Welcome to Fightful's live coverage of Miguel Cotto's final pro boxing fight. He'll be taking on Sadam Ali, defending his WBO junior middleweight world title for the first time since winning it in August. Win or lose, Cotto has stated this would be his last boxing match.
We'll be bringing you coverage live from ringside at Madison Square Garden. Live coverage of the undercard includes quick results and full, round-by-round coverage of the main card, which can be seen on HBO.
You can follow the action here and join in the live discussion on our Disqus forums below.
Here is the televised card: (9 p.m. ET/HBO)
- Sadam Ali defeated Miguel Cotto via unanimous decision (115-113, 116-112, 115-113) to win the WBO Junior Middleweight Championship
- Rey Vargas defeated Oscar Negrete, unanimous decision (119-109, 119-109, 120-108) to retain the WBC Junior Featherweight Title
- Angel Acosta defeated Juan Alejo, KO, round 10, 1:33, to win the WBO Junior Flyweight Title
Here is the preliminary card:
- Ronny Rios defeated Deivis Julio, unanimous decision (97-93, 99-91, 100-90): Featherweight Bout
- Zachary Ochoa defeats Erick Martinez, unanimous decision (60-54, 60-54, 60-54): Super Lightweight Bout
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MAIN CARD
Angel Acosta vs. Juan Alejo: Vacant WBO Junior Flyweight Championship Bout
Round 1: Acosta starts with a few jabs, but they don’t land. Acosta throws an overhead right but also misses. Alejo is spending most of the first half of the round on the ropes and Acosta lands a couple of right hooks. Alejo throws a weak left jab to the body. Alejo lands a right hook upstairs. Both men exchange body shots until they clinch. Alejo starts to get more aggressive towards the end of the round, trying to work the body. Acosta lands a right uppercut to Alejo’s chin at the end.
Fightful scored round 1 for Acosta 10-9
Round 2: Alejo is now the aggressor starting the round off, throwing right hooks. Acosta lands a couple of uppercuts. Alejo is sticking to attacking from the center of the ring as Acosta lands a strong three-punch combo, sending Alejo to the ropes. The round ends and Alejo lands a left to the body after the bell sounds, angering Acosta.
Fightful scored round 2 for Acosta 10-9
Round 3: Alejo lands a left jab to Acosta’s body. Acosta lands a strong left uppercut to Alejo’s chin. Both men clinch and they hit each other with body hooks. After the clinch, Acosta eats a jab from Alejo. Acosta and Alejo trade blows, but Acosta gets the better of the two exchanges.
Fightful scored round 3 for Acosta 10-9
Round 4: Alejo throws a couple of jabs but they miss the mark. Acosta lands a strong left hook to Alejo’s face. Acosta goes on the offensive and starts throwing punches while Alejo defends. Acosta throws a right jab and then uses his right hand to block an overhead left from Alejo. Acosta nearly has Alejo in the corner, but Alejo gets out and hurts Acosta with a left hand upstairs. Alejo is now chasing Acosta and Acosta is defending. Acosta lands a couple of body shots at the end of the round.
Fightful scored round 4 for Acosta 10-9
Round 5: Alejo is in the corner and maneuvers himself out of harm’s way. Acosta lands a quick left jab. Acosta lands a couple of body shots and Alejo is in the corner taking punishment. Alejo throws a right hook, but misses. Both men trade several punches as the round ends.
Fightful scored round 5 for Acosta 10-9
Round 6: Alejo starts off by throwing a couple of jabs. Acosta lands a stiff right jab to Alejo. Both men trade several shots and then they clinch. Alejo lands a body shot, but Acosta continues to throw power punches to Alejo. Acosta continues to punish Alejo and has Alejo on the ropes until the round ends.
Fightful scored round 6 for Acosta 10-9
Round 7: Acosta throws a big left hook, but he misses. Both men clinch. Alejo tries to throw a few jabs, but Acosta defends well against the jab in this instance. Alejo connects with the right body hook. Alejo then blocks an uppercut from Acosta. Acosta finally lands the uppercut this round. Acosta lands a hard left hand to Alejo’s jaw as the round ends.
Fightful scored round 7 for Acosta 10-9
Round 8: Acosta throw a left jab to start the round. Alejo is now stepping back as Acosta now tries to finish the fight. Alejo is now on the ropes once more and clinches to get out of danger. Acosta continues to land uppercuts. Alejo throws a couple of shots to Acosta’s body. The end of the round has both men pacing around the ring, barely throwing any meaningful punches.
Fightful scored round 8 for Acosta 10-9
Round 9: Alejo is being checked out by the ringside doctors but is allowed to continue. Both men trade punches and Acosta is moving around the ring and Alejo is throwing more punches. Alejo lands a counter left hand upstairs. Alejo lands several more punches as the round ends.
Fightful scored round 9 for Alejo 10-9
Round 10: Alejo throws a jab to the body, but Acosta responds with a few jabs upstairs. Acosta continues to attack with the jabs. Alejo throws a right hook to the body, but Acosta blocks most of it. Alejo lands a left body hook and is showing more aggression as of late. Acosta lands a vicious left hook to Alejo’s chin, knocking him out and we have a new world champion.
Official result: Angel Acosta defeated Juan Alejo, KO, round 10, 1:33, to win the WBO Junior Flyweight Title
Rey Vargas (c) vs. Oscar Negrete: WBC Junior Featherweight Championship Bout
Round 1: Vargas begins with a couple of jabs, but Negrete tries to close the distance and attack the body. Negrete throws a jab upstairs. Vargas attacks the body followed by a strong right jab. Negrete continues to try and make the fight a close-quarters one, but Vargas moves away. Vargas lands a right hand, followed by an uppercut. Negrete throws a left hand to the body and Vargas answers back by throwing several punches. Both men clinch and Vargas ends the round with a body shot.
Fightful scored round 1 for Vargas 10-9
Round 2: Vargas lands a couple of hard uppercuts, but Negrete blocks them. Negrete throws a couple of wild left hooks. Negrete won’t back down and he tries to throw several shots to the body. Both men clinch with Negrete throwing a couple of left uppercuts. Vargas misses with the left hand, but both men end the round throwing everything they got, but neither man was able to do much damage.
Fightful scored round 2 for Vargas 10-9
Round 3: Vargas continues to land jabs with his long arms, nearly hurting Negrete. Negrete closes the distance with Vargas and has the champion in the corner for a second. Negrete blocks a six-punch combo thrown by Vargas. Negrete pushes Vargas to the canvas, but it is not ruled a knockdown. Vargas then throws several short uppercuts and Negrete lands a right hook to Vargas’ body. Negrete lands a solid left hook to Vargas’ chin. Vargas attacks the body to end the round 10-9.
Fightful scored round 3 for Vargas 10-9
Round 4: Vargas lands a couple of jabs upstairs to begin the round and both men clinch afterwards. Negrete goes on the offensive and throws an overhead right but misses. Negrete misses another one and Vargas goes back to attacking the body. Negrete lands a solid left hook, but Vargas seems unfazed. The two boxers clinch once more and Vargas lands an uppercut. Negrete connects with the left hand to the body and he is chasing the champion. The round ends with Vargas and Negrete connecting with a short body uppercut.
Fightful scored round 4 for Vargas 10-9
Round 5: Vargas continues to throw jabs, but then moves forwards to Negrete and Negrete nearly has Vargas in a chokehold. Negrete then tries to be the aggressor and land whatever punches he can throw to Vargas. Vargas lands a right body uppercut and follows it up with several more. Both men clinch and Vargas continues to attack the body. Negrete lands a hook to Vargas’ face but doesn’t hurt him much. Vargas lands an uppercut to end the round.
Fightful scored round 5 for Vargas 10-9
Round 6: Negrete starts the round off by throwing a couple of right hands upstairs, but Vargas throws a string of short punches which force Negrete to be on the defensive. Negrete tries to throw a couple of hooks upstairs, but they can’t find their mark. Vargas lands a left body uppercut. Vargas lands a right hook as well as another body shot. Both men clinch and Negrete lands a left hook to Vargas. Vargas ends the round with another flurry of punches.
Fightful scored round 6 for Vargas 10-9
Round 7: Vargas lands more body shots and Negrete clinches with the champion, throwing a left hook to the body. The two men clinch once more and Vargas is now trying to bring the fight up close despite a massive height advantage. Vargas lands a quick left hook to the body and Negrete responds with a couple of short punches to Vargas’ body. Vargas is cut near his right eye. Negrete hurts Vargas and Negrete is pushed down, but no knockdown is counted.
Fightful scored round 7 for Vargas 10-9
Round 8: Vargas lands a left hand to Negrete’s body. Vargas continues to land several body shots, alternating between left and right hooks. Vargas unleashes a flurry of strong punches, forcing Negrete to throw some shots of his own, but Negrete misses those shots. The cut on Vargas is getting worse and now Vargas suffered a cut near his left eye now. The fight continues, but Negrete is now on the offensive, targeting the two cuts on Vargas’ face. Vargas continues to throw more punches, but they don’t have the same power and speed as they had in the first few rounds.
Fightful scored round 8 for Vargas 10-9
Round 9: Even with the two cuts, Vargas is allowed to fight still. Negrete is still attacking, but Vargas catches a break and lands several hard shots to Negrete’s body and nearly knocks him down. Both men throw a couple of straight left hands, but they all miss. Vargas takes a right hand from Negrete, but the cut doesn’t seem to get any worse in this round. Negrete lands a couple of clean uppercuts to Vargas to end the round.
Fightful scored round 9 for Vargas 10-9
Round 10: Vargas continues to attack the body with straight left jabs. Negrete is on the defensive for a bit until Negrete lands a left hand upstairs. Vargas continues to land several more fights, but Negrete lands a straight left hand of his own. Vargas lands a right hook to the body. Negrete then lands a left hand to the body.
Fightful scored round 10 for Vargas 10-9
Round 11: As with the entire fight, Vargas continues to use his reach advantage to land multiple jabs to the body. Vargas continues to attack the body until about halfway through the round when Vargas starts landing head shots and Negrete seems to have no answer for Vargas. Both men clinch once more. Negrete is throwing less punches this round than in previous rounds.
Fightful scored round 11 for Vargas 10-9
Round 12: Negrete throws an overhead right hand and Vargas continues to attack the body. The round goes pretty much like how the rest of the fight went: Vargas dominating with his long reach with Negrete not doing enough to truly hurt Vargas
Fightful scored round 12 for Vargas 10-9, making it 120-108 for Vargas
Official result: Rey Vargas defeated Oscar Negrete, unanimous decision (119-109, 119-109, 120-108) to retain the WBC Junior Featherweight Title
Miguel Cotto (c) vs. Sadam Ali: WBO Junior Middleweight Championship Bout
Round 1: The fight begins with thunderous applause as Ali is on the offensive throwing several quick jabs, but they don’t connect. “Cotto!” chants fill Madison Square Garden. Ali lands a left hand and both men clinch. Cotto throws a few left jabs, but they miss. Cotto lands a left body hook, followed by a left jab. Cotto pressures Ali with a couple of jabs. Cotto throws a right hook to the body. Cotto connects with a left hook upstairs and Ali lands a right hand of his own. Cotto continues to pressure forward, but doesn’t throw a lot of punches. Ali lands a left hand followed by a right hand as the round ends.
Fightful scored round 1 for Ali 10-9
Round 2: Cotto connects with the left hand and has Ali pressured into the corner early. Cotto and Ali exchange punches. Ali lands a hard right hand to Cotto and Cotto’s legs nearly buckle. Ali slips but Ali has the momentum. Cotto continues to set up the jab and is starting to find its mark. Ali lands another right hand. Cotto pressures Ali, but Ali bounces back with the right hand.
Fightful scored round 2 for Ali 10-9
Round 3: Cotto and Ali trade punches to start the round and Ali lands a right uppercut. Cotto is starting to land the left hand and Ali is moving back. Cotto is now the more aggressive fighter in this round. Both men clinch. Cotto lands a couple of left hands, followed by a right jab. Ali lands a left hook. Ali misses with the left hook to Cotto’s body.
Fightful scored round 3 for Cotto 10-9
Round 4: Cotto continues to land the jab while Ali is moving away from Cotto. Ali lands a quick left hook that stuns Cotto and Ali gets some momentum. “Ali!” chants start to fill the arena before it is silenced by the pro-Cotto crowd. Cotto has Ali in the corner for a second and lands a quick left jab. Ali lands another uppercut, followed by a four-punch combo. Cotto’s legs look really unsteady throughout this whole fight. Ali makes Cotto miss with the left hook as the round ends.
Fightful scored round 4 for Ali 10-9
Round 5: Cotto lands a left jab to Ali’s face. Both men exchange jabs, but Cotto gets the better shots in. Ali lands a counter right hand to Cotto’s chin. Ali is running around the ring as Cotto continues to throw the left jab. Cotto lands a left jab and Ali counters with one of his own. Ali lands a three-punch combo to Cotto, but Cotto lands a solid left hook to the body. An Ali body shot lands to Cotto at the end of the round.
Fightful scored round 5 for Ali 10-9
Round 6: Cotto lands another jab but Ali connects with the left hook despite being cornered. Cotto lands another jab. Ali lands a counter right uppercut. Cotto lands a solid left jab to Ali and Cotto then tries to double-up to the body, but Ali doesn’t look hurt. Cotto lands a left that stuns Ali and Cotto goes to work on the body. Madison Square Garden erupts and Cotto is having the best 75 seconds of the fight thus far.
Fightful scored round 6 for Cotto 10-9
Round 7: Cotto is feeding off the energy of the arena and throwing several body shots. Ali lands another right hand, but Cotto continues to pressure forward. Cotto lands a great left hook to Ali’s chin. Cotto lands a left body hook and the champion is starting to break Ali down. Cotto continues to land more shots and Ali is starting to lose a lot of steam. Cotto lands the signature left body shot. Cotto has Ali on the ropes and taking everything Ali throws and responding well.
Fightful scored round 7 for Cotto 10-9
Round 8: Cotto continues to pressure Ali and Ali lands a quick right hand that stops Cotto in his tracks. Cotto is back to throwing more left hooks and Cotto has regained the momentum. Cotto lands a left hook upstairs. Ali lands a short left uppercut to Cotto’s chin and Cotto is back to attacking the body. Cotto makes Ali miss with the right hand and Cotto is in position to land clean jabs. Ali lands an uppercut to end the round.
Fightful scored round 8 for Cotto 10-9
Round 9: Ali goes to work landing the right hand. Cotto misses with the left jab, but he’s moving forward and has Ali on the ropes for a quick second. Ali is now starting land the uppercut while Cotto continues to land the left jab. Ali and Cotto clinch. Cotto blocks most of a wild left uppercut. Cotto lands two left jabs to the body, followed by a right jab upstairs.
Fightful scored round 9 for Ali 10-9
Round 10: Ali lands a right hand and Cotto is now moving back. Cotto connects with the jab once more, pushing Ali back for a second. Ali lands a stiff left hook to Cotto. Ali misses with another left hook and Cotto lands one of his own. Cotto blocks a left uppercut, but then takes a right hand by Ali.
Fightful scored round 10 for Ali 10-9
Round 11: Ali is bringing the fight to Cotto, landing several big shots to Cotto as Cotto is now the one moving back. Both men clinch. Cotto lands a solid counter right hand to Ali, but Ali is still coming forward. Cotto connects with the right hand. Cotto is moving around the ring, making Ali miss with the right hand, but Ali then lands several big power shots as Cotto was on the ropes. Cotto is not as active as he was in the halfway portion, but Cotto still hanging in there.
Fightful scored round 11 for Ali 10-9
Round 12: Ali attacks with the right hand, but Cotto is the one pressuring forward. Ali then mounts some offense, landing several hard shots to the body. Cotto still has some spring in his step, but then eats a right jab from Ali. Both men exchange punches and Cotto is now the one pressuring forward. Cotto lands an awkward overhead left hand. Cotto makes Ali wobbly for a quick second and Cotto has the momentum for the last 20 seconds, fighting a scrappy fight.
Fightful scored round 12 for Cotto 10-9, making it 115-113 for Ali
Official result: Sadam Ali defeated Miguel Cotto via unanimous decision (115-113, 116-112, 115-113) to win the WBO Junior Middleweight Championship
