Cotto steady as he preps for Mosley

[borikua]

By Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports
October 24, 2007

There's a trash talker somewhere deep inside of Miguel Cotto dying to get out.

There's a guy inside who wants to talk about the brutal punishment Cotto delivers, how his opponents rarely are the same after he fights them, how he's vastly underrated.

But, alas, Cotto is as good at stifling the inner trash talker as he is at breaking down his opponents, and so no juicy revelations about his Nov. 10 defense of his WBA welterweight title in New York against Shane Mosley are forthcoming.

The hot flashes on this day?

"Shane Mosley is a gentleman," Cotto offers. "I respect him."

In a sport in which the egos are so out of control that Charles Barkley would appear like a shrinking violet, calling your opponent in your biggest fight a gentleman and professing the utmost respect for him is hardly the way to garner attention.

Cotto (30-0, 25 KOs) eventually offers that he believes he's the best fighter in the world, but he says it in such a way that he almost sounds apologetic for delivering the opinion.

One almost has to coax him to say he believes he's going to defeat Mosley.

He's not the type of guy who is going to sell a ticket by talking, yet he drew 21,000 to Madison Square Garden in June to see his win over Zab Judah. And promoters expect to get close to that number again when he faces Mosley in a fight that appears like a dead heat going in.

He doesn't have the penchant for the street talk that has propelled Floyd Mayweather Jr. to ticket-selling stardom. He has neither the movie star smile nor the engaging demeanor which have made Oscar De La Hoya the game's biggest draw for more than a decade.

And he acts as if he's stumped when he's asked about the crowds in New York and the record pay-per-view numbers he does in his native Puerto Rico.

"The people, they're boxing fans," Cotto said. "They support the fighters."

Leave it to Top Rank's Bob Arum, who has promoted Cotto since he turned pro, to make the point.

"He draws because he gets in there and fights and doesn't shake his (butt)," Arum booms. "Tell me the last time you watched Cotto fight and it wasn't a great fight?"

There is little fancy about Cotto, 26, in the ring, but then there's little fancy about Cotto in real life.

He was married young and has a stepson, Jose, who is 11 and only 15 years younger than he is. He's also got three children of his own, 10-year-old Miguel Angel, an 8-year-old daughter named Alondra and a 6-year-old son named Miguel Jr. whom he refers to as Jun-Jun.

He divorced his wife, Melissa, though he maintains a cordial relationship with her. But he's largely a single parent, which is hard in any walk of life but is particularly difficult when you're a professional fighter and need to be isolated for weeks at a time.

Asked to describe himself as a father, Cotto doesn't hesitate.

"Consistent," he said. "I love my children and I try to do the best for them."

Consistent is also the same word that can be used to describe his work between the ropes. Fight after fight, round after round, Cotto slogs forward, jabbing and then attacking the body.

He may be the best body puncher in the sport, a guy whose determination to attack an opponent's midsection is so complete that he didn't relent even after two inadvertent low blows in his June fight with Judah put him on the brink of disqualification.

He debuted as a pro as a super lightweight and spent most of his career as a 140-pounder. He won the WBO 140-pound title by delivering a savage beating to previously unbeaten Kelson Pinto.

But Cotto was having great difficulty making the weight and it started to show in his performance.

"He had nothing to give and he was still trying to lose weight," said his cut man, the astute 1999 Trainer of the Year, Miguel Diaz. "You can't do that and expect to look great. The next weight, that's the perfect one for him. He's comfortable and he's still very strong."

Cotto understands that a win over a high-profile opponent like Mosley can raise his profile immensely in the U.S., where he remains largely unknown outside of Hispanic-dominated areas.

Mosley is one of the most accomplished fighters of his generation. He was briefly recognized as the best fight in the world several years ago, owns a pair of victories over De La Hoya and has won world titles at 135, 147 and 154 pounds.

Many fighters in such a situation would change their routine and try to perfect their preparation.

But Cotto, who pays close attention to even the most minute details, is changing nothing.

"Why change," he asks reasonably, "when everything is working the way it should work?"

It's a reasonable point. And if it's the beginnings of the inner trash talker about to sneak out, all the better.

Cotto, though, quells that thought in a hurry.

"I have to be at my best to beat Shane Mosley, because he is such a great fighter and a big man in this sport," Cotto said. "He has done what only a few could dream to do."

Alas, you're never going to get Cotto to taunt an opponent.

You'll just have to be satisfied with a guy who is about as good as there is alive today and who consistently delivers edge-of-the-seat type of action.

It's not trash talk, but it's a pretty good tradeoff.

[Chicago]

Cotto is going to finish Mosley.

[kadyo's]

Nice article by iole except for this part

He doesn't have the penchant for the street talk that has propelled Floyd Mayweather Jr. to ticket-selling stardom.

[RightHandLead]

imagine a 24/7 series between these two guys. it would be like trying to make a tea party dramatic.

[Addison]

By Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports
October 24, 2007

There's a trash talker somewhere deep inside of Miguel Cotto dying to get out.

There's a guy inside who wants to talk about the brutal punishment Cotto delivers, how his opponents rarely are the same after he fights them, how he's vastly underrated.

But, alas, Cotto is as good at stifling the inner trash talker as he is at breaking down his opponents, and so no juicy revelations about his Nov. 10 defense of his WBA welterweight title in New York against Shane Mosley are forthcoming.

The hot flashes on this day?

"Shane Mosley is a gentleman," Cotto offers. "I respect him."

In a sport in which the egos are so out of control that Charles Barkley would appear like a shrinking violet, calling your opponent in your biggest fight a gentleman and professing the utmost respect for him is hardly the way to garner attention.

Cotto (30-0, 25 KOs) eventually offers that he believes he's the best fighter in the world, but he says it in such a way that he almost sounds apologetic for delivering the opinion.

One almost has to coax him to say he believes he's going to defeat Mosley.

He's not the type of guy who is going to sell a ticket by talking, yet he drew 21,000 to Madison Square Garden in June to see his win over Zab Judah. And promoters expect to get close to that number again when he faces Mosley in a fight that appears like a dead heat going in.

He doesn't have the penchant for the street talk that has propelled Floyd Mayweather Jr. to ticket-selling stardom. He has neither the movie star smile nor the engaging demeanor which have made Oscar De La Hoya the game's biggest draw for more than a decade.

And he acts as if he's stumped when he's asked about the crowds in New York and the record pay-per-view numbers he does in his native Puerto Rico.

"The people, they're boxing fans," Cotto said. "They support the fighters."

Leave it to Top Rank's Bob Arum, who has promoted Cotto since he turned pro, to make the point.

"He draws because he gets in there and fights and doesn't shake his (butt)," Arum booms. "Tell me the last time you watched Cotto fight and it wasn't a great fight?"

There is little fancy about Cotto, 26, in the ring, but then there's little fancy about Cotto in real life.

He was married young and has a stepson, Jose, who is 11 and only 15 years younger than he is. He's also got three children of his own, 10-year-old Miguel Angel, an 8-year-old daughter named Alondra and a 6-year-old son named Miguel Jr. whom he refers to as Jun-Jun.

He divorced his wife, Melissa, though he maintains a cordial relationship with her. But he's largely a single parent, which is hard in any walk of life but is particularly difficult when you're a professional fighter and need to be isolated for weeks at a time.

Asked to describe himself as a father, Cotto doesn't hesitate.

"Consistent," he said. "I love my children and I try to do the best for them."

Consistent is also the same word that can be used to describe his work between the ropes. Fight after fight, round after round, Cotto slogs forward, jabbing and then attacking the body.

He may be the best body puncher in the sport, a guy whose determination to attack an opponent's midsection is so complete that he didn't relent even after two inadvertent low blows in his June fight with Judah put him on the brink of disqualification.

He debuted as a pro as a super lightweight and spent most of his career as a 140-pounder. He won the WBO 140-pound title by delivering a savage beating to previously unbeaten Kelson Pinto.

But Cotto was having great difficulty making the weight and it started to show in his performance.

"He had nothing to give and he was still trying to lose weight," said his cut man, the astute 1999 Trainer of the Year, Miguel Diaz. "You can't do that and expect to look great. The next weight, that's the perfect one for him. He's comfortable and he's still very strong."

Cotto understands that a win over a high-profile opponent like Mosley can raise his profile immensely in the U.S., where he remains largely unknown outside of Hispanic-dominated areas.

Mosley is one of the most accomplished fighters of his generation. He was briefly recognized as the best fight in the world several years ago, owns a pair of victories over De La Hoya and has won world titles at 135, 147 and 154 pounds.

Many fighters in such a situation would change their routine and try to perfect their preparation.

But Cotto, who pays close attention to even the most minute details, is changing nothing.

"Why change," he asks reasonably, "when everything is working the way it should work?"

It's a reasonable point. And if it's the beginnings of the inner trash talker about to sneak out, all the better.

Cotto, though, quells that thought in a hurry.

"I have to be at my best to beat Shane Mosley, because he is such a great fighter and a big man in this sport," Cotto said. "He has done what only a few could dream to do."

Alas, you're never going to get Cotto to taunt an opponent.

You'll just have to be satisfied with a guy who is about as good as there is alive today and who consistently delivers edge-of-the-seat type of action.

It's not trash talk, but it's a pretty good tradeoff.

Cute article about nothing. But we'll take what we can get.

The coverage on this fight is ****.

[Addison]

imagine a 24/7 series between these two guys. it would be like trying to make a tea party dramatic.

[borikua]

Mosley Ready to Walk Through Fire

By David A. Avila

BIG BEAR LAKE, CALIFORNIA-A ring of clouds below surrounds Big Bear Mountain where at 8,000 feet elevation the skies are usually brilliant blue and the sun glistens off the waters of the lake.



Not now. Fire surrounds the mountain but this time the massive forest fires are not in Big Bear but nearby in Lake Arrowhead.



Training resumes despite the biggest fires in four years.



“It’s the best place to train for a fight.” says Shane Mosley as he wraps his hands with gauze.”



Now 36, Mosley (44-4, 37 KOs) runs through his regular training regimen in Big Bear Mountain like most people exhale and inhale oxygen, it’s all very routine. But on Nov. 10, the Pomona fighter will be facing WBA welterweight titleholder Miguel Cotto (30-0, 25 KOs) at Madison Square Garden.



It’s a match that takes fight fans breath away.



Both Jack and Shane Mosley have held training camps in the pine tree covered tourist town for nearly seven years. It’s been a sanctuary where they practiced and refined the tools of their craft for past opponents like Winky Wright, Fernando Vargas and Oscar De La Hoya.



A few years back Mosley bought the cabin that is located about 100 yards from a ski range and is about four blocks from De La Hoya’s former training camp. During that time Vargas also had a training camp about three miles north. Now Mosley remains the only one of the Southern California trio remaining in Big Bear.



“We like to get away up here,” said Jack Mosley, who returned to train his son for the second Vargas fight that ended in a knockout win for Mosley. “I designed all of the outside of this place.”



Guarding the Mosley camp are two fearsome gray colored dogs that look like gargoyles come to life. They don’t bark much but will growl and readily show their teeth. Kind of like their owner.



Mosley never has been one to boast, brag or predict the outcomes of his future fights. Usually he mildly sits through press conferences with his easy-going manner discussing his opponent’s traits. But inside the ring he transforms into a fearsome sight.



“What can I say, he beat me twice,” said De La Hoya. “He does so many things well.”



Mosley has slowly transformed from an athletically gifted prizefighter with uncanny speed combined with splendid power to an expert craftsman of his sport and still maintains his athleticism. He can easily break down an opponent’s tendencies, defensive style and trademark combinations.



Following a sparring session with a light heavyweight fighter Mosley showed the combinations he wants that fighter to adapt because it’s similar to Cotto’s.



“Cotto likes to throw this combination,” says Mosley, who mimics the movement and punching style of his next opponent. “He likes to do other things too but that’s his favorite move.”



Before jumping in the ring Mosley observed his speedy young protégé named Billy “The Kid” Dib from Australia spar with former featherweight champion Freddie Norwood. Like math professors the two Mosleys quickly break down the formula of boxing science for the young featherweight who’s in a fierce sparring session.



“That’s how you learn by fighting somebody of championship caliber,” says Mosley. “When he (Dib) fights somebody that good it won’t be a surprise.”



The former lightweight, welterweight and junior middleweight champion Mosley explained to Dib and others in the gym that sparring casually or against inferior opponents serves no purpose.



“When I was young I was sparring against the toughest guys I could find like Genaro Hernandez and Zack Padilla at the old Brooklyn Gym,” said Shane Mosley about his war-like sparring sessions in a now defunct boxing gym located in East Los Angeles. “Sometimes I would come out of there dizzy. But it was the best sparring I could have.”



Mosley related a story of his current Big Bear sparring partner who helped De La Hoya prepare for a fight a couple of years ago.



“That guy knocked down Oscar during sparring,” said Mosley of his Puerto Rican sparring partner. He further explained that after getting flattened De La Hoya demanded that the Puerto Rican fighter be kept in his camp. “That’s how you learn. You can’t have it easy even in sparring.”





Can take a punch


Cotto, 26, who’s become more impressive since moving up in weight from 140 pounds to 147, has the same easy-going manner and refuses to degrade opponents.



“Shane Mosley is a great champion with a lot of experience,” Cotto says. “I’ve heard that Shane Mosley can take a good punch.”



Mosley expects the WBA champion Cotto to maintain his famous pressure style that includes concentrating to the body with heavy and sharp punches.



“Miguel Cotto is a very strong fighter. He likes to throw that left hand. That’s his best punch,” says Mosley while demonstrating the Cotto left hook. “It’s different fighting somebody his size.”



In the past, Mosley’s opponents were all much taller and posed a different target for the speedy Pomona fighter’s punches.



“It’s a big difference punching somebody taller, it makes you change everything,” he says.



In his last fight, Mosley bested Luis Collazo a slick southpaw Puerto Rican fighting out of Brooklyn. Now he faces a strong Puerto Rican fighter from the island, who blasted out his last two opponents.



Mosley shrugs and smiles when asked about Cotto.



“I’ve seen him fight quite a few times,” said Mosley, as his mind races through his memory banks recalling Cotto’s fights.



Bob Arum, who is co-promoting the event with Golden Boy Promotions, said Cotto was dubbed a future superstar when he participated as an Olympian for Puerto Rico in 2000. Now he simply needs to beat a superstar to be a superstar.



Cotto’s uncle feels his nephew stands at the precipice.



“We’re waiting to fight one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world,” said Evangelista Cotto, uncle and trainer of Miguel Cotto. “We’ll see if Miguel can beat a pound for pound fighter.”



Outside the Big Bear training camp compound, the pair of guard dogs are mulling around not concentrating on any single person but acutely aware of people milling around. Inside the boxing gym Mosley spars with a muscular fighter who out-weighs him by 30 pounds but has speed in his punches.



Nothing is planned.



“It’s better to be prepared for anything,” says Mosley. “After training up here in the mountains I feel much stronger when I get to sea level.”



After the two-hour workout concludes, the gate to the compound closes and in the background the two guard dogs perk their heads up. They’re prepared for anything too.

[-Antonio-]

I wasn't aware he had two kids that old.

[Addison]

By David A. Avila

BIG BEAR LAKE, CALIFORNIA-A ring of clouds below surrounds Big Bear Mountain where at 8,000 feet elevation the skies are usually brilliant blue and the sun glistens off the waters of the lake.



Not now. Fire surrounds the mountain but this time the massive forest fires are not in Big Bear but nearby in Lake Arrowhead.



Training resumes despite the biggest fires in four years.



“It’s the best place to train for a fight.” says Shane Mosley as he wraps his hands with gauze.”



Now 36, Mosley (44-4, 37 KOs) runs through his regular training regimen in Big Bear Mountain like most people exhale and inhale oxygen, it’s all very routine. But on Nov. 10, the Pomona fighter will be facing WBA welterweight titleholder Miguel Cotto (30-0, 25 KOs) at Madison Square Garden.



It’s a match that takes fight fans breath away.



Both Jack and Shane Mosley have held training camps in the pine tree covered tourist town for nearly seven years. It’s been a sanctuary where they practiced and refined the tools of their craft for past opponents like Winky Wright, Fernando Vargas and Oscar De La Hoya.



A few years back Mosley bought the cabin that is located about 100 yards from a ski range and is about four blocks from De La Hoya’s former training camp. During that time Vargas also had a training camp about three miles north. Now Mosley remains the only one of the Southern California trio remaining in Big Bear.



“We like to get away up here,” said Jack Mosley, who returned to train his son for the second Vargas fight that ended in a knockout win for Mosley. “I designed all of the outside of this place.”



Guarding the Mosley camp are two fearsome gray colored dogs that look like gargoyles come to life. They don’t bark much but will growl and readily show their teeth. Kind of like their owner.



Mosley never has been one to boast, brag or predict the outcomes of his future fights. Usually he mildly sits through press conferences with his easy-going manner discussing his opponent’s traits. But inside the ring he transforms into a fearsome sight.



“What can I say, he beat me twice,” said De La Hoya. “He does so many things well.”



Mosley has slowly transformed from an athletically gifted prizefighter with uncanny speed combined with splendid power to an expert craftsman of his sport and still maintains his athleticism. He can easily break down an opponent’s tendencies, defensive style and trademark combinations.



Following a sparring session with a light heavyweight fighter Mosley showed the combinations he wants that fighter to adapt because it’s similar to Cotto’s.



“Cotto likes to throw this combination,” says Mosley, who mimics the movement and punching style of his next opponent. “He likes to do other things too but that’s his favorite move.”



Before jumping in the ring Mosley observed his speedy young protégé named Billy “The Kid” Dib from Australia spar with former featherweight champion Freddie Norwood. Like math professors the two Mosleys quickly break down the formula of boxing science for the young featherweight who’s in a fierce sparring session.



“That’s how you learn by fighting somebody of championship caliber,” says Mosley. “When he (Dib) fights somebody that good it won’t be a surprise.”



The former lightweight, welterweight and junior middleweight champion Mosley explained to Dib and others in the gym that sparring casually or against inferior opponents serves no purpose.



“When I was young I was sparring against the toughest guys I could find like Genaro Hernandez and Zack Padilla at the old Brooklyn Gym,” said Shane Mosley about his war-like sparring sessions in a now defunct boxing gym located in East Los Angeles. “Sometimes I would come out of there dizzy. But it was the best sparring I could have.”



Mosley related a story of his current Big Bear sparring partner who helped De La Hoya prepare for a fight a couple of years ago.



“That guy knocked down Oscar during sparring,” said Mosley of his Puerto Rican sparring partner. He further explained that after getting flattened De La Hoya demanded that the Puerto Rican fighter be kept in his camp. “That’s how you learn. You can’t have it easy even in sparring.”





Can take a punch


Cotto, 26, who’s become more impressive since moving up in weight from 140 pounds to 147, has the same easy-going manner and refuses to degrade opponents.



“Shane Mosley is a great champion with a lot of experience,” Cotto says. “I’ve heard that Shane Mosley can take a good punch.”



Mosley expects the WBA champion Cotto to maintain his famous pressure style that includes concentrating to the body with heavy and sharp punches.



“Miguel Cotto is a very strong fighter. He likes to throw that left hand. That’s his best punch,” says Mosley while demonstrating the Cotto left hook. “It’s different fighting somebody his size.”



In the past, Mosley’s opponents were all much taller and posed a different target for the speedy Pomona fighter’s punches.



“It’s a big difference punching somebody taller, it makes you change everything,” he says.



In his last fight, Mosley bested Luis Collazo a slick southpaw Puerto Rican fighting out of Brooklyn. Now he faces a strong Puerto Rican fighter from the island, who blasted out his last two opponents.



Mosley shrugs and smiles when asked about Cotto.



“I’ve seen him fight quite a few times,” said Mosley, as his mind races through his memory banks recalling Cotto’s fights.



Bob Arum, who is co-promoting the event with Golden Boy Promotions, said Cotto was dubbed a future superstar when he participated as an Olympian for Puerto Rico in 2000. Now he simply needs to beat a superstar to be a superstar.



Cotto’s uncle feels his nephew stands at the precipice.



“We’re waiting to fight one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world,” said Evangelista Cotto, uncle and trainer of Miguel Cotto. “We’ll see if Miguel can beat a pound for pound fighter.”



Outside the Big Bear training camp compound, the pair of guard dogs are mulling around not concentrating on any single person but acutely aware of people milling around. Inside the boxing gym Mosley spars with a muscular fighter who out-weighs him by 30 pounds but has speed in his punches.



Nothing is planned.



“It’s better to be prepared for anything,” says Mosley. “After training up here in the mountains I feel much stronger when I get to sea level.”



After the two-hour workout concludes, the gate to the compound closes and in the background the two guard dogs perk their heads up. They’re prepared for anything too.

That's a good one. ^ Nice.

[BROOKLYN CESAR]

Sugar Shane will be to much for cotto!!! he only just beat zab and SSM is much better then Zab!!! Yet you have to admire his heart and the fact that he will fight anyone!!!

This fight will be the Legend vs the future Legend!!! Cant wait!!!