Pacquiao vs CottoMiguel Cotto is convinced that he would beat Manny Pacquiao on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) in Las Vegas, saying that he couldn’t care less what other people think.
“I have done the right things in my camp to make a great fight on Saturday the 14th. I have no doubt I’m going to be the winner of this fight. It is going to be a great fight for me and the fans and all the boxing world,” said the Puerto Rican champion.
Less than a week before facing the Filipino pound-for-pound king, Cotto was interviewed by boxing writers through a teleconference arranged by promoter Bob Arum.
Cotto is set to leave his camp in Tampa, Florida for Las Vegas to wrap up his training that began in Puerto Rico.
The 28-year-old welterweight champion said he doesn’t pay much attention to people who don’t believe in him.
“I have to do my best whether the people believe in me or not. I am here for me, my family and the people that want to follow Miguel Cotto,” he said.
On Freddie Roach’s prediction that he would be knocked out in the first round by Pacquiao, Cotto had a mouthful to say.
“Forget about Freddie Roach. The only thing Freddie can do is train Manny. He can’t go over the ropes and into the ring to fight against Miguel Cotto. He can only train Manny the best he can,” Cotto said.
“He may say and think Manny will knock me out but at the end of the day, it is just Manny and Miguel Cotto in the ring. No matter what kind of things Freddie Roach says before the fight?I have a very strong mind. The psyche game? I’m not going to follow that game,” he added.
Cotto said Pacquiao’s renowned speed won’t be a factor.
“You know what? That’s why we prepare ourselves. He’s a fast fighter. We know he has speed. We know he has a style and we are prepared to beat it. You’ll find out on the 14th how I am going to deal with his speed. It’s not going to be a factor even though everyone thinks it is,” he said.
Cotto said he doesn’t mind being overlooked by the international media.
“I am here to do my work. I am not an artist. I am just a boxer and I have to be focused on the things I am going to do on the 14th and that is the reason I am here,” he said.
Arum believes that the Pacquiao-Cotto fight is more evenly matched than the recent showdown between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez.
“Most journalists did not give Marquez any chance, and rightly so, against Mayweather and in this fight the journalists are split in their views as to who is going to win,” Arum said. “This is a much more competitive fight and one of the most competitive fights of the year.”
Cotto is a 3-1 underdog against Pacquiao, but Arum said odds are merely reflection on how people are betting.
“The money that’s been coming into the sports book is Philippine money coming heavy on many Pacquiao and that has no reflection at all on how close this fight is or who is the better fighter. In other words, if some millionaires from Puerto Rico got on a plane tonight and bet big sums of money on Miguel, he would be the favorite,” Arum said.
Cotto said that all the betting for Pacquiao is not going to change the result of the fight.
“If the people bet for Manny, it is all right with me. I am here for myself and not any kind of bet,” he said.
All talks about Pacquiao fighting Mayweather don’t bother Cotto.
“It’s really not important to me what the boxing world wants to see. Once I beat Manny Pacquiao they can continue their plans and do what they want but I am not going home without winning this fight,” he said.
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Source: mb.com.ph
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