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Prized boxing trainer Emanuel Steward declared that he wants his ward, Miguel Cotto, to get another shot at "Fighter of the Decade" Manny Pacquiao.
Steward is confident that Cotto will be able to put on a better fight against the Filipino boxing superstar following his technical knockout (TKO) win over Israeli Yuri Foreman on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
“I think he would have much better success and Manny Pacquiao is one of the greatest fighters of all time to me,” Steward told On the Ropes Boxing Radio.
Pacquiao stopped Cotto last November in Las Vegas to take home the World Boxing Organization (WBO), his 7th world title in as many weight classes.
Steward said they have already corrected Cotto's mistake in the Pacquiao bout—fighting too low.
“The punch he got hit with, he said the first time he never saw it. He was down in such a position where he really couldn’t see punches that good at that stage because he was bending too low,” Steward said of his fighter.
Adjusting for Pacquiao's speed
The boxing hall of famer admitted that Cotto had problems with Pacquiao's speed. It “bothered him tremendously,” said Steward.
He said they have brought in a sparring partner for the Foreman bout to adjust Cotto against speedy boxers.
“So I think the fact that he would be better prepared physically with the higher weight and also that he would be better prepared and adjusted to deal with the blazing speed of Pacquiao would give him a definite different odds of winning,” said Steward.
While he said that Cotto has a better chance against Pacquiao, Steward said Pacquiao would still pose a daunting challenge to the Puerto Rican.
“Manny is a great fighter who fights from a rhythm and it is very difficult to anticipate his movement with his feet as well as his hands. He’s a very, very good fighter. He doesn’t just come in with a straightforward type of position. You have to be able to deal with speed as well as power,” he said.
Among the popular boxing champions who trained under Steward were Thomas Hearns, Evander Holyfield and reigning WBO and International Boxing Federation (IBF) heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.
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