In case you missed the conference call with Miguel Cotto, the super welterweight contender for the May 5th championship with Floyd Mayweather, live in Vegas, we have more than a few nuggets.
Here is the transcript...
Cotto
Here is the transcript...
Oscar De La Hoya
"Ring Kings: Mayweather versus Cotto" will be available in three MGM resort
properties: Mandalay Bay, Monte Carlo, and The Mirage.
They will be showing the fight in closed circuit all over Las
Vegas. Tickets are going fast for the closed-circuit telecast,
which will be very exciting.
Episodes two and three of HBO's 24/7 will debut April
21st, 10 p.m. Eastern and also April 28th at 9:45 p.m. Eastern and the final
episode, which will be televised live Friday, May 4th at 8 p.m. Eastern.
Also, we're excited that NCM Fathom will be broadcasting "Ring Kings:
Mayweather versus Cotto," and the entire card in high-definition, live to more
than 440 movie theaters nationwide. That's always very exciting to
watch it with other boxing fans and cheer on your favorite fighter.
Let
me introduce to you the current WBA Super Welterweight Champion.
He's been a four-time, three division world champion. He
hails from Caguas, Puerto Rico. He's known as one of the most
exciting and popular fighters in the island's history, as one of the greatest of
all time. He held the world title every year since 2004, while
winning 16 of 18 world championship bouts in which he has fought.
Obviously, he captured the WBA Super Welterweight title
at Yankee Stadium, stopping then undefeated Yuri Foreman, and Cotto successfully
deciscioned two division world champion, Ricardo Mayorga in March.
As you all know, he finally avenged his loss to Antonio Margarito, once
again retaining his world title.
With a record of 37 and 2, with 30 knockouts, from
Caguas, Puerto Rico-Miguel Cotto.
Miguel Cotto
Hi. I am very happy to be here with all of
you.
Q
Miguel, are you afraid of anything that Floyd Mayweather
will bring?
Cotto
Absolutely nothing, I am prepared, very
prepared.
Q
Will you be thrilled to obtain the victory on May
5?
Cotto
I have worked very hard for several weeks in the gym to
get this victory.
Q
Who do you think will come out on top in the Canelo v.
Mosley fight?
Cotto
I really don't have an inclination either way but I will
tell you this, the one that comes best prepared from their training camp will
obtain the victory.
Q
Miguel, I wanted to ask you about the weight in this
fight. You are fighting Floyd at 154 pounds, where you are the
reigning title holder. He has not asked you to come to a catch
weight for this fight. It's going to fight you all the way up at
154. I wonder, how much of an advantage do you think that that is
for you. He said he accepted the fight at your weight because he
wanted you to be comfortable. What was your take on that and also,
what do you think about the fact that he is coming all the way up to your
neighborhood for this fight?
Cotto
First of all, I give thanks to him for making the fight
in my weight. If he wants my title, he has to fight in my weight,
and he does it in the correct way. It's my weight class.
I feel comfortable in here. I'm feeling pretty strong,
really happy to get this fight in my weight class, and I just prepared myself
well enough for victory.
Q
Was
the weight issue as big of a factor as it was made to seem?
Because before you and Mayweather agreed to this fight, there was
discussion that maybe you would have a re-match with Pacquiao. And
that the reason why that didn't happen was because of the insistence, apparently
from the Pacquiao camp, that you would go down lower than 54, perhaps all the
way down to-back to welterweight division. Was that the reason why
you declined to pursue the re-match with Manny and instead ended up taking
another huge fight against Floyd?
Cotto
We
have more than one reason for deciding to pick the Mayweather fight instead of
the Pacquiao fight. I received better treatment in Mayweather's negotiation and
we decided to go with Mayweather.
Q
When you and Floyd were both-say maybe like four or five
years ago, maybe even six years ago, when you were both champions and going
strong, and both with Top Rank at that time, there was conversation that maybe
this was a fight that perhaps would happen. My impression was
always that it was your camp that would have loved to have that fight at the
time. Mayweather, he had other ideas at the time. Do
you think back to those days and how much you would have liked to have the fight
back then or are you very satisfied that even though it's been a long way, you
finally have this fight today?
Cotto
Everything happens in life for a reason.
Fights can't happen four, five, six years ago, but they happen
now. I feel better right now. I feel this is-after
the Margarito fight on December 3rd, I feel much, much better with
myself. I think this is the right moment for this
fight.
Q
Why do you think that?
Cotto
Because I have everything I took from Margarito's
victory-things he stole from me, things he grabbed from me. I have
it back, and I feel much better right now.
Q
You
just touched on something that I was going to pick up on. You seem
very much at peace right now with yourself as a fighter-all your
accomplishments, obviously topped off by the Margarito victory and you're
joining with Pedro Diaz. But you've been through quite a
lot. You've accomplished a lot in your career, but you've been
through quite a lot.
I know the death of your father, and your relationship
with him now, inspires you. I wonder if you could tell us what was
the lowest point before the Yuri Foreman fight, who did you rely on?
Who was your inner circle, and how did you come out of that period in
your life?
Cotto
That was the first time I lost in my career.
Thanks to God, I have a great family, great people around me.
They helped me a lot to get out of the situation. I understand it's not
the way you fall, it's the way you stand up again and keep working.
I wake up myself and I'm still working, and I'm going to work until May
5th.
Q
Miguel, can you talk about who your inner circle
was? When your father passed away, was it Bryan? Who
was your counsel? I know your mother's in camp now, and I know you
have a really good relationship with your wife and kids. Who
helped you to get through that, and how are you better as person and as a
fighter as a result of getting through that?
Cotto
Agreed. I have a great team.
Every member is a special person for me. Every member
helped me in everything-my family, my mom, my dad, Pedro, Phil, Bryan.
I believe everybody, all of them, helped me a lot to be in the position I
am in right now. I'm a better person right now.
Q
Finally, when you say to be the person you are right now,
who are you now? How much are you better? I said you
seemed to be at peace with yourself. Can you talk about your state
of mind, your spiritual feeling right now, how you feel about yourself right
now?
Cotto
When you find peace in life, when your family brings you
peace, when the people around you bring you peace, you live in a peaceful
atmosphere. That's where I am right now. I have
peace in my heart and in my life. Everything I'm going to do in my
life, I do it with peace and that's made me work better, comfortable, and much,
much concentrate in my work.
Q
You've talked about your father being your biggest
motivator in the ring and in your life. Can you tell me what it
means to have-when you're in the ring, are you thinking about your
father? Is there something-how does that work for you?
How does it motivate you to-his memory?
Cotto
When you had in your life a person who never stopped
working for you for your benefit for all you can have in life, he wants to give
it to you better and do so much for you. That was my
father. My father was a person who never stopped working for me or
my family or my mom in every moment. He passed away two years ago,
so he's still in my sight. I feel him. I'm pretty
happy with the feeling in every moment in my life and that's the reason my
father is the best person I ever have in my life.
Q
That's really nice. What kind of difference
does it make to have Pedro Diaz in your corner? You've had a
couple of trainers recently, but what kind of difference does Pedro make for
you?
Cotto
Pedro-a lot of people will know Pedro because he was head
trainer, a coach for the Cuban team. Everybody knows their
achievement of the Cuban boxer in the amateur weight. Pedro was
the guy in charge of the Cuban team, and he got out of Cuba in 2000, I
think. Right after I broke up with my first trainer, we decided to
talk to him. But he doesn't want to join us because he doesn't
feel himself prepared enough for professional boxing yet.
After my previous fight we started having some issues,
some problem with Emanuel Steward. We decided to talk to
Pedro. Finally he wants to start working with us.
It's amazing having Pedro here. I've known Pedro since 1996.
Having Pedro here, having a Cuban Latin guy working with us, with his
experience, with all the knowledge he has in boxing, make me feel and work more
comfortably.
Q
Has
he taught you things you didn't know?
Cotto
He said to me, I'm not here to give to you new
things. You are a veteran fighter, and I'm just here to take
things you put in your sight back in the game. That's the main purpose of Pedro
in my corner to make me feel like the Miguel of the beginning, and make me feel
like the Miguel that basically you saw with Mosley. This Miguel
you're going to see on May 5th.
Q
Basically, he's taken things that you've already learned
as a fighter and refined them a little bit maybe?
Cotto
He
shows me, gives me some hints.
Q
Okay. What would it mean to you to become
the first fighter to beat Floyd?
Cotto
Nobody is invincible in life. I know that
because I pass through this point in my life. I'm ready for
anything Floyd brings me on May 5th. The question is, is Floyd
ready for anything Miguel can bring to him? I know he's a hard
worker. He said to everybody he's a hard worker, but he's going to
have in front of him on May 5th a hard worker like him. On May
5th, I'm trusting in myself. I know what I have to do on May 5th
to get the victory.
Q
Miguel, what have you done differently in preparation for
this fight as compared to your preparation for the Margarito fight?
Cotto
Margarito and Mayweather are two completely different
fighters so everything that was done in preparation for Margarito is different
from what we are doing for Mayweather. Pedro had a specific strategy for
December 3, and has a very different strategy for May 5.
Q
What specific thing have you done in preparation for this
fight to counter Mayweather's elusiveness and defense?
Cotto
The strategy is always the same. I will follow Pedro's
instructions as to everything. We both have to trust each other. I have to trust
him as a trainer and he has to trust me as a fighter. I will not say what our
strategy will be, but I will follow the strategy that Pedro has designed for me
come fight night.
Q
Mayweather gave some declarations yesterday to the press
saying that Puerto Ricans will be disappointed with Miguel Cotto on May 5, what
was your reaction to those declarations?
Cotto
I am a different fighter; I will not play into
Mayweather's games. I am not the type of fighter that will just fall into the
games of Mayweather. He wants his opponents to behave a certain way, I will not
respond to whatever he has to say. By the end of May 5 everybody will see who
will be disappointed.
Q
How do you feel at this point in your preparation for
this fight?
Cotto
Everything is running according to plan, right on
schedule. I will be ready to counter anything that Mayweather brings and there
are a couple of key weeks left in preparation for the fight. There are a couple
of weeks that are still there, and when I step into the ring with Mayweather in
front of me, I will be completely ready to obtain the victory.
Q
I was just wondering if you've looked beyond this fight
and if you win, whether you will look to possibly fight Pacquiao in the future;
and if you lose, whether you may decide that this is your final fight.
Have you thought that far ahead yet?
Cotto
When I beat Mayweather on May 5th, the only thing that is
going to happen is I'm going to rest for a couple weeks. After
that I sit with my team and we can talk of boxing again.
Q
When will you head to Vegas? What are your
plans, your itinerary from now until the actual fight?
Cotto
We
arrive in Vegas a week before the fight and train there the whole week.
Q
Do you feel that you are being compared to Mayweather's
last opponents? If you feel as if you are do you believe you are the most
complicated opposition that Floyd has faced in years?
Cotto
I will say it again, I am ready. I feel great and I will
defeat Floyd Mayweather and will be victorious when I step out of the
ring.
Q
Are you afraid if the fight reaches the judges? Are you
afraid of getting a bad decision?
Cotto
No. I trust my preparation and I trust that whether by
knockout or by decision I will be victorious without controversy.
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