In a recent report by Primera Hora, WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto revealed that he was not impressed with Manny Pacquiao's victories over Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya or David Diaz. "Nothing impresses me. He has two arms and so do I," he stated indifferently, showing no concern whatsoever with the fact that none of the opponents have made it past the ninth round. While those comments are to be expected from a fighter who exudes confidence in himself, there is one thing that Cotto should at least be a little concerned with and keenly aware of when it comes to Manny PacquiaoÂ…his weight!
"It does not matter if it is at 145 pounds. That was the weight we had said from the beginning and in the ring [on fight night], I will go up in weight by eight to ten pounds," Cotto continued. Although he dismisses the proposed catch-weight as being a concern, Cotto should take note that Pacquiao's last two opponents, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, also shared those same sentiments. In fact, although his bout with Ricky Hatton took place at the jr. welterweight limit of 140 pounds, on the night of the fight, Pacquiao rehydrated to 148 pounds while Hatton got up to 152 pounds. Similarly, in his bout with De La Hoya, which took place at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds, Pacquiao was able to rehydrate to 148.5 pounds after weighing in at 142 pounds while De La Hoya only reached 147 pounds after weighing in at an extremely low 145 pounds.
It's critical that Cotto does not fall into the false sense of security that he'll be the bigger man come fight night. If he loses the weight the wrong way, he'll suffer the same fate as De La Hoya. Even if he does lose the weight with no problem, every pound that he's forced to shed is one less pound that he'll be able to gain back. Assuming that Cotto comes in around 153-155 pounds, will it be enough to give him the size and strength advantage over Pacquiao, who consistently come in around 148 pounds? The 12 pounds that Hatton was able to put on definitely wasn't enough and he quickly learned that he was in the ring with a fighter just as big and strong as him.
Regardless of what Cotto thinks about his performances, Pacquiao is not as small as his opponents may think. It's a fact that his trainer, Freddie Roach, is adeptly aware of and the reason why he has no problem with the bout taking place at 145 pounds. "Arum called me and I told him that I did not have a problem with the fight being at 145 pounds. In reality, it doesn't matter to me if Cotto wants to weigh 200 pounds," Roach stated. That's an extremely interesting statement from Roach, who was originally trying to get the fight to take place at 143 pounds. Indeed, it appears that neither side is too worried about the weight, but Cotto should be concerned that he might not have the physical advantage over an opponent who's supposed to be smaller than him.
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