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HOLLYWOOD — It was already hUmid inside the Pound4Pound gym in South La Cienega in Los Angeles and yet organizers of a media sneak peak decided to amp the temperature up a beat by firing up a heater.
Even then, Miguel Cotto did not feel the heat. Not until a journalist hollered from somewhere out in the back row: “Miguel, what’s your weight now?”
The Puerto Rican’s gaze turned ice-cold and skimmed past the heads of reporters gathered for his media workout, fixing itself on nothing in particular.
The WBO welterweight champion did not answer.
His conditioning coach, Phil Landman, sounded evasive.
His much maligned trainer, Joe Santiago, shrugged off the question.
“It doesn’t matter,” Santiago said via an interpreter as Cotto prepared to launch into a 90-minute workout to show boxing writers how far he has gone in preparation for his bout against Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao on May 14, when he will stake his WBO welterweight title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
“Manny dominated at 130 (pounds) and he’s coming up to our division,” the 32-year-old trainer added. “There is no one as strong as Miguel Cotto in the welterweight ranks.”
In a match that comes at the heels of Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s demolition of Juan Manuel Marquez, weight has become a central issue again as the sanctity of catch weights is being reeled into public scrutiny.
Mayweather was two pounds over the agreed catch weight against Marquez and used his size to dominate his game foe. There are fears that Cotto may try the same trick on Pacquiao.
Freddie Roach, the Pacman trainer who belittled Santiago by saying that cutman Joe Chavez was the only qualified guy in Cotto’s corner, said he has already cooked up a remedy if Cotto turns up overweight.
“If he’s too heavy, we won’t fight,” Roach said Wednesday at the Wild Card gym. He had earlier said if Cotto goes more than two pounds over the 145-lb catch weight, Team Pacquiao will call off the fight.
And even if Cotto stays within the maximum tolerable excess weight, Roach won’t simply accept the cash-rich penalty that goes with Cotto coming in at 147.
“He’s going to have to at least make an effort to lose weight,” said Roach.
Landman was twice asked about Cotto’s weight but danced around the questions.
“We haven’t checked the weight yet,” Landman said. “We’re not 145 yet, but we’re OK. We still have 10 days to go.”
Journalists who watched as a shirtless Cotto apply heating oil all over his ripped body believed he was over 150 yet.
Roach didn’t seem bothered by Cotto’s imposing physique when a reporter showed him pictures from the Puerto Rican’s media show.
“He has many tattoos,” Roach said, smiling. “He likes tattoos and we’re going to put more tattoos with punches on his face.”
Even then, Miguel Cotto did not feel the heat. Not until a journalist hollered from somewhere out in the back row: “Miguel, what’s your weight now?”
The Puerto Rican’s gaze turned ice-cold and skimmed past the heads of reporters gathered for his media workout, fixing itself on nothing in particular.
The WBO welterweight champion did not answer.
His conditioning coach, Phil Landman, sounded evasive.
His much maligned trainer, Joe Santiago, shrugged off the question.
“It doesn’t matter,” Santiago said via an interpreter as Cotto prepared to launch into a 90-minute workout to show boxing writers how far he has gone in preparation for his bout against Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao on May 14, when he will stake his WBO welterweight title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
“Manny dominated at 130 (pounds) and he’s coming up to our division,” the 32-year-old trainer added. “There is no one as strong as Miguel Cotto in the welterweight ranks.”
In a match that comes at the heels of Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s demolition of Juan Manuel Marquez, weight has become a central issue again as the sanctity of catch weights is being reeled into public scrutiny.
Mayweather was two pounds over the agreed catch weight against Marquez and used his size to dominate his game foe. There are fears that Cotto may try the same trick on Pacquiao.
Freddie Roach, the Pacman trainer who belittled Santiago by saying that cutman Joe Chavez was the only qualified guy in Cotto’s corner, said he has already cooked up a remedy if Cotto turns up overweight.
“If he’s too heavy, we won’t fight,” Roach said Wednesday at the Wild Card gym. He had earlier said if Cotto goes more than two pounds over the 145-lb catch weight, Team Pacquiao will call off the fight.
And even if Cotto stays within the maximum tolerable excess weight, Roach won’t simply accept the cash-rich penalty that goes with Cotto coming in at 147.
“He’s going to have to at least make an effort to lose weight,” said Roach.
Landman was twice asked about Cotto’s weight but danced around the questions.
“We haven’t checked the weight yet,” Landman said. “We’re not 145 yet, but we’re OK. We still have 10 days to go.”
Journalists who watched as a shirtless Cotto apply heating oil all over his ripped body believed he was over 150 yet.
Roach didn’t seem bothered by Cotto’s imposing physique when a reporter showed him pictures from the Puerto Rican’s media show.
“He has many tattoos,” Roach said, smiling. “He likes tattoos and we’re going to put more tattoos with punches on his face.”
Why do you guys think Cotto is not talking about the weight he is right now? He should weigh in at 147 IMO.
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