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Miguel Cotto loses to Sadam Ali in farewell fight at Madison Square Garden

Sadam Ali and Miguel Cotto exchange blows during their junior-middleweight bout Saturday at Madison Square Garden.
( Al Bello / Getty Images)
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Sadam Ali ruined the Garden party for Miguel Cotto on Saturday night, sending the Puerto Rican star into retirement with 12-round defeat by decision.

The 37-year-old Cotto simply couldn’t handle the quickness of his younger opponent, who took the WBO junior middleweight belt. Ali, from Brooklyn, did it despite being the less-popular fighter only miles from his borough; Cotto has made Madison Square Garden a second home, but fell to 8-2 in the arena.

Cotto finishes 41-6, and clearly this was not how he planned to leave the ring. But he looked his age far too often in losing by scores of 115-113, 115-113, and 116-112.

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Cotto received a thunderous ovation when he entered the ring, and they were chanting his name as he left, proud but defeated.

sports@latimes.com

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