Bob Arum has been in Tampa taking Miguel I’m No Angel Cotto’s temperature the past two days.
The Top Rank honcho will turn up when Cotto trains Wednesday at the Fight Factory Gym for the benefit of the HBO 24/7 video team which will be taping material.
Everything is copacetic, Arum tells Examiner.com and Boxingconfidential, with the Puerto Rican puncher and his crew in Florida.
“He trains hard,” Arum said of Cotto. “He’s in terrific shape and he’s very confident. He says Manny Pacquiao is a great fighter but that he is better, that he will handle Manny. There’s no animosity here, it’s mutual respect, but Cotto thinks he’s better. I think these two guys actually like each other.
“When Cotto gets in the gym and he trains hard for two solid hours.
“He trains as hard as any fighter you can name. But the guy he is fighting trains for four days without stopping. In 45 years of being around the best fighters, including Marvin Hagler, I’ve never seen a guy train like Manny does. Manny trains for four hours without stopping and, when he does stop, he is not even tired.”
While some in Pacland fret about Pacman being distracted by his outside activities, whether it’s sabong, shooting hoops or planning his post fight victory concert, Arum said there is no reason to be concerned.
Arum said he’s seen this Manny movie before.
“This guy has an excess of energy, that’s who he is,” Arum said. “Manny’s motor just never stops. So what some call distractions, or even possible distractions, to me it’s just standard operating procedure for Manny.
“I mean, he trains, he eats, then he is playing darts or with a musical instrument or basketball. He just never stops.”
There have been whispers about an uptight atmosphere in the Cotto camp and some media types being rejected when they sought access to their workouts.
Arum said there is no conspiracy to bar the media from the Cotto camp but agreed it’s not as loosey-goosey as the Pacman operation can be.
“We had some media guys there today,” Arum said. “But the Cotto guys are not as flexible as Freddie (Roach) and the other guys with Manny. They prefer hard and fast rules about when the press can come in.
“Miguel has an open media day here Oct. 29. With Freddie, well he’s the consummate professional and, when he is working on something with Manny, they close up. But Freddie knows we have to sell tickets also.
“I must say Miguel and his team are speaking very positively.”
Arum noted that the sun is shining in Baguio and that former world champion Jose Luis Castillo seems to be settling in as a useful sparmate for Pacman.
The promoter said Team Pacquiao will fly to Manila, stay overnight and then fly to Los Angeles so they can return to the Wild Card Gym on Oct. 26.
“Everything is beautiful in Baguio.”
Not to mention terrific in Tampa.
Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-5699-NY-Boxing-Examiner~y2009m10d13-PacquiaoCotto-weather-report-Beautiful-in-Baguio-terrific-in-Tampa
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