Puerto Rican boxing champ Miguel Cotto is reported to be joining Manny Pacquiao in his General Santos City (Gensan) training camp while the Filipino star is preparing for his crucial rematch with Timothy Bradley on April 12 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Boxing fans are asking why Cotto will be training alongside Pacquiao for his own upcoming fight with Sergio Martinez of Argentina on June 7.
For the uninformed fans, Cotto and Pacquiao have a common trainer in the person of Freddie Roach, who has an array of aspiring fighters training at his own Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.
Because of his tight schedule, Roach had to do simultaneous training of two fighters under him in a camp. He has done the same with British boxing idol Amir Khan, who used to be trained by him.
Roach, who is also the trainer of Chinese Olympic gold medalist Zou Shiming, will begin training Pacquiao Monday alongside Cotto.
To Roach's credit, Shiming stopped his Thai opponent in the seventh round of his fourth professional fight at the Cotai Arena in Macau, China over the weekend. It was Shiming's first knockout win in his pro career.
For convenience, Roach will be dividing his time with Pacquiao and Cotto with assistance from the boxers' own coaching staff.
It was reported that Cotto and Pacquiao will move to Roach's own Wild Card Gym in Hollywood after three to four weeks of training in Gensan.
The Puerto Rican is reportedly sparring with Pacquiao in Gensan but Roach dismissed the report, saying he will see Pacquiao's condition upon his arrival in the camp.
Cotto and Pacquiao fought in a highly competitive fight that ended in a twelfth round TKO in favor of Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in November 2009.
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“Trainer of the Year” Freddie Roach who was scheduled to leave on Monday to join ”Fighter of the Decade” Manny Pacquiao at his training camp in General Santos City disclosed that even if Miguel Cotto trains alongside Pacquiao, he will not spar with him.
Roach told the Manila Standard on his arrival from Macau on Sunday that Cotto would train at the Pacman Wild Card Gym should Pacquiao decide to train in his hometown for four weeks which was the original plan. Otherwise, he said, if Pacquiao decides to leave for the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles earlier, Cotto would join him there.
Roach said he would have a clearer picture once he meets with Pacquiao on Monday.
The celebrated trainer dismissed reports that Cotto would spar with Pacquiao who scored a 12th round TKO over the Puerto Rican in November 2011 pointing out that the former three division champion has moved up in weight and is now fighting at 160 pounds and will challenge middleweight champion Sergio Martinez of Argentina at New York’s Madison Square Garden on June 7.
He said he would check on how Pacquiao’s condition is as he planned to begin sparring this week with undefeated former Floyd Mayweather Sr protégé Lydell Rhodes (19-0, 9 KO’s).
Roach also confirmed a Standard story last week that former world light welterweight champion Kendall Holt who lost his title to Bradley by a unanimous decision despite dropping the undefeated Bradley once in round one and once more in round twelve, would be among Pacquiao’s sparring partners in Los Angeles.
Roach said he plans to train Pacquiao to be more aggressive in his April 12 rematch with Bradley at the MGM Grand Garden Hotel in Las Vegas and indicated while he won’t go looking for a knockout he will take it if he gets an opening.
Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz who arrived with Roach from Macau told us that Pacquiao’s training had been going well and it will “step up a notch now that Freddie is here.”
Koncz said in his mind “nothing short of a knockout will do” to help Pacquiao regain his stature as an elite fighter.
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