FanHouse Zab Judah

Throughout the promotion leading up to Saturday night's mega-fight between challenger Manny Pacquiao and his champion fighter Miguel Cotto, trainer Joe Santiago's reputation has taken a verbal beating from his counterpart, Freddie Roach.

A Hall of Fame cornerman whose hopes to guide Pacquiao to an unprecedented, seventh world title in a different weight class, Roach has taken shots at Santiago's relative inexperience.

But during Wednesday's press conference at the Hollywood Theatre at the MGM Grand Hotel where Saturday night's clash will be held, Santiago stepped up to the podium and carried himself the same way that he has throughout the fight's buildup.

With a confidence, a calm demeanor, a calculated speech and, ultimately, control.

LAS VEGAS -- Miguel Cotto is a star in Puerto Rico, just not the major attraction that Manny Pacquiao is in his native Philippines.

And among the contributing reasons is that while Cotto's nation has a long list of fighting predecessors against whom to compare him, Pacquiao's essentially has none. [See note at bottom.]

"The Puerto Ricans have a whole collection of stars and they're not wrapped up in one guy like the Filipinos are in Manny," said promoter Bob Arum, listing former Puerto Rican greats such as Felix Trinidad, Wilfredo Gomez and Wilfred Benitez, among others.

"To Filipino fans, Manny's just absolutely incredible. Manny comes from a poor, impoverished country where he is the icon of hope and he represents their country on the world stage," said Arum.

"Puerto Rican fans want Cotto to win, but it's much more rational," said Arum. "Manny's situation is a lot different from being simply the best fighter in Puerto Rico."

On Saturday night, Miguel Cotto, will walk into the same Las Vegas hotel arena where, sixteen months ago, the Puerto Rican fighter suffered the worst beating of his professional boxing career.

And as sure as he knows he'll be at ringside delivering his commentary for Cotto's matchup at the MGM Grand, HBO's Jim Lampley is equally certain that Cotto is going to shed blood, yet again, opposite Manny Pacquiao.

"Of course, [Cotto's] going to bleed in this fight. Unless it's only going to go a minute. Otherwise, if we're in round three, he's cut," said Lampley, who has been ringside during the many times when Cotto has bled, profusely, from facial lacerations.

Southpaw former world champion Zab Judah (pictured) scored a second-round knockout over Ubaldo Hernandez on Friday night at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas to improve to 38-6 with his 26th career KO.

The victory was the fourth in the past five fights for the 32-year-old Judah since June 2007, when he was knocked out in the 11th round by Miguel Cotto.

A former three-time titlist, Judah scored three knockdowns while ending a nearly 12-month layoff against Hernandez (22-20-2, 10 KOs), who, like him, weighed 145 pounds for their welterweight matchup.

Southpaw former world champions, Zab Judah, and Joel Casamayor will return to the ring on Friday night at The Palms Casino in Las Vegas.

Judah, a 32-year-old welterweight (147 pounds), will be ending a nearly 12-month layoff. The 38-year-old Casamayor will be ending a nearly 14-month ring absence when he enters the ring as a light weight (135).

Judah (37-6, 25 knockouts) will face 31-year-old Adailton De Jesus (23-4, 18 KOs) of Brazil, who has won four of his last five fights.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Several times a year, Fred Tukes leaves his wife Heather, his two-year-old son Jeremiah, and his 14-year-old daughter Alana, at home in Atlanta to go and trade punches with some of the world's best professional boxers.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Although Miguel Cotto was scarcely 15 minutes into his nearly two-hour workout at the Fight Factory gymnasium on a sweltering, balmy Tuesday afternoon, sweat already was glistening over his chiseled upper torso, and his saturated, synthetic, black pants clung to his legs like shrink wrap.

The WBO champion is only four weeks into what will be a nearly three-month training regimen, here in Florida, an exercise that is taking place outside of his native Puerto Rico for only the second time in his career.

The 28-year-old Cotto is preparing for a Nov. 14 defense of his welterweight (147 pounds) crown against Filipino sensation, Manny Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs) at a catch-weight of 145 pounds at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

---

---