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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.