Cotto vs. Joshua Clottey Almost Done

It looks like Miguel Cotto has a dance partner for his annual Madison Square Garden Puerto Rican Day Parade gig. There are some particulars to iron out, but it appears Cotto, the 28-year-old Puerto Rican welterweight who boasts a 33-1 record, will take on perhaps the most underrated fighter in boxing today, Ghana's Joshua Clottey (35-2, 20 KOs).

The New York based hitter comes off a September win (TD9) against Zab Judah, while Cotto looked in fine form taking on limited Brit Michael Jennings at MSG on Feb. 21.

The fight will take place at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, June 13. The parade, seen annually by about three million spectators, will unfurl on Sunday, the day after the scrap. Cotto has beaten Mohamad Abdulaev (2005), Paulie Malignaggi (2006), and Judah (2007) as masses of boricuas cheered his every feint.

His two losses came against Carlos Baldomir, in 1999, and Antonio Margarito, in a 2006 bout (UD12 loss) he was performing well in until he hurt his hand.

Top Rank promotes both fighters, which is typically helpful in negotiating. The deal should be finished early next week.

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By Michael Woods