Cotto out to frustrate Pacquiao’s 7-title bid

HOLLYWOOD – Miguel Cotto acknowledges his underdog status in his coming fight with Manny Pacquiao where he stakes his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title. But he guarantees to prove the skeptics wrong on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas (Nov. 15 in Manila). “I have no doubt I am going to be the winner of this fight," said the WBO champ. Cotto said he would not allow Pacquiao to earn another career milestone at his own expense. “If he (Pacquiao) thinks he is going to win seven titles in seven weight divisions now, he has picked the wrong moment, the wrong fighter and the wrong opponent," said Cotto in a live phone patch interview with international media from his training camp in Las Vegas. “If he thinks he is going to win a seventh title against Miguel Cotto, he is very wrong." Going into the fight, Pacquiao has already won titles at flyweight, super-bantamweight, featherweight, super-featherweight, lightweight and junior welterweight, hoping to add Cotto’s welterweight belt to his championship collection. But that won’t happen, according to Cotto. “He is coming from a lower weight division, and if he thinks he is going to have the same power as Miguel Cotto, he is thinking wrong," said the Boricuan bomber. Combative Cotto The combative words were the most Cotto had uttered since the bout was sealed four months ago, usually contented at giving the spotlight to trainer Joe Santiago, whose word war with Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach added color and twist as the drama for the fight builds up. Even Roach’s scathing remarks – a first-round KO win for the Pacman - hardly affect him, Cotto said. “Forget about Freddie Roach," Cotto remarked. “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. “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." While he did admit Pacquiao is the quicker fighter between them, the champion from Caguas, Puerto Rico said he’s ready to counter that advantage of the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world. “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 also stressed that he’s not having problems meeting the catch weight of 145 pounds, saying he’ll be able to make the limit come the weigh-in on Friday (Saturday in Manila). He also said that he’s hardly bothered if oddsmakers put him a 3-1 underdog against his highly-popular opponent. “I don’t know anything about the betting business. If the people bet for Manny, that’s all right with me. I am here for myself and not for any kind of bet," he added. - GMANews.TV