Icon Cotto refused to shirk tests

BOXING says goodbye to one of its greats when Miguel Cotto faces Sadam Ali in the early hours of tomorrow.

The WBO light-middleweight title defence in New York will be the final act of a remarkable career for the Puerto Rican.

The four-weight world champion has been a terrific servant to the sport and deserves to go out on his own terms.

Cotto (pictured below) has been a professional for 16 years and for a large chunk of his career he has been involved in elite level fights.

He has fought the best and put in some stunning performances with a CV that reads like a list of hall of fame fighters.

Saul Alvarez, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Sergio Martinez, Shane Mosley and Zab Judah are just some of the top fighters he has shared a ring with.

Some of them got the better of Cotto, but you can guarantee none of them had an easy night against one of the sport’s true warriors.

He became a national icon in Puerto Rico and the country’s first four-weight world champion while also creating a buzz every time he fought in New York.

The revenge win over Antonio Margarito in 2011 is one performance that sticks out but beating Martinez in 2014 for the world middleweight title was outstanding too.

And who could forget his 2007 win over Shane Mosley?

He fought most of the best guys when they were at the peak of their powers – something rare in boxing these days.

I would have loved him to stick around and face Liverpool’s Liam Smith in a WBO title defence.

But if ever there was a fighter who deserved to go out at a time of his own choosing it is Cotto.

He faces Ali at Madison Square Garden and, while it may not be his greatest test, it is one last chance to witness one of the top fighters.

Cotto will then hang up the gloves and wait for his deserved place in boxing’s fabled hall of fame. Watch Cotto v Ali live and exclusive on BoxNation from 2am on Sunday.