By Jeff Zimmerman
Photos: Stacey Verbeek

Less than 24 hours after his Dallas Cowboys pulled out an exciting victory at AT&T Stadium on Sunday night, owner Jerry Jones put on his boxing cap to welcome future hall of famer and Puerto Rican legend Miguel Cotto (40-5, 33 KOs) to his new headquarters, Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, a booming suburb 30 miles north of Dallas. The new complex not only serves as the practice facility for the Cowboys, but also where local high schools play football on Friday nights and will now open its doors to their first boxing event when Cotto takes on the Mandingo Warrior James Kirkland (32-2, 28 KOs) on Saturday, February 25th which will also air on HBO PPV.

After watching Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez fill his palace in Arlington with 50,000 plus back in September Jones is banking that Cotto and Kirkland could catch 1/5th of those fans at the 12,000 seat facility, where he will no doubt leverage the huge Hispanic following of the Cowboys.

Jones stated, “For us to have Miguel Cotto to initially open our professional effort here at The Star is really a dream come true. I know him to be a competitor, I saw his fight with Alvarez and I know what a gamer he is so this does fulfil a dream we did have when building the Ford Center.”

Jones added, “We’re honored to partner with Roc Nation, we are proud to be Jay Z’s partner and we’re proud of the group of athletes he has put together and they mean business. And boy they want their athletes to be on time and as professional as the very sport they represent. So this is groundbreaking.”

Cotto was happy to be back in Texas and fighting again. The first two fights of his career were in Austin and Fort Worth.

“It’s good to be back. I miss being involved in boxing for the last 13-15 months and all I can say right now is I am going to bring my best every day, every training session, to do my best here February 25th to face James and hopefully take home a victory.”

Cotto and Kirkland are coming off 15 and 20 month layoffs respectively after suffering losses to Canelo, albeit in very different ways. Cotto lost a very close, competitive decision to Canelo while Kirkland got smoked in three rounds in a brutal knockout. The big difference though for Kirkland is Ann Wolfe is back in his corner where he is undefeated under her watch.

Wolfe explained their situation, “We never really left each other. For James I’m always here. I train a lot of kids and I tell them if you come to me and your sincere you can come back a thousand times, when you’re not sincere, don’t come. He’s always respected me and I respect him. When he doesn’t come to me, we still keep that respect, when he does come to me he understands that we are not playing so that’s just how it is between us.”

Kirkland is glad to be back with Wolfe after his performance against Canelo.

“I definitely want to put on a great performance and actually I didn’t give it my all when I came down to fight Alvarez. I didn’t prepare the way I needed to but I can’t bring any excuses to the table. I am going out there to show not just my team but my fans the people who have followed me and supported me that Kirkland is still in the race that Kirkland is still here to make a stand and keep my name alive.”

But he does wish he had another crack at Canelo with Wolfe in his corner.

“No doubt, you know what I mean. I can’t put too much elaboration on it because at the end of the day I hate that outcome of the situation with that fight. Through all of training camp, I didn’t feel like I was at home. When you get through training, working out you’re like that’s a good job, well done, I did my work today. When I got done, I was confused, I’m about to fight in the next couple of months, this is not going to get me the “W”. I learned from it.”

Not many people could command a room like Jerry Jones, except maybe Ann Wolfe. She gave her take on the fight and the rumblings about it being on pay-per-view.

“Every time Miguel has entered the ring I was rooting for him to win, every time James has entered the ring even when I wasn’t there I was rooting for him to win. So this will be the first time I won’t be rooting for Miguel to win. Now a lot of people are saying this shouldn’t be PPV, bullshit, this should be PPV, because you know if I’m with James he’s going to fight, regardless of who Cotto is with, he’s going to fight. I’m here to tell you all it’s going to be a good fight. Somebody is going to get knocked out, somebody.”

Wolfe added, “I don’t know what to expect, Cotto can box and he can bang and with him coming up in weight he has brought his power up. A lot of people said that Cotto doesn’t have that much power, that’s bullshit. James can box he just never does, he just goes out there, so what I am going to do is get James in the best possible shape with the time that I have. Like I said I have watched every last Cotto fight and you know how James fights. Miguel is going to come out there and let you know I’m coming to fight and you know James is going to do the same thing.”

“So you can’t say, ok, what’s going to happen, because this is one of those type of fights James may get knocked on his ass but you just never know because I love being the underdog. I love people to say you have no chance at all, that’s why I am doing this. I love boxing, I like to fight. Miguel will fight, I did not want some bullshit fight. Miguel has fought the best of the best. For James to make it who he is and for me to make who I am, give us a chance to fight the best of the best.”

Cotto who praised Team Kirkland for taking the fight, isn’t too concerned that Kirkland is back with Wolfe and her notorious grueling training camps.

“No I am going to do the best I can do and I am with Freddie Roach, let’s see who can handle each one.”

Wolfe is appreciative to go up against someone like Roach and doesn’t feel the layoffs benefit one fighter over the other.

“Freddie Roach, he’s one of the best, so I get a chance to fight the best and go up against the best. I don’t think we have any advantage when going up against Cotto.”

Cotto is not planning to get in the same firefight that Kirkland had with Canelo, but will be ready if one comes.

“I never prepare myself for a fight looking for this fight, I’m going to prepare myself enough for Kirkland for February 25th. I am going to do my best as always and if I hit him with a good punch I’m going after him.”

Kirkland knows he’s in there with one of the best of this era.

“I pretty much think in any good way that Cotto is a smart fighter, an elite fighter. The man is going to be on his p’s and q’s, so I definitely have to try and be above that.”

Kirkland fought just across the highway at Dr Pepper Ballpark a few years back on the baseball field where the Double A Texas Rangers play and now he will be in a new football stadium. He’s not worried about where he is fighting though, but who.

“I just need to stay focused on training and who I’m fighting. I’m pretty focused on Cotto, Cotto, Cotto so when I eat, I eat Cotto, when I drink, I drink Cotto, when I think, I think Cotto so all I’m thinking about right now is Cotto.”

Kirkland is hoping to redeem himself in this fight.

“I’m never going to say I am more hungry than the next man, but I have something to prove, so if it makes me more hungry, more of an excited fighter, a person who wants to redeem himself, let it be what it is called, let the chips fall where they may, when it comes down to it I really embarrassed myself in the ring with Alvarez.”

Things are much different for Cotto. Win, lose or draw his reputation and status in boxing are set in stone where he will undoubtedly end up in Canastota one day. He is winding down his hall of fame career and only plans to fight once more after Kirkland.

“This is my last year in boxing, 2017 is the last chapter of my career.”

“It has to be a great name, a big name and if not I am going to go home.”