Joe Santiago says Miguel Cotto should be the new P4P king if he beats Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

Most experts have either the Pacman or Floyd Mayweather Jr topping their mythical top 10 of the best fighters in any division.

But Cotto's trainer believes there should be a new name atop the boxing world if the Puerto Rican comes out victorious in the MGM Grand this weekend.

He said: "I think in his career he has shown a willingness to fight anybody and everybody they put in front of him and he beat them all except one. All he has to do is beat Manny Pacquiao to prove he is the best in the world. If he does that I don't see how they can deny him that No. 1 spot."

Santiago will only be chief man in Cotto's corner for the second time on Saturday night, while his opposite number will be Freddie Roach, generally acclaimed as the best there is right now.

But Santiago believes talk of the difference in experience between them is overplayed.

He argued: "I know that he has done a lot in boxing. I have a lot of respect for what Freddie Roach has done. But it has nothing to do with us. It's the fighters that are going to do the fighting. They are going to do their work and we have our work to do.

"As long as our guy wins we are going to get recognised for it. Once Miguel wins, they are going to recognize that we have a great corner, a great team. That's the way I look at it. It has nothing to do with me and Freddie Roach. We are preparing Miguel Cotto to fight Manny Pacquiao. That's my job and that's the way I look at it."

Cotto was cut badly in his last outing, a tough points win over Joshua Clottey at Madison Square Garden back in June, and Roach says that will be a problem for him on Saturday.

But Santiago disagrees, saying: "We were very lucky on the night of the fight that we had two plastic surgeons there at the Garden and they were able to do their job and it came out very nice and we have not seen anything at all that has been wrong with his cut. we have had no issues with it in camp and I don't think it will be an issue in the fight."

Cotto has suffered defeat just once in a stellar career so far, that vicious beating at the hands of Antonio Margarito last July.

But despite fears the Puerto Rican superstar would never be the same after that night, Santiago says it's gone and forgotten.

"As far as we are concerned, the Margarito fight is over and done with. We are preparing for a new challenge and I see him just as hungry. We always go into win. The confidence when he goes up into the ring - I don't see that changing. I don't think many guys would have stood up to Clottey the way he was fighting with the cut and everything. I think you just have to look at the challenge ahead and we are preparing for that."

Taking over the task of training a fighter with the worldwide appeal of Cotto may be huge, but Santiago says he hasn't felt any great pressure.

"I have been around the camp for seven years, so I know how he prepares himself. I know him very well. The confidence that the Cotto family had in me, made me feel good. I know I was well prepared and I know I have the capacity to do this job and I think I just follow along what we've done before.

Cotto is the latest in a long line of great Puerto Rican fighters, having taken the baton from Felix 'Tito' Trinidad.

And Santiago knows just how much beating the Pacman on Saturday would mean.

"It is huge. Everybody knows what Pacquiao has done and we know what Miguel is capable of doing. It would not only be huge for me and Miguel, but for everybody in Puerto Rico," he said. "It would be a huge win especially with what Pacquiao has done in his last few fights."