On the last edition of HBO's award winning series 24/7, Freddie Roach let people in on the philosophy that has made him the world's number one trainer. Freddie said, "What I study when I watch Cotto is, I'm looking for habits. I'm not looking for mistakes, because everyone can make mistakes in fights. The thing is, it's the habits he does in every fight. He does the exact same thing every time. That's what I'm looking for."
Just as he had found Ricky Hatton's weakness, or habit, he believes he has also found Cotto's. Hatton had a habit of pumping his gloves up and down right before he attacks. It was almost like Ricky telling Manny, "here I come."
The plan of attack for Oscar De La Hoya was a secret until fight time. That plan may have been altered anyway when the two fighters went to the center of the ring for instructions. It was at that time that Roach noticed dry blood on Oscar's arm. It was at that moment that he knew De La Hoya was dehydrated, thus informing his charge to jump on Oscar as soon as the bell rang.
Good trainers, or in this case, great trainers are no different than great football coaches. They relentlessly study game film to find tendencies. What does a team or player do in a certain situation? Sometimes a game plan doesn't start out so well, but given time most athletes and coaches will revert back to their old ways, or tendencies if you will. That is when a fight or a game has a suttle shift from one side to the other.
This writer is proud to say that he noticed Miguel's tendency more than three years ago. What is Miguel's tendency of choice? Cotto is so poised and relaxed in the ring that after he has exchanges with an opponent, he usually takes two or three somewhat bouncy steps to his left. At that point he resets and is again ready for business. The problem is that he has to reset and while doing so, keeps his hands down.
It is at that moment that Manny Pacquiao is probably going to use his quicker feet to jump on Miguel and land combinations. The danger for Pacquiao is that Miguel Cotto is a natural left hander. And everyone knows that his left hook is his weapon of choice.
If this is the habit that Roach wants to exploit then Manny better learn one thing, keep that right hand up. That still seems to be one habit that occasionally slips back into Pacquiao's fights. When looking back at the Hatton fight, one will notice that when Manny tries to land a long left hand, he still drops his right had low. If he does this with Cotto, he may end up eating a solid left hook.
All of this is what makes boxing great. Everyone has opinions, including me, but that is why they fight in the ring and not on paper. Tendencies or not, this is shaping up to be a great fight. It is a great time in boxing, whether you're from Puerto Rico, the Philippines or just a diehard boxing fan.
Credits to:
November 9, 6:33 PMNorfolk Boxing Examiner ; Glenn Wilson
