By Miguel Rivera

Former four division world champion Miguel Angel Cotto ended a 17-year career in boxing on Saturday night, when he dropped an upset unanimous decision loss to Saddam Ali at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Cotto will undergo an operation on his left biceps in the next few days, to repair a tendon tear that he suffered during the seventh round of his farewell fight.

Cotto will be evaluated on Monday by a specialist at the Hospital For Special Surgery (HSS).

The Puerto Rican superstar, who had planned to return to the island on Sunday afternoon, will remain in the Big Apple this week, according to the vice president of operations of Miguel Cotto Promotions, Héctor Soto, as a result of the setback.

Cotto was treated at Presbyterian Hospital in New York and will undergo an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) test to see if he suffered other damage to his left arm.

"It was a break in the tendon of the biceps of his left arm and they have to operate on it," Soto said to Carlos Narvaez. "We do not know if the operation will be tomorrow (Monday) or Tuesday because they will do an MRI. The only thing we can say is that we do not know how Miguel could continue fighting. Nor did he tell Freddie (Roach)."

"Miguel has a very intense pain that starts from his wrist to his shoulder. That entire limb was very inflamed. He will be evaluated by a specialist. We believe that he was injured at a time when he tried to throw his left hook to Ali's liver and he dodged it with his elbow. But we have not seen the fight yet. We will do it later."

Cotto, 37, did not attend the post-conference press conference because he was immediately sent for a medical evaluation after the fight.