Roach: Pacquiao will knock out Cotto

Reuters - Thu, 29 Oct 09:17:00 2009

Manny Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach has predicted a knockout by the Filipino southpaw when he challenges Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto for the WBO welterweight title next month.

Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao (right) and his trainer Freddie Roach at a practice session at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood - 0

Roach had initially forecast the November 14 bout in Las Vegas would go the full distance but he has since changed his tune because of his fighter's impressive work in training camp.

"Camp is going very, very well and we are 100 per cent ready for the fight," Roach said.

"I feel like Manny, the way he is punching right now and with the power has at this weight, is going to knock Cotto out. I am very confident and I look forward to the win.

"I just think Miguel Cotto's defence isn't good enough. He's hittable and people that Manny can hit he knocks out."

Pacquiao, who has a career record of 49-3-2 with 37 knockouts, spent a month training with Roach in the Philippines before returning to Los Angeles this week to complete his preparations.

Although their time in Manila had to be cut short with Pacquiao being distracted by mass local attention, Roach described their trip to Asia as a great success overall.

"We had the best first four weeks we have ever had and Manny was on fire from day one," he said. "We are just getting ready for Miguel Cotto whatever he brings. If he wants to box us or if he wants to fight us, we are ready for both."

Pacquiao, a winner of six world titles in as many different weight divisions who is regarded by many as boxing's best pound-for-pound fighter, is again moving up in weight to take on Cotto.

He respectfully acknowledged the challenge posed by the Puerto Rican who retained his WBO title with a gruelling split decision win over Ghana's Joshua Clottey in June.

"Cotto is a bigger guy than me, a hard puncher and strong," Pacquiao said.

"He is the champion for this fight and I am the challenger.

"So I am not underestimating Cotto's abilities in boxing," added the Filipino, who cemented his status as the sport's top fighter with a stunning second round knockout of Britain's Ricky Hatton in May to claim the IBO light welterweight crown.

Cotto, 34-1 with 27 KOs, is renowned for his punching power, strength and intelligence but Roach firmly believes Pacquiao's speed will give him the upper hand.

"He (Cotto) makes certain adjustments when he fights southpaws and it's something we expect," Roach said. "But he has never fought a guy like Manny Pacquiao with his speed.

"I think he's going to have trouble with that speed. I really don't think he can handle it."

Roach also rebuffed the danger posed by the Puerto Rican's left hook.

"It's pretty strong but I don't think it's the strongest we ever faced though," he said. "Hatton was supposed to be stronger than us also but I had no worries about that because that doesn't win fights.

"Boxing ability will win fights and Manny is a better boxer than him and will show that on the night."

Reuters

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  1. HBO 24/7 on Youtoob, Youtoob (Youtube) reveals a lot.­ Cotto's camp looks good whilst it looks as though­ Manny is taking his eye off the ball a little. Either­ way, this will be a genuinely good fight as the­ priority is not money. I'll happily pay for this­ one! Floyd, eat a d ick you great duck.

    From pesajobs, on Tue 3 Nov 1:59PM

  2. Thanks Jack. I aint even the one who's fighting,­ yet as the fight gets nearer, i'm getting nervous.­ I'm a Pacquaio fan.This will be about two great­ fighters getting into the ring and giving it their all.­ I still think Pacauaio will take this by knockout, but ­ he must not lose concentration or Cotto could really­ hurt him.
    Bring it on. Cant wait.

    From jake, on Mon 2 Nov 5:37PM

  3. no jake,free to sky sports viewers

    From jack torrance, on Mon 2 Nov 1:51PM

  4. Maybe he thinks Manny can hear him. Is this fight­ going to be pay per view?

    From jake, on Mon 2 Nov 1:07PM

  5. Why are you shouting?

    From Lance, on Mon 2 Nov 12:32PM

  6. WHEN MANNY FOUGHT MARQUEZ THAT WAS WAY WAY BACK! HE IS­ A DIFFERENT FIGHTER NOW A MATHEMATICIAN ABLE TO­ CALCULATE AND ADJUST INSIDE THE RING! UNLIKE HIS­ PREVIOUS FIGHTS BEFORE, ABLE TO CHANGE AND ADD NEW­ TECHNIQUES TO EVERY NEW FIGHT... IT ALL STARTED BEFORE­ THE DE LA HOYA FIGHT! HE STARTED SPARRING W/ BIGGER­ GUYS AND THE TECHNIQUE THEY DEVELOPED ON THAT FIGHT W/­ DLH. HE WAS A LEFTY BACK THEN, BUT NOW HE CAN THROW­ POWER PUNCHES W/ BOTH HANDS AS A RESULT OF HATTON'S­ 1ST KNOCKOUT IN THE FIRST RND. EVEN MARQUEZ­ COACH/TRAINNER BERISTAIN ADMIT PACQUIAO ON DIFFERENT­ LEAGUE NOW! UNLIKE BEFORE.. SO STOP LOOKING BACK AND­ MOVE FORWARD PEOPLE.. THIS GUY CHANGES STYLE EVERY­ FIGHT! THAT MAKES HIM UNPREDICTABLE AND VERY HARD TO­ STUDY HE'S STYLE,MAKING HIM DIFFICULT TO BEAT! AND­ ALMOST ALL ALL TIME GREATS AND CRITCS AGREE EVEN WHEN­ IT COMES TO TRAINNING, NOBODY CAN MATCH MP's­ STYLE. IF YOU CHECKOUT PACQUIAO COTTO 24/7 EVEN THE­ PREVIOUS ONES W/DLH AND HATTON, THEY'RE ALL­ STUDYING THE OLD FIGHTS W/ MARQUEZ,BARRERA,MORALES­ THESE ARE ALL STYLES THAT PACQUIAO HAD AND ARE EXPIRED.­ THAT'S WHY COME FIGHT NIGHT ALL OF THEM ARE­ CONFUSED, WATCHING HIS LEFT HOOK AND GOT DECIEVED BY­ THE RIGHT! HAHA! IF THEY WANT TO BEAT PACQUIAO, THEY­ SHOULD KNOW HOW TO; TRAIN,ADOPT,THINK,FIGHT,PRAY AND­ HAVE GOOD HEART! ABLE TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE ABLE TO­ GIVE BACK THE BLESSINGS THAT HE HAS! THAT'S WHY­ NIKE KNOWS THAT, ( PAC KNOWS).

    From wewill pac u #1, on Mon 2 Nov 11:15AM

  7. WHEN MANNY FOUGHT MARQUEZ THAT WAS WAY WAY BACK! HE IS­ A DIFFERENT FIGHTER NOW A MATHEMATICIAN ABLE TO­ CALCULATE AND ADJUST INSIDE THE RING! UNLIKE HIS­ PREVIOUS FIGHTS BEFORE, ABLE TO CHANGE AND ADD NEW­ TECHNIQUES TO EVERY NEW FIGHT... IT ALL STARTED BEFORE­ THE DE LA HOYA FIGHT! HE STARTED SPARRING W/ BIGGER­ GUYS AND THE TECHNIQUE THEY DEVELOPED ON THAT FIGHT W/­ DLH. HE WAS A LEFTY BACK THEN, BUT NOW HE CAN THROW­ POWER PUNCHES W/ BOTH HANDS AS A RESULT OF HATTON'S­ 1ST KNOCKOUT IN THE FIRST RND. EVEN MARQUEZ­ COACH/TRAINNER BERISTAIN ADMIT PACQUIAO ON DIFFERENT­ LEAGUE NOW! UNLIKE BEFORE.. SO STOP LOOKING BACK AND­ MOVE FORWARD PEOPLE.. THIS GUY CHANGES STYLE EVERY­ FIGHT! THAT MAKES HIM UNPREDICTABLE AND VERY HARD TO­ STUDY HE'S STYLE,MAKING HIM DIFFICULT TO BEAT! AND­ ALMOST ALL ALL TIME GREATS AND CRITCS AGREE EVEN WHEN­ IT COMES TO TRAINNING, NOBODY CAN MATCH MP's­ STYLE. IF YOU CHECKOUT PACQUIAO COTTO 24/7 EVEN THE­ PREVIOUS ONES W/DLH AND HATTON, THEY'RE ALL­ STUDYING THE OLD FIGHTS W/ MARQUEZ,BARRERA,MORALES­ THESE ARE ALL STYLES THAT PACQUIAO HAD AND ARE EXPIRED.­ THAT'S WHY COME FIGHT NIGHT ALL OF THEM ARE­ CONFUSED, WATCHING HIS LEFT HOOK AND GOT DECIEVED BY­ THE RIGHT! HAHA! IF THEY WANT TO BEAT PACQUIAO, THEY­ SHOULD KNOW HOW TO; TRAIN,ADOPT,THINK,FIGHT,PRAY AND­ HAVE GOOD HEART! ABLE TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE ABLE TO­ GIVE BACK THE BLESSINGS THAT HE HAS! THAT'S WHY­ NIKE KNOWS THAT, ( PAC KNOWS).

    From wewill pac u #1, on Mon 2 Nov 11:14AM

  8. WHEN MANNY FOUGHT MARQUEZ THAT WAS WAY WAY BACK! HE IS­ A DIFFERENT FIGHTER NOW A MATHEMATICIAN ABLE TO­ CALCULATE AND ADJUST INSIDE THE RING! UNLIKE HIS­ PREVIOUS FIGHTS BEFORE, ABLE TO CHANGE AND ADD NEW­ TECHNIQUES TO EVERY NEW FIGHT... IT ALL STARTED BEFORE­ THE DE LA HOYA FIGHT! HE STARTED SPARRING W/ BIGGER­ GUYS AND THE TECHNIQUE THEY DEVELOPED ON THAT FIGHT W/­ DLH. HE WAS A LEFTY BACK THEN,BUT NOW HE CAN THROW­ POWER PUNCHES W/ BOTH HANDS AS A RESULT OF HATTON'S­ 1ST KNOCKOUT IN THE FIRST RND. EVEN MARQUEZ­ COACH/TRAINNER BERISTAIN ADMIT PACQUIAO ON DIFFERENT­ LEAGUE NOW! UNLIKE BEFORE.. SO STOP LOOKING BACK AND­ MOVE FORWARD PEOPLE.. THIS GUY CHANGES STYLE EVERY­ FIGHT! THAT MAKES HIM UNPREDICTABLE AND VERY HARD TO­ STUDY HE'S STYLE,MAKING HIM DIFFICULT TO BEAT! AND­ ALMOST ALL ALL TIME GREATS AND CRITCS AGREE EVEN WHEN­ IT COMES TO TRAINNING, NOBODY CAN MATCH MP's STYLE.­ IF YOU CHECKOUT PACQUIAO COTTO 24/7 EVEN THE PREVIOUS­ ONES W/DLH AND HATTON, THEY'RE ALL STUDYING THE OLD­ FIGHTS W/ MARQUEZ,BARRERA,MORALES THESE ARE ALL STYLES­ THAT PACQUIAO HAD AND ARE EXPIRED. THAT'S WHY COME­ FIGHT NIGHT ALL OF THEM ARE CONFUSED, WATCHING HIS LEFT­ HOOK AND GOT DECIEVED BY THE RIGHT! HAHA! IF THEY WANT­ TO BEAT PACQUIAO, THEY SHOULD KNOW HOW TO;­ TRAIN,ADOPT,THINK,FIGHT,PRAY AND HAVE GOOD HEART! ABLE­ TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE ABLE TO GIVE BACK THE BLESSINGS­ THAT HE HAS! THAT'S WHY NIKE KNOWS THAT,( PAC­ KNOWS).

    From wewill pac u #1, on Mon 2 Nov 11:10AM

  9. FMJ WOULD KO PACQUIao in 5rounds

    From Shaun, on Sun 1 Nov 6:26PM

  10. Maybe Pacquiao has a bit faster hand speed that­ Mayweather but not faster reflects and movement.­ FMJ's 'problem' is his 'one punch at­ the time' boxing style but he is flawless and­ comfortable in ring and that make impress the judges.

    From markoknuutinen, on Sun 1 Nov 5:37PM

  11. i believe manny will have to much for cotto mannys­ speed and boxing ability will give cotto nightmares i­ dont think he,ll be able to get his punches in manny ko­ win in round seven

    From *J* BEER*, on Sun 1 Nov 2:50PM

  12. yes. definitely.manny pacquio will knock out cotto­ maybe from round 1 to 5 because pacman beaten the all­ the best fighter in his wiegth category class.he HAS­ NOTHING TO PROVE HE IS THE GREATEST FIGHTER. NOLRM 96

    From marlon, on Sat 31 Oct 10:08AM

  13. fmj not in same class as shan mossley take osker fmj­ split dec take mossley well beat osker twice

    From Thomas, on Sat 31 Oct 1:05AM

  14. Brook pulled out with a virus!!!!!!!

    From The Xentertainer, on Fri 30 Oct 10:26PM

  15. Isn't there a rather good British title fight­ tonight, Brook v Jennings? What's the matter with­ Yahoo sport???

    From Lance, on Fri 30 Oct 8:12PM

  16. Pacqiao will be too fast and to unrelenting for Cotto­ who is a slow starter and starts to blow in the later­ rounds if put under pressure.Think Manny will stop him­ then lose to FMJ ( RSF on cuts or a points shut out)

    From jack torrance, on Thu 29 Oct 7:59PM

  17. i admire Cotto's camp.have we heard something from­ his coach? nah
    have Cotto come out making bla bla bla ?­ nah
    2 or 3 years ago,was Manny close to anything to­ Cotto? nah
    passive warriors thinks everyday is­ Christmas, but the Miguel Cotto we know ,and used to­ know will KO Pacman for real.expect many upsets come­ November 14th,both in soccer and boxing!

    From marcel, on Thu 29 Oct 7:47PM

  18. FMJ has incredible hand-speed and would go toe-to-toe­ with the Pacman if necessary. I think FMJ would absorb­ him for a couple of rounds and then send the Pac on the­ back-foot (just as Marquez did in their first fight)­ before taking a points decision by 3 rounds.

    From The Xentertainer, on Thu 29 Oct 7:30PM

  19. I have a feeling Pacquiao will catch Cotto's Left­ hook in the 2-6th round.
    Im a pacquiao Fan but i just­ dont think he can take Cotto

    From june ralph, on Thu 29 Oct 5:43PM

  20. j b, how exactly would Mayweather school Pacquaio? You­ think Pacquiao is over rated? My friend am sorry to­ say, but i dont think you know much about boxing.­ Pacquaio is a guy who has got better and better. He is­ someone who is always willing to learn new things and­ listen to his trainer. Pacquiao struggled against­ Marquez, Mayweather easily beat Marquez. Pacquiao­ destroyed a very good fighter like Hatton in 2rounds,­ Mayweather struggled to beat Hatton, despite the­ referee Cortez, doing his best to stop Hatton from­ fighting in close.
    Hatton destroyed Castillo in 4­ rounds, Mayyweather had to fight the guy twice and­ couldnt do it.
    Mayweather at his peak could only take a­ split decision against De La Hoya, who was on the­ slide, just imagine if they had met at De La Hoya's­ peak?
    We could go back and forth for ages. Different­ fighters pose different threats. Mayweather is a­ brillaint fighter, but he does not throw enough­ punches. A guy like Pacquaio throws a hell of a lot,­ so Mayweather in the judges eyes would lose the­ fight.
    To be the best, you have got to fight the best.­ Pacquaio is fighting everyone and is going up a weight.­ I would like to see Mayweather take on someone like­ Mosley, Williams, guys who are as big as him and who­ pose a real threat to him.
    Pacquaio to win by ko­ against a great fighter like Cotto.

    From jake, on Thu 29 Oct 1:53PM
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