By Jhonny Gonzalez
Only a few days are left and Miguel Cotto (37-2, 30KOs) is more confident than ever. The Puerto Rican superstar will defend his WBA junior middleweight title against Floyd Mayweather Jr. (42-0, 26KOs) on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Mayweather is the betting favorite and nearly every expert, including those in Cotto's country, expect Mayweather to win.
"I think it is natural in any competitive sport: you always have people pulling for the other guy. For me, those who say these things do not affect me as a fighter," said Cotto.
"I do not care that one commentator out there think that Mayweather will knock me in four rounds or some blogger thinks this fight is a waste [of time] and Mayweather should fight somebody else. At this point in my career, I know what to focus and what to let go. I have the fortune of being surrounded by a lot of love and support, and it is these people that motivate me. My priority is to go there, fight the best fight that I can and win."
Cotto feels that he bought his career back on track after losing two fights by knockout and says there are many people out there who are making a big mistake by overlooking the possibility of an upset on Saturday.
"I know what I'm capable of and that is to win. With this fight I'm in the best place I've ever been, training has never been better, then there is no doubt that I will leave as the winner. You can count on that," concluded Cotto.
