On This Day: Miguel Cotto found himself on the canvas for the first time in his career

 by Nick Bond

MIGUEL COTTO won an unforgettable Latin war at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on September 24, 2005.

The victory saw superstar Miguel show superhuman coolness and courage.

Both unbeaten at the time, Cotto and Ricardo Torres fought like a couple of scorpions in a bottle, with the Puerto Rican climbing off the floor for the first time to halt Colombia’s Torres at 1-52 of the seventh round in a five-knockdown thriller.

Cotto was rocked and hurt on several occasions by the hard-hitting Torres. “I had him hurt, but couldn’t put him away” moaned the loser, who had won 28 in a row with 26 stoppages.

“I had to win” insisted Cotto, who retained his WBO light-welterweight crown.

“I’m glad I had this type of fight,” said the bruised champion. “It showed the public I can hit and take a punch.”

On the second round knockdown, Cotto said: “I’d never been down before, but I’ve lived it all now that I’ve looked up at the ring lights.”

The show’s headline act was also a knockdown-filled thriller, with Wladimir Klitschko climbing off the canvas three times to outpoint Samuel Peter.