Miguel Cotto wins by TKO

Miguel Cotto made a triumphant return to New York City and the championship ranks by pummeling and then taking Michael Jennings out on a TKO at 2:36 of the fifth round to win the WBO welterweight title before a huge crowd at Madison Square Garden Saturday night. Cotto entered the ring in his Marc Ecko-designed robe and came out swinging. By making quick work of Jennings, he confirmed his standing as one of the elite boxers in the welterweight division. “When I came out and saw this crowd tonight, it was great,” Cotto (33-1, 27 KOs) said. “[I came] back into the ring, and studied my opponent for the first couple rounds. I began to go to the body and the head, and then started to let my hands go. I hit him with some good shots. That kid has a lot of strength.”.” Cotto finished Jennings off in the fifth round with a right to the jaw that knocked him to the ground. Jennings made it to his feet again, but referee Benji Estevez had seen enough and stopped the fight. In the co-feature of the evening, Irish middleweight John Duddy (26-0, 17 KOs) scored a 10-round unanimous decision over Matt Vanda (39-9, 22 KOs).