"In the future, I don't hear of any immediate plans for Miguel to fight Martinez probably for the simple reason of the promotional agreements, which we learned are more important than what the public wants. Certain promoters are not going to let their fighters fight other promoters' fighters. That is something that can happen down the line, but there are not any plans for Cotto to fight Martinez," stated Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward as he talked about the future plans of Miguel Cotto after his impressive 12th round TKO of Ricardo Mayorga this past Saturday. Check out what else he had to say about the performance, the highly-anticipated showdown between Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye, and much more.
JA: Emanuel, you must be really pleased with the performance of Andy and Miguel this past Saturday night. Did you get a chance to watch Andy's performance and if so, what were your thoughts on it?
ES: I watched the fight and it wasn't a good performance on Andy's part, which he admitted later, but I will say that I like the fact that he found a way to win and that is something that all good fighters do. All good fighters find a way to win and most of the time, fighters will not have a chance to win the fight on their skill alone and they actually have to dig deep down inside and salvage the victory. Going into the fight, Andy was physically weak, but he didn't want to wait another three years to build back up again after his previous loss, so he went out there and let it all hang out and threw power shots and was fortunate enough to get the knockout. It was a test of his character and he came through and with that, I'm very proud of him.
JA: I don't know if you listened to the HBO broadcast, but Max Kellerman and Jim Lampley said that with Andy Lee winning the fight, it saved his career as a contender in the middleweight division. Do you agree with the statement they made?
ES: If your winning a fight the whole way and your supposed to win the fight, and you get caught in a situation like that where you're losing the fight and your physically not being there 100%, to overcome and win the fight on true guts and inner strength, it builds a character that you will never ever forget. Regardless of what happens in his upcoming fights, he will know now that he can always turn around and come from behind and get the victory with one punch. I think that this is a very good point in his career to have this experience happen to him.
JA: Sugar Hill replaced you in the corner for the fight and gave great instruction. Would you have said the same thing to Andy if you were in the corner?
ES: I didn't see any problems with the instructions in the corner. I thought the instructions were good, but the performance in the ring was not okay because Andy was so weak with his combinations and punches. I understood the situation and the most important thing is that he came out with the victory.
JA: Going into the fight with Miguel Cotto and Ricardo Mayorga, you thought that Miguel would get Mayorga out inside of four rounds, but you saw a different Ricardo Mayorga come out in that fight.
ES: Yes, I was surprised. I knew that Mayorga was going to be in great shape because I knew he had been continually training since November for the fight that he had in January. His camp didn't let him take a break for this fight and kept him in camp. The fight was very important to Mayorga because it was the opening of the door to a big money fight with Manny Pacquiao, so he trained with a whole different desire and enthusiasm for the fight than he did with his fights against Mosley, De La Hoya, and those type of guys. I thought we would catch him with the left hook as he was throwing the left hook. Miguel did engage him and caught him with the left hook, but I was surprised at the ability of Mayorga to take the punch. The left hook was the same punch that put him down in the twelfth round. The left hook was a punch that we worked on and rehearsed countless times in the gym. Miguel fought the way he was told to fight and that was not to run and try to get Mayorga in exchanges and catch him with his punches. Not only did Mayorga take the punch to my surprise, but it seemed like he was getting stronger as the fight went on.
JA: Do you think that Miguel's fight against Mayorga was his best performance to date?
ES: This was one of his best performances because he demonstrated the use of boxing and punching. He had to box and exchange with Mayorga; he got hit and had to make adjustments throughout the fight. I thought it was a good fight for him. He fought a disciplined fight and didn't get drawn into the tactics of Mayorga. I was very happy.
JA: This was your second fight with Miguel. Are you two more comfortable working together?
ES: We are definitely more comfortable working together compared to the first fight I worked with him, and that's normal. It takes time to develop a comfort level between trainer and fighter. I understand Miguel even more now, not as a boxer, but as a person. We realize that all of the fights he has will be difficult fights. They will be top of the line fights with the likes of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Sergio Martinez, Antonio Margarito, Manny Pacquiao, and Floyd Mayweather. It's going to take a lot of focus and concentration because the guys I mentioned will not be easy fights.
JA: After Sergio Martinez won his fight Saturday night, a lot of people were speculating that a possible Cotto-Martinez fight would happen. What are your thoughts on Sergio Martinez?
ES: From what I saw, I thought he looked fantastic. He's always been a great fighter and to have the punching power and the showmanship he has is incredible. He's the complete package. In the future, I don't hear of any immediate plans for Miguel to fight Martinez probably for the simple reason of the promotional agreements, which we learned are more important than what the public wants. Certain promoters are not going to let their fighters fight other promoters' fighters. That is something that can happen down the line, but there are not any plans for Cotto to fight Martinez.
JA: Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye have finally signed the contracts and they will be fighting this summer. You must be excited about the fight.
ES: Well, the fight between Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye is a fight that I wanted to see for a long time now, not speaking as a trainer, but as a fight fan because it's the only heavyweight fight out there that the public wants to see. It's going to be an interesting fight and it will be explosive because you have two fighters who are extremely fast and can punch. I think the emotions coming into the fight will make the fight very explosive. With both guys having suspect chins and being very explosive, I think there will be a knockout early in the fight.
JA: How do you prepare for that particular situation?
ES: Well, we don't prepare for one particular situation, but we bring in fast sparring partners because David Haye is fast. We're not going to get too focused on any one particular style David has. David Haye is very fast and is a very explosive fighter, and also dangerous.
JA: Before I let you go, I was wondering how your boxing clinics have been going?
ES: All of the boxing clinics in London, Chicago, Atlanta and Texas have been well-attended by the fight fans. There has been demand for more boxing clinics in the same exact cities and we are looking at putting the clinic in other cities across the country. We've been getting officials, referees, trainers, boxers, and media guys have been coming out to the clinic. You can go to www.emanuelstewardonline.com for upcoming information on future clinics.
JA: Is there anything that you want to say in closing to your fans?
ES: Well fight fans, we can get excited for some of the upcoming fights that we will be having in 2011 with the new fighters that have been emerging on the boxing scene. I think a lot of the fighters this year, with Pacquiao, Martinez, Cotto, and with the fight coming up in a few weeks between Victor Ortiz vs. Andre Berto will be exciting. 2011 is going to be a great year compared to 2010.