Freddie Roach suddenly sounded cranky and irritated when a pack of writers from the Philippines asked him about the brewing battle between him and Joe Santiago, Miguel Cotto’s taskmaster. Roach and Santiago have been trading verbal jabs lately as the excitement over the Nov. 14 showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Cotto intensified further with the American strategist questioning the qualifications of his Puerto Rican counterpart. “This young coach said he wants me to put all my trophy on the line because he is the best trainer in the world. Well, we’ll see about that after the fight,” said Roach, saying that he’s been told that Santiago has been bad-mouthing him. “I have got a thousand, a million trophies from boxing and he’s never fought before. Pretty funny. He’s never fought in his life and he has no idea what it is like being in the ring. He’s got a towel on his shoulder and gives water and all of a sudden he is a coach,” said the 49-year-old former fighter.
“Cotto trains himself,” added Roach.
Earlier in the interview, Roach’s mood was nice and calm, especially when asked about the condition of the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound.
“He (Pacquiao) was playing around a little bit but when he wanted to turn it on, he was there and I was very happy with the sparring and we’re right on schedule,” added Roach.
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While Roach was critical of Santiago, Pacquiao’s conditioning coach, Alex Ariza, was all praises for Cotto’s strength coach, Phil Landman.
“I give the guy (Cotto’s conditioning coach Phil Landman) credit for a lot of things that Cotto overcame in some of those tough fights where I thought he wanted to quit but he didn’t and I thought that that was his conditioning that got him over that hump,” noted Alex Ariza, the Colombian-born LA-based fitness expert.
But in the end, Ariza said, it’ll be the man in the corner who will play a pivotal role in the outcome of the scheduled 12-rounder.
“The guy (Landman) is doing a great job and I think his guy will come in shape and my guy is coming in shape and it’s going to boil down to who you have in the corner and I have Freddie Roach and he’s got whoever that is and that is where it’s going to come down to.”
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Buboy Fernandez, Pacquiao’s childhood friend and training assistant, said Cotto’s left hook is their main concern.
“Cotto’s left hook is what we’re watching,” said Fernandez.
Still, Fernandez said they have devised a plan that will prevent Cotto from inflicting damage with that money punch.
“We know that they studied Manny’s fight with Juan Manuel Marquez and they supposedly saw some weakness there but we have remedied that. We know what they’re thinking.”
I agree that it seems like Cotto is training himself and has for years. But as a fan I can't see how some other fans would say Cotto doesn't need a trainer. A good trainer and a boxer having good communication can make the difference in hectic situations, especially if you're in a war.
Cotto does look like he is training himself, and sorrounded by a bunch of sissy boys too, Pacquaio was looking liek he was in the matrix on 24/7 the other night... I have seen a southpaw almost sleep Cotto before, and come fight night, he would most likely end up lilke hatton... I really liked Cotto too, before all the recent homo erotic tattoos, What tribes in puerto rico wheres those types of markings... Like I said last year, I think Margarito beat the sissy out of Cotto...
Chemistry is good and important but I'm sure there is a trainer out there that can have good chemistry with Cotto while teaching him new things, the dangers of having someone like Santiago as his trainer are twofold.
1. He's not learning anything new since he seems to be training himself, the same flaws will be there while his offense remains the same, it makes him much easier to predict which isn't good heading into the biggest fight of his life.
2. When the going gets tough, I mean really tough, tougher than what he went through with Clottey, Santiago might not be able to guide him through.
It's probably too late now, but as good as Cotto is, I could only imagine how great he could really be if he had Freddie Roach as his trainer had they met and trained together early in Miguel's career. Before this fight was signed, Roach was quoted as saying "I would love to train Cotto and could make him even a better fighter than he is today".
I think Roach's expertise is with offensive-type fighters and Cotto would've been the perfect student (maybe more-so than Pac). Sadly, we wouldn't find out how great Cotto really is because of his trainer scenario (even if he beats Pac in Nov 14).
The same can be said about Evangelista Cotto.....did any of you knew who he was before Cotto? Was he a "known" qualified trainer with anything to back him up as a great trainer?
The answer is NO!
So tell roach....Cotto has never had a good trainer and he does not need one, that is the fact.
At the end it is the heart of the boxer that will prevail.
Once a boxer gains experience just like Cotto has..you can put a cheerleader on the corner and still be the same!
Well you can only take that to a certain level. Cotto is a very good fighter and his natural ability will take him far but in a fight like this where he is fighting the pound4pound fighter in the world, he will need some good instruction.
I know you can't look much into 24/7 because of the way they edit it but something I was surprised about was how Cotto's father was telling Santiago about Pac's tendencies when they were watching the JMM vs Pac fight tapes.
As a trainer myself, I don't allow anyone to influence my game plan unless they are people I respect and know as much about boxing as I do. Cotto's father to my knowledge isn't a trainer himself or a former boxer so why would he all of a sudden be an expert in what Cotto should do?
Roach is funny......
The same can be said about Evangelista Cotto.....did any of you knew who he was before Cotto? Was he a "known" qualified trainer with anything to back him up as a great trainer?
The answer is NO!
So tell roach....Cotto has never had a good trainer and he does not need one, that is the fact.
At the end it is the heart of the boxer that will prevail.
Once a boxer gains experience just like Cotto has..you can put a cheerleader on the corner and still be the same!
For all those that feel Cotto is at point where he shouldn't need a trainer, I ask you to take a look at Shane Mosley, Arturo Gatti and even De La Hoya.
Look how certain trainers came into their lives pretty late in their boxing careers and was able to help tremendously.
Look at what a trainer has done for Wlad Klitshko.
Cotto is in trouble, imo.
Pac has a world class trainer I think he'll seriously outclass Cotto in this fight.
While I agree that Santiago may not be the most knowledgeable trainer out there, I think it's the chemistry that really counts in this scenario. He's been working with Miguel for seven years and that's hard to beat. Even with Evangelista, I think Cotto mostly trains himself anyways.
Cus D'Amato and Eddie Futch could be Cotto's trainers but if the chemistry isn't there, then it ain't gonna work.
Chemistry is good and important but I'm sure there is a trainer out there that can have good chemistry with Cotto while teaching him new things, the dangers of having someone like Santiago as his trainer are twofold.
1. He's not learning anything new since he seems to be training himself, the same flaws will be there while his offense remains the same, it makes him much easier to predict which isn't good heading into the biggest fight of his life.
2. When the going gets tough, I mean really tough, tougher than what he went through with Clottey, Santiago might not be able to guide him through.
I agree with him. Everytime I see training footage of Cotto, Santiago is standing to the side or something barely saying anything or he's holding the mitts. Miguel Sr. seems to have more input than Santiago.
While I agree that Santiago may not be the most knowledgeable trainer out there, I think it's the chemistry that really counts in this scenario. He's been working with Miguel for seven years and that's hard to beat. Even with Evangelista, I think Cotto mostly trains himself anyways.
Cus D'Amato and Eddie Futch could be Cotto's trainers but if the chemistry isn't there, then it ain't gonna work.
I would have to say that a nutritionist who is around boxing, has to know a little something about boxing.
Don't get me wrong, he probably knows something but does he know the nuances of certain moves, adjustments a fighter would need in a fight? The answer is probably not. If Cotto is going to win--he's going to win largely because of the experience he's already had in fights and the training with Evanglista along with his size and strength.
If you look at some of the best fighters we've ever seen, a lot of you can't even name their cornermen. It's not the corner that wins the fight, it's the fighter. Evangelista wasn't the greatest trainer and was known to not even be around at times when Cotto was training for his previous fights, and Cotto still was able to perform at a high level against some of the best in the world. The one thing I do agree on is having a corner that's all on the same page and I think it's safe to say both corners are well equipped and ready to go.
Nicely put Ravishing.
Cotto should be at a point in his career where he only needs so much advice and guidence from a trainer. So, in that sense Cotto does train himself and HAS for many years, because Evangelista was often away in the corner sleeping when Cotto was doing his thing.
I remember something Lampley or Merchant stated when Tyson brought in Jay Bright as lead - That when you have a Top Thoroughbred, you do not go out and get a second rate trainer for him. You go out and get the very best, because no matter how much experience a fighter may have .....
Trainers do make a difference.
Santiago is a weak link for the Cotto team ... and hopefully it won't cost him fights he needs to win.
I agree with him. Everytime I see training footage of Cotto, Santiago is standing to the side or something barely saying anything or he's holding the mitts. Miguel Sr. seems to have more input than Santiago.
No offense. But what does a nutritionist know about boxing? Santiago even admitted everything he knows comes from Evangalista--so it's not hard to imagine that he's basically mimicking Evangalista's padwork.
I would have to say that a nutritionist who is around boxing, has to know a little something about boxing.
No offense. But what does a nutrionists know about boxing? Santiago even admitted everything he knows comes from Evangalista--so it's not hard to imagine that he's basically mimicking Evangalista's padwork.
i would love to see santiago talking shit to freedie if cotto beats pac.. like..
I TOLD YOU IM A BETTER TRAINER THAN YOU! :lol1: just for the fun! and to get on his nervs...! :rofl:
Freddie Roach suddenly sounded cranky and irritated when a pack of writers from the Philippines asked him about the brewing battle between him and Joe Santiago, Miguel Cotto’s taskmaster.
Hahaha, Cotto and Santiago are getting in Roach's head.
If you look at some of the best fighters we've ever seen, a lot of you can't even name their cornermen. It's not the corner that wins the fight, it's the fighter. Evangelista wasn't the greatest trainer and was known to not even be around at times when Cotto was training for his previous fights, and Cotto still was able to perform at a high level against some of the best in the world. The one thing I do agree on is having a corner that's all on the same page and I think it's safe to say both corners are well equipped and ready to go.