by David P. Greisman

BoxingScene.com: How do you see the fight between Cotto and Rodriguez going?

Lederman: “You know, I never make predictions on fights where I’ve got to keep score, and I’m certainly keeping score for HBO. But I think that Miguel Cotto and Delvin Rodriguez looks like a very good fight. Delvin’s a tough guy. He’ll come to fight. Miguel looks better than he’s looked in a long time. I mean, he really looks like he’s in great shape. So, we just hope that Miguel Cotto can come back and be the Miguel Cotto of old, and we’re happy to have him back to HBO.”

BoxingScene.com: How difficult or how possible do you think it will be for Cotto to come back and be the Miguel Cotto of old?

Lederman: “Well, we’ll find out tomorrow night. He took a big first step by signing with Freddie Roach. Freddie’s a good trainer. I’m sure Freddie did a lot with Miguel in the past couple weeks, and certainly I’m looking for a new and revived Miguel Cotto on Saturday night.”

BoxingScene.com: Stylistically, do you see Rodriguez posing problems, given his height and his style?

Lederman: “Yeah, I’m sure Delvin’s going to box and try to use his good legs. Delvin’s the kind of guy that comes right at you, though. I think he’s going to be right in Miguel’s face. I think Miguel’s going to use that hook to the body.”

BoxingScene.com: Do you see any similarities between this fight and Rodriguez’s fights with Pawel Wolak?

Lederman: “No. Nobody fights like Pawel Wolak. Pawel Wolak stuck his head in your chest and just banged away to the body. He’s a very unusual guy. But no, Miguel’s more of a classic boxer than Pawel was. Pawel, you knew what he was going to do right away. He came at you, tried to pin you up on the ropes, and tried to keep banging you in the body. But Miguel’s got a classic style. He can box, he can punch, he can move. That’s what he has to do to win.”

Pick up a copy of David’s new book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsamazon . Send questions/comments via email at fightingwords1@gmail.com