Cotto quietly shaping into fighting form under Pacquiao's shadow

Quietly, one of boxing's best and Puerto Rico's number one pugilist Miguel Cotto has been sharpening his knives under the shadow of the same little giant he aims to slay on November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. That little giant has been wrecking havoc in the world of boxing, conquering different weight classes and demolishing beloved heroes along the way.

So understandably, despite Cotto's own popularity, he has been overlooked and has been subjected to play second fiddle next to the little giant that is surrounded by myths and legends because of his gargantuan accomplishments in the ring. It's a feeling Cotto isn't used to, as he himself has headlined numerous fights cards in the past and is one of the most popular fighters that has ever laced gloves at the Madison Square Garden in New York. But with the looks of it, Cotto seems not to mind floating under the radar and is focused on nothing but overcoming the challenge at hand. Cotto wrote in his official Twitter page that he feels great and has constantly been updating his followers of how smooth and effective his training has been in the past few weeks. While the media (myself included) have followed his opponent closely and have been distracted by the return of Mayweather, Cotto has been slowly shaping into fighting form.

Cotto started training for his next fight at least a month earlier than his foe. He started doing strength and conditioning and doing some mitt work and hitting the bags to prepare his body for a rigorous camp that is divided into to stages. The first stage is behind him wherein he focused on this body conditioning while in Puerto Rico. Now Cotto has headed to Tampa, Florida to focus on strategy and their game plan on how to defeat his opponent. (In case you just crawled from under a rock, Cotto's opponent is Manny Pacquiao.)

Cotto's team said they will study everything about Pacquiao and analyze their best course of attack against the fast and heavy hitting puncher from the Philippines while in Tampa. In an interview translated from a feature by Primera Hora.com, Cotto's head trainer Joe James, who will work his second bout as head coach after replacing Miguel's uncle Evangelista Cotto after an ugly falling out,

"Up until today we've held several meetings to examine what Manny can bring to the fight," and added, "We are watching many Pacquiao fights. We also saw his two fights where he was defeated, but we are still watching more. Although he has dominated, there is always something we can capitalize on. We do not rule out any fight."

Miguel in his part is aware of what Pacquiao is capable of and chimed in during the New York leg of the press tour for this fight,

"The punch he gave Ricky Hatton, if he hits with this kind of punch, he can throw Mike Tyson to the canvas," said Cotto, and added "But I'll be ready."

Obviously, Cotto is giving Pacquiao all the respect in the world and if his early preparations for Pacquiao isn't indication enough, he is readying himself for the biggest fight of his life. And ironically, Cotto isn't only the bigger and stronger guy, he is also the toughest and best opponent Pacquiao will have to face yet.



Source: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-10947-Indianapolis-Fight-Sports-Examiner~y2009m9d30-Cotto-quietly-shaping-into-fighting-form-under-Pacquiaos-shadow