Cotto retains WBO title with win over Clottey

With blood pouring down his face from the third round on, the Puerto Rican threw his arms up at the end of a close and exhilarating bout that left both fighters battered at Madison Square Garden.

Referee Don Trella scored the fight 116-111 and John McKaie 115-112, both for Cotto, while Tom Miller had it 114-113 for Clottey. The Associated Press scored it 116-112 for Cotto.

"The cut made me fight harder," Cotto said, "but I felt like I was winning all the way."

Ghanaian Clottey was devastated by the narrow loss.

"Oh no! This can't happen," Clottey shouted. Then he went to Top Rank promoter Bob Arum and said, "That's it, I quit, I'm done with boxing. I can't take it anymore."

Arum told him that he fought "a magnificent fight and you have to continue."

The Garden was filled more than two hours before the fight was scheduled to go off, dominated by the red, white and blue flags of Puerto Rico.

"Clottey was very good and remember, Cotto had to fight with adversity the entire fight because of that cut eye," Arum said. "He could have taken the easy way out, because early on he was clearly ahead on points."

The 28-year Cotto previously held the WBO's light welterweight title before moving up in weight to take the WBA's world welterweight crown, which he lost in an 11th round TKO by Antonio Margarito in July last year. He claimed the WBO title with a TKO win over Michael Jennings in February, and this was his first defense.

This was 32-year-old Clottey's second attempt at the WBO welterweight belt, having lost a unanimous decision to Margarito in Dec. 2006. He won the IBF welterweight title with a technical decision victory over Zab Judah in August last year.

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