MANILA -- Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao is confident that his conditioning will help him go 12 full rounds against reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight king Miguel Cotto.
His coach, Freddie Roach, however, believes that the fight won't go the distance, predicting that Cotto will go down before the final bell.
“[All] I can say right now I'm ready to do the fight, it's all set. Hundred percent condition na ito,” said Pacquiao.
The pound-for-pound king has asked to do more rounds during his latest training sessions at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.
So far, they have already done 152 rounds of sparring. Pacquiao will undergo two more sparring rounds before they head to Las Vegas next week.
"He's punching harder. He's really grown into the weight. He's punching really good. He has knockout power in both hands,” said Roach, who predicted a knock out against Cotto.
The Hall-of-Fame trainer said they will wear down the Puerto Rican first before going for the kill.
“Mga early rounds, nasa delikadong lugar na siya [Cotto]. Mga fifth or sixth round,” said former world champion Gerry Peñalosa.
“Tingin ko ma-naknock out siya [Cotto]. Mahina ang body niya,” said silver Olympic medallist Mansuelto “Onyok” Velasco.
According to conditioning coach Alex Ariza, Pacquiao currently weighs around 148-149 pounds.
He said the Filipino can easily make the 145-pound limit on the eve of the fight.
Cotto, on the other hand, is reportedly over 150 pounds. He still has to taper down to 145 or else he might have to pay a hefty $1-million fine for every pound missed. With a report from Dyan Castillejo, ABS-CBN News.
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
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