By Eric Torres: I have been a fan of boxing for as long as I can remember, but not once can I remember seeing a boxer who has so vividly showed more humanistic and superman-like qualities in the ring than Miguel Cotto. It is like watching a movie when he is in the ring.

There is always a beginning that sets up the movie in which you get a feel for what the tone will be, and there is always the middle of the movie where there might be power struggles and then the climax, which at times seems to defy logic, but somewhere deep inside we knew how it was going to end all along. Cotto is all of the above and I believe that is his appeal to his fans and fans of boxing.

Let’s go back to Cotto’s last four fights and the opponents he has faced: Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito, Michael Jennings and Joshua Clottey. Excluding Jennings, Cotto has fought some of top welterweights boxing has to offer and his opponents have been a cut above the rest in size and skill level (I know Paul Williams and Floyd Mayweather Jr. are out there But I am talking about Cotto’s last four opponents).

I have always believed that When you put the best of the best together it can go both ways, it can be an exciting barn burner or a complete dud. In Cotto’s cases they have been barn burners and have all had underlining plot lines along the way.

Cotto may have looked like a pretty ordinary fighter and quite possibly beatable in some of these fights to people who do not have a trained eye for this sport or let’s face it are fare weathered fans. To the true fans of the sport they see much more in those fight.

They see the beauty, intrigue, viciousness and the will to survive. These are traits that make up a fighter, it makes up their legacy & how you remember them long after their shine has faded away. I believe that Cotto’s legacy after he is done with the sport will be one that a lot of boxers and critics someday will come to respect if they do not do so already.

Cotto will be remembered as a true warrior and a throwback fighter in this sport. He will be remembered as someone who has been willing to fight the best his divisions has had to offer and one that has never backed down from a fight unlike the so-called king of boxing Mayweather Jr.

The wonderful thing is he is not done yet. Cotto may have looked human, beatable or even some may say not on the same level as his latest opponents, but when you get the best fighters fighting each other the road to victory may not come as easily as the path that some may chose in which there is no challenge. Cotto has obviously taken the road that very few like to take and therefore doing so has cemented his place and stature as one of the best.

In closing in order to be the best you have to beat the best. Cotto has demonstrated this time and time again. He has faced all comers and not once has backed down. He may have looked human at best in some of his fights, but what makes a champion is the heart and will to survive at all cost.

He has done that respectfully, admirably and that is what makes true boxing fans excited to know that boxing is still here and going nowhere. It also brings in new fans to a sport that has taken a hit in some years. Cotto is a rare diamond in the welterweight division and one that should be enjoyed before his time has come.