"Well, you know, before the fight, I'm sure Cotto picked Oscar to win, like everybody else. That's the nature of the business. You know, the thing is, if you beat him, he was washed up, if you lose to him, you're a bum. At least we didn't lose to those guys. Ricky Hatton was way overrated, I agree with you. I think I predicted the early knockout and it came true. But Pacquiao is on top of his game right now, but I do expect Cotto to be a little more resilient and give us a better fight than those two guys and he better be ready," stated world-class trainer Freddie Roach in a recent interview with FightHype.com as he responded to recent comments made by Miguel Cotto regarding his star pupil, Manny Pacquiao.
Although Roach believes Cotto will provide a more difficult challenge than recent opponents, he's still confident that Manny Pacquiao will too fast, too sharp and too smart for Puerto Rican superstar. "We're not going to stand in front of this guy and trade with him. Manny's a much smarter fighter. Now he's boxing very smartly and we're going to expose Cotto. His skills are not quite where they used to be I feel and we're going to expose him," Roach continued, stressing his belief that Miguel Cotto is not the same fighter he once was prior to his grueling battle with Antonio Margarito.
While contracts have yet to be signed by either fighter and there's some controversy as to whether or not Cotto's WBO welterweight title will be on the line, promoter Bob Arum is steadfast in his belief that there are no roadblocks to the bout taking place on November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.