Miguel Cotto Vs. Juan Manuel Marquez Exhibition Match Eyed For October

Miguel Cotto and Juan Manuel Marquez will be returning to action later this year in a highly anticipated exhibition match.

The exhibition fight has been in the works for quite some time. Planned for June of this year, the match was scrapped due to the sheer volume of events that month. Promoters proposed July as well, but with huge sporting events, namely Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury and the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, it didn’t make much sense to schedule it then either.

Dates in August also did not provide better options for the fight. With several key fights taking place and the return of Manny Pacquiao against Errol Spence Jr., moving the match to the Fall seemed like the most logical solution.

Throughout both of their illustrious careers, Cotto and Marquez were forces in their weight classes. With a combined record of 97-13, they dominated all four divisions in which they each won titles.

Cotto (41-6) retired in 2017 after a 16-year professional career. Known for much of his career as a power puncher with a 70.2% knockout rate, Cotto became a more refined boxer as he inched towards retirement. With notable wins over Zab Judah, Shane Mosely, and Antonio Margarito, Cotto became one of the most decorated fighters in Puerto Rican history. He was the first from the island to hold a title in four different weight classes. Cotto won the WBC International, WBO–NABO, and WBA Fedelatin light-welterweight titles, WBA and WBO welterweight titles, the WBA light and WBB light middleweight titles, and the WBC and The Ring middleweight titles.

Marquez retired in 2014, ending his 20-year career in the ring. He was the third Mexican fighter to achieve the feat of holding titles in four divisions. Marquez won nine world championships, including the WBA (Super), IBF, and WBO featherweight titles; the WBC super featherweight title, WBA (Super), WBO, Ring magazine, and lineal lightweight titles, and the WBO junior welterweight title.

The exhibition fight between the two men will be the first time they’ve ever met in the ring. Because they couldn’t agree on a weight class for the fight, plans for the two to fight when they were still both active never materialized. While Cotto could not cut down below 150 pounds, Marquez was unwilling to fight above 147 pounds. Still, the matchup should be entertaining, although both men are beyond their prime in the sport.

Are you excited to see Miguel Cotto fight Juan Manuel Marquez?