"We get one fighter like Manny Pacquiao every 50 years. He's not easy to fight and I love Pacquiao. Pacquiao is one of the greatest ever. He can fight, he can beat anybody and he started off as a flyweight and now he's fighting in the welterweight division. That's an endangered species, a fighter like that (laughing). You won't see another Pacquiao for 50 years," stated WBO President Francisco "Paco" Valcarcel as he talked about the upcoming WBO title clash between champion Miguel Cotto and challenger Manny Pacquiao. Check out what else he had to say!
PC: How are you doing Mr. Valcarcel?
FV: I'm fine. I'm just getting back from the convention and I'm just working hard as always.
PC: Your WBO title will be on the line on November 14th. What do you think of the matchup between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto?
FV: I think it's the best matchup in the last 10 years. I think it's going to be one of the best fights ever. Both of these guys are beasts. It's a fight that's tough to pick a winner because it is an even fight. None of the boxing fans are certain what's going to happen in this fight.
PC: Whenever you have a fight of this magnitude, you want it to be for a title. At one point, Cotto didn't want to put the WBO title up. Was this fight ever close to being a non-title fight?
FV: No, no, no. Everybody decided that this would be a title fight. Miguel Cotto, the promoter and we decided that this would be a WBO title fight.
PC: Are you a fan of these catch-weight fights or would you like to see guys fight at the weight limits?
FV: The way we are working now to make big fights, sometimes you have to make some adjustments with the weight or the venue. But some type of adjustmentsÂ…the thing is, to make that fight possible, you must put something on the line. They both are making a lot of money. You have to make adjustments to make that kind of money.
PC: Cotto is the champion, but he's being looked at as the underdog here. Do you think that's fair?
FV: Sometimes boxing recognition makes the fight and right now, Pacquiao has more recognition as pound-for-pound at this moment. But Cotto is a tough guy and smart. He can punch with both hands and he's a body puncher.
PC: What are your thoughts of his opponent, Manny Pacquiao?
FV: (Laughing) We get one fighter like Manny Pacquiao every 50 years. He's not easy to fight and I love Pacquiao. Pacquiao is one of the greatest ever. He can fight, he can beat anybody and he started off as a flyweight and now he's fighting in the welterweight division. That's an endangered species, a fighter like that (laughing). You won't see another Pacquiao for 50 years.
PC: These are two very hard punchers. What type of fight are you expecting from them?
FV: I expect a very smart fight from both sides. I think Pacquiao is going to try to hit Cotto and not get hit and I think Cotto is going to try to put pressure on Pacquiao and force him to fight going backwards. I think he will try to apply pressure all of the time. I couldn't imagine it any other way.
PC: You couldn't ask for a better fan base with Cotto bringing the Puerto Rican support and Pacquiao the Filipino crowd. How important is that?
FV: It's very important. We were state colonies in the 19th century and we both loved boxing. Both are boxing nations. All of the Puerto Ricans are very proud when you've got a warrior like Cotto, just like I'm sure the people of the Philippines are proud of Pacquiao.
PC: One of your other champions is Juan Manuel Lopez. What can we expect out of him?
FV: Yeah, we got Juan Manuel Lopez, who will be fighting in October. He will be Miguel Cotto's successor. He will be the next great Puerto Rican fighter.
PC: Speaking of great Puerto Rican fighters, what is Felix Trinidad up to these days?
FV: Tito is a hero here for the people; a people's champion. He will be a world champion forever. He's retired and doing great. Tito is okay and he's helping out with the kids.
PC: I appreciate your time. I know you're a busy guy. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
FV: We are very proud of our champion Miguel Cotto and let the best fighter be the winner!
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]