Pacquiao rooting for Cotto

MANILA, Philippines - A welt under Manny Pacquiao’s right eye showed how tough sparring was yesterday.

“It was the best day of sparring for us,” said Freddie Roach after a seven-round session between Pacquiao and his Russian sparring partners.

Pacquiao slugged it out with Ruslan Provodnikov and Rustam Nugaev at the MP Tower gym, and later on graced a warm send-off party at the Pan Pacific Hotel.

He played host to the people of San Andres in Manila for his weekly game show, and was scheduled to fly to Los Angeles at around 10 p.m.

At the party, Pacquiao came in linen shirt and dark pants, with his baby daughter Queenie in tow. But the reigning WBO welterweight champion looked tired.

“Pagod nga,” he said with a ready smile.

Pacquiao said things will only heat up once they get to the Wild Card Gym in LA for the last four weeks of training for his June 9 fight with Timothy Bradley in Las Vegas.

“Mas mahirap na training sa LA,” said Pacquiao, who traded heavy blows with Provodnikov and Nugaev in his final sparring session in Manila.

“Manny was a lot active. But Ruslan was just as aggressive,” said Roach of the 28-year-old Russian bear, always trying his best to give Pacquiao a tough time in sparring.

That’s what he’s being paid for, and so far he’s doing a very good job.

“I like him as sparring partner,” said Pacquiao.

It was his turn to show the effects of the tough sessions, after Provodnikov suffered a blackeye, and Nugaev bled from the nose in the previous ones.

As he turned his back, Pacquiao was asked to comment on today’s fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand.

He sounded surprised that the fight was to be held today.

“Is it for today?” he asked those around him.

Pressed for an answer, he said, “Siyempre, Cotto tayo.”

Not that he has a pending defamation case against Mayweather, but the 33-year-old congressman said he thinks Cotto has the firepower to win it all.

“Malakas si Cotto. At mukhang over-confident si Floyd (Cotto is strong and Floyd looks over-confident),” said Pacquiao.

“Floyd does not know how strong Cotto is,” added Pacquiao who should be in his LA mansion by the time the opening bell rings for Mayweather vs Cotto.

Will he bet on it?

“No. I don’t gamble anymore.”

Then he turned away.