Cotto may have problem making weight

BEVERLY HILLS – Conditioning coach Alex Ariza liked what he saw at the Beverly Hills Hotel here yesterday.

No, it wasn’t the elegance of the “Pink Palace” (as the hotel, built in 1912, is affectionately called), not its scroll of past celebrity guests like Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino, Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne or John F. Kennedy, and neither those gorgeous ladies walking the premises.

What caught Ariza’s sharp eyes was the shape Miguel Cotto was in, in the last day of the press tour that carried the Puerto Rican champion, and Manny Pacquiao, the reigning pound-for-pound king from the Philippines, to New York, Puerto Rico and San Francisco and LA over the last five days.

“Did you see him out there? He must be weighing 160 pounds,” said Ariza who came into the picture with the promise that he can keep Pacquiao moving up in weight and adding up more power without losing his speed. He introduced the Pinoy icon to the special program of plyometrics.

And they’re been extremely successful so far with big knockout wins over Diaz, Oscar dela Hoya and Ricky Hatton.


He said Cotto weighing as much (the WBO champion said a few days ago he was at 159 lb) gives him the feeling that the wide-bodied Puerto Rican might find it quite difficult making the catchweight limit of 145 lb. Pacquiao is just a little over 150, and with two months left is safely there.

“He (Cotto) must be 160 pounds and we’re fighting at 145 with only two months left. He’s got a lot more work to do than us. We also have work to do but Cotto has got to lose a lot of weight,” said Ariza, who’s hoping that at 145 lb, Pacquiao could be as sharp, as fast and as strong as he was in his last fights.

Cotto said he plans to climb the ring at 160.

“He weighed in at 142 for the Oscar dela Hoya fight (which was fought at 147 lb) and climbed the ring at 148 1/2. Now if we can put him in that shape I don’t see anyone who will be able to take his punches. He really looked exceptionally well at 142,” said Ariza, who’s coming over to Baguio City for the training.

Ariza said he’s not concerned at all that some people feel that Pacquiao is lagging behind Cotto in training. While the Puerto Rican is into his fourth week, Pacquiao will mark day one of his training on Sept. 21 at the earliest.

But Ariza said it doesn’t really matter because eight weeks have proven to be the perfect formula, and anything more or less than that won’t bring out the best in him.

“Believe me, once he’s in training nothing can disrupt him. And once he’s ready, he’d climb the gate just to fight,” he said.

At the press conference, Pacquiao said when he climbs the ring against Cotto he will prove the world “who Manny Pacquiao is.”

The 30-year-old icon is gunning for a record seventh world title in different weight classes.

Cotto capped the press tour by saying there’s nothing else to do now but train, and make sure that when the fight comes “you’re in your best shape.”

Cotto is scheduled to fly back to Puerto Rico, and in just a couple of days will be in Tampa, Florida for the big grind. Pacquiao, on the other hand, motors to San Diego today to do the ceremonial pitch in the Padres’ game before heading back to Manila later in the evening.

Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=505638&publicationSubCategoryId=69

Read more!

The Key to Victory: Cotto Needs to Rough Pacquiao Up

By Manuel Perez: If Miguel Cotto (34-1, 27 KO’s) wants to beat Manny Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KO’s) on November 14th, he’s going to have to make a point to rough Pacquiao up early and often and make it tough for the smaller fighter. Pacquiao will come in at pretty much the same weight as Cotto at the weigh-in, but by the time the fight takes place, you can expect that Cotto will have a 10 to 15 pound weight advantage over Pacquiao.

That extra weight can be a key asset for Cotto, because he’ll be able to use his extra size to toss the little Pacquiao around the ring in close, and shove him off balance so that Cotto can get an extra shot in here and there. It may sound like dirty business, but so what?

It’s boxing and the whole sport is filled with fighters trying to get over on each other in some way or another, whether it is fights being held at catch weights or fighters trying to wrestle on the inside. The point is Cotto needs to take advantage of his own assets in this fight.

Pacquiao will have the advantage of the catch weight, which will probably leave Cotto weaker than he usually is. Besides that, Pacquiao will also have the advantage in hand speed and mobility. But what Cotto has in the experience of having faced bigger punchers than Pacquiao and will likely be able to take Pacquiao’s shots without being hurt by them.

This should allow Cotto to take more chances than a smaller fighter like Ricky Hatton or a badly weight drained one such as Oscar De La Hoya. So for Cotto to take full advantage of all the things that he has going for him, he needs to use his size by being rough as he can to show the smaller Pacquiao what happens when he fights a bigger fighter that’s not old and weight drained like De La Hoya.

Perhaps Cotto might want to throw some elbows, low blows and perhaps a nice head butt to get Pacquiao’s attention and make him cautious about wanting to stray to close with his wild charges. I would never want Cotto do something like this, but if he did, I guess I wouldn’t mind very much.

People are best at remembering things when there’s pain involved. That’s a fact of life. Unless you straighten someone out when they’re doing something wrong, the action tends to continue. This is why Cotto needs to teach Pacquiao that he can’t come rushing him like he does against his lesser opposition.

When Pacquiao gets in close, maybe give him a tap below decks to get his attention and make him think twice about coming in like a wild man. Once Pacquiao has a few reminders of what happens when he comes in aggressively, he’ll likely be on his best behavior and be like school child ready to take instructions from Cotto.

From there, Cotto can easily manage Pacquiao by beating him down with his jab and right hand. Cotto should be able to keep the shorter Pacquiao at the end of his jab without getting hit because Pacquiao’s reach is short and limited.

Once Pacquiao gets in close, that’s where Cotto needs to make him pay by turning it physical and putting Pacquiao off his game. It won’t be hard because Pacquiao won’t have the size or the experience against a similarly talented fighter. Pacquiao has built up his reputation as of late by beating Hatton and De La Hoya, and I see both wins as totally overrated and without value.

Source: http://www.boxingnews24.com/2009/09/the-keys-to-victory-cotto-needs-to-rough-pacquiao-up/

Read more!

Papa Mayweather: Miguel Cotto can knock Manny Pacquiao's ass out

Floyd Mayweather Senior’s wrinkled face is a map of hard living.

There are as many nooks, nicks, crannies and crevices on his face that you might think you’re looking at a lunar map.

For a guy whose middle name is Joy, there’s been plenty of pain and anguish, some of it self-inflicted, in his years.

He’s 56 now and, on Saturday he buried his estranged father, Theartha (age 81).

His own ring career was sabotaged by a prison stint for slinging drugs. They say he was once shot at while holding his son, future world champion and boxing supernova Floyd Joy, in his arms.

I don’t know if there is a right side of the tracks in gritty Grand Rapids, Mich., but Mayweather, whose father took a hike when he was only 15, was to the ghetto born.

I don’t claim to be a close friend of his. I’m certainly no associate or confidante of the poetry spouting, Mountain Dew swilling trainer.

But I have been in his presence enough to know he’s not the Heckle & Jeckel cartoon character he portrays on the HBO 24/7 minstrel shows.

Mayweather Sr. is a real man and he knows boxing, the mechanics of the sport, inside and out. If he knew cars the way he knows fighters, he would working on Porsches and Mercedes Benz vehicle and not some gas guzzling clunkers.

I was surprised that Papa M was willing to discuss boxing, seemingly a more mundane topic than ever as he prepared for his father’s wake on Friday in Michigan. But he was and this is part of what he had to say.

On the cold public reaction to Marquez-Mayweather: “Some fights catch on as they get closer to happening. That may be the case here, that the excitement will build as the fight gets closer.”

On his brother Roger’s criminal law problems: “I stay out of it because that is his business. He’s the one that’s got to deal with it, not me. I will say this, though…if he doesn’t learn and learn real fast, it’s going to end in something that’s not so nice.”

On Li’l Floyd showing ring rust Sept. 19: “Every fighter has some ring rust after a layoff. But he will win this fight with Marquez. Marquez is a good, tough fighter but my son is too slick for him.Marquez’s hands will be just too slow. Marquez won’t be able to counter punch Floyd the way he did Pacquiao and others. It’s going to be a big difference in timing. Marquez might think fast but can he get off fast? Floyd won’t let him do that. My son's feet, his hands and his brain are too fast."

On dealing with a lung disease: “It makes you short of breath but I feel good know. I’m going back to Vegas on Tuesday. I want to keep trying to help my son get ready for Marquez.”

On the Pacman-Cotto fight coming Nov. 14: “I think Pacquiao is too much for Cotto right now but my thing is if Cotto can hit hard to the body and to the head, he can knock Pacquiao out. Cotto knock his ass out! If he don’t land those shots, he is not gonna win against Pacquiao.”

Maybe this is an appreciation of Floyd Senior. Come to think of it, it is.

Deal with it because, when it comes to boxing and the hard knocks of life, this man is an expert.

He never went to college but he is loaded with common sense.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-5699-NY-Boxing-Examiner~y2009m8d23-Papa-Mayweather-Miguel-Cotto-can-knock-Manny-Pacquiaos-ass-out

Read more!

Report: Cotto finally stakes WBO belt vs Pacquiao

MANILA -- The contract for the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto match up has finally been signed with the Puerto Rican’s World Boxing Organization belt at stake.

According to Philstar.com, Cotto has agreed to fight at 145 pounds with his title on the line on November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Pacquiao's legal counsel Jeng Gacal said the revenue cut will be at 65-35 with the lion’s share going to the Filipino superstar.

With the WBO title at stake, Pacquiao now has the chance to become the first boxer in history to win seven world titles in as many divisions.

Pacquiao had previously won the WBC flyweight, IBF super bantamweight, WBC junior lightweight, WBC lightweight and IBO junior welterweight crowns.

He also won the lineal junior welterweight title during his last fight against Ricky Hatton.

Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach said training for the Cotto fight will begin in September.
He said that he has already watched some of Cotto’s bouts.

“I have been concentrating on how well he did against Shane Mosley. How he neutralized Shane’s speed,” he said. “Yes, we will have a great game plan for Cotto.”

One factor he considered about Cotto is the Puerto Rican's punching power.

“Of course Cotto’s power is a major concern for me but I really think that we will have no problems,” said Roach. “I’m training Manny not to get hit.”
as of 08/13/2009 9:19 PM

Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/08/13/09/report-cotto-finally-stakes-wbo-belt-vs-pacquiao

Read more!

Cotto crown at stake in tiff vs Pacquiao

THE WORLD Boxing Organization welterweight belt will be on the line when Manny Pacquiao tangles with titlist Miguel Angel Cotto on November 14 in Las Vegas.

WBO president Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel made this assurance to Michael Marley of Examiner.com Friday afternoon to assuage fears of Pacquiao fans that Cotto’s crown won’t be staked because the fight, slated at the MGM Grand, is set at a catch weight of 145 pounds and not at the regular limit of 147 pounds.

Valcarcel said he appreciated Pacquiao’s quest for a seventh weight division world title, adding that it would “be ridiculous not to dangle the WBO title” considering that a highly respected champion (Cotto) is fighting the No. 1 contender (Pacquiao).

Officially, Pacquiao has reigned as World Boxing Council super featherweight, flyweight and lightweight champion and International Boxing Federation super bantamweight titlist.

Pacquiao, the pound-for-pound king, currently holds the International Boxing Organization light welterweight crown, snatching it from British icon Ricky Hatton, whom he demolished in two rounds on May 2.

In addition, Pacquiao, who’ll be fighting at over 140 lbs for only the second time in his sterling career, has been recognized as the Ring Magazine’s featherweight, super featherweight and light welterweight champion.

In his initial foray as a welterweight, Pacquiao sent future Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya with an eight-round stoppage last December also at the MGM Grand.

This early, bettors have installed Pacquiao a -215 favorite and Cotto, who’s going below 147 pounds for the first time in nearly three years, a +175 underdog.

This means that a $215 bet on Pacquiao would just net $100 while a $100 wager on Cotto would generate $175.

Both Pacquiao and Cotto, who hails from Puerto Rico, are being promoted by Top Rank’s Bob Arum, assuring the 77-year-old lawyer of a windfall in gate receipts and pay per view buys of the 12-round bout dubbed “Fire Power.”

Source: http://sports.inquirer.net/professional/professional/view/20090726-217260/Cotto-crown-at-stake-in-tiff-vs-Pacquiao

Read more!