Tonight we gave the fans what they wanted to see. We matched the best with the best. Cotto was a very tough competitor and he won some rounds. He pushed me to the limits and this is what it’s all about.
“Miguel Cotto fought his ass off tonight and I want to congratulate him and his team.
“You’ve seen me in flashy cars, but I want you to know that I do give back to the community. This is what it’s all about. It’s not about making a lot of money. It’s about giving back.
“I don’t want be on TV and not give you guys [the fans and media] what you deserve.
“Cotto is a good puncher. He didn’t win more than 30 fights for nothing. I was the first fighter to fight him at a weight that he was comfortable with. I actually came into the fight weighing 147.
“Things happened tonight and we both had to fight. But the main thing is that we got the victory.
“I think tonight was a cool fight. The fans were happy. It’s about impressing fans and giving them what they want to see.
“I sensed that sometimes Miguel was breaking down and then he would come back sharp. Miguel Cotto is in shape. The right hook and the uppercut were working for me tonight. I had watched tapes of Shane Mosley [when he fought Cotto] and I saw that the right hook was working. And I also watch Zab Judah use the uppercut against him too. So I knew I was going to use those shots tonight.
“I knew the right hook was going to be my money shot. A lot of times and these days you don’t see fighters using the right hook, only the left. But tonight I wanted to use the right hook and that is what I did.
“Tonight I got a few bumps and bruises, but that is part of the sports.
“I could have made it a very easy fight, but I was going for the knockout. Cotto was in tremendous shape. He was tough.
“Our game plan is always to win. Cotto surprised me and his record reflects where he is today.
“It’s about winning and that’s what I did. I’m not going to fold to pressure. Cotto can keep his head high as we are both winners tonight in our own way.”
As in September, I once again ran out of gas in the 10th & 11th championship rounds of October & November with this column, but I recovered to complete them and will unleash a few more flurries to close out the 12th and final round.
In the first week of October, Hassan N’Dam won a UD over Curtis Stevens in an eliminator for the right to challenge Jermaine Taylor who defeated aging Sam Soliman to regain the IBF Middleweight title. How Taylor even earned this title shot is another story altogether, but it is all irrelevant as he is now the champion. However he will not have too much time to savor his victory as he has assault and battery charges pending against him and an upcoming court fight that may turn out to be the toughest fight of his life, just when things started to look up for him in boxing, we wish him luck.
