Sparmates give Manny solid edge over Cotto

HOLLYWOOD— By his account, Urbano Antillon has been around many training camps as a sparring partner. And he has yet to see anyone like Manny Pacquiao.

“He’s one of the hardest workers in the sport,” said the California-based Mexican, currently the No. 1-ranked lightweight contender of the WBC who totes a record of 26-1 with 19 knockouts.

Antillon hooked up with Team Pacquiao as a sparring partner for the Filipino icon, who battles Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14 for the Puerto Rican’s WBO welterweight title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The 27-year-old fighter said that after months of trading leather with Pacquiao, he expects the rapid-punching, hard-hitting southpaw to dominate the match against Cotto using his vaunted speed.

“The speed has always been the key why Manny Pacquiao has been successful,” said Antillon, who, quite interestingly, lists Pacquiao’s brother Bobby as one of his victims.

Antillon has been on the receiving end of many of those quick flurries from the reigning pound-for-pound champion and knows what he’s talking about.

“His speed is expected, but when you’re there (in the ring) with him, it’s really overwhelming,” he said.

Although he did not make any predictions, he said he feels Cotto is in for a tough night against Pacquiao.

“Cotto’s a great fighter, but he’s just a little too slow for Pacquiao,” said Antillon.

Pacquiao’s other sparring partners also voiced optimism that the Filipino is headed for a big night in Las Vegas.

In separate interviews with Fighthype.com, Shawn Porter and Rashad Holloway said Pacquiao definitely has the edge against Cotto.

“Manny is definitely ready,” said Porter. “I think this is his time and I think you guys will see a lot in the ring. You guys might be surprised.”

Holloway went as far as predicting a knockout victory for the Filipino superstar.

“I believe if he catches Cotto in the first couple of rounds, Cotto’s going to sleep,” said Holloway. “That straight left and his right hand have gotten stronger.”

Recently, though, Cotto brushed aside talk that Pacquiao will dominate him with speed, insisting that the game plan his corner has cooked up will be more than enough to negate that vaunted Pacman edge.

“You know what? That’s why we prepare ourselves,” Cotto told Examiner.com. “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.”

Pacquiao has said he will use his speed and his movement to counter Cotto’s size and strength, adding that he is confident about his chances in the coming match, where he hopes to take a seventh weight championship.

“I’m always confident in every fight,” said Pacquiao on Saturday.

Source: inquirer.net