but converted into an orthodox stance. I have already fought many southpaws and didn’t really have any problems with them. I don’t expect to have any problems with Austin either.
“We had a great training camp with sparring partners with real skills. I think my sparring partners have more skills than Austin. I think they showed me more skills and gave me more problems
“The toughest guy I ever fought was Carlos Quintana. He gave me a lot of problems and gave me two very tough rounds.
“I don’t mind fighting anyone really. You have to do what you have to do. I look at the best option for my career at the time and make a decision based on those options.
“I watched the [Floyd] Mayweather fight a couple of times since we fought. I thought it was a good fight, a close fight. The judges gave it to him on the scorecards, but after watching it, I feel like I gave him a good fight and I am proud of my performance.
“If I were to fight Canelo next, everyone knows that a fight like that would stir up the great rivalry between Puerto Rican and Mexican fans. It’s an all-time rivalry. They also know what a Mexican fighter and a Puerto Rican fighter can do in the ring too.
“Austin is [my opponent] Saturday night and once I am done with that fight, I can sit back and look at my options and decide who my next fight will be against.
“God brings second opportunities. I wait for mine.
“There is a balance of being a fighter and a promoter. This was an idea my father had and I am happy we are doing a good job of making the company as successful as it is. My father picked three excellent people to run the company. I don’t have to occupy too much of my time to help them with the day to day. They make it easy for me and I am really happy they are there for me.
“It feels good to be able to prepare for a fight and train when there are no other distractions like I had last year with the Margarito fight. Margarito, stole a lot of things from me in 2008, and I got them back last year. This fight, the only thing I want is the belt and that is what I trained for during this training camp…to win the belt.”
“I know on Saturday I’m going to be able to give fans and the crowd all they are expecting.
Austin Trout, Undefeated WBA Super Welterweight Champion
“Miguel Cotto is doing what other champions in this weight class won’t do by fighting me. I thank him for this opportunity.
“All we wanted was a chance. We had to go above and beyond, under the radar for this chance.
“I plan on making history. Not because I made Miguel Cotto a five-time world champion, but because I will be the only person to beat Miguel Cotto in New York.
“We didn’t get in this game for it to be easy. The harder the hurdle is for me, the greater the victory. I think the things we go through are what makes us who we are.
“Once the fight was confirmed, it took a while to sink in.”
“My goal on Saturday is to get the crowd quiet. I don’t want to give them anything to cheer for.
“I feel great. I feel like this is my time. I have wanted this fight for years. This was preordained and I don’t think God brought me here to fail.
“My mom was in the army. She met my father there on a base in Texas, but she was born in Brooklyn. I have a lot of family here. I feel like I am more of a New Yorker than Miguel Cotto.
“This fight is allowing all my dreams to come true. I am crossing a lot off of my bucket list with this one. After Saturday night, I’m either going to become a big star or it could stop here.”
“Showdown: Cotto vs. Trout” is a 12-round battle between Four-Time and Three-Division World Champion Miguel Cotto and undefeated WBA Super Welterweight Champion Austin Trout taking place on Saturday, December 1 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The co-featured fights will see Jayson Velez take on Salvador Sanchez in a 10-round fight for the vacant WBC Silver Featherweight title and Danny “Miracle Man” Jacobs battle Chris “The Irish Ghost” Fitzpatrick in an eight-round middleweight fight.
The event is promoted by Miguel Cotto Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Greg Cohen Promotions, sponsored by The Puerto Rican Tourism Board and Corona and will be televised live on Showtime at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast.
Tickets priced at $500, $300, $200, $100 and $50, not including applicable service charges and taxes, are available for purchase at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.thegarden.com.
