Miguel Cotto risks his chances of winning three successive fights after his devastating loss to Antonio Margarito when he faces Manny Pacquiao on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
If the Puerto Rican boxer Miguel Cotto insists on using his old boxing style when he faces Manny Pacquiao, he will find himself in trouble as he may be knocked out in the early rounds of their fight this Saturday at the MGM Grand.
If Cotto insist on his slow foot defensive stance that earned him 34 wins in his professional boxing career, he is in for a big surprise. If he thinks Pacquiao is an easy target, he is mistaken. Pacquiao knows how to handle Cotto’s predictable style. And if Cotto continues to use his natural fighting stance, there is a very strong possibility that Pacquiao will hit him with his powerful left hook and finish his chances of facing Margarito again for much bigger purse. .
Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s long-time trainer and coach, once commented on Pacquiao’s powerful left hook saying he is just amazed at how or where Pacquiao gets that kind of power despite his relatively smaller body frame and built.
Roach knows his man so well and he also knows that if Cotto gets careless with his defenses, Pacquiao may just surprise him with his vaunted left hook that may require the referee to stop the fight without even starting to count. If that happens, boxing fans including those who are hooked to their PPV screens and the audience inside the MGM Grand garden arena will definitely protest, cry foul and feel shortchanged for watching a short-lived boxing event.
All along, Roach is saying that the Cotto handlers may come up with different strategy to address Pacquiao’s speed and power. He maintains that Cotto will revert midway or even earlier in the rounds to his original fighting style, simply because Cotto is used to it and has been comfortable with that kind of fighting style.
Freddie Roach knows so well that it will take years to change every boxer’s natural fighting style. In the case of Pacquiao, it took him almost five years to develop his right hand and make it as powerful as his left. You just can’t do it overnight or in a little over two months in the case of Cotto, Roach explained Three days before fight night, Roach maintains that Pacquiao is at his best condition ever. The award winning trainer and coach likewise believe that Cotto is no longer the same great boxer that he was after his devastating loss to Antonio Margarito. Th camp of Cotto says that the Puerto Rican boxer is much more superior in terms power punches which can hurt Pacquiao if he is not careful with his defences. But Pacquiao is expected to dance around Cotto to find his range and go for the kill once he finds Cotto ‘sleeping’ in the early rounds.
This opinion article was written by an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not necessarily intended to reflect those of DigitalJournal.com
