Miguel Cotto won't retire after loss to Austin Trout, says he accepts defeat

Miguel Cotto may have lost his Madison Square Garden win streak when he was downed by Austin Trout on Saturday night, but the Puerto Rican star says he's not going to walk away from boxing just yet:

"I'm not finished yet," he said. "I still have boxing in my mind. I just want to rest with my family the rest of the year. I never make excuses. I accept my defeats and I learn from them and I just move forward."

Personally, I wouldn't have minded seeing Cotto (37-4, 30 KO) retire from the sport. I think there is a great case to be made for a Miguel Cotto retirement at age 32, but it's not that he can't fight. It's that he's got a life to live away from the ring, and he seems like one of those guys who is keenly aware of that, someone not totally consumed by his career. Those fighters are rare, particularly on Cotto's level. He's got money, he's got a business waiting for him promoting fights at least in Puerto Rico, he's got his family -- Cotto has a lot to look forward to after boxing.

At the same time, he's not old, he's not in abnormal danger of getting hurt, I don't believe, and if he's still got the desire to fight on, that is entirely his call.

Richard Schaefer said after the fight that Cotto could still face Canelo Alvarez, and there will be money there, though it's certainly not the fight it was nine hours ago. If not that, Cotto could take a "get-well" fight, perhaps at home in Puerto Rico, and then look for a big bout after that. There are plenty of options, he's free and able to work with any of the major promoters, and guys are going to be looking to fight him now, quite frankly. He's a big name, he's still worth some money, and he's looking quite beatable. I realize that isn't the most exciting thing to say about someone's continuing career from a fan perspective, but what can you do?

There is the possibility of a rematch with Trout (26-0, 14 KO), too. Trout says he's open to it, as I suspect he's not exactly holding his breath waiting for Canelo Alvarez to come calling for May 4, despite his impressive win over Cotto. Without Canelo or Mayweather, there are no fights for him at 154 bigger than the fight he just won.