National Championships and Pan American Games
In early 2005, Cotto won the amateur national championship at the featherweight division. Consequently, the pugilist was included in a team that participated in an international tournament held in the Dominican Republic. Upon returning from that competition, he competed in an eliminatory to determine the roster for the Pan American Championships. After winning the first contest against Velázquez by walk over, Cotto defeated Wilfredo Bone by points, 48:19. In the finals he defeated Marcos Jiménez with scores of 43:18. In May 2005, Cotto completed his secondary education graduating from Josefa Pastrana High School. Despite his lack of international experience, he won the bronze medal in the Pan American Championships that took place in September 2005. This was followed by preparatory workouts in the Dominican Republic and Guadeloupe. In the later, he was matched against Khedafi Djelkhir of France, with the contest being declared a draw. Between January 25–28, 2009, Cotto defended his national championship, defeating Velázquez in the process. After participating in a tournament held in Aruba, he participated in the Copa Romana held in the Dominican Republic, winning a bronze medal.
In March 2007, Cotto participated in the first classificatory for the 2007 Pan American Games, finishing second and classifying for the event. The following month he won a silver medal as part of a preparatory event held in Trinidad and Tobago, receiving a trophy for "Best Fighter" in the process. On July 9, 2007, Cotto's wife, Francesca Lavergne, gave birth to his first offspring, Alysha Cotto Lavergne. Only a week later, he debuted at the Pan American Games by defeating Miguel Escandón of Colombia with scores of 22:9. In the quarterfinals Cotto was matched against Luis Del Valle, a Puerto Rican who represented the United States, winning by points (13:9). In the semifinals, he defeated Davi Sousa of Brazil, 19:14. With this victory Cotto advanced to the finals, where he lost to Idel Torriente 5:7, after choosing to fight despite being affected by a cold. Cotto then participated in the 2007 World Amateur Boxing Championships, intending to gain a spot in the roster that participated in the 2008 Summer Olympics. However, he lost his first contest to European Youth Champion Vasyl Lomachenko (26:9). On November 10, 2007, Aguas Buenas' municipal sports hall of fame dedicates its induction ceremony to Cotto. After competing in a tournament held in Martinique, Cotto participated in the American Olympic Qualifications. He defeated Jesús Cuéllar of Argentina (9:8) in his debut and Miguel Marriaga of Colombia (19:18) in the quarterfinals, but didn't qualify for the Olympic Games after losing to Robson Conceiçao (24:6) in the semifinals. On July 20, 2008, he joined Miguel Cotto's team and traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada, following an invitation from Evangelista Cotto, who was interested in managing the pugilist as a professional. This marked the end of Cotto's amateur career, who signed a professional contract in March 2009, concluding with a record of 235-20. Due to his success as an amateur, the municipality of Aguas Buenas named its municipal gymnasium "Gimnasio Abner Cotto", in his honor.
Read more about this topic: Abner Cotto, Amateur Career
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