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LAS VEGAS - While there was little drama during Friday's weigh-in between the competitors, Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao, there was an incendiary, obscenity-laced verbal exchange between their respective trainers, Joe Santiago and Freddie Roach, before a boisterous crowd of about 6,500 fans at the MGM Grand Hotel's Garden Arena.
Cotto (34-1, 27 knockouts) is defending his WBO welterweight title, a weight-category whose standard is 147 pounds. But since Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs) is rising from a lower weight, they have agreed to a contracted catchweight of 145 pounds.
More Coverage: Pacquiao-Cotto Weigh-In Results
All was still relatively calm when Pacquiao stepped onto the scales first and weighed an even 144 pounds -- the most that he ever has for any fight of his professional career.
Pacquiao weighed 142 pounds for his eighth-round knockout of Oscar De La Hoya, and, 138 for his last fight -- a second-round stoppage of Ricky Hatton in May.
Pacquiao, a southpaw, flexed his muscles, arms at his side, and looked ripped.
Shortly thereafter, Cotto briefly took to the scales, flexing his biceps as he weighed-in right at 145 pounds even -- the first time he's been at that weight since knocking out southpaw, Zab Judah, in 2007.
That's when the sparks began to fly.
Santiago, then turned to Roach, pointed at the scale, and appeared to taunt him about the champion's weight.
According to Roach, Santiago then said to him, "145 [pounds] a**hole," as he emphatically continued to gesture at his own fighter and the scale.
Roach became incensed, turned and pursued Santos across the stage.
"I'm watching Miguel Cotto make weight, and then he makes weight, and then Santiago says, '145-a**hole.' And I said, 'That's how much he's supposed to weigh, and don't call me an a**hole, or I'll [expletive] kick your a**,'" Roach told FanHouse after watching the video.
"And then, Miguel starts staring at me, and I said 'What are the [expletive] you looking at?' And I decided to calm down a little bit, because the last time I hit somebody, it was at a Kinko's, and I got sued," said Roach.
"But when somebody calls me an a**hole, I'm not going to just keep my mouth shut," said Roach. "I mean, 145? He has a contract, that's what he's supposed to weigh. What the [expletive?] Why did you have to call me an a******. He thinks he won the fight because he made weight? "
Santiago's comments were apparent backlash from Roach's having chastised Santiago throughout the promotion for what he perceived as his limited abilities to prepare Cotto.
Further words were exchanged between the two trainers before Top Rank's Carl Moretti stepped in and separated them.
"There was some tension up there on the platform. I don't know how it started or why it started, but two, coolest people on the stage were Manny and Miguel. But that's alright, that's cool, and there's nothing wrong with that," said Moretti.
"Somebody said something to somebody, and they took offense to it," said Moretti. "And no one was backing down, especially the trainers."
Later, the two fighters posed together.
Actor Jeremy Piven, of Entourage, was on hand to interview the fighters.
Piven asked Cotto if he was hungry from having to cut weight.
"I'm always hungry for fights, but I've been eating well," said Cotto. "And you will see that my power will show in the fight."
Pacquiao was asked by Piven if he was abstaining from sex with his wife.
"No more night-night," Pacquiao said.
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