Cotto confident of making 145 lb

HOLLYWOOD – Miguel Cotto said he’d make weight. And keep his money in the bank. The wide-bodied left-hooker from Puerto Rico on Monday crushed all insinuations that he’s having problems with his weight, and assured everyone that he’d come in at 145 lb for the Friday’s official weigh-in at the MGM Grand. “When we took this fight we decided that we were fine with 145. We knew we could do it and we knew we would be at our best the next night. We would not have taken this fight if we didn’t think I was going to be at my best the next night after the weigh-in,” he said. Cotto spoke from Las Vegas, where he’s training for the fight, and told doghouseboxing.com that 145 is what’s been agreed upon, and 145 will it be. As speculated in the fight contract, Cotto will be fined $1 million for every pound in excess of 145, and he goes a fraction over 147, Manny Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddei Roach, said he’d call off the fight. Cotto can save all his money if he comes in at 145 lb. He said he will. The last time the 29-year-old fighter, a welterweight all his life, fought at 145 lb was against Zab Juddah, two years and five months ago. He won that fight, and retained his WBO crown in the 147 lb division. He said the time won’t make a difference, and he’d be in at 145. “The last fight I spent more than 24 hours doing nothing. Just waiting for the weigh-in. My weight was 145. All I have to do is add a half hour to my work every day and I am going to reach 145 with no problem,” he said. But a lot of people think otherwise, and that includes Pacquiao. “He’s reducing right now,” said the Filipino icon, adding that by now, the Puerto Rican star must be keeping starving. “Malaking disadvantage sa kanya yan. Lalu na kapag dikdikan ang laban (It will be a big disadvantage particularly in a tight fight),” he said. – Abac Cordero