Miguel Cotto has become boxing's example of the superstar who refuses to die.
Many were writing him off after his devastating knockout defeat at the hands of Antonio Margarito in 2008.
Even more jumped off the bandwagon when he suffered another crushing knockout loss to Manny Pacquiao just over a year later.
But Miguel Cotto isn't interested in the critics or those who tell him he can't do something. He just loves to fight and turned in one of the best performances of his career, albeit in a losing effort, against Floyd Mayweather Jr. this past May.
It was a fight he says gave his career a jump-start.
Via Ringtv.com:
Floyd Mayweather was an excellent fight. That was a good fight. I didn't win, but sometimes, when you lose, you win. That was the case for me in this fight. I felt rejuvenated after that fight, Cotto said.
He faces young, hungry WBA super-welterweight champion Austin Trout this Saturday night in what amounts to a home game in front of thousands of screaming fans in New York's Madison Square Garden.
And for Cotto and his fans the question is obvious.
Can he once again turn back the clock and hold off the charging young champion? Or is the writing on the wall for Miguel and the time come for him to pass the torch to a new generation of fighters?
It's one that will be answered in the ring on Saturday night.
If you could sum up the career of Miguel Cotto in just one word, it would be tough.
He's been through wars—against Pacquiao, Margarito—and has never left a fight without leaving it all in the ring.
Could all these ring wars and his age, he's now 32 which isn't old but in boxing can be a tricky, finally catch up to him? It's something that Cotto says he isn't worried about.
I've just put myself through a hard training camp just to be the winner. And it's as it was in my whole career, Cotto said Monday. I'm here to face Austin next Saturday. I'm here to win and I'm not going to rest until I get it.
One thing that can never be questioned about Miguel Cotto is his determination. Nobody should expect this fight to be any different.
He will also get an added boost from fighting in front a tremendously supportive crowd in his second home of New York City.
Madison Square Garden will be rocking on Saturday night, with thousands of Cotto fans cheering his every move.
It's the type of atmosphere his opponent Austin Trout has never seen before, despite his previous fights in Panama and Mexico against popular local fighters.
And it's something that can be quite intimidating for a fighter, but on the flip-side, it also adds pressure to the home-town guy to put on a good performance.
This is something that Cotto has felt on many occasions in the past; he's undefeated in seven fights at MSG, and is grateful for the experience.
I'm just thankful for being here and I'm going to do my best, just for all of the fans and all of the people who are going to be there for me. I don't know what will pass through Austin's mind, but I'm going to enjoy the whole night."
It's the atmosphere, and the enormity of the moment that many observers believe will help propel him to victory against Trout on Saturday night.
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