WHEN Freddie Roach boldly announced several weeks back that Manny Pacquiao is going to knock Miguel Cotto out in the first round of their scheduled showdown for the world welterweight crown, it is safe to say that the famed American trainer was either just declaring his honest prediction of the fight, or is simply trying to get under the Puerto Rican's skin.

Whatever, Roach's warning precipitated a mind game between him and the camp of Cotto that raised the ante of the November 14 ring battle dubbed "Firepower" at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Although members of the Cotto camp had initially claimed that Roach's prophecy will not get under the Puerto Rican's skin, they were certainly lured into a psychological contest with the Filipino camp.

The mind games were raised even higher with only days before the fight where Pacquiao is trying to become the first boxer in history to win a seventh world crown in different weight categories.

The Cotto camp, in apparent answer to Roach's statements, said it will have Pacquiao's hand wraps carefully checked at the locker room before the Filipino enters the ring.

Then there was message sent from Cotto's handlers led by chief trainer Joe Santiago that they have discovered kinks in Pacquiao's armor during the eight round of the Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez rematch and that they promised to exploit on these flaws come fight night.

Of course, Roach also had other verbal jabs, like his declaring to have Cotto disqualified the moment he hits Pacquiao with a low blow. He also threatened to call off the fight should Cotto comes in more than 147 pounds during the weigh-in.

Pacquiao and Cotto are fighting at a catch weight of 145 pounds and there was a clause in the fight contract that Cotto will have to pay $1 million for every pound higher than that, though Roach made it clear that the Puerto Rican cannot be heavier than 147 pounds.

When both Pacquiao and Cotto held seperate media workouts recently in Los Angeles, the mind games immediately resumed. And this time, the statements get bolder.

Cotto said Pacquiao may have the speed but maintained he is the more powerful fighter between the two.

"He's coming from a lower division," Cotto told Fightnews.com. "If they think they have more power that Miguel Cotto, there're wrong.

The 29-year-old Cotto, who is definitely bigger and stronger, said he is confident of a victory when he trades punches with Pacquiao.

"I'm prepared for all he can show me," Cotto said.

Roach seemed unfazed, insisting that Cotto is slower and easy to hit.

"We'll make him looked like an amateur," Roach said of Cotto.

Down at the World Card Gym in Hollywood, Roach and Pacquiao are on their finals days of training. The teacher and the pupil have developed the perfect fight plan against the Puerto Rican brawler.

Whatever that plan is, Pacquiao must execute it perfectly well if he wants to win and write his name in the world boxing history books.