By Ben Jacobs
With talk of possible encounters between two of his former pupils in Guillermo Rigondeaux vs. Vasyl Lomachenko and Miguel Cotto vs Saúl 'Canelo' Álvarez, esteemed Cuban trainer Pedro Díaz gave his views to BoxingScene on the potential clashes involving some of the sport's most skillful exponents.
"Rigondeaux vs Lomachenko is a fight that's difficult to predict. Rigondeaux is a great boxer, one of the best boxers in the world at the moment but Lomachenko is on the same level as him," he opined.
"The preparation of the two boxers is what will determine the result. I think they both have excellent trainers. It's a ten star fight! Five stars for Rigondeaux and five for Lomachenko."
Díaz trained Miguel Cotto for his rematch victory over Antonio Margarito as well as his losses to Floyd Mayweather and Austin Trout. With a bout against 'Canelo' looming, Pedro offered his current thoughts.
"Miguel Cotto is a very intelligent person and has a great team. I don't like to speak a lot about predictions but I'll tell you something. If Cotto works with 'Canelo', his legs, the way he did with Margarito. he can win. If he tries to go toe-to-toe with 'Canelo'...'Canelo' is a young boxer, he's strong and works well at middle and short range. Things will go well for Cotto if he boxes as he did against Margarito. If he squares up to him, things will get complicated.
"I don't like to speak too much on this subject as it's to do with Freddie Roach and his team which is one of the best in the world. Cotto for me is still a great competitor."