Middleweight world champion Miguel Cotto & Cotto Promotions has formed a partnership with Roc Nation Sports. Cotto Promotions, LLC is the leading boxing promotional company in Puerto Rico, founded by Miguel Cotto. Cotto has signed a multi-year, multi-fight deal with RNS.
Cotto is leaving Top Rank, which has promoted all but two of his fights, Golden Boy promotions were in charge of the two fights that weren’t handled by Top Rank. Cotto will return to the ring in June and told ESPN.com “We are really happy to have this partnership with Roc Nation, and we are going to do our best as always to fight at the same level I have always fought at, we are going to discuss the opponents and the venue, but the best option for us is to be in New York.”
David Itskowitch serves as the chief operating officer of Roc Nation Sports’ boxing division told ESPN.com “We bring a lot to the table beyond the world of boxing, we can bring certain things in boxing that were attractive to him, but there’s a lot that we can help establish for him in his years beyond the ring.”
Michael Yormark serves as the president and chief of branding and strategy for parent company Roc Nation, said a major part of the deal for Cotto was Roc Nation’s ability to do more for Cotto than just promote his fights. “Boxing is the core of what Miguel does, but he is also looking for other opportunities,” Yormark told ESPN.com. “For a fighter like Miguel, at this point in his career, those things become important — his company, his philanthropic initiatives with his foundation, building his brand beyond the core boxing fans and positioning it in the mainstream. Those are things we do at Roc Nation, and we will be aligning him with companies around the globe.
“Roc Nation is not just a boxing promoter. We have lots of different platforms to offer Miguel Cotto. We are going to help him with his foundation, which is very important to him. Our relationships extend beyond boxing. We will help him build Cotto Promotions into a more diversified company that will include music and entertainment.”
Cotto is not tied to just one television network so RNS will seek the best deals for his fights, Cotto has fought primarily on HBO in previous fights.