"I am not going to hang up the gloves...I am going to burn them," stated WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto as he talked about his desire to soon retire from boxing. In a recent interview with Antolín Maldonado Ríos of El Nuevo Dia, the 28-year-old Cotto revealed that he has no intention of continuing his boxing career too far past the age of 30, opting instead to spend more time with his family. "I have four little ones between the ages of 3 and 13 who require a father ... because one wants to play an instrument, another wants to play tennis, if you ask another, golfing, and the small child is three years old and I do not know what he wants to do, but I need to be there," Cotto stated as he explained his reasons for wanting to retire at such a young age.
After turning pro in 2001, Cotto has already amassed an impressive record (34-1, 27 KOs) and a nice fortune in just eight short years. A three-time world champion who captured titles in the jr. welterweight and welterweight divisions, Cotto's only loss to Antonio Margarito is questionable given that Margarito was suspended for attempting to use illegal handwraps against Shane Mosley just one fight later. Some people, particularly fans of Cotto, believe that those same illegal handwraps may have actually been used in that lone defeat.
As part of his agreement to face Manny Pacquiao on November 14, Cotto recently signed a two-year contract extension with his current promoter, Top Rank. The new deal will expire at the end of 2011, just a couple of months after Cotto's birthday in October. Having already achieved his goal of becoming a world champion, Cotto is content with his accomplishments inside the ring and is looking forward to focusing his attention on his family and businesses outside the ring. "I want to be there [with his children] and right now, I am not able. Boxing requires a lot...I want to dedicate myself completely to them," Cotto continued.
While it's great to see that Cotto is eager to spend more quality time with his family, it's probably not a good sign that he's even talking about retirement just months before his scheduled clash with the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. As a fighter, once you start talking about it, you usually already have one foot out the door. Pacquiao has already retired fighters like Oscar De La Hoya and Erik Morales after they both suffered brutal, one-sided defeats to the Filipino superstar. Will Cotto be next?
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