Miguel Cotto was already a great fighter before he began to work with Hall of Fame boxing trainer Emanuel Steward last year. But no boxer is ever a finished product, an athlete can always improve and enhance his talents and skills. I asked Emanuel Steward what he is working on to make Miguel Cotto become a better boxer as he heads into this new stage of his career…

“I am working with him on balance. You saw the workout, it’s not like before, bobbing and weaving and he’s weaving and punching. We’re making him use his footwork. And that’s something I made him do…Bang, bang, bang, go back, so not getting too comfortable with all your weight up here. So throw a punch, make him  go back. Use his footwork. I can’t get him completely out of this style because that’s in him. But I’m making him keep balance better.”

“Against Pacquiao, I told him he couldn’t see the punches here (points to above) because you were so down here (motions in crouch), spread out. And from that point on he’s trying to move back and forth. I make him throw three or four punches, keep moving back. But he’s gotta keep punching and keep balance, while the body’s punching, instead of standing in one spot. And that’s what I’m working on.”

“And he has an unusually strong left hand, so making him utilize his jab also more. Because his jab is very, very – it moves you.”

“I said (to Miguel), You really had a split controversial decision with Clottey only because your jab scored a freak off-balance knockdown at the end of the first round. That is the fact why they gave you that close, hairline victory. So never, never get away from your left jab. And it was the same with your tough fight with Mosley, when you had  a tough guy you actually started boxing a bit. We just had a video of him on You Tube that was showing him when he was 17 fighting. You could not believe how he was boxing. That was when he was a little, beautiful Puerto Rican fighter 132 (pounds). Not that you have to be that any more because you’re older now. But you still had good balance to go forward and backward. In recent fights you’ve gotten away with bending forward with your left hook. That’s basically what we’re working on – balance.”

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