Miguel Cotto and Juan Manuel Marquez will hold an exhibition duel

Boxing

Miguel Cotto and Juan Manuel Marquez are the latest contributors to the growing trend of ring legends in show fights. The pair of former title holders in four divisions are due to face off in an exhibition bout on June 12th. The venue will be announced later. Details of the event have yet to be confirmed, except that an official announcement from both sides is expected in the coming days.

Miguel Cotto

El Nuevo Dia first reported the negotiation of this meeting. It comes just days after recently announced plans to return former six-division world champion and Hall of Famer Oscar de la Hoya, who, as you’d expect, has been the promoter of both boxers at various points in his career.

Cotto (41-6, 33 KOs) has not fought since losing his WBO junior middleweight title to Sadam Ali in December 2017. The 40-year-old boxer from Caguas, Puerto Rico, has held titles in light welterweight, welterweight (twice), first middleweight (twice) and middleweight (line title), qualified to enter the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF). Hit the ballot for the first time last year, but didn’t get enough votes to be included.

During his absence from the ring, Cotto and his team have been developing Promociones Miguel Cotto, a leading promotional organization in Puerto Rico. The company recently hosted three evenings of the Ring City USA series on NBC Sports Network and boasts some pretty good avenues and champion talent.

Cotto never spoke seriously about his return, although he hinted that he was ready to participate at the exhibition level.

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Marquez (56-7-1, 40 KOs) also lost his last big title fight, although he ended his legendary career on a positive note. The former world title holder in featherweight, second featherweight, lightweight and light welterweight, last appeared in the ring in a 12-round bout, in which he defeated Mike Alvarado by decision in May 2014. The 47-year-old Mexico City boxer made his way to the IBHOF in 2019 when he was voted in in his first year of eligibility.

COVID restrictions delayed its inclusion. Marquez will be part of a large three-year group that will be formally inducted into the Hall in June 2022.

Marquez has been one of the best boxers in the world for many years, even at the end of his incredible career. The supremely talented boxer puncher is best remembered for his streak of four fights with ring legend Manny Pacquiao, including his iconic 6th round knockout of their final encounter in December 2012, which remains one of the best fights of the 21st century.

Having won belts in four weight classes, Marquez nearly won the welterweight crown, but lost on points to Timothy Bradley in October 2013.

Cotto made history in Puerto Rico by becoming the only male boxer on the island to win titles in four weight classes. He consolidated this result in June 2014 when he stopped Sergio Martinez in the 10th round and won the linear middleweight title.

Cotto and Marquez join de la Hoya on a long list of great boxers of the past who have either returned to the ring during the past year or are planning to do so in the months to come. Mike Tyson and Roy Jones popularized this trend with their high-profile Pay-Per-View show duel last November, making it one of the top 10 best-selling PPV events in combat sports history.

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