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Pacquiao vs. Cotto News

Sep 1, 2009, 8:10 PM UTC

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The fight will take place in a 20-foot, and not 24-foot, ring.
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â†µPromoterâ†µBob Arum today said that the Pacquiao/Cotto fight would be contested inâ†µa 20-foot ring, contradicting a report in Primera Hora yesterday inâ†µwhich Cotto’s trainer, Joe Santiago, stated that it would be held in aâ†µ24-foot ring. Santiago was under the impression that the ring would beâ†µ24-feet square because that is apparently what Pacquiao’s teamâ†µrequested in the negotiations. But the Nevada State Athletic Commissionâ†µadheres to a standard ring size of 20 feet and rarely makes exceptions.â†µArum claims that he doesn’t know where the rumor of a 24-foot ringâ†µstarted, but it’s not true. Most observers believe that a larger ringâ†µwould be to Pacquiao’s advantage, allowing him more space to boxâ†µagainst a fighter many deem to be much slower than him.
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â†µFreddie Roach says the fight will go the distance.
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â†µInâ†µthis interview with David Tyler over at Doghouse Boxing, Freddie Roachâ†µpredicts that Pac/Cotto will go the distance. “Cotto certainly has hisâ†µhands full but he has some advantages against us,” Freddie says. “Byâ†µfight time he will be 20 pounds heavier than us. He will be the bigger,â†µstronger fighter who is a very resilient guy. Of course he has startedâ†µto cut lately and I’m hoping that will be a factor for us. Manny’sâ†µspeed will bust him up a little bit, I hope. I just believe that Cottoâ†µis taking this fight more serious than any fight he has had.”
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No site yet determined for Pacquiao’s training camp.
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â†µBecauseâ†µPacquiao is unable to hold his entire training camp for the Cotto fightâ†µin the U.S., other sites are currently being sought by his team,â†µalthough nothing has been decided yet. Cancun is supposedly high on theâ†µlist of potential locations. Pacquiao wants to train in theâ†µPhilippines, but Freddie Roach is against it, feeling that their wouldâ†µbe far too many distractions for the native hero. When one considersâ†µthat the fighter is currently over there shooting an action movie (hisâ†µeighth action movie, actually), well, you kind of have to think Freddieâ†µmight right about that. Speculation is rampant on the internet that theâ†µconfused state of Pac’s training plans and that the movie-starâ†µdistractions may catch up with the mighty Filipino when facing a biggerâ†µfighter of Cotto’s caliber, but for myself, I seriously doubt it. He’sâ†µhad distractions in his camps for years, and he always shows up onâ†µfight night focused and in tip-top shape. I’ve seen it with my own eyesâ†µ- the guy has a Jedi-like quality in the midst of chaos.
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â†µAnticipation high for press tour kicking off at Yankee Stadium.
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â†µTheâ†µfirst official presser for the fight will be a gala event, open to theâ†µpublic and held at Yankee Stadium on September 10. It’s well-known thatâ†µmembers of the Yankees are Pacquiao fans, including Derek Jeter, whoâ†µlikely will be ringside for the Pac/Cotto fight. From New York, theâ†µpress tour moves to Cotto’s hometown of Caguas, Puerto Rico onâ†µSeptember 12, and then moves to AT&T Park in San Francisco onâ†µSeptember 13 with an open-to-the-public event after a Giants/Dodgersâ†µgame. The tour concludes with a press-only event in L.A. on Septemberâ†µ14.â†µ

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