Cotto plans ring return later this year

Cotto plans ring return later this year
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
March 1, 2013

LAS VEGAS – In attendance at Thursday's press conference for the Showtime-televised WBA lightweight title tilt between Richard Abril and Sharif Bogere on Saturday was three-division titleholder Miguel Cotto.

Cotto was there in support of his two fighters, junior middleweight Jorge Melendez and lightweight Jeffrey Fontanez, who will appear on the Showtime Extreme portion of the Abril-Bogere undercard.

Cotto recently revealed that he plans to fight three more times before calling it a day as a fighter and focusing on his family. RingTV caught up with Cotto as well as his attorney Gaby Penagaricano prior to the press conference to touch on a few subjects.

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Austin Trout Remembers, Emulates Departed New Mexico Boxing Icon Johnny Tapia

Austin Trout Remembers, Emulates Departed New Mexico Boxing Icon Johnny Tapia
Mark E. Ortega
Queensberry-Rules.com
May 29, 2012

Saturday night, Las Cruces, New Mexico's Austin Trout makes his debut on the big stage as part of a Showtime televised quadrupleheader taking place in Carson, Calif. where he defends his 154-pound alphabet strap against tough and determined Delvin Rodriguez.

What was already a difficult assignment got a bit more taxing when news broke late Sunday night that New Mexico boxing icon Johnny Tapia (right) had passed away at 45 after a long and tumultuous life.

“At first I didn't believe it,” Trout (right center) told TQBR Monday.

“You know Johnny, he's got like 20 lives. He has unfortunately OD'd numerous times. There have always been rumors of him dying. I didn't really believe it. 'Johnny didn't die, he's still alive,' is what I said. When I heard that they confirmed it I just felt, 'God, that is crazy.' There were stages of denial and sadness, now I am just praying for his family.”

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Top Ten from the outer realm

Top Ten from the Outer Realm

Mark E. Ortega

Leave-it-in-the-ring.com

June 20, 2011

I've always been one to criticize pound-for-pound lists, as they are as egregious as they are subjective. Lists of any sort are, matter of fact. But here I am putting together a Top Ten of my own, one that features a list of ten pugilists, mostly from outside the United States that have yet to appear on HBO or Showtime television in any format. These are ten fighters I feel that should be taken a close look at by both networks, if not just for tomorrow but for beyond.

"No Doubt" in Trout

"No Doubt" in Trout

Mark E. Ortega

Leave-it-in-the-ring.com

June 9, 2011

If you asked even the most hardcore of boxing fan what important junior middleweight bout is happening in Mexico this weekend, the likely response would be “The Canelo fight is next weekend I thought?”

It's hard to blame any astute fight aficionado for getting it wrong; the WBA junior middleweight title tilt between the defending Austin “No Doubt” Trout [22-0, 13 KOs] of Albuquerque, New Mexico and hard-nosed David “The Destroyer” Lopez [40-12, 23 KOs] of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico has flown under the radar as it won't appear on American television until a week later, which coincides with the HBO broadcast of the WBC junior middleweight title fight between emerging Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Brit Ryan Rhodes in an expected packed house in Jalisco, Mexico.