THE PASSING OF AN ERA

By Toto Mortillero

Just this last Sunday, Puerto Rico's boxing pride and future Boxing Hall of Famer, Miguel Angel Cotto, retired from the sport that he loved most after losing his World Boxing Organization (WBO), Junior Middleweight diadem to the youthful American Saddam Ali, via a unanimous decision.

The Puerto Ricans would forever remember Miguel Cotto as a fat, young lad who tried to lace the gloves just to shed weight only to find himself becoming a great fighter under the guidance and tutelage of his trainer-uncle Evangelista Cotto.

Under the almost two decades of prizefighting, Miguel Angel Cotto had surpassed the boxing records of the great Boricua/Puerto Rican boxers who were inducted to the Boxing Hall of Fame like former three division world champion Felix "Tito" Trinidad, Jr., former three-division world boxing champion Wilfredo Vasquez Sr., and former three division boxing world champion Wilfredo Benitez.

His record of six world titles in four boxing divisions is the grandest in the Puerto Rican Boxing history and his heart as a pugilist is considered as one of the best because of his never say die attitude atop the squared ring.

His unforgettable world title fights with Manny Pacquiao, Shane Mosley, Floyd Mayweathet Jr., Antonio Margarito, Saul Alvarez and Sergio Martinez would be etched forever in the boxing books and never be forgotten by hardcore boxing followers.

His recent loss to Saddam Ali was somehow a message for him that after years of fighting in the name of his family, country and.personal honor, all he has to do now is to stop fighting and.enjoy the fruits of his labor. He may have conquered many good fighters but he cannot outlast father time, hence it is high time for him to hang his gloves since it is now clear as a crystal pool that indeed his era has already passed.

UNARGUABLY THE GREATEST TENNISTER OF ALL TIME

By Toto Mortillero

With the latest collection of his 18th grand slam at the Australian Open, I consider Roger Federer as the greatest tennis player of all time. His 18 grand slams is by far the greatest feat any tennis player can do since the game was invented, not to mention the fact that he had eclipsed the number of grand slams the all time greats like Boris Becker, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Rod Laver, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, Arthur Ashe, Bjorn Borg, to name a few had.

He is one of the few to have won all the three surfaces in grand slam events in tennis namely, the clay court, the grass surface and the cemented one. Dubbed as the Federer Express, Roger Federer is also one of the few to have won all of the four grand slams in tennis like the Australian Open, the French Open, the U.S. Open and the Wimbledon.

His rivalry with the Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal an all time great himself to having won fourteen grand slams in his name is considered as the greatest rivalry in tennis. The duo had battled neck and neck for more than thirty times already in world championship and grand slam tennis matches.

His undying love of tennis made him the greatest as a matter of fact he tried to claim greatness by playing the game without winning a single grand slam for five years not until he won again the Australian Open. His thirty five (35) years of existence in the planet makes him an old man in the game but he managed to establish as the oldest Australian Open champion and probably as the oldest grand slam tennis champion.

His undying love of the game, his untiring capacity to play the game not to mention his feats, accolades and exploits of it makes ROGER FEDERER the greatest tennis player of all time.