By Dave Lahr: Former World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Miguel Cotto (34-2, 27 KO’s) doesn’t think he’s a fading fighter all, saying “I’m better than ever” at the final press conference for his fight against WBA junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman (28-0, 8 KO’s) this Saturday night at the Yankee Stadium, in New York. Let’s hope that Cotto is better than ever like he says he is, because he’s been looking worse than ever in the past two years, looking like a shot fighter in many ways.

Cotto, 29, needs to show a lot of improvement from his last fight, a 12th round knockout loss to Manny Pacquiao in November 2009, if he’s to have any hope of beating the quick moving Foreman. Cotto, 5’7”, is moving up in weight to challenge for Foreman’s light middleweight title and that in itself could be a problem a problem for Cotto to have to deal with.

It may not be a big issue because it is only seven pounds, but Cotto always looked small even for the welterweight division and to have to fight a tall fighter like the 5’11” Foreman could be a big obstacle for Cotto to have to deal with. The tallest opponent that Cotto has faced up until now was only 5’9”, and giving up all the height and five inches in reach to Foreman could make things difficult for Cotto.

Cotto says “I’m working with more energy, more passion for the work at the gym, doing everything for the whole time. It is the same when I jumped from 140 to 147 and now to 154. We worked pretty good with the strength and I feel more than good. There are no worries.”

It might help Cotto that he doesn’t have to take off weight like he did to get down to the 147 pound welterweight limit. Cotto is coming down from 160+ to make the 154 pound limit, which should be much easier for him that having to drain himself to make welterweight. If this helps Cotto with his stamina in the later rounds it would be a big plus for him, as Cotto has a had big problem of fading late in his fights with Antonio Margarito, Mosley, Joshua Clottey and Manny Pacquiao.

If Cotto can’t take Foreman out early, then the stamina issues could come into question unless Cotto is fighting with more energy at the higher weight. This obviously isn’t a weight class that Cotto will be planning on staying at because there are fewer appealing fighters for him to take on and once you get past Foreman, the division has dangerous fighters like the Margarito-like Alfredo Angulo and the talented WBC junior middleweight champion Sergio Martinez.

Those two fighters would appear to be a step too far for Cotto, with his limited size, to beat. Cotto is hoping to beat Foreman and then use the WBA strap as a lure to get Pacquiao to go after him for a rematch. For most boxing fans, there would seem to be little point in watching a rematch between Cotto and Pacquiao, since Cotto was obliterated by Pacquiao in their fight. However, it’s a fight that Cotto wants because it gives him the most money and he can try to get revenge for his loss to Pacquiao.