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“We are live from New York City right now. Madison Square Garden, the world’s most famous arena held a sensational press conference today with Miguel Cotto, “Kid Diamond,” Mohamad Abdulaev, and Joel Casamayor, to promote their up and coming bouts that will be televised on HBO,” said Lee Samuels of Top Rank. Todd |
duBoef, President of Top Rank, outlined the card to be expected, and introduced Miguel Cotto, who spoke through his interpreter Ricardo Jimenez. “It is a dream come true for me. It’s something I’ve always wanted to fight at Madison Square Garden. I’m very excited. I do know Mohamad since we fought in the amateurs, but it’s a different ball game now. The preparations are just beginning, but we will be ready for the fight,” were the choice opening words Miguel Cotto gave the assembled media to get the conference underway. “I don’t believe I was weak in making the weight (referring to 140-pounds). If I would have been weak, and not strong, I would have never survived that third round (referring to the Corley fight). I think I showed that I’m strong at 140-pounds. Only myself and my group will know when it is time to move up to welterweight. I think I’m physically capable of continuing making the weight.” That was the response Cotto gave this writer when asked why he has not moved up to 147-pounds following his struggle to make 140-pounds in his fight against DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley, in which Miguel came in weighing 157-pounds the night of the fight, looking physically depleted, and was almost knocked-out in the third round. And when I asked Miguel if he felt that Abdulaev would have a strength and stamina advantage over him since Mohamad does not struggle to make 140-pounds, and whether he (Miguel) feels that Mohamad could hurt him like Corley, an annoyed Cotto said: “I don’t know if he is strong or not. I can’t tell you that until we step into the ring and see who is the strongest. I can’t give an opinion on what has not happened yet.” I followed up with, “well, do you remember if he was a strong fighter in the amateur ranks? “I don’t remember and that’s a thing of the past. We will see if I can take his punch come fight night.”
Read on for the rest of the conference quotes brought to you by SaddoBoxing.com’s Sergio Martinez.
Dan Rafael: What is your recollection of your fight against Abdulaev in the amateurs?
Miguel Cotto: It’s way back there I my mind. I remember it being a fight that I won. All I remember is going out there and doing my job and claiming the decision, but I don’t know what else happened.
Rafael: This is a similar situation like when you fought Kelson Pinto in that he had bested you in the amateurs, but you beat him for the title in the pro’s. Does this fight you have against Mohamad have anything to do with revenge, or is that amateur stuff just something in the past?
Cotto: We are just looking into the future since that was a long time ago. This time will be different.
Rafael: Because he ended your amateur career with a loss and denied you a gold medal at the Olympics, do you think you will have more satisfaction beating him than any of the other opponents you have beaten?
Cotto: That fight was my final fight as an amateur and it was frustrating losing a fight that I thought I won. We know we did our job and the best we could and it showed by the fact that Top Rank signed me and the way I have been promoted the last four years. So yeah, it will be more satisfying to beat him.
(Inaudible name): Is this your toughest fight to date?
Cotto: I can’t qualify it until we both get into the ring and see what happens.
(Inaudible name): Mr. duBoef, why did you sign Miguel Cotto and not Mohamad Abdulaev even though he beat Miguel in the Olympics?
Todd duBoef: That’s a very good question. I think when we signed Miguel Cotto, from our business side of our promotional company, we excelled a lot on the “Latin” community. We felt that his talent, personality, and his Latin culture, was a very good business choice for us. There are a lot of elements for promoters to create big events and having fighters. One of them is to have a great fighter, and have marketability like Miguel Cotto that we’ve seen and exploited over the last four years.
Robert: What’s going to be the big difference this time around against Mohamad?
Cotto: I think I have matured, and I think that I have faced better opponents than he has and I just think my maturity is further along than his.
George Diaz Smith: How strong did you feel when you went up against DeMarcus Corley physically? And what difference will we see in your fight against Abdulaev?
Cotto: Coming into the fight with Corley I was just as strong as I ever was going into a fight. I’ll be the same way for the next fight as long as I train properly.
George Diaz Smith: Which of the following 140-pounders would you like to fight next? Gatti, Kostya, or Mayweather.
Cotto: That’s not my job. Whoever they want to pick from the three you mentioned, I’m fine with it. I think I’m ready to fight any of the three you mentioned.
Writer’s notes: In my humble opinion, Cotto did not sound like he was fired up for this fight at all, but it is scheduled for June 11, 2005 and we are in April. I’m not sure what to make of his annoyance at my questions, but it seems that his weight may be a bigger issue than he let on.
