MIGUEL Cotto has promised not to take Chorley's Michael Jennings lightly on Saturday night after vowing to put in his best performance against the British underdog.

Two-time welterweight champion Cotto (32-1, 26 KOs) returns to the ring for the first time since losing his WBA belt to Antonio Margarito in Las Vegas last summer when he meets Jennings (34-1, 16 KOs) for the vacant WBO 147-pound title at Madison Square Garden.

Jennings, 31, is unknown in the United States and has never fought outside Britain as a professional.

Puerto Rican Cotto, 28, admitted last month when the fight was officially announced in New York that he too knew nothing about the former British champion, but at Thursday's pre-fight press conference he revealed he had done his homework.

"I didn't know a lot about Michael Jennings but now I'm prepared for anything he can bring to me," said Cotto.

"It's going to be a tough fight. He'll be coming with all his heart from England and looking for the championship belt.

"I've trained for this fight like I always do, for anything and to capitalise on any mistakes he makes on the night."

Cotto said he had watched tapes of Jennings' two most recent outings, his April 5 seventh-round TKO of George Ungiadze and his November 14 eight-round points win over Jason Rushton, and the Englishman reminded him of two of his recent victims.

"He's a classical kind of boxer," the Puerto Rican said of Jennings.

"He's like Luca Branco, Oktay Urkal, very technical, very similar."

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