Oscar De La Hoya is convinced that Miguel Cotto will “surprise” Manny Pacquiao and the rest of the world when they clash on November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

De La Hoya, boxing’s “Golden Boy”, whom Pacquiao battered into retirement in their fight on December, believes that the world pound-for-pound king has the speed but not the power to bring down Cotto, who is a natural welterweight.

“Cotto has a good chin and a big heart. He’s a natural welterweight who hits hard and is also smart and fast. Pacquiao doesn’t hit hard enough to knock anyone out in the welterweight division,” said De La Hoya in his blog published at ringtv.com.

“I’m basing that on my fight against Pacquiao. I could’ve stood there and put my face in front of him and he couldn’t have hurt me.”

With Cotto’s World Boxing Organization welterweight belt at stake, Pacquiao may make history with a title in a seventh weight division, but De La Hoya is wary that the glorious quest of the Filipino superstar, the latest fighter and the second Filipino to grace the cover of well-respected magazine Time, may end in this fight.

“I’ve seen his [Cotto’s] skills and I’ve seen his power. He’s proved himself against tough, rugged guys. He’s proved himself against slick boxers. Cotto is one of those fighters who can surprise anyone,” said De La Hoya.

The ten-time world champion admitted he was a “firm believer” of Pacquiao and that the speed of the world pound-for-pound king will paralyze Cotto, since he was severely punished in a split decision win against Joshua Clottey in June.

“Then, as the fight was getting closer and closer and I thought more about it, I’m now convinced Cotto will win,” he said. “The reason is, first, nobody looks good against Clottey. He’s a difficult, strong, in-your-face type of fighter. And Cotto had that gash over his eye the whole fight. I thought he did an excellent job in light of that.”

With his change of heart, De La Hoya now believes Cotto is the “real deal” and he will destroy Pacquiao late in the fight.

“I think Cotto is a smart fighter. I think he’ll get through those first few rounds and in a smart way he’ll walk down Pacquiao and possibly stop him in the later rounds,” he said.

Krista Angela M. Montealegre