GL: The Mosley-Cotto November 10th PPV fight is about to be announced next week at a press tour starting in Puerto Rico. Can you give us some thought on the November 10th event? “Everybody is very excited about that fight, the ticket requests have been enormous. We’re looking for another sell-out at Madison Square Garden. It’s going to be a great night for boxing.”
GL: Who do you have fighting on November 10th?
BA: We hope it will be Jorge Arce against Martin Castillo, and we also want to showcase Victor Ortiz.
GL: Why is Cotto going to win on November 10th?
BA: I think that Cotto’s the up-and-coming rising star, I think he’s got the firepower to beat Mosley. It’s a great fight, it could go either way.
GL: In your opinion, how much of a step up from Zab Judah is Shane Mosley?
BA: I think Shane Mosley has been one of the top fighters in the world for a number of years. He’s got the two victories over De La Hoya, he’s a top ranked fighter with a lot of skills. He’s well coached, he presents a formiddable challenge for Cotto.
GL: Although everybody is expecting excitment and it’s a pick-em fight, there seems to be a concensus that Mosley should be the favorite for that fight. Would you agree with that?
BA: I don’t know what that means, “considered the favorite,” they’re tallking about the betting line.
GL: Although it’s a pick-em exciting fight, most people I’ve spoken to expect Mosley to win.
BA: That’s their opinion, we expect Cotto to win.
GL: What I’m asking you is, does that surprise you?
BA: No, it doesn’t surprise me at all. Mosley has been one of the top fighters in the world for many years, and I’m not surprised that people think he can win. We make our own decisions at Top Rank, and we feel that the time was for Cotto to fight Mosley. We feel that he now has the experience and the ability to handle it.
GL: On November 17th, you guys are doing a promotion with Golden Boy, Guzman vs. Soto. That has fight of the year candidate written all over it, but it seems to be almost getting overlooked amidst all the PPV’s that are on the table. What can we expect to see on November 17th, and do you agree that it’s kind of getting lost in the shuffle, because of all these big PPV’s?
BA: Again, that fight is a while away, and it will get good publicity when the time comes. Yes, it is getting lost in the shuffle, it’s two foreigners fighting. A lot of these other fights are stirring more interest, but there’ll be plenty of interest when that fight happens.
GL: October 6th is a lot closer to us than November 17th. Give us some thoughts on October 6th, and tell us why, in your opinion, it’s going to be a repeat performance for Manny Pacquiao.
BA: I don’t know if it’s going to be a repeat performance. I’m concerned that Manny Pacquiao is not training in Los Angeles. Barrera’s the kind of fighter, that just when everybody counts him out, he gives an unbelievable performance. I’m not looking for a repeat of what happened a number of years ago, when Pacquiao first fought Barrera. I think it’s going to be a very close competitive fight.
GL: Has it been difficult for you guys to monitor Pacquiao’s progress in training camp, since he’s been training overseas?
BA: Yes, but one thing we have going for us is that Freddie is over there training with him. We get reports from Freddie every couple of days. Again, the fight that we’re really concentrating on, and I think it’s the most important fight, is Kelly Pavlik and Jermain Taylor, on September 29th. Pavilk is training tremendously well, and we’re looking forward to a Pavlik victory.
GL: When is Margarito coming back?
BA: We’re talking to Showtime about the possibility of the Cintron-Margarito fight on December 1st.
GL: Is Castillo retiring, is he still with Top Rank?
BA: Castillo is fighting, I think, in Mexico.
GL: Does he have to show you something before you take a serious interest in putting him in another marquee fight?
BA: After his last performance, sure. Who are you going to fight him with in a marquee fight?
GL: Give us some closing thoughts for the fans.
BA: I just think that Kelley Pavlik and Jermain Taylor, Manny Pacquiao against Barrera, Miguel Cotto fighting Shane Mosley, Guzman and Soto, those are great fights, there should be a lot of action. We are eagerly anticipating those event taking place.
