‘Superheroes Are Coming to Get You!’; Roach at His Antics Again

Team Cotto breaks camp in Tampa, Florida and heads for Las Vegas a full week ahead of Team Pacquiao. Meantime, a confident coach Freddie Roach is at his antics again.

Puerto Rican boxing hero Miguel Cotto has once again beaten the Pacman to the punch. Just as he set-up training camp in Tampa, Florida a month earlier than Filipino spitfire Manny Pacquiao, he once again steps ahead of his competition by going to Las Vegas a full week ahead than the Pacman. GMA News reports that the WBO Welterweight champion has broken camp in Tampa, Florida and is heading for ‘Sin City’ on Sunday with his team which includes trainer Joe Santiago, veteran cutman Joe Chavez, and strength and conditioning coach Phil Landman. Team Pacquiao on the other hand, is not expected to push for Las Vegas until Monday of fight week, November 9. In what is turning out to be an interesting sideshow to the main event, the ongoing psy-war between Team Cotto and Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach continues to hug the attention of an amused media. Recently, Team Cotto continues to deny that Roach’s mind games are affecting their preparations. “We do not pay attention to whatever Freddie Roach is saying. We are focused on one person – Pacquiao. Roach is trying to play mind games with us, but it’s not working," said Santiago. In another interview, an obviously pissed off Miguel Cotto says, “It’s going to be a tough battle, but I can assure you that in the end I am going to leave (the ring) victorious. I don’t care what Freddie says. The best that he can do is help Manny Pacquiao reach his best form. I will not mind Roach. He talks a lot,” he told Puerto Rican newspaper Primera Hora. Meantime, coach Freddie Roach after reiterating that they will knockout Cotto and confirming that his prized pupil is 95% in shape for the fight in a media conference call earlier this week, is at his antics again. In a report by the LA Times, Roach was so giddy with Pacquiao’s performance in sparring last Thursday that he decided to have some fun and wore his Batman costume supposedly for Halloween two days earlier. He posed with the Pacman, and in his best Batman impersonation warned, “Miguel, the superheroes are coming to get you!" The big event, Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto for the WBO Welterweight Belt happens on November 14, 2009 at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada.