Pacquiao and Roach are in For a Surprise: Says Santiago
By Mark Vester
Joe Santiago, the trainer of WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, says the duo of Manny Pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach will be in for a big surprise on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. He says Pacquiao and Roach will be surprised to get a different Cotto than the one they have studied on tape over the last few months.
"Miguel has matured a lot. Before I would see him come to the gym to begin his training for a fight weighing over 175 pounds, but now you don't see that. After each fight, he stays close to the gym and that helps us a lot in avoid injuries that occur during camp. Miguel is a completely different after that controversial loss to Antonio Margarito," said Santiago to Primera Hora.
"Miguel knows what to do in the ring. We shared a number of strategies for the fight. You will see a Miguel well prepared."
In the last week, Roach has taken a lot of shots at Santiago. He put Santiago's credentials as a trainer in question. Santiago said Roach is trying to play mind games and he won't pay attention to any of those kind of antics.
"Roach can make all the comments you want. We are a society of free expression. We are not accustomed to making such derogatory remarks about any trainer. That is the style of Roach. The comments that Roach began to circulate that I am a beginner, I don't care about them. I know that Miguel used to listen to the voice of Evangelista Cotto, but my voice was also heard at certain points," Santiago said.
"This is a process. I'm not going to say that I know it everything. Every day is a learning experience. The fight against Joshua Clottey was a big learning experience, since Miguel had to fight practically with one eye since the third round. So Miguel has had to scramble with different situations along the course of his career and I have been there right next to him. I am prepared for anything that can happen on November 14, but, above all, to celebrate the victory."
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