In a recent interview with El Nuevo Dia, Puerto Rican boxing legend Carlos Ortiz shares his thoughts on the upcoming Pacquiao vs. Cotto fight, and recalls his time in the Philippines.
Ortiz compares Pacquiao to the late Flash Elorde (Ortiz fought Elorde in 1964, 1966 and won both fights by ko in the 14th round) and believes Pacquiao will present problems for Miguel Cotto.
“Elorde was strong and hit hard, Pacquiao is the same kind of fighter. They are same in that respect. But Pacquiao is a very aggressive southpaw. One has to really understand how to fight southpaws and Cotto is going to have a problems there,” Ortiz said. “Elorde was a good fighter as well as Pacquiao but I can’t really say who is better.”
Ortiz also recalls his time in the Philippines and how hospitable the people were to him after he defeated Flash Elorde.
“If I were to be born again as a boxer, I would move to the Philippines. In the Philippines they treated me as if I was one of them. I fell in love with the Philippines with how well they treated me. They are very good people over there. You don’t have any idea of how well I was treated,” Ortiz told El Nuevo Dia.
Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto “FirePower” will air live on HBO Pay-Per-View, November 14th.
Be sure to tune in for the finale of HBO 24/7 Pacquiao-Cotto on November 13th, the day before the mega bout. You can catch all the previous episodes on HBO ON DEMAND.
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