Miguel Cotto touched on many different subjects during a sit-down interview with members of the boxing media and one of the things he touched on briefly was on how he feels about his chances of getting into the boxing Hall of Fame.
Nestor Gibbs of ThaBoxingVoice was on the scene with camera in hand, while Cotto addressed his HOF chances. Cotto acknowledged that the decision would ultimately be out of his hands, so he does his best to concentrate on what he can control.
“I don’t know if I’m going to be eligible… be a member of the Hall of Fame. I’m just trying to do my best… and that is what I am going to keep doing until the end of my career.”
That’s a pretty diplomatic reply for a guy that has every right to believe he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. As one of the greatest Puerto Rican fighters of all time, a title holder in four different weight classes and a fighter that has been hovered near the top of the rankings for over a decade he can make a great case for himself. That just isn’t Cotto’s blue collar way.
He can play the diplomatic game for now, but if he never got in he would have to have a problem with it. Blue collar or not, Cotto is one of boxing’s premier diva’s and he’s got an ego to go along with it. I don’t think there is any way an HOF snub wouldn’t hurt him, but he disagrees and maintains that he appreciated everything that boxing has afforded him in his life.
“After that, the critics… people that know about boxing, they’re going to say if I am [allowed] to be in the Hall of Fame. If not, I’m going to be more than grateful for boxing.”
On second thought, maybe he’s right. Miguel Cotto has a lot to be proud of and his career winnings afford a very comfortable lifestyle. If he is unjustifiably passed over for the Hall of Fame, it’s not unreasonable that he would be able to comfort himself with all of the success he has had in his life.
Regardless of Cotto’s seemingly relaxed outlook on the whole thing, let’s hope that the boxing media does the right thing when the time comes.
