Miguel is going to win the fight

HOLLYWOOD - Miguel Cotto’s camp declared that making the weight won’t be a problem for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion with his potentially explosive title showdown with Manny Pacquiao just around the corner.

The weight issue is actually of no concern for Cotto’s camp that trainer Joe Santiago is already predicting a victory for his Puerto Rican ward’s scheduled Nov. 14 slugfest against Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“We don’t doubt that Miguel is going to win this fight," said Santiago during Cotto’s media workout Tuesday (Wednesday Manilatime) at the Pound4Pound gym. “No matter what happens, we will win. We’ll have a big victory on the 14th (of November)."

Cotto’s chief trainer said the Filipino ring icon is definitely not cut out to fight at the 147 limit, where the Puerto Rican is definitely the man to beat.

At the most, Pacquiao’s perfect fighting weight is at super-featherweight, according to Santiago.

“Manny Pacquiao is a strong fighter at 130 pounds. He’s still not good in our division (147). No one is as big and strong as Miguel Cotto," said Santiago through his interpreter Brian Perez, the hefty, bosom buddy of the WBO title holder.

Pacquiao and Cotto will duke it out in a high-profile 12-round title bout, dubbed “Firepower" Saturday (Sunday Manila time) next week in a showdown to be fought at a catch weight of 145 pounds.

Cotto, a native of Caguas, Puerto Rico, has not fought below 147 pounds in the last three years, although he is considered as one of the elite fighters in the said division today.

In contrast, Pacquiao is fighting as a welterweight only for the second time in his illustrious career. His first attempt at the 147-pound class, however, ended up to be an enormous success as he had no less than the great Oscar De La Hoya for a victim, forcing the legendary “Golden Boy" from quitting on his stool just before the start of the ninth round, an embarrassing moment that eventually led to his retirement.

But Santiago would have none of the stuff, stressing that the De La Hoya Pacquiao had beaten was already at the end of his colorful career.

The Puerto Rican trainer even downplayed Pacquiao’s second round destruction of former two-time junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton in his last fight six months ago, pointing out that the popular Briton “doesn’t have any defense."

“Miguel Cotto is a different fighter," said Santiago in comparing his ward to the last two fighters Pacquiao defeated.

“He (Cotto) is at his prime and at his peak. So it’s going to be an interesting fight.

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