Miguel Cotto: We did what we needed to do

By Jose Santiago
Photo: Chris Farina/Top Rank

WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto spoke to the press after his career-defining win over reigning world champion Sergio Martinez on Saturday night in New York City.

[Cotto on the fight] We just went out in the first round to make our fight. We just hit him with really good punches. After the three knockdowns, we kept to our strategy and that was the thing that defined the fight….I was a little surprised I knocked him down

three times, but it’s part of the work. We went in there with a strategy, thinking what we needed to do and that’s what we did. Not just the first round, the three knockdowns, or the end of the fight, I think you saw throughout the fight what I can do and that was all a reflection of the hard work we did for 10-11 weeks.

[Cotto on his legacy] It’s not up to me where I belong among the greats. That’s someone else’s choice. Other people determine that. I don’t. I just work hard. I do the best I can every day. I go in the ring and do my best. And the only four people that count in what they think of me, they’re sitting to my right, my family.

[Cotto on what's next] I need a rest. I know Freddie doesn’t rest, he’s always ready for the next challenge, but I need to rest a little bit and then we’ll talk about it and see what we decide.

As a precaution, Sergio Martinez was taken directly to a local hospital after the fight and did not attend the press conference.