Cotto Ready to go on HBO
by Sugar Lee Santiago (April 16, 2003)
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Miguel Cotto is looking to shine this Saturday when he meets Joel Perez in the co-feature to the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Victoriano Sosa lightweight championship bout that will be televised on HBO from Fresno, California.
This will be the junior welterweight prospect's first prime-time appearance on the network (he has been featured on HBO Pay Per View and once on KO Nation), and he is hoping to impress the network and build a buisness relationship with the cable giant.
"For Miguel it is very important for him to win on Saturday but it's also important for him to look impressive in his victory," Cotto's manager Peter Rivera told MaxBoxing.com. "It all depends on how Miguel performs on Saturday if we will get closer to signing a fight deal with HBO and that's what we always wanted to accomplish."
Cotto, 14-0 (11), is scheduled to head to Fresno early this morning where he will continue to stay busy by holding a light workout in the afternoon after he arrives.
"He is ready. He is training right now as we speak and he will train tomorrow after we arrive in California. Miguel will be at the press conference on Thursday and we will weigh him in on Friday so he is ready to go," said Rivera.
Perez, 34-5-2 (20), is a tough veteran who has gone 24 rounds with former champ Jesse James Leija and went the 12-round distance with IBF lightweight champion Paul Spadafora.
"Miguel trains hard for every fight. He knows that Saturday night he is up against a tough opponent but Miguel is always 100-percent ready," said
Rivera, who added that the Perez bout will be Cotto's last fight at 140 pounds before heading south to the lightweight division. "Miguel will be leaving the jr. welterweight division for now. He has always been comfortable at 135 pounds because that was the weight he fought at in the amateurs so that will not be a problem for Miguel.
"He was weighing 138 pounds days before his fight with Bazan and he was feeling strong and fast for that fight and I expect him to do real good in that division and win a championship."
Cotto is a shinning prospect in the jr. welterweight division, a weight class full of talent. With other rising stars in that division, boxing aficionados were watering at the mouth with hopes of seeing Cotto in the ring with fighters like Francisco Bojado, Mohammad Abdullaev, Ricardo Williams and maybe one day challenging the champion Kostya Tszyu, but all of that will have to be put on hold for now.
"In the lightweight division, it will be easier to win a title because you have more champions in that division -- you only have two champions in the jr. welterweights, you have Tszyu and Corley," Rivera said. "I think the champions at 135 pounds are very talented and very good, but I like Miguel's chances with any of them. In this division he will be stronger and he will hit harder and I think he will do real good in this division.
"The plan continues in the lightweight division. We are still on the right track. Miguel will be fighting for the title within a year and than we can go up to the jr. welterweights and win one in that division."
And then -- welterweights beware.
E-mail - Sugar Lee Santiago Sugarleesantiago@aol.com
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