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Miguel Cotto ‘ready to go to war’ with Sergio Martinez

Fighters Network
02
Jun

HBO has provided the final training blog taken from an interview with three-division titlewinner Miguel Cotto on June 2 in advance of Saturday's fight with RING and WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez at New York's Madison Square Garden.

The 33-year-old Cotto (38-4, 31 KOs) ascends to a catchweight of 159 pounds to face Martinez (51-2-2, 28 knockouts), 39, with the goal of becoming the first Puerto Rican fighter to win a belt in his fourth weight class.

Cotto will be making his debut as a middleweight, having scored a third-round knockout over Delvin Rodriguez in his last fight in October, his first being guided by trainer Freddie Roach.

Martinez has risen from the canvas during each of his past three fights, comprised of an 11th-round stoppage of Matthew Macklin and unanimous decision victories over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Martin Murray. In those fights, Martinez was floored in the seventh, 12th and eighth rounds, respectively.



Martinez will have been out of the ring since April of last year when he fought Murray in Buenos Aires, but is 7-0 with four stoppages since falling by majority decision to Paul Williams in December 2009. Martinez avenged the loss by stopping Williams in the second round in November 2010.

 

Question for Miguel Cotto: How will you use your power and movements to slow down Martinez? Chavez couldn't hit him for 11 rounds. How do you hit Martinez?

Cotto: "I have followed every single direction that Freddie has given me. We have been working really hard to get into this fight in our best. Everybody knows the fighter that I am and what I capable to do in the ring. Chavez is Chavez but Miguel Cotto is Miguel Cotto.

"As everyone in boxing knows, styles makes fights. I believe my style and my experience will be very important in this battle with Sergio Martinez. I am coming to fight the way I know how to do it and it has nothing to do with how other boxers fight certain opponents.

"In the preparation for this fight, I have focused on what Freddie has asked me to do and I am prepared to go 12 hard rounds and to battle every minute of every round. I have always believed that you win fights round by round.

"I prepare to fight my fight and make adjustments as the fight goes along and I will be ready to go to war at any time. All boxers are different and we all approach the fights in different ways.

"This fight is very important to me and I have prepared the best way that I can. I will find a way to win and take the title back to Puerto Rico."

 

MIGUEL COTTO’S FIGHTS IN NEW YORK:

Waklimi Young, UD 4, Hammerstein Ballroom, April 28, 2001

Muhammad Abdullaev, TKO 9, Madison Square Garden, June 11, 2005

Paulie Malignaggi, UD 12, Madison Square Garden, June 10, 2006

Zab Judah, TKO 11, Madison Square Garden, June 9, 2007

Shane Mosley, UD 12, Madison Square Garden, November 10, 2007

Michael Jennings, TKO 5, Madison Square Garden, February 21, 2009

Joshua Clottey, SD 12, Madison Square Garden, June 13, 2009

Yuri Foreman, TKO 9, Yankee Stadium, June 5, 2010

Antonio Margarito, TKO 9, Madison Square Garden, December 3, 2011

Austin Trout UD 12 Miguel Cotto, Madison Square Garden, December 1, 2012

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