WBO welterweight champ Miguel Cotto spoke on the record for the first time about his violent split with uncle/former trainer Evangelista Cotto. Miguel says the split was a long time coming and there were always problems in the camp. On April 8, the team finally exploded at their gym in Puerto Rico after a dispute over the training camp location [for the Joshua Clottey fight] would lead to Miguel firing his uncle and then it was violence as a brawl erupted between the two of them.

There are various reports over who threw the first punch. The two would fight in the gym, at Miguel apartment and on the street. Evangelista would head to the hospital with a possible broken nose and injured ribs. Since the brawl, Miguel made Joe Santiago the head trainer, and Evangelista has filed a $7 million dollar lawsuit against Miguel, claiming breach of contract and for the beating.

or a long time trying to hide it, maybe even fix it, but Miguel 'JUnit' Cotto just accept that the relationship with his former coach and uncle, Evangelista 'Cano' Cotto, it was untenable to the point of reaching the violent separation now facing a court case, with no apparent reconciliation.

He sais Evangelista never liked the conditioning coach, Phil Landman. He said Evangelista was a control freak.

"Evangelista did not understand. Phil came to make his job easier and Evangelista did not understand it. He is the kind of person who wants to have control of everything. Everyone had to work in harmony for my benefit, and he wouldn't," Cotto told El Nuevo Dia.

Miguel said that his uncle began to train other fighters there would always be conflicts with their training sessions. He claims Evangelista would train others at the same time and sometimes take off to help them. There were also lifestyle clashes. Evangelista hated that Miguel would party.

"I'm wasn't asking him to not have other boxers, but you have to have priorities. He did not tolerate my lifestyle and did not tolerate the things I did. Yes, I agree, I like going out, but I've learned to be responsible with my personal life and my professional life. I know how to divide them. When I'm training, I am training. You're not going to see me anywhere, and he could not handle that," Cotto said.

"This could have been avoided [the brawl]. It's painful for me, for the whole family, but it was something he did not want to avoid but the relationship between a nephew and his uncle was lost many years ago."