Cotto was overtrained for Trout, says Hunter

By Boxing News - 12/04/2012 - Comments

Image: Cotto was overtrained for Trout, says HunterBy Allan Fox: Expert boxing trainer Virgil Hunter wasn’t surprised that Miguel Cotto (37-4, 30 KO’s) was beaten last Saturday night by WBA junior middleweight champion Austin Trout (26-0, 14 KO’s) because he felt that Cotto’s physique, and the way he fought, looked like someone that had over-trained during preparation for the fight. Hunter didn’t see the normal movement and power that Cotto normally has, and thinks he made a huge blunder by choosing to train at high altitude for the fight.

Hunter said to RingTV “He [Cotto] trained too hard to be facing a 27-year-old guy who is big and strong. The combination of high altitude and and the over-training and he was facing a young man.”

There’s no question that Cotto’s body didn’t look right. He wasn’t as big or as muscular as he had been for recent fights. Cotto looked a lot like he did when he fought Manny Pacquiao back in 2009. That was what I was thinking when he came out in the 1st round. Cotto trained too hard and the result was that instead of better results, he ended hurting himself by not having the same power or spring to his step that he normally has. It’s night and day comparing Cotto from his last fight against Floyd Mayweather to how he looked physically against Trout. The power and the energy just wasn’t there for Cotto.

Cotto’s trainer should have backed him off and put him through his training at a slower pace so he didn’t wear down his muscles the way he did.

It’s too late now for Cotto. He lost the fight and there’s no going back, but he needs to learn from this and not overdo it in training camp the way he obviously did. More isn’t better, especially for a fighter that’s in his early 30s like Cotto. He needs to be focusing on keeping his muscle size and not draining himself with too much exercise.



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