Pacquiao-Cotto 24/7: Cotto keeps it real

While Pacquiao enjoys and falls victim to the trappings of superstardom, Miguel Cotto takes on the role of the quiet underdog that not too long ago was perfectly embodied by the Filipino boxing icon.

It's funny how much can happen in a year. Around this time last year, it was Oscar Dela Hoya who was lingering and enjoying the comforts of being able to dictate when and where to train and enjoy the luxuries of being the sport's biggest star while Pacquiao toiled and labored in the confines of the intense atmosphere at the Wild Card Gym determined to beat the odds and show the world what he was all about.

One truly needs to have blinders on to not notice the changes within Pacquiao's camp, as Cotto reminded viewers how it used to be. Keeping things simple and quiet, the pilot episode of the much awaited 24/7 series revealed an already toned and in-shape Cotto with still about 3 weeks from fight night.

Cotto started camp a month earlier than Pacquiao and has been pretty much free from distractions since moving his camp from Puerto Rico to Tampa Florida last month. Taking a page out of Pacquiao's book, the show displayed a family-oriented, humble and quiet Cotto who preferred to keep a very tight-knit group that composed of his best friend, trainers and father, free from unnecessary hangers-on and nuisances. He did have a personal cook that reminded me of rapper Pitbull, but he definitely did not have any of Puerto Rico's politicians receiving face time in the middle of training camp- or advisers knuckling up with any of his trainers.

Something tells me Cotto probably won't have plenty of crazy shenanigans going on in his camp in Tampa nor natural disasters interrupting his training except for the mini-tsunamis him and his over-sized best friend Brian Perez will be creating as they cannonball and dive in the pool of their privately rented mansion. Cotto kept things real simple and quiet, things that are good for a fighter's focus and concentration. It was also quite refreshing how candid and honest Cotto was when he talked about his relationship with his wife and his family. In a segment that featured his wife, Cotto confessed that he wasn't the best of husbands but is successfully patching things up with his belove wifed and mother of his four kids.

After the first episode aired, it was clear how dramatically different Cotto and Pacquiao's camps are. Pacquiao has the advantage of having the best trainer in the business as well as the edge in having better sparring partners but Cotto seems to be a lot more focused on the task at hand. Will quality prevail over efficiency? Or will Cotto's hard work and concentration prove to be enough for him to overcome the biggest challenge of his boxing career? One thing is for sure though, if the first weeks of training was the first round of the Pacquiao-Cotto fight, I'd have to score it 10-9 for the Boricua bomber.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-10947-Indianapolis-Fight-Sports-Examiner~y2009m10d25-PacquiaoCotto-247-Cotto-keeps-it-real