Elio Cotena

Elio Còtena was an Italian boxer in the featherweight division. He began his amateur career in 1960, contested 97 bouts, earned the Italian title and gold at the 1967 Mediterranean Games (by beating Olympian Seyfi Tatar from Turkey in the final) and competed at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, where he was eliminated in round two by the Soviet Valery Plotnikov by a narrow decision.

Còtena turned professional in 1969, and on 12 May 1972, at Torino, he took the Italian featherweight title by defeating Olympian Giovanni Girgenti. He defended the title six times, leaving it to try for the European title on 17 April 1974 in Zaragoza, where he lost against José Antonio Jimínez. He beat Jimínez a year later at Napoli (12 February) and captured the European crown. He defended the title four times and lost it on 3 December 1976 against another Spanish boxer, Pedro Jiménez.

In 1978 Còtena finished his active career and moved to managing and organizing, following the careers of the best Italian boxers such as Olympic gold medalists Patrizio Oliva and Giovanni Parisi, Gianfranco Rosi, Nino La Rocca, and the brothers Massimiliano and Alessandro Duran.