Miguel Cotto looked as sharp and powerful as he ever has during his media workout which lasted well over an hour and consisted of stretching, jumping rope, shadowboxing, mitt work and more stretching. After Cotto worked on his final preparations at the Trinity Boxing Club in lower Manhattan for Saturday’s big Welterweight unification clash at Madison Square Garden, he spoke briefly with BoxingInsider.com before departing the gym with his training team, Top Rank reps and wife and three children:
BoxingInsider: Miguel what do you think is going to be the difference, the key to winning this fight?
Miguel Cotto: “The way of my fight is going to be the key. The way of my fighting – and my fighting pace is going to be the key in this fight.”
BoxingInsider: What most concerns you about Clottey? He appears to be very confident.
Miguel Cotto: “I don’t have to concern anything about Clottey. I have to be prepared for anything he can bring for me.”
WBO Welterweight champ Miguel Cotto says he feels better than he ever has in his entire career. The normally extremely, let me repeat – extremely humble Miguel Cotto, if you read between the lines of what he said today, seems to be feeling ultra-super-confident as he heads into Saturday night’s clash with Joshua Clottey which most of the media is calling a surefire, guaranteed to be exciting, 50-50 fight. Also, it must be added that Miguel Cotto is as likeable and honorable champ this sport has ever produced…
“I trained well, getting away from the distractions, I feel myself…more focused.”
“If you follow my fights, my career, I never said No to anyone. I’m always ready to fight anybody my company puts in front of me. No matter if other boxers don’t want to face them or not. I’m here for the real fighters, the real fights, I’m not here to be one of the greatest.”
“I want the best for my kids. And the only way God bring me the opportunity to bring the best to them is boxing. And I have to do well.”
“In the beginning I didn’t watch the most skills guys, the certain others in my town. With a lot of sacrifice, a lot of hard work I commit myself in the boxer I am today. I feel this is my strongest weapon – my ability to work, to get tired in the ring and learn. And everybody who try to help me, I bring them with me.”
On learning English: “Because I want to say to the people myself. Sometimes when you use a translator, they cut something you said, or they add something you didn’t say. If you want to do something well you have to do it yourself. The major guy who helped me is Phil Landman my personal trainer. He came to Puerto Rico to help me with my physical preparation in 2004. The only way I have to talk with him is to talk in English. The only way I have to understand him is in English. He helped me a lot. I went to school Pan American school of Language in Puerto Rico, he helped me a lot.”
“I can tell you right now, the first 2-3 rounds of the fight determine what you’re going to use for the rest of the fight. But I train myself very well, I sacrifice myself a lot. For the last 18 years and especially the last eight weeks. I train very good and I didn’t feel myself well enough like now, two years ago. I feel myself now better than before.”
“I’m not the boxer who sits and watch fights, fights, watch my opponent, opponent. I saw some rounds from different kinds of fights of my opponent. I, like, retain what I see, my mind try to adapt myself to his kind of style.”