Small Island, Big Stars

Miguel Cotto, who takes on Manny Pacquiao on Saturday, November 14 live on HBO Pay-Per-View®, is today's brightest boxing star from Puerto Rico, which has produced more champions and legends per square mile than any place in the world.

The island people's lives have been seeped in the love of the game and the thrill of a fight, as Puerto Rico has produced successful baseball and boxing superstars for decades.  As for boxing champions, the first of more than 50 world titlists was Sixto Escobar, who twice reigned as bantamweight champion in the mid-'30s.  In the '60s, lightweight and junior welterweight champion Carlos Ortiz was the first Puerto Rican to be recognized as a pound-for-pound great.

One decade later, three-division champion Wilfred Benitez established a reputation as the best defensive fighter of his era. Benitez won his first world title at age 17, still a record.  In the '70s and '80s, Wilfredo Gomez, who was another three-division titlist, flaunted a rare combination of power and boxing skills. Gomez made 17 successful defenses of the junior featherweight title and knocked out hall of famers Lupe Pintor and Carlos Zarate.

 Immediately preceding Cotto was wildly popular Felix "Tito" Trinidad, who won titles at welterweight, junior middleweight, and middleweight. Trinidad reigned as a champion from 1993 to 2001, and defeated Fernando Vargas, Pernell Whitaker, and Oscar De La Hoya. 

Other notable Puerto Rican champions: John Ruiz, who was the first Hispanic to win a portion of the world heavyweight title; Carlos DeLeon, who won the WBC cruiserweight crown four times; charismatic junior lightweight and lightweight champion Hector Camacho; power punching two-division champion Edwin Rosario; Esteban DeJesus, who defeated Roberto Duran; light heavyweight champion Jose Torres; and reigning light flyweight champion Ivan Calderon, who is unbeaten in 34 career bouts.

Now it's Cotto's time to perform on the biggest stage of his career and should he be victorious, he will find his place atop the 2009 leader board of great athletes and stars emanating from this small but prideful island. 

Categorized List of Fighters, Athletes and Celebrities

Boxers

Benítez, Wilfred, three division champion, member International Boxing Hall of Fame

Calderón, Iván, reigning light flyweight champion who remains unbeaten

Camacho, Héctor "Macho", sensational junior lightweight and lightweight titlist

Cotto, Miguel, former junior welterweight titlist and reigning welterweight champion

De Jesus, Esteban, lightweight champion who defeated Roberto Duran

De León, Carlos "Sugar", four-time cruiserweight champion

Escalera, Alfredo, junior lightweight champion

Escobar, Sixto, first Puerto Rican World Champion (bantamweight), Hall of Famer

Gomez, Wilfredo, three-division champion, Hall of Famer

Lopez, Juan Manuel, unbeaten reigning junior featherweight champion

Montañez, Pedro, fought for lightweight and welterweight titles, Hall of Famer

Ortiz, Carlos, lightweight and junior welterweight champion, Hall of Famer

Rosario, Edwin "El Chapo", lightweight and junior welterweight champion, Hall of Famer

Ruíz, John, first Hispanic to win a portion of the heavyweight title

Serrano, Samuel, longtime and two-time junior lightweight champion

Trinidad, Felix "Tito", three division champion, Pound-for-Pound legend

Vazquez, Wilfredo, three-division champion

Venegas, Juan Evangelista, first Puerto Rican to win an Olympic Gold Medal (1948)