Cotto feeling good, relaxed

WHILE MANNY PACQUIAO continues to rock Baguio City with his mere presence as he prepares for his last fight of the year, his opponent, Miguel Cotto, is quietly getting himself ready for the bout scheduled Nov. 14 in Las Vegas.

“Just getting back from the gym, everything excellent,” Cotto posted in his Twitter page, even as his team has started getting busy trying to come up with a game plan against the hard-punching Pacquiao.

“[I’m] relaxed and feeling good,” added Cotto, who has been posting regular updates on his Twitter page.

“Up until today we’ve held several meetings to examine what Manny can bring to the fight,” Cotto trainer Joe James told PrimeraHora.com. “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.”

Cotto had earlier said he was aware of the Filipino ring icon’s vaunted punching power, remarking during a recent press tour that “the punch he gave Ricky Hatton, if he hits with this kind of punch, he can throw Mike Tyson to the canvas.”

“But I’m not Ricky Hatton,” Cotto added.

Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach, however, said the reigning pound-for-pound king will overwhelm Cotto with speed.

Roach predicted a knockout victory for his ward.

“I picked him to win by decision, but until I started working with him to this camp, the way he’s punching, his speed, we will knock this guy out,” Roach said.

“We will bust him up a little bit. Basically we’re going to have a fast start and we’re not going to give [Cotto] any momentum.”

Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 knockouts) will battle Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs) over 12-rounds for the Puerto Rican’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight crown on Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. Both combatants agreed to fight at a catch weight of 145 lb.

A win by Pacquiao will make him the first boxer to win world crowns in seven different weight divisions, including linear titles.

Meanwhile, Floyd Mayweather Sr. continues to harbor the belief that Pacquiao is no match to his undefeated son, Floyd Jr., who is coming off a 12-round decision over Juan Manuel Marquez.

“Pacquiao had [Marquez] down three times in one round and hurt bad and couldn’t finish him,” Mayweather told FightHype.com. “Not only could he not finish him, he got his ears boxed off after that, so what do you think my son would do to him?”

“Pretty Boy” Floyd and the Pacman are headed on a megabuck collision course next year.

Mayweather may also be headed for a pre-Pacquiao showdown against Shane Mosley, who called out the former pound-for-pound king right on the ring after the Marquez duel.

Source: inquirer.net