COTTO READY FOR PACQUIAO, SAYS LANDMAN
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 04 Nov 2009
“They can do what they want and say what they want, Miguel doesn’t pay much attention to those things.”
Thus declared World Boxing Association welterweight champion Miguel Cotto’s conditioning coach Phil Landman by way of reacting to his ward’s almost not getting the attention his November 14 opponent Manny Pacquiao has been getting.
Landman, in an interview with broadcast journalist Dennis Principe in his program ‘Sports Chat’ yesterday, said Cotto, who will be staking his 147-pound crown in that 12-round encounter with the Filipino icon at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, said the Puerto Rican is actually benefitting from the lesser attention the media is according him.
“Yeah, I think so. This less-superstar status Miguel is getting is giving him more precious time to focus on the things that matter most,” Landman said.
The International Boxing Organization junior-welterweight champion’s famous trainer and psywar master Freddie Roach has been doing all the talking for Team Pacquiao, obviously in his efforts to get the goat of their once-beaten but still formidable foe.
“A lot of what Freddie says is to get in camp Cotto’s heads. There is nothing wrong with that. That’s boxing. No one knows what can happen. The fight could go a lot of different ways and that’s why it’s going to be a great fight,” fight promoter Bob Arum said in a recent conference call in justifying Roach’s verbal assault on Cotto.
Roach, in a separate interview, even claimed he has placed a huge bet on a first round knockout win for his prized ward to which Landman said: “So far, Roach is coming up short with his shots.”
Now working on his ninth fight with Cotto, Landman assured that the program he has established from the day they first met has been greatly absorbed by his fighter.
Proof of this, added Landman, is the constant ability of the longtime light welterweight champion Cotto to deal with all type of fighters the welterweight can offer, speed and power wise.
“Since we arrived we knew what we have to achieve and we knew exactly the kind of work to be done and we’ve done that,” said Landman “We try to make new things but for the most part we generally stick to something that has worked.”
Landman’s job as Cotto’s conditioning coach started when the Puerto Rican made his debut in the tough 147lb division in December 2006. By that time Cotto had already beaten most, if not all who challenged his supremacy light welterweight class.
Cotto’s booming entry into the welterweight derby, a fifth round stoppage of compatriot Carlos Quintana, gifted him the vacant World Boxing Association belt.
Cotto finally reached full stardom after scoring a close but deserving 12-round verdict over longtime pound-for-pound entrant Shane Mosley in a WBA title defense November of 2007 at the Madison Square Garden in New York.
Cotto’s celebrity status however came to a screeching halt after he was battered to a pulp by Mexican warrior Antonio Margarito via an 11th round stoppage in July 2007 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Back-to-back wins after the Margarito setback somewhat regained for Cotto some of the luster he lost. But what pushed Cotto closer to recapturing his lofty position was the issue that befell Margarito who was caught red-handed of using plaster-like substance on his hand wraps moments before the Mexican’s title defense opposite Mosley early this year in Los Angeles.
“Pacquiao’s our next main objective and were giving everything to attain that,” Landman said. “Since we arrived we knew what we have to achieve and we knew what exactly the kind of work to be done and we’ve done that.”
“Obviously he (Pacquiao is the best in the sport. We try to make new things but for the most part we generally stick to the plan and something that has worked,” he bared. “We always try to make it interesting but we make adjustments just a little bit. Miguel doesn’t need anything to get motivated because in fighting Manny Pacquiao, That alone keeps him motivated.”
Speaking of the catch-weight Pacquiao and Cotto will be fighting, Landman said: “We don’t really need to be motivated. At 145 he will come in as strong as he was fighting at 147.”
* * *
Eddie Alinea is also the editor of The Philippine Gazette.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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