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Miguel Cotto said in a conference call with the media that he's not hung up on the fact that he didn't face Floyd Mayweather Jr years ago when both were Top Rank-contracted fighters, and that he believes the time is right for their May 5 fight on HBO pay-per-view.
"Everything happens in life for a reason," said Cotto. "Fights can’t happen four, five, six years ago, but they happen now. I feel better right now. I feel this is—after the Margarito fight on December 3rd, I feel much, much better with myself. I think this is the right moment for this fight."
Cotto (37-2, 30 KO) feels, as he has said many times now, that he's back to his old self following his revenge win on December 3 over Antonio Margarito.
"I have everything I took from Margarito’s victory—things he stole from me, things he grabbed from me. I have it back, and I feel much better right now."
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Whether or not there has ever been a "good" time for Cotto to face Mayweather (42-0, 26 KO) is another story, as most seem to feel that Cotto simply doesn't have the ability to defeat someone on Floyd's level. But if the time has ever been right, this may be it. Apart from Cotto's talk of having rediscovered his passion for boxing and finding peace in his life, there's also the fact that Mayweather is facing a jail sentence that is set to begin in June.
If Floyd Mayweather was ever going to be distracted from a fight, this might be it. Combined with the fact that Cotto seems incredibly confident in trainer Pedro Diaz's game plan for the fight, and you might have as close to a recipe for success as anyone is going to come up with to face Mayweather.
"It’s amazing having Pedro here. I’ve known Pedro since 1996," said Cotto. "Having Pedro here, having a Cuban Latin guy working with us, with his experience, with all the knowledge he has in boxing, makes me feel and work more comfortably."
"He said to me, I’m not here to give to you new things. You are a veteran fighter, and I’m just here to take things you put in your sight back in the game. That’s the main purpose of Pedro in my corner to make me feel like the Miguel of the beginning, and make me feel like the Miguel that basically you saw with Mosley. This Miguel you’re going to see on May 5th."