“Cotto is relentless and wants to be up there with Manny,” said Donaire. “He’s highly motivated. He wants to make the money that Manny’s making and has everything to gain. For sure, he’s not taking Manny lightly. I expect a tough fight, probably the toughest fight ever for Manny.”
Donaire said what makes Cotto a dangerous opponent is his size. He’s naturally bigger than Pacquiao and it’s not certain if the Filipino can hurt a legitimate welterweight like he hurt lightwelterweight Ricky Hatton.
“Cotto’s doing everything to train as hard as he can for Manny,” said Donaire. “I expect Cotto to try to engage Manny at close range. He’ll use his size to try to overpower Manny. He’ll definitely go to the body with his left hook and slow Manny down. He’ll be ready to give and take, dish it out and exchange with Manny, hoping his size will carry him through.”
Donaire said Cotto’s lacklustre showing against Joshua Clottey in New York City last June is no indication of a looming meltdown. Cotto barely retained his WBO crown on a split decision and finished the fight bleeding from a nasty cut above his left eyebrow.
“It’s not fair to judge Cotto from his last fight,” said Donaire. “Clottey makes any fighter look bad because he’s almost always on a defensive mode. It was a close fight and could’ve gone either way. But Cotto won it – which showed he’s got heart.”
But Donaire said no matter how motivated Cotto is, Pacquiao is the type who fights his best when his back is against the wall. Besides, his speed and power will be too much for the slower Cotto.
“Manny is training very hard for this fight because he knows how dangerous Cotto is,” said Donaire. “I think it’ll be 60-40 that Manny wins but in boxing, anything can happen. Cotto might go down but he’ll get up. He’s got a lot of pride. He won’t want to lose to a smaller man. Manny will probably win on points because it’s tough to take out Cotto. If Manny scores a knockout, it’ll be in the late rounds when Cotto is all tired out. One thing about Manny, he is so unpredictable. He might just surprise us all by scoring an early knockout.”
Donaire said Cotto’s tendency to bleed will be a huge disadvantage. He was badly cut up by Antonio Margarito last year and by Clottey.
“Cotto’s known to be a bleeder and Manny knows that,” said Donaire. “If Cotto’s cut badly, expect Manny to put on the pressure. But I think Cotto might do a little more boxing than usual in this fight to avoid getting cut. I’m not really sure what style he’ll show Manny. Cotto’s a clever guy and he might switch-hit to try to confuse Manny. He might box from a distance instead of come forward. Manny must be prepared to adjust so he’s always one step ahead.”
Donaire said if Cotto, a natural lefthander, fights from a southpaw stance like Pacquiao, it won’t make a difference.
“I think Cotto will go orthodox because he’d like his left closer to Manny than his right,” said Donaire. “Cotto will throw a lot of lefts, to the head and body. That shouldn’t be a problem for Manny who can use his speed to go around Cotto and away from the left hand. Foot movement will be critical. If Cotto tries to get in close, Manny can spin away and throw at the same time.”
Donaire said Pacquiao should be wary of Cotto’s tricks.
“I’m not calling him dirty but the guy’s a veteran who knows all the tricks,” continued Donaire. “If he’s hurt, he’ll throw a low blow to stop Manny’s momentum. Bernard Hopkins does that a lot. So it’s up to the referee (Kenny Bayless) to do something about it.”
Cotto’s knockout loss to Margarito last year will weigh heavily on the back of his mind.
“Cotto’s been through a lot of wars,” said Donaire. “His chin is suspect. I’m sure losing to Margarito had an effect on Cotto. There will be the fear of getting knocked out again. On Nov. 14, he’ll be fighting two people in the ring – himself and Manny.”
Posts
0 comments
Post a Comment