By John F. McKenna (McJack): Trainer Pedro Diaz believes that his fighter WBA light middleweight champion Miguel Cotto definitely has what it takes to hand undefeated superstar WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather (42-0, 26 KO’s) his first loss. Of course that is what you would expect a trainer to say who is preparing his fighter for arguably the biggest fight of his career.
Cotto and Mayweather will square off on May 5 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas. The fight will be broadcast live on HBO Pay Per View (PPV). Diaz is leaving no stone unturned in getting his fighter ready for Mayweather, which in itself is a daunting task. Cotto is fresh off of his “revenge” 10th round TKO victory over Antonio Margarito last December. Diaz worked with Cotto in that fight and helped devise the strategy which enabled him to erase the memory of the beat down which Margarito inflicted on Miguel in 2008.
Cotto had lost some of his confidence when he lost the fight to Margarito, but Pedro had a large part in restoring his confidence. Diaz is known for his no nonsense approach in preparing a fighter for a match and obviously Miguel’s fight with “Money” Mayweather is no different.
Many boxing pundits and fans give Cotto little chance to defeat Floyd. To everyone who says Miguel has little or no chance to defeat Mayweather, Diaz invites them to come around and talk to him after the big fight. Pedro is quick to point out that as in every aspect of life, being a good fighter requires self discipline, a good deal of dedication, and a fair amount of talent and skill. Diaz believes that Cotto possesses all those attributes in abundance.
Diaz insists that he is not deluding himself with false hope. He believes in his heart that in less than a month Miguel Cotto will have handed Floyd Mayweather Jr. his first career loss.
Part of what a good trainer does, and Pedro Diaz falls into that category, is prepare his fighter mentally as well as physically. Diaz may well very well believe in his heart that Cotto can defeat Mayweather. However it is even more crucial for Miguel to believe wholeheartedly in his trainer. Apparently the chemistry that exists between Diaz and Cotto is such that they have the bond of trust between them.
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