Miguel Cotto never backed down from a relentless Shane Mosley and won a unanimous decision Saturday night, retaining his WBA welterweight title. The action was furious for all 12 rounds, with neither fighter backing off. With both fighters weighing it at 146 1/4, Mosley was most effective with a left uppercut, while Cotto landed some superb rights and jabs. It was so close that both of them landed 248 punches, according to ringside statistics.

So it came down to the judges' cards and they had it 116-113, 115-113 and 115-113 for Cotto.

The Associated Press scored it even, 114-114.

"I thought I had a big lead," Cotto said after his 31st straight win.

Cotto was fighting at Madison Square Garden for the fourth time and, once again, he had a huge following in the crowd of 15,251. The cheers for the champion were deafening as he entered the ring accompanied by his sons, one of whom was carrying his WBA belt.

Although Mosley is a popular fighter, he clearly was in enemy territory for much of this night. But late in the fight, as he kept coming back, Mosley heard fans chanting his name, too.

But he didn't hear his name atop the scorecards after a rousing 12-round battle that many believe is worthy of a rematch.

"You're a young lion on the way to greatness," Mosley said to Cotto before they left the ring.

Early in the 12th round, Mosley slipped to the canvas on a wet spot. He smirked, then went back to work.

Cotto was cut by an inadvertent head butt in the final minute of the bout. He didn't seem bothered as blood streamed down the left side of his face from a 2-inch gash.

"He punches real hard," Cotto said. "I was hurt."

He certainly was bothered by Mosley's quick fists and work inside with the uppercuts, particularly in the second, fifth and 10th rounds.

The opening six rounds were sensational, with first the champion, then the challenger dominating. But neither fighter could pull ahead by much, in part because both were so determined.

Mosley rocked Cotto in the seventh and ninth rounds, but the champion displayed his grit by coming back with some strong punches of his own late in the ninth.

The 10th and 11th rounds were frenzied, with several toe-to-toe skirmishes and a series of uppercuts by Mosley.

"We both did our best, we both gave it our all," Cotto said. "Mosley hit me with some real hard punches. I was hurt.

"I trained in camp with speed and movement to face this kind of power."

Cotto, 27, fought at the Garden on the previous three Puerto Rican Day weekends, and his following has grown in New York with each outing. Now, however, he might need to head to Las Vegas for a headline fight, perhaps with WBC champion Floyd Mayweather if he beats Ricky Hatton next month.

"I will fight whatever they tell me," Cotto said.

It was Mosley's first fight since Feb. 10, when he outpointed Luis Collazo for his fifth straight victory. But unlike Cotto, who has gotten into the ring 13 times over the last four years, this was just the eighth bout for Mosley in that span.

He showed no rustiness, but fell to 44-5. All of his defeats - two each to Winky Wright and Vernon Forrest and now to Cotto - have been to champions.

Written By BARRY WILNER