Legendary promoter Bob Arum has revealed the most underrated fighter he has ever worked alongside.
Arum made the transition into boxing in the early 70’s after initially spending time working as a lawyer, establishing Top Rank back in 1973.
Since then, he has worked with some of the greatest fighters to have ever laced up the gloves, including Muhammad Ali, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford.
In more recent years, Arum has guided the career of unbeaten Japanese sensation Naoya Inoue, who many claim to be the best fighter on the planet pound-for-pound.
He also played a pivotal role in the resurgence of Tyson Fury, who bounced back from a number of personal issues outside of the ring to regain the world heavyweight championship in 2020.
Speaking to Sky Sports Boxing, Arum named four-weight world champion Miguel Cotto as the most underrated fighter he ever promoted, after working as a promoter for over five decades.
Speaking to El Nuevo Dia, Arum once branded Cotto ‘one of the greatest of
“We had a great journey with Miguel. He was a fantastic fighter. He was dedicated, he worked hard, and he accomplished great things in boxing. He certainly deserves to be in the Boxing Hall of Fame. So I’m very proud of that and of him. I have great memories in the years that we represented him, particularly the events at Madison Square Garden that coincided with the Puerto Rican Parade in June in New York.
“I can’t say there was a particular moment [when I knew he would be a great fighter], but I remember early in his career I recognized his greatness. Despite being knocked down [in a fight], he quickly got up and won the fight. Also, contrary to other fighters, particularly Puerto Rican boxers, his personal life was not one of partying. He was dedicated in training.
“He is one of the best fighters of our time. There are great memories in New York and Las Vegas. He never backed down to fight anyone. He was a brave warrior. He fought the best around him, be it Manny Pacquiao or Margarito. It was always against someone at the top. There was never a problem accepting a fight.”
Cotto is often credited for being one of, if not the greatest Puerto Rican boxer of all time. He had an exceptional professional career where he won multiple world titles across four weight divisions, defeating the likes of Shane Mosley, Sergio Martinez and Zab Judah during his tenure.
