If there is a more keen and knowledgeable observer of the boxing scene in hotbed Puerto Rico than El Nuevo Dia scribe Jorge Perez, then I don’t know him.
I do know Perez for many years and his boxing reportage comes at you like a Manny Pacquiao blitz on Ricky Hatton.
You may not always agree with the Boricua fight writer but you always know where he stands.
Perez has been writing about boxing in his forceful but factual manner for about 30 years. The man has earned his stripes, trust.
SEE WILLIAM DETLOFF HBO.COM PIECE QUOTING PEREZ AS TO COTTO’S STATUS IN PUERTO RICAN RING HISTORY (June, 2009).
That said, I was happy when Perez offered up his brief but pungent prediction on how the Nov. 14 Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto battle will come out.
“Here’s my opinion:
“I think Cotto will win, and very possibly by KO.
“The reasons are the same been given by those who expect him to win: he’s bigger and punches harder than anybody Pacquiao has faced.
“But he’s not a plodding welterweight by any means: he can box, switch to his natural southpaw stance, is a great body puncher, has a good jab, and moves well around the ring.
“And also… he’s a bad motherplucker inside the ring.
“The importance of inexperienced trainer Jose Santiago has been exagerated, in my opinion. On one hand, Evangelista Cotto, his uncle and now former trainer and manager, had been critizized all the time for his lack of boxing experience: he never boxed and basically learned on the job while training his nephews and several other fighters in the Bairoa Gym in Caguas.
“If anything, I think Cotto may be a bit overconfident, thinking that he has had success handling other southpaws -Judah, Quintana- and also that Pacquiao is too small for him and that he could crumble when (and if) he starts landing hard to the body.”
I may agree to disagree with my respected colleague but for right now I only say, mucho gracias, Jorge!
