NEW YORK - Miguel Cotto sat quietly on the podium at Sofrito’s Restaurant in Manhattan Wednesday afternoon. He briefly looked at the standing room only crowd of media that assembled for the last press conference before his title defense Saturday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City against Alfonso Gomez of Mexico to be televised on HBO Sports.
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| Cotto, (31-0, 25Ko’s) knows how important the fight with Gomez is. Getty Images |
After listening to his promoter Bob Arum, build up his WBA title defense and the entire fight card, it was Cotto’s turn to speak. “I am ready and prepared like no other fight,” he said. Not much more was said because Cotto, (31-0, 25Ko’s) knows how important the fight with Gomez is.
Cotto usually very receptive to the media quickly rushed out of Sofrito’s and headed to Atlantic City. “He wants to continue training and is working harder for this fight than any other one I have seen,” said Ricardo Jimenez a publicity associate with Top Rank who accompanies Cotto to assist with English translation.
Though, Cotto doesn’t need much assistance with the English language as he has seemed to adapt to speaking more English at media briefings, the result of taking college classes in Puerto Rico. And Cotto, perhaps the best pound-for-pound fighter in boxing doesn’t need more training.
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| Cotto defended successfully against a tough Shane Mosley. Getty Images |
Perhaps after the toughest fight of his career, against Shane Mosley last November at Madison Square Garden in New York City, there is a need to train harder. Though Cotto and his trainers feel that 12-round unanimous decision over Mosley is what makes good fighters.
Gomez could present another test for Cotto. The former “Contender” reality television series underdog has two important fights on his (18-3-2, 8KO) resume. He gained notoriety handing Peter Manfredo Jr. his first loss as a professional.
And on July 14th 2007, Gomez fulfilled his dream by fighting and knocking out Arturo Gatti. He sent Gatti to his knees and knocked the former champion into retirement in a fight televised on HBO Sports.
Gomez, once again the heavy underdog promises to bring a championship back to Mexico and this is a fight that Arum likes to promote. Because, as he says, “The most exciting fights are when a Mexican and Puerto Rican get in the ring and face each other.”
Cotto has been that exciting fighter for Arum, 11-0 in championship fights with 9 knockouts. Gomez though is promising a different outcome for Cotto’s latest title defense. “On that night when he (Cotto) goes back to his corner I want him to forget everything he trained hard for.”
“There will be a new champion in Mexico,” he said. To that Cotto just grinned and afterwards made his brief statements, not saying much more than how hard he trained and the importance of getting another win at Boardwalk Hall. It will be the third fight for Cotto on the boardwalk where in 2006 he won the vacant WBA welterweight title, stopping Carlos Quintana.
The under card Saturday, also televised on HBO, features a potential next opponent for Cotto at Madison Square Garden on July 26th. World welterweight champion Kermit Cintron (29-1, 27KO’S) of Carolina Puerto Rico will defend his title against the Tijuana Tornado, Antonio Margarito, (35-1, 25KO’S).
