Roach now says Cotto could be stopped in the first round
by Scott Christ on Oct 20, 2009 3:32 AM EDT
in Boxing News Analysis
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Leave it to Freddie Roach to go from "This is the toughest fight of Manny Pacquiao's career, and anyone who underestimates Miguel Cotto is an idiot" to "Manny might knock him out in one round" in the course of about a month. Ronnie Nathanielsz reports that the famed trainer is getting more confident by the day in Pacquiao's training camp:
"I think we have a shot at a knockout in round one. One thing for sure we’ll knock him out. This guy can’t hold up the way Manny punches. One thing about Cotto he is a tough guy and all that but tough guys don’t win fights, they get hit. And when he gets hit with power like that he’s gonna go."
He also has praised Pacquiao's sparring partners, a star-studded cast that includes Shawn Porter, Urbano Antillon, and Jose Luis Castillo. And they're praising him, too. From Porter:
"His speed and his quickness is his upperhand and I think he’ll catch off-balance a lot and I think he’s going to be very hard to hit. He is the angle man. He knows how to work those angles and get in and get out and you’ll definitely see that in the fight."
Roach has been trying to be nice about Castillo, but it seems like he's just trying. Recall that when Castillo -- who was brought in by Michael Koncz, not by Freddie -- was first said to be coming in, Freddie said he was "shot" and that he "couldn't use him." Pacquiao bloodied Castillo, reportedly, and Freddie's putting his best spin on the whole situation:
"Castillo looked to be off a little bit and he’s never sparred as fast as anyone like Manny. But I like his movement because he moves similar to Cotto. Overall, it was a great work out and I was very happy."
One thing you can't argue: Pacquiao is getting world class training, while Miguel Cotto has worked with Kenny Abril (9-3-1, 5 KO), 36-year old Fred Tukes (7-1-1, 5 KO), and Frankie Figueora, who was sent home after just a week. The reason for Figueroa's boot from camp was unclear, and Team Cotto has used him in the past. Granted it's hard to find anyone that can emulate Pacquiao's style, but Figueroa is the most experienced guy Cotto had in camp. You'd think they'd want to have better than Abril and Tukes, no offense to either of those men.
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Cotto in trouble
I’ve read that Manny dropped Shawn Porter twice in his 1st 3 rounds of sparring last Thursday (prior to busting up Castillo).
The big problem for Cotto is that quality southpaw sparring partners are too hard to come by, whereas Freddie Roach has a stable of orthodox fighters to call on.
Yep. I can’t even think off the top of my head who I’d bring in if I had unlimited resources and my pick of the litter. I think I read that Cotto also had Ivan Calderon in, and nothing against Calderon who’s still a fine fighter, but he’s not Pacquiao. He’s not as big, not as strong, and not as fast anymore, and they’re just nothing alike stylistically apart from both behind lefties.
I did like that Frankie Figueroa bragged that he was using “some of his ‘Gato’ moves” which might have been one of the reasons he was removed from camp. His ‘Gato’ moves got him knocked out by Randall Bailey something awful. If that was one of the reasons he was excused from the job, or THE reason, he probably should’ve just done his job trying to emulate Pacquiao and nothing more.
Actually I can think of one guy, but it’s Zab Judah, who isn’t going to go spar with anyone, let alone Cotto.
Bad Left Hook
"Well Howie, I think I'm going to stay outside and outjab him." -- Tex Cobb telling Howard Cosell how he would approach Larry Holmes
by Scott Christ on Oct 20, 2009 9:58 AM EDT up reply actions
He’s just a guy quoting people. I don’t go too deep into any analysis he offers, but he gets scoops from the Filipino fighters on the regular.
Bad Left Hook
"Well Howie, I think I'm going to stay outside and outjab him." -- Tex Cobb telling Howard Cosell how he would approach Larry Holmes
by Scott Christ on Oct 20, 2009 12:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Kenny Abril is a solid prospect. He will make some noise in the future. While he's no Shawn Porter level prospect , he has pretty good skills.
Within the last year or 2 he has hooked up with a pretty big time manager in Steve Nelson ( managed Hasim Rahman and Bonecrusher Smith). So expect to see him matched up well in the future.
What’s his style? Good power? Good speed? Good defense?
Bad Left Hook
"Well Howie, I think I'm going to stay outside and outjab him." -- Tex Cobb telling Howard Cosell how he would approach Larry Holmes
by Scott Christ on Oct 20, 2009 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions
He's got quick hands and some pop. He's a quick enough fighter to stay on the outside and box but when he gets caught he gets machismo and tries to brawl.
I’ve seen it hurt him in the past as he was clearly outboxing his opponant and winning on the cards but chose to engage in the last round and wound up getting koed. So him preparing Cotto for Pacman is good.
Dear Freddie Roach...
“Keep on playin’ those mind games … forever.”
Boxing writer: "Iran, what are you going to do when you retire?"
Iran Barkley: "Rob your house"
You remember when De La Hoya was going to tear apart Pacman and some idiot called Roach said Pacman would TKO DLH in 9?
That same moron also predicted Pacman would KO Hatton within 3 rounds.
This idiot Roach probably has forgotten more about boxing than most fans will ever know and has the credentials to back it up. Roach always speaks his mind and if he thinks its going to be a tough fight he will call it that way.
He’s not playing mind games. I mean would you really move your fighter up to a weight hes only fought at once before and get him to fight a fighter that probably has the best resume in that division and has fought fighters nobody would take on(call me when Mayweather grows the balls to fight Clottey or Margarito).
Fact of the matter is if anything hes seen something in Pacs training that is making him think otherwise. It wasn’t long ago Roach was incredibly critical of Pac when he wasn’t training and all but counted out Pac’s chance of winning.
I think most of us on here are smart enough to know Cotto isn’t the type to be effected by trash talk and if we can understand that its a bit insulting to suggest somebody the caliber of Roach can’t.
I personally think Cotto will KO Pac within 5 but hey I’m not doubting a man who has a lot more say in this than me. I’m curious whats going on in that training camp.
by MannyPacquiao on Oct 21, 2009 6:20 PM EDT up reply actions
call me when Mayweather grows the balls to fight Clottey or Margarito
Call Floyd when Clottey can draw flies to shit.
Bad Left Hook
"Well Howie, I think I'm going to stay outside and outjab him." -- Tex Cobb telling Howard Cosell how he would approach Larry Holmes
by Scott Christ on Oct 22, 2009 1:58 AM EDT up reply actions
I just don't follow you here.
Were you arguing with me? I never attacked Roach. Since when is it a bad thing for a trainer to try to gain an advantage through strategic and often disingenuous pre-fight chatter (i.e "mind-games?). You thought I was insulting Roach somehow? I just don’t follow your logic here.
By the way, do you play poker? I don’t know about you, but sometimes I’ve found that the best time to bluff is right after a couple of good hands.
Boxing writer: "Iran, what are you going to do when you retire?"
Iran Barkley: "Rob your house"
Cotto stopped in 1 round...
I have been undecided all along about who win’s this but Roach has been so accurate with the Hatton and De La Hoya fight predictions that I can’t help but think that this will finish early aswell.
It's possible
Maybe in one round.. But I got it under five rounds. Freddie Roach will continue to be praised because he know how to pick opponents. Cotto is still shell shocked, this one should be easy and a good way out of the sport for Cotto or a leave of absence.
What?
Why on earth would Cotto want to “leave the sport” if he lost to the greatest fighter in the world? A loss to Paquiao would hardly demolish the still young and able Miguel Cotto.
And shell shocked? What gives you that impression, fighting though blood to defeat the always-tough Joshua Clottey? So you’re saying a tough win over an elite welterweight in Clottey means Cotto is shot? Think again.
As for a round one KO? It’s nonsense. If an emaciated and spent Oscar can take Paquiao deeper than that, so can Cotto. Paq may very well wind up KOing Cotto at some point, but Roach’s comments here smack of mind games.
Boxing writer: "Iran, what are you going to do when you retire?"
Iran Barkley: "Rob your house"
You don’t understand, Matt, Cotto is shell shocked and boxing is a sport with a long history of its athletes leaving too soon rather than too late. A loss to Pacquiao and it’s off to Denny’s!
Bad Left Hook
"Well Howie, I think I'm going to stay outside and outjab him." -- Tex Cobb telling Howard Cosell how he would approach Larry Holmes
by Scott Christ on Oct 20, 2009 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Satire duly noted.
On a different note, I have this weird habit of leaving out the “c” in Pacquiao. Not sure why.
Boxing writer: "Iran, what are you going to do when you retire?"
Iran Barkley: "Rob your house"
If anyone really believes that Paq is going to KO Cotto in one round and would like to make a little side bet with me, just let me know. lol.
Boxing writer: "Iran, what are you going to do when you retire?"
Iran Barkley: "Rob your house"
You dare bet against Freddie Roach?
Roach could have made me a half million dollars on a 1K bet if I’d bet his calls over the last 2 fights.
Gimme 1 round!
by ItBurnzWhenIP on Oct 21, 2009 1:56 AM EDT up reply actions
I also think
Freddie could be afraid of losing his job or Pac retiring and he’s betting Cotto and trying to move all the money Pacquiao’s way after being psychic the last 2 fights.
Gimme 1 round!
by ItBurnzWhenIP on Oct 21, 2009 1:57 AM EDT up reply actions
Ridiculous
Given the evidence, how can you dare to believe this! Cotto is not Hatton nor De la Hoya. Or are you going to tell me that Pacman could also KO Clottey in the 1rs round?
Clottey did get knocked down by a jab in the very first round ;)
Gatti. Dekkers. Pele. Aoki. Kang. Vanderlei.
http://theworldsoldestsport.blogspot.com/
by theworldsoldestsport on Oct 20, 2009 8:11 PM EDT reply actions
oh shut yo mouth homie. no way was that a “legit” (legit by the rule book, but not a REAL knockdown) KD
The Dude Abides
by battle axe of doom on Oct 20, 2009 9:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Being off balance
is legit by the rule book, but not a legit knockdown caused by the punch shocking the system.
Gimme 1 round!
by ItBurnzWhenIP on Oct 21, 2009 1:55 AM EDT up reply actions
still have Pacquiao via soul evisceration in 6
The Dude Abides
by battle axe of doom on Oct 20, 2009 9:45 PM EDT reply actions
Betting the house
Pacquiao KO in the first 3 rounds. Had you bet a grand on Pac DLH KO 6-9 at 30:1 which is what BetUS was paying you’d have made 30,000 bucks. Then you bet your 29 K winnings on Pac Hatton KO 1-3 which was something like 15:1 and you come out $435,000 richer. That would buy me a new house. So instead of betting that again I’m just gonna take a loan against my mortgage and put it Pac KO 1-3
Gimme 1 round!
The Freddie Roach retirement plan
Gimme 1 round!
by ItBurnzWhenIP on Oct 21, 2009 1:41 AM EDT up reply actions
sounds like a good plan to me
The Dude Abides
by battle axe of doom on Oct 21, 2009 1:43 AM EDT up reply actions
WHOOOHOOOOOO
PAYING 33:1 for Pacquiao Rd 1 KO over Cotto. I’mma do the math on how much thats gonna make me right now!!!
Lets see… 435K… X 33… 14million… 355 thousand… give or take a little for commissions.
WHOOOHOOO I"M RICH!!!!!
THANK YOU FREDDIIEEEEE
Gimme 1 round!
by ItBurnzWhenIP on Oct 21, 2009 2:03 AM EDT up reply actions
Just hope BetUS doesn't stiff me on this one...
:(
Gimme 1 round!
by ItBurnzWhenIP on Oct 21, 2009 2:04 AM EDT up reply actions
Pacquiao’s sparring team is impressive. Apart from the physical conditioning for Manny, and their assistance in teaching Manny to execute Roach’s game plan, the work they’re doing with him has got to be a helluva psychological edge for Pac-Man. By now, they know that Miguel hasn’t had the same regimen.
My thoughts on Castillo are that even if he can’t match Manny physically anymore, I think he can show Manny how a body-puncher thinks, familiarize him with their tendencies. Porter brings the muscle, Castillo brings experience.
More and more, this is beginning to smell like A) Smaller Great fighter vs B) Very Good Bigger fighter. In which case, the best B can hope for is that A didn’t train as hard as he should have or that fighter A simply can’t bridge the size disparity (If Cotto was a 5’10" welter with a 70" + reach, it would be different. He’s not). Cotto can count on neither. I think I’ve mentioned the Roberto Duran-Carlos Palomino match on this site before, so forgive me for inundating you with that reference yet again. But the reason I bring that up is that Palomino, while not as talented as Cotto, was a solid ex-welterweight champ who should have been able to get some work done on the smaller Duran (Um, Pacquiao, of course, is not Duran). He didn’t. Instead, Roberto pummeled the teak tough Palomino from pillar to post, outclassing him at every turn. It was a schooling. That night, Duran established that he could truly compete at that weight, and exemplified the difference between very good…and great. Well, here we are, more than 30 years later, and we have in Pacquiao a shoe-in HOFer fighting a fine, fine Welterweight champion, but one who has lost a little bit of his luster, in Miguel Cotto. I’m just getting the feeling that we’re about to see something very similar…
My thoughts on Castillo are that even if he can’t match Manny physically anymore, I think he can show Manny how a body-puncher thinks, familiarize him with their tendencies.
Perhaps, but I’m not certain Cotto is going to use body work as much as his reputation might assume. He’s let that slip away. He head-hunted Margarito, which didn’t work, he head-hunted Jennings because he could, and he head-hunted Clottey because Clottey’s tight shell makes it tough to go to the body even if you want to.
Bad Left Hook
"Well Howie, I think I'm going to stay outside and outjab him." -- Tex Cobb telling Howard Cosell how he would approach Larry Holmes
by Scott Christ on Oct 21, 2009 8:18 AM EDT up reply actions
Cotto’s best bet is to go to the body, in my opinion. If he does, at least Manny would have been given “looks” by Castillo that Cotto might similarly employ. Now, if Cotto doesn’t go to the body…well, I’m not sure exactly how he would go about beating Pacquiao. From the outside? They’ve got the same reach and Manny’s faster. By timing him so precisely that Pacquiao runs into a big shot? I mean…what do you think?
I think his best bet is surely taking Pacquiao’s legs from him by going to the body, but he hasn’t really worked the body much in his last three fights, at least not as much as his reputation for being such a relentless body puncher would imply. There is nothing bad that comes from Pacquiao working on his defense and counter opportunities to the body, though, and even though JLC is shot and old, it’s not his mind that has abandoned him, but his body, so I do agree that he’s a good dude to bring in for body work, even if he can explain it better than perform it anymore.
Bad Left Hook
"Well Howie, I think I'm going to stay outside and outjab him." -- Tex Cobb telling Howard Cosell how he would approach Larry Holmes
by Scott Christ on Oct 21, 2009 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions
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