Revisiting the Epic Miguel Cotto vs. Zab Judah Showdown: A Puerto Rican Day Parade Eve Classic

On June 9, 2007, at Madison Square Garden on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day parade, Miguel Cotto and Zab Judah treated the boxing world to an all-action brawl in front of a highly energised crowd of mostly Puerto Ricans, cheering on their boxing idol. On the anniversary of the war between Cotto and Judah, Big Fight Weekend are taking you back to fight night to relive this classic contest.

Miguel Cotto Wins by Late Stoppage Against Zab Judah

Miguel Cotto vs. Zab Judah Recap

On June 9, 2007, Miguel Cotto and Zab Judah treated us to a brutal welterweight war in front of a crowd of 20,658, with mostly Puerto Ricans cheering on their idol.

It took Cotto the first few rounds to figure out the awkward southpaw style of his opponent. Gradually the constant pressure and great body shots of Cotto began to wear Judah down. The Puerto Rican star picked up a cut over his right eye in round four, but he refused to let that slow him down, as he went toe-to-toe with his American opponent in round seven.

Cotto enjoyed great success in round eight, delivering brutal uppercuts and body shots, which hurt Judah on several occasions. The work rate from Cotto was phenomenal throughout, forcing an exhausted Judah to take a knee in round nine. The Puerto Rican fighter landed two more big shots as the round went on, before Judah somehow fired back, buzzing Cotto right on the bell.

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Round 10 was a dominant round for the Rhode Island-born fighter wobbling Judah with heavy shots at regular intervals. Round 11 saw the end for Judah as Cotto landed a heavy combination, sending his opponent to the canvas. Despite beating the count, Cotto pounced forcing referee Arthur Mercante Jr. to wave off the fight, sending the thousands of Puerto Ricans in attendance into bedlam, ensuring Judah retained his WBA strap.

Post Fight Quotes

“I expected a tough fight and that’s what I got, a tough fight,” said Cotto, who retained his 147-pound title for the second time. “He did land some great punches on me but I was very well prepared. I could tell and I could feel I was taking the fight over round by round.”

“I felt Zab could go more, but the referee stopped the fight,” said Cotto, who like Judah needed stitches for his cut. “The referee, we have to respect him.”

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Zubah also spoke after the fight: “The first low blow was very hard,” Judah said. “The second one took a lot out of me. The low blows affected me from the time they hit me. No excuses, though. I would love to get a rematch in Puerto Rico. It would be beautiful.”