Miguel Cotto: "We know he has a style and we are prepared to beat it"

Miguel Cotto is confident about his upcoming bout with Manny Pacquiao and doesn't think that Pac-man's speed or technique will be a problem for him.

Speed aside, the real test will probably be whether Pacquiao can hurt Cotto without shipping too much punishment himself. Pacquiao's last two fights haven't shown how he handles the power of bigger fighters, given De La Hoya looked weakened from the outset and Hatton was blown out of the water before he would land very much of note.
If Cotto can take the best punches of Manny's arsenal and start to fire back with something of his own, then the fight will undoubtedly be a lot closer than the bookmakers are predicting. As good as Manny is, his great strength has never been taking a beating and coming back to win, and when he has been forced to take a lot of shots in the past, he was never against much bigger opponents.

When asked about rumors of Pacquiao's next fight Cotto said:

"It’s really not important to me what the boxing world wants to see. Once I beat many Pacquiao they can continue their plans and do what they want but I am not going home without winning this fight."

In many ways Cotto is the forgotten man in all of this. While Manny meets the press and appears on television, Cotto stays in the background. While a lot of talk revolves around Manny's next opponent, Cotto is left as an afterthought.

Or course, the outcome of the fight will likely greatly determine what Pacquiao and Cotto both do next. A loss for Pacquiao might mean that this was just one weight class too many, allowing Cotto to pick his next opponent from probably anyone he wants.

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On the speed of Pacquiao:

"You know what? That’s why we prepare ourselves. He’s a fast fighter. We know he has speed. We know he has a style and we are prepared to beat it. You’ll find out on the 14th how I am going to deal with his speed. It’s not going to be a factor even though everyone thinks it is."

One of the biggest questions about Cotto was whether he would be able to make the weight confortably without affecting his stamina during the fight. Certainly some speculated that Floyd Mayweather intentionally missed weight in his fight against Juan Manual Marquez in order to give himself an advantage over the smaller man. The loss of a purse percentage is perhaps worth the extra weight, and at the end of the fight Mayweather is the one with another win on his record.

On making the weight:
"The last fight I spent more than 24 hours doing nothing. Just waiting for the weigh-in. My weight was 145. All I have to do is add a half hour to my work every day and I am going to reach 145 with no problem."

Some have predicted that Cotto would either come in over weight on purpose, forfeiting part of his purse but perhaps greatly improving his chances of winning, or would be dehydrated and sluggish at the catchweight.

While it has been rumored that Cotto has struggled with making weight in the past, he has won plenty of fights at only slightly heavier than he will be on the 14th, so this shouldn't be much of an issue. Certainly if Cotto does lose, then some of his fans might try to use it as an excuse, but he signed up for a catchweight knowing full well what he would have to do to make the weight and potentially remain energetic for 12 rounds. Most don't think it will go that far whoever wins, but all outcomes have to be prepared for.

Source: examiner.com