Everything But Poker

When four of the biggest trainers in boxing opine on the Nov. 14 fight between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto, it’s best to listen up. Angelo Dundee (trained Muhammad Ali, George Foreman and Sugar Ray Leonard), Nazim Richardson (Bernard Hopkins and Shane Mosley), Buddy McGirt (Antonio Tarver, Arturo Gatti and Vernon Forrest) and Ronnie Shields (Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, Forrest and Juan Diaz) analyzed both fighters' tendencies and provided an anaysis of how this fight might play out, both in terms of each others' skills and strategies.

But contrary to the popular trend, this is not a panel of unanimous Pacquiao supporters. In fact, Dundee, McGirt and Shields all see Cotto’s historically strong ability to fight through cuts and to make adjustments late in fights as keys to a potential upset. And while Richardson believes Cotto may have the potential to beat Pac-Man, he just doesn’t see it happening next weekend at the MGM Grand because Pacquiao is so different from the other fighters that have given him trouble in the past.

"If Cotto gets cut in this one, it is a lot different from the [Joshua] Clottey (Cotto’s last opponent) fight,” Richardson said. “Clottey sets a pace and sticks with it for most of the fight. But not Pacquiao because he switches up. So the question becomes will the corner be able to keep Cotto in the right mindset, work on the cut and still give him the right information? That will be the hardest part of their job that night and it will be admirable if they can get it done for their fighter."

The relationship between trainer and fighter was, predictably, a key issue for the veteran corners, and the disparity between Cotto and Pacquiao’s men could not appear to be greater. "Pacquiao might have the psychological edge here as he totally trusts Freddie [Roach] and is very comfortable with him,” McGirt said. “Cotto's trainer, Joe Santiago, has never been in this situation before and it is important how he handles it. If he, Joe, can remain calm, not get caught up in the media hype, they should be okay. I don't know him or his frame of mind, but it is a big stage for someone who hasn't been there before.”

For Shields, the trainer’s influence can only help so much in a fight, especially one of this magnitude. “Both fighters have good trainers,” he said. “They both know what they are doing. But trainers can only help his guy so much. The fighter has to follow what the game plan is. I know that both trainers have a Plan B, and possibly a Plan C, should something go wrong. All in all, it really is up to the fighter. The trainers can only direct so much to the fighter.”

So how do they see the fighters matching up? Dundee is much higher on Cotto’s ability to counter Pacquiao than most, and detailed the ways in which he can do so: “You have a perfect blending of style in this fight. If I ever had a fighter fighting Pacquiao, I would implement the things that Cotto brings to the table. Cotto is a pressure fighter and he's going to be on Pacquiao from the get go. He's got a great left hook, he's a good body puncher and he's very aggressive. Pacquiao takes it to you all the time but in this fight is going to have to back up. He's a smart, slick, and great hand speed. Cotto counters those things."

Richardson sees it differently, especially with regard to Pacquiao’s deceptive size. “I think Manny Pacquiao is going to steal the fight that night,” he said. “He is good at letting his size fool people and when they see him darting around the ring looking scrappy, boxing and moving and he's not KO'd, it translate to a round for him. But calling Pacquiao little in this weight class is like calling Mike Tyson a little heavyweight.”

But can he fight at 145 pounds? With the fight weight just two pounds below the welterweight limit, Shields thinks that Cotto has a clear advantage. "Miguel Cotto is a legitimate welterweight that proves himself time and time again,” he said. “I think fighting at 145 pounds is not going to be a problem for Cotto. Pacquiao has a lot of speed, but I just feel that Cotto is going to walk through him. There is no way that Pacquiao is going to be able to wear Cotto down. As the fight goes on, Cotto is going to get much stronger. I think he's going to put the pressure on Pacquiao.”

As for predictions, both Dundee and McGirt are confident the trainers will play very little into the result of the fight. "I don't think it is going to come down to either corner,” McGirt said. “These guys are veterans who know how to make adjustments while they are fighting. In that sense, Cotto is a better adjuster than Pacquiao, as he has had to do in several fights already.”

Dundee, on the other hand, left it to the most politically correct response: “The best guy will win."