Cotto tells Pacquiao to prepare for war
by Scott Christ on Jul 30, 2009 5:01 PM EDT
in Boxing News Analysis
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Miguel Cotto spoke with Primera Hora in Puerto Rico (link via BoxingScene.com) and had some stern words for his November 14 opponent, Manny Pacquiao:
"I have some news for Freddie [Roach]: I am not Oscar de la Hoya, who was caught at the end of his career, and I am not overrated like Ricky Hatton. Roach knows what Pacquiao will be facing on November 14. It will be a war."
Cotto usually isn't a big talker, but he seems pretty hyped for this one, and he should be. If he beats Manny Pacquiao, it does massive wonders for his career. He's going against the best, and he knows it. A war is what we all expect, and I don't think Cotto will fail to do his part in delivering one.
I also will say again that I do think this is potentially the biggest test of Manny Pacquiao's career. I don't agree with Cotto that Hatton is or was overrated, really, but yeah, Oscar was at the end, and Freddie Roach knew it. I'm not saying Cotto is a better boxer than Juan Manuel Marquez, or even the first incarnations of Erik Morales or Marco Antonio Barrera that Pacquiao met, but this is a heavy, probably max weight for Pacquiao, and Cotto's legit.
As for the title situation, Cotto isn't budging:
"If the WBO doesn't agree with my decision, then I will gladly deliver to them the title. I do not have any problems with that. The WBO has the legal authority to dismiss me as champion and I will gladly deliver them the title. [WBO president] Paco Valcarel knows better than anybody that 145 is not a division. If Pacquiao wants the fight to be for the title, it will have to be at 147 pounds."
I say good for Cotto. If Pacquiao wants the welterweight title, give up the two pounds. Or fight Shane Mosley, I guess, who I think at this point would be thrilled to put his 147-pound strap on the line with a 145-pound weight limit. Cotto signed an extension with Top Rank, gave up two pounds, and now he's saying that enough is enough. Not everyone will agree, of course, but I think he's doing the right thing. He's conceded enough and done enough to make this fight happen. It's also nice to see someone else taking a stand against the bogus sanctioning bodies. Cotto has his mind set, and he's willing to do what it takes -- giving up his title -- to stand with his beliefs.
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Not everyone will agree, of course, but I think he’s doing the right thing.
Well, I agree. There’s only so much you can do. I do think the historical factor of the belt being on the line would add to the drama, but there’s no reason that Cotto should have to bend any more than he has. Even if it were on the line, it wouldn’t change the fact that the fight is happening under the limit. Also, there’s the question of whether or not Pacquiao would even defend it if he won it. Given he’s unwilling to challenge at 147, the answer is a big fat no. So the victory wouldn’t necessarily mean what some people would think it meant.
"This fight'll be the nastiest thing you'll ever see. I been sober for six weeks, and that makes me vicious."
-- Randall 'Tex' Cobb
seriously
what the hell is the big deal about this worthless wbo title? i don’t get it.
maybe the wbo can make a special wbo intercontinental americas northern european union title for this fight so cotto can still hold on to his precious and meaningless strap.
all that matters is that we get a 12 round fight.
This is going to be like music to Roach’s ears.
Cotto doesn’t trash talk because he doesn’t have to he can just bring it to the ring fight and win.
Now he’s trash talking you really have to question whats going through his head.
Overcompensation is something I never thought I’d see Cotto do but I think he realises he may have bitten off more than he can chew.
If Cotto has that kind of mentality where he thinks he has to talk smack I think he’s not going to last very long in there.
Maybe he's getting prepared for the 24/7 cameras
So far, the 24/7s that don’t involve any Mayweathers (Calzaghe-Jones and DLH-Pac) have been flops. He’s trying to become more Mayweather-like for the cameras.
I’m a bit torn on this one. As much as I’d like to think they don’t, the titles do matter a little bit to me. The part that annoys me the most is that Cotto started out saying that he didn’t want to defend it because the sanctioning fee would be exorbitant. If that was the real reason, I could understand, but to hold it back because of the weight, after the weight has already been negotiated and the fight has already been signed, seems petty to me.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
I don't see how it's petty, though
I mean, it could be a little of both. The belts are important to the fighters as marketing tools for their fights, so putting one on the line is a legitimate risk of future earnings. He’s already agreed to fight at a weight less favorable to him, and isn’t holding the other guy’s feet to the fire on purse. When you add in a hefty sanctioning fee and the risk of losing a belt at a lower weight then he won it at to a guy who has no intention of defending it, it does seem like asking Cotto to be a little “extra fair.” Even though the way Cotto won the belt was pretty much ludicrous, he did do it at the true welterweight limit, and has defended it against a real competitor. The fight is not only about giving Manny a shot at some historical “achievement.” I mean It’s not like Homicide Hank asked for all these concessions.
"This fight'll be the nastiest thing you'll ever see. I been sober for six weeks, and that makes me vicious."
-- Randall 'Tex' Cobb
Gotta Say.
I’m really excited about this fight. I’m planning on getting all my friends that might be remotely interested in the sport together to watch this thing because I believe it’ll get them off the fence and onto our side. With my favorite active fighter facing off against the reigning pound for pound king, I couldn’t be happier. I realize that my guy is a serious underdog, but I could care less right now. This is great for boxing and I’m already pysched!
"A player who conjugates a verb in the first person singular cannot be part of the squad, he has to conjugate the verb in the first person plural. We. We want to conquer. We are going to conquer. Using the word 'I' when you're in a group makes things complicated." ~ Wanderley Luxemburgo, 1999
me too brother
Boxing writer: "Iran, what are you going to do when you retire?"
Iran Barkley: "Rob your house"
I'm with Cotto
I agree with Cotto as well. If Pac wants a welterweight title fight, he’s free to fight a normal welterweight bout. Why did Pac’s camp mandate a catch-weight? Presumably because Cotto is too big at 147. If that’s so, then it doesn’t make sense to demand the belt, because Pac’s people are essentially admitting he is not a welterweight.
Alternatively, they may just have wanted to drain Cotto a little bit to give their guy an advantage, in which case turnabout is fair play.
Exactly.
Cotto may be weaseling this through to keep the belt, but Pacquiao’s people should have thought about this ahead of time if they really cared. It is like a boxer getting mad because he didn’t prepare for the fight properly and now his opponent is taking advantage of that in the ring.
*Unless KP has a secret plan that makes this statement incorrect.
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