Pacquiao-cotto: Fights are Won in The Gym; This Saturday Would Only be a Confirmation

Many great athletes would attest to the fact that victories are usually achieved before they even step inside their individual fields of battle. The actual game or fight itself is merely a showcase for the countless hours, money, and energy that they have invested in training in order to achieve their best possible condition, physically, mentally, and spiritually.

The right training usually leads to the right results. Not everyone is willing to pay the grueling price for proper training however, and some prefer instead to let their mouths do the talking rather than walking the talk.

Most of the time, athletes that do not put in the required ‘sacrifice’ as much as the other guy will not have enough in the tank for him to summon when the moment of truth arrives. Conversely, those who have given their best in training, even if they lose, will eventually be at peace with the fact that they have given it their all although normally their efforts are justly rewarded with a victory when it’s all said and done.

In no other sport is the importance of training more pronounced than in the field of combat sports where it’s just you against the other guy, mano a mano, where even a minute oversight may spell the difference between a humiliating defeat or the very real possibility of a debilitating or even a fatal end, as illustrated by the numerous deaths that have been reported inside the ring.

Great and accomplished fighters as they are, Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs) and Puerto Rican pride Miguel Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs), the protagonists to this weekend’s much-anticipated bout of the year surely knows the importance of proper training. Both have also come out in public expressing full confidence that they will defeat the other.

In the latest edition of HBO’s 24/7, Cotto was shown talking to the press during one of his workouts in Tampa, Florida where he said that fights are won in the training camp. With both fighters presumably already safely tucked in Vegas by the time you read this, the training is basically over and it’s just a matter of preserving each fighter’s optimum condition going into this Saturday’s brawl. A lot has already been written about the physical condition of each fighter hence, we thought it might be interesting to take some notes instead of some factors surrounding each one’s training camps which we nonchalantly pulled off the top of our heads based upon the different reports that we’ve been reading over the past couple of months from both camps.

Weight. The fight is contracted at a catch weight of 145 lbs. and not the full Welterweight limit of 147 lbs.

Pacquiao weighed 138 in his last fight against Ricky Hatton so making 145 won’t be a problem, in fact his handlers even claim that they have to feed him five or more times a day just to keep the target 145 weight on him. More importantly however, he was able to carry his vaunted speed and power with him as he moved up in weight.

Miguel Cotto on the other hand, weighed 146 lbs in his last fight against Joshua Clottey. With the limit for this fight set at just a pound lighter it shouldn’t be a stretch for Cotto to make weight. However, the Philippine Star reports that Cotto is having difficulty trying to make weight and had to starve himself hoping to attain the contracted weight during the official weigh-in.

Considering that both fighters had to make compromises to meet at the agreed catch weight, we dare say that the 145-pound catch weight has effectively achieved parity for both camps in this fight.

Camp Duration. Cotto opened camp a full month ahead of the Pacman who had to honor his numerous commitments from non-boxing related interests. Coach Freddie Roach has constantly reassured fans however that they don’t need to go past their customary eight weeks otherwise Pacquiao will get bored or burned-out owing to the intensity and focus that he maintains once he is in training mode.

We believe that the additional weeks that Cotto spent in training have been beneficial for him in terms of reaching the target fight weight gradually but nothing else. Hence, we would say there is no advantage whatsoever for either fighter as far as camp duration is concerned.

Training Venue. As effectively shown on the 24/7 series, Pacquiao’s camp in Baguio City was highlighted by inner strife among team members on top of consecutive typhoons that visited the northern Philippine city. While the storms forced Team Pacquiao to adjust or improvise a couple of times, Freddie Roach however insists that their Baguio camp was the best four weeks that they ever had as far as training is concerned.

Cotto chose to spend most of his training in relative solitude at the Fight Factory in Tampa, Florida away from distractions in his native Puerto Rico.

Based on what was shown on HBO’s 24/7 however, we would like to give a slight advantage to Pacquiao on this one as Baguio offered the Pacman multiple options to conduct uphill running which is essential in building a fighter’s stamina while Cotto’s Tampa locale seemed to offer mostly flat terrain.

Sparring partners. Throughout his camp, Pacquiao sparred with promising prospects Shawn Porter (10-0-0, 8 KOs), Urbano Antillon (26-1-0, 19 KOs), Rashad Holloway (11-1-2, 5 KOs), Ray Serrano (10-0-0, 6 KOs), as well as former Lightweight Champion Jose Luis ‘El Terrible’ Castillo (60-9-1, 52 KOs).

Cotto however sparred with relative unknowns Kenny Abril (9-3-1, 5 KOs), Fred Tukes (7-1-1, 5 KOs), and Francisco ‘El Gato’ Figueroa (20-3-1, 13 KOs) who was sent home just several weeks into camp for allegedly showboating during training.

Quality-wise we would have to give the edge to Pacquiao on this one. Plus, Freddie Roach insists that even though they’re all southpaws, Cotto’s sparring partners are slow motion versions of the Pacman.

Training Intensity. Cotto maintains a serious business-like demeanor to his training which allows him to focus on things that they have to work on during the entire two hours or so that he spends in the gym.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao is consistently on a high gear once he goes into training that his handlers often have to urge him to stop for fear that he might be overtraining himself. He goes into brutal four or five hour sessions straight without a break that has impressed Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum so much that he exclaimed during one of his trips to Baguio to witness the Pacman’s training, “in more than four decades of promoting fights, I have never seen anyone like Manny Pacquiao and his Bruce Lee style of boxing.”

Pacman has a major advantage in this department.

Trainer. Much has been said about this one because of the verbal tussle that has been going back and forth between both parties. Even though Cotto had the chance to hire a veteran trainer early on in camp, such as Hall-of-Fame trainer Emmanuel Steward who publicly offered his services to Cotto, the Puerto Rican stuck it out with erstwhile team nutritionist turned head trainer Joe Santiago.

Cotto himself said in that 24/7 segment that fights are won in the gym so he should know the importance of a veteran trainer in your corner for a big-ticket fight like this so it’s really a mystery for me why he has not opted for a seasoned handler on this one. Perhaps he knows something about Joe Santiago that we don’t, but I’ve got the feeling that come fight night Cotto will be virtually fighting alone in there against the combined forces of the Pacman and Freddie Roach.

Mind Games. The runaway winner for this one is Team Pacquiao through the crafty psy-war machinations of coach Freddie Roach who previously admitted that he would do anything just to get inside Team Cotto’s heads. As with most other sports, boxing is as much mental as it is physical and the wily veteran is definitely not leaving any stone unturned on this one in his quest to establish whatever advantage there is for his prized fighter.

Extra-curricular distractions. Cotto has been relatively low-key and trouble-free throughout the whole training camp. The only thing that may be considered a distraction for him is the case filed by his uncle and former trainer Evangelista Cotto stemming from their altercation in April this year, but I’m sure he has people to take care of that. Hence Cotto has been relatively worry-free save for Freddie Roach’s occasional mind games of course.

Pacquiao definitely has his plate full of various non-boxing endeavors such as his recent appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel Live talk show and with the Pacman appearing on the cover of the latest issue of Time Magazine, his popularity is expected to soar even further.

To Pacman’s credit though he seems to be unaffected by all the ‘distractions’, positive or otherwise, that come his way and has shown the ability to maintain his focus in boxing when necessary. The Pacman has always been a restless person in that he continues to find challenges and new endeavors to push himself but he has never really taken for granted the sport that got him to this point . He has always been besieged by countless distractions since his demolition job of Marco Antonio Barrera in 2003 and he’s only lost once since. It might be odd but these distractions may even be fueling his drive in the ring because he always goes to train with newfound enthusiasm as if he misses the sport so much after indulging in those extra-curricular activities.

Having examined all that, both fighters remain confident that they did the best they could in the gym. It still remains to be seen though as to who invested enough with his allotted resources to pull this one out. One thing’s for sure, we will surely be watching his confirmation this Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

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