By Lem Satterfield
When trainer Emanuel Steward sat down with Miguel Cotto to discuss last November's TKO loss to Manny Pacquiao, the Puerto Rican star told him there were no issues related to weight or being drained from making weight. Pacquiao and Cotto fought at a catch-weight of 145-pounds, and there were some experts who felt the extra two pounds were a factor in the fight.
According to Cotto, there was one big hurdle that he couldn't solve in the fight - Pacquiao's speed. He told Steward that "he couldn't deal" with the Filipino's fast hands.
Steward hooked up with Cotto prior to the fight with Yuri Foreman on June 5. Cotto stopped Foreman in the ninth round to capture the WBA junior middleweight title. If Pacquiao is unable to reach an agreement for a November fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., then Cotto becomes a possible opponent to fill the hole.
Steward says the issue of dealing with speed is his specialty. He doesn't see the difference in speed being a huge factor in a potential rematch. Even with the puzzle of speed being solved, Steward still views Pacquiao as a very tough nut to crack.
"That would not be a problem with me this time because I specialize in fast sparring partners. That's something that I insist on. I've never had a fighter come back at the end of a round and tell me that 'I've got a problem because I can't handle his speed,' you know? But any time anybody's fighting Manny Pacquiao, you have your work cut out for you any way that you cut it," Steward said.
Lem Satterfield is the boxing editor at AOL FanHouse and the news editor at BoxingScene.com. To read more from Lem Satterfield, go to AOL FanHouse by Clicking Here.
