couple of cotto articles

[swizz]

By Dennis Principe

Team Pacquiao is not concerned one bit that a former comrade is now working for the enemy. In an interview with *********, Filipino trainer Restituto “Buboy” Fernandez said they are aware a long time ago that their former cutman Joe Chavez is already working for Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto. Fernandez said at first they were surprised to see Chavez working in the corner of Cotto when the Puerto Rican fought and won over Joshua Clottey last June in New York.
“We saw Joe working in the Clottey fight and since then we we’ve been talking about how to counteract what Joe might tell Cotto’s camp. And since the start of out training camp, we dealt that issue without much concern,” said Fernandez. “It’s actually not an issue at this point.

Last week Chavez was quoted as saying that he knows the weaknesses of Pacquiao and that he plans to share with Cotto his knowledge regarding the Filipino‘s flaws.

“When attacked, he (Pacquiao) doesn’t know what to do,” Chavez told the Puerto Rican paper El Nuevo Dia.

Chavez was in Pacquiao’s corner during the pound-for-pound king’s return bouts with Juan Manuel Marquez and Marco Antonio Barrera.

But Fernandez assured they are going to apply a different fight plan that will ensure Pacquiao’s victory next month. Fernandez said Chavez is sure to get the surprise of his life once the famed cutman sees a different Pacquiao in their next outing.

Incidentally, Pacquiao is also set to tap another cutman who previously worked with Cotto in Miguel Diaz.

Meantime Pacquiao is all set to leave this Saturday (Manila time) for the United States where they will complete the last three weeks of their training at the famed Wild Card Gym of hall-of-fame trainer Freddie Roach.

Pacquiao will battle Cotto in a 12-round World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title clash on November 14 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

[swizz]

Throughout his career Miguel Cotto has seemed to do just about everything right. The word "professional" instantly comes to mind as Cotto has shown great class in and out of the ropes in compiling a 34-1 record with 27 knockouts while facing the best competition available. Despite all of that Cotto still finds himself a heavy underdog heading into his bout with Manny Pacquiao on November 14th.

According to Las Vegas odds, Pacquiao is currently a -250 favorite to emerge victorious against his Puerto Rican foe and those odds have apparently fired Cotto up just a bit. In a recent interview with www.FightFan.com, Cotto's trainer Jose Santiago further elaborated on the motivation Miguel has taken from being written off.

“Before Miguel fought Carlos Quintana a few years ago many people were picking Quintana to win and that really motivated Miguel,” Santiago stated. “The night of the fight he was so focused to prove people wrong that it really gave him a boost in the fight. We’re seeing that again with the way so many people are picking Pacquiao to win on Nov. 14. Miguel is very driven by the people saying Pacquiao will beat him. It’s extra motivation and he is coming with more fire because people are saying he can’t win.”

In the interview Santiago also went on to state that he was pleased Team Cotto made the move to train in Tampa, Florida, and that his charge has met all his objectives so far in camp. Only Cotto himself knows what is going through his mind with a little over three weeks left until the fight. It wouldn’t be shocking if a fighter of his caliber took the odds against him to heart and he will certainly be coming with some heat come fight time.

- Last weekend Carl Froch successfully defended his WBC Super Middleweight belt with a close and somewhat controversial split decision against American contender Andre Dirrell. Froch won by tallies of 115-112 on the cards of judges Massimo Barrovecchio and Daniel Van de Wiele, while official Alejandro Rochin Mapula saw the bout 114-113 in Dirrell's favor.

Immediately after the bout people seemed to be split down the middle as to who should have really won the bout. Some pointed to Froch's aggressiveness and Dirrell's unwillingness to engage as key reasons that the UK fighter was rightfully awarded the win. On the other side of the coin there were those who felt Dirrell showed superior boxing skills throughout and that his late rally in the championship rounds should have been more than enough to capture the verdict.

- There was once a time when Edison "La Pantera" Miranda was considered one of the hottest prospects in the sport. The Columbian had built a reputation as a devastating puncher and was even anointed by Bernard Hopkins as the future of the Middleweight division. In recent years, however, Miranda has fallen on hard times as he has gone just 4-3 in his last seven bouts, with devastating knockout losses to Kelly Pavlik and Arthur Abraham on the dossier.

In his last bout Miranda talked a good game beforehand but was ultimately outclassed by Andre Ward for twelve frustrating rounds at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California this past May. Miranda’s lack of athleticism and boxing fundamentals have seemed to be his undoing and following the Ward defeat many wondered what moves he could make next.

To his credit Miranda is continuing to push forward as he has enlisted in the services of trainer Joe Goosen to help him with his championship aspirations. Goosen went on to say that he is looking to add more variety to Miranda’s style and that he genuinely ‘likes’ the Columbian slugger. The first step in the Goosen experiment takes place tonight when Miranda squares off with 20-2 Francisco Sierra at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, California.

- Over the summer one of the more definitive wins in the boxing world was delivered by IBF Bantamweight champion Joseph ‘King Kong’ Agbeko as he upended multi-division titlist Vic Darchinyan over twelve rounds at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida. Depsite being the underdog coming in, Agbeko bullied Darchinyan around the ring and was unfazed by anything that the power punching Armenian through his way. It was a humbling defeat for Darchinyan as well as a moment of triumph for Agbeko.

While the win was great for the Ghana fighter, he had had little time to soak it up as he will find himself back in the ring again on Halloween night against mandatory contender Yonnhy Perez. Agbeko and Perez will due battle at the Treasure Island Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, with Showtime playing host to the festivities.

“He feels confident because he has never been beaten before,” Agbeko said of his 19-0 Columbian foe. “But, I want everyone to know that he’s going to get his first defeat on Oct. 31. It’s going to be a knockout.”

For his part, Perez went on to say that he is ready for any kind of battle and that Agbeko’s words will do little to deter him. Agbeko further elaborated on how he feels Perez is a good fighter, but simply not in his class. Anyone who has Showtime should check this bout out as it definitely doesn’t figure to disappoint.

- Some unfortunate news recently struck when it was revealed that the already postponed Kelly Pavlik-Paul Williams showdown will have to be scratched yet again as the champion from Youngstown, Ohio is still having problems with his left hand. The bout was to take place on December 5th at Caesar's in Atlantic City and the buzz was pretty huge.

The Pavlik-Williams clash was originally scheduled for October 3rd but had to be rescheduled when it was revealed that Pavlik’s hand was affected from a staph infection and two follow up surgeries. The bout was moved back a few months but again had to be nixed when it was revealed that Pavlik’s hand has yet to fully heal, as he is unable to fully close his left fist.

This is terribly disappointing news to many involved. Pavlik-Williams was one of the most anticipated fights of the year and now it’s unknown as to whether these two will ever meet. Word has it that interim WBC Jr. Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez may step in to replace Pavlik on the December 5th date.

- This weekend Damian Frias resurfaces as he squares off with Freddy Hernandez at the Laredo Entertainment Center in Laredo, Texas. The bout serves as the main event of ShoBox: The New Generation card and pits two fighters with winning streaks against each other. Frias is 16-1 with 7 knockouts and has won his last twelve in a row while Hernandez brings with him a 25-1 mark with 18 stoppages, having gone unbeaten in his last nine.

Originally hailing from Placetas, Cuba, Frias trains out of Contender’s Gym in South Florida under the tutelage of trainer John David Jackson. Despite having obvious talent, his career has been hampered by inactivity and this year has been a hard one for him as numerous fights, including a matchup with fellow South Florida prospect Joey Hernandez, have fallen through. At 33 years of age, this is a make or break fight for Frias, known to those in the gym as "Devo."

[-MAKAVELLI-]

good idea Swizz...we should just put all the Cotto articles on one thread...it'll be easier for me when i skim and look for the PAC articles

[swizz]

good idea Swizz...we should just put all the Cotto articles on one thread...it'll be easier for me when i skim and look for the PAC articles

wud up mak yea i just figure this way we dont have a million threads makes it easier plus i saw some people complaining that the scene doesnt have enough cotto stuff so im trying lol....