Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto: Firepower

Does Cotto deserve a title shot against Foreman?

2010-01-16T23:43:00.000-08:00

By William Mackay

In the past couple of days there has been news of former World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Miguel Cotto (34-2, 27 KO’s) getting a title shot against WBA junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman (28-0, 8 KO’s) in June of this year. How in the heck does Cotto deserve a title shot given that he’s coming off of a vicious 12th round stoppage loss to Manny Pacquiao in November?

Cotto took a savage beating in that fight and probably only lasted that long against Pacquiao because he chose to run from the 4th round on. It doesn’t seem fair that Cotto should be able to jump in line in front of other talented top light middleweight contenders like Daniel Dawson, Nobihiro Ishida, Marco Avendano, Alfredo Angulo, Christophe Canclaux, Nilson Tapia, Zaurbeck Baysangurov, Alexander Abraham, Anthony Small, Harry Joe Yorgey, Austin Trout, Seshew Powell, Vanes Martirosyan, and Juan Ulbaldo Cabrera.

Granted, many of these fighters’ names aren’t recognizable to many boxing fans, but they’re still ranked in the top 15 in the WBA, unlike the recently beaten Cotto who is only ranked in the welterweight division. Doesn’t Cotto have to prove himself in the light middleweight division by picking off a top 15 fighter or two before he gets a shot against Foreman?

That makes sense to me. If Cotto wants a title shot against Foreman, let him beat Martirosyan and Angulo. If Cotto can get by those two fighters, and I don’t know that he can, then I would be alright with him getting a title shot against Foreman. I know people will say that Cotto is an elite fighter because he’d held a title previously, whereas the top 15 contenders in the WBA haven’t.

However, Cotto has lost two out of his last four fights and an argument can be made that Cotto should have lost three out of his last four because of his controversial 12 round split decision win over Joshua Clottey in June 2009. Even if we just look at Cotto’s two losses that would seem to me to be enough to disqualify him for a title shot against Foreman.

I don’t think Foreman is the greatest fighter even, but he’s a champion and he deserves to face contenders that have worked their way into a title shot rather than have had the shot given to them on a silver platter. I think Cotto can beat Foreman without too many problems, because I see him as the weakest of the four champions in the light middleweight division.

But Cotto should still have to at least knock off two top 15 contenders before he gets a title shot against the Foreman. I know that Foreman is making a voluntary defense of his title, but there should be a rule where the champions are required to defend their titles against top fighters in their own division and not fighters out of their class.

Because it seems only fair, because otherwise you have fighters picking and choosing smaller or weaker fighters to get an easy pay day against during their non mandatory defenses and it makes it a long wait for contenders in that particular division to get a title shot.

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"Foreman is bigger and if ever he will beat Cotto, I think it's the end of Cotto's career."

Brooklyn's Yuri Foreman and Miguel Cotto close to deal for fight on eve of Puerto Rican Day Parade

2010-01-16T01:26:00.000-08:00

BY Mitch Abramson

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Brooklyn's Yuri Foreman is close to signing a lucrative deal to face Miguel Cotto at Madison Square Garden on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade.

If the deal for June 12 is consummated, it would be another stunning turn in the career of Foreman, who two years ago was on the verge of quitting the sport, frustrated that his career was in a holding pattern. On Nov. 14, Foreman, who is studying to become a rabbi, dominated Daniel Santos to win the WBA junior middleweight title, putting him in position to fight the best in the sport.

"Both guys want the fight," Bob Arum of Top Rank, which promotes both Foreman and Cotto, said in a phone interview Friday. "In fact, Miguel asked me if he could fight Foreman. It's close to a done deal."

Arum will meet with reps from both camps next week in Manhattan to discuss the remaining sticking point: money. Foreman's manager, Murray Wilson, doesn't envision a lot of haggling.

"We want the fight," he said. "This is a different world for us. We want to make this happen. Bob has always been fair to us. I don't expect it to be difficult."

Foreman has had famous opponents dangled in front of him before, only to be disappointed. He was rumored to be the opponent for Manny Pacquiao on March 13 after discussions with Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. broke down over the issue of drug testing.

Wilson said he was in Arum's Las Vegas office on Jan. 7 to sign a contract for Foreman to fight Pacquiao when Arum excused himself to place several phone calls. According to Wilson, Arum phoned Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, who turned down the match with Foreman, citing Foreman's height of 5 feet, 11 inches.

Arum will preside over a press conference on Wednesday in Manhattan to hype Pacquiao's next fight, against Joshua Clottey of the Bronx on March 13. Arum is still deciding whether Foreman-Cotto will be televised on HBO or on Pay-Per-View. The bout is for Foreman's title.

"That was extremely frustrating," Wilson said. "They had accepted the fight and then to have it fall apart because of Yuri's height. C'mon, Yuri is a half inch taller than Oscar De La Hoya (whom Pacquiao has already beaten). They chickened out. I just hope that doesn't happen again. I don't think it will."

ARUM OPTIMISTIC: Arum, who is also promoting a show at the Garden on Saturday, is still hopeful that Pacquiao and Mayweather will meet in potentially the biggest money-making fight ever. He said Pacquiao would probably drop his defamation suit against Mayweather for making statements that "Pac Man" has used performance-enhancing drugs if Mayweather apologizes. Arum also said he could probably get Mayweather to back off his stance that Pacquiao be subjected to Olympic-style drug testing.

"This fight will get made in two seconds if Mayweather comes to me and we talk," Arum said.

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"Can Cotto still bounce back from his loss to Pacman?"

Yuri Foreman To Face Miguel Cotto June 12th?

2010-01-13T01:13:00.000-08:00

by James Slater

According to a number of web sites, there is a strong chance WBA light-middleweight champion Yuri Foreman could be making the first defence of the title he won with a points win over Daniel Santos against another Puerto Rican , in Miguel Cotto. Nothing has been made official as of yet, but it will be no real surprise if the fight does get the go ahead.

The date being bandied around is June 12th, and the suggested venue is Madison Square Garden in New York. So, the hugely popular Cotto would be having yet another fight on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade and against a fighter who has his own army of fans in New York. A natural fight, then. But who wins?

Cotto would, of course, be having his debut up at 154-pounds and he will also be coming back after a most brutal loss to Manny Pacquiao. Added to this is the fact that the 29-year-old former champ recently lost his beloved father. Could all three of these factors serve to give the underrated Foreman a great chance of wining the big fight?

We don't know what Cotto has left any more than we know what his mental state will be come fight time. Foreman, the same age at 29, may not be any huge puncher, but he is a fine boxer and his confidence will be soaring right now due to his having become champion and in so doing making history (as the first ever Israeli world boxing champion). The timing for the fight (if it indeed goes ahead) could be just right for the unbeaten Foreman.

On the other hand, Cotto, 34-2(27) has something to prove, and he is anxious to let his fans know he is not done yet just because the mighty Pacquiao beat him. Cotto will be hugely motivated, no doubt, at the chance to win himself a title at a third weight. And as big as he was as a welterweight, there is no reason to think 154-pounds is step too far for the Puerto Rican legend.

Perhaps fans of a slugfest could be disappointed if and when the two get it on in June, but admirers of gifted boxers would surely enjoy the possible chess-match affair. Both men have good all-round skills, and the fight could well be a contest of pure boxing. Foreman, 28-0(8) has a proven chin, and Cotto has always had proven toughness himself. Add it all up, and the styles of the two men could mesh together very well.

Cotto will most likely be seen as the favourite by most, but Foreman, who showed he can handle a southpaw by beating Santos the same night Cotto lost to Pacquiao, should not be overlooked by anyone (Cotto is a natural lefty who is prone to switching during the course of a fight, of course).

I see a definite distance fight, but until we hear more about how Cotto's mental makeup is today, I hesitate to say who wins the decision.

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Boxer Cotto Taking Father’s Death Hard

2010-01-04T21:18:00.000-08:00

SAN JUAN – Puerto Rican boxer Miguel Cotto said he was going through an “extremely painful” time over the tragic death of his father, Miguel Cotto Sr., who died over the weekend at the age of 57, apparently from respiratory problems.

“We appreciate all the expressions of love and the condolences. This is an extremely painful time for me, and for all my family. I hope you will respect our space so we can get through this difficult time,” the former World Boxing Organization welterweight champion said in a statement.

Don Miguel, as Cotto Sr. was known, died after stopping for help at a bar in Caguas, outside San Juan, Puerto Rican newspapers reported on their Web sites.

Cotto Sr.’s body will be on view for two days at his Caguas house and he will then be cremated, Cotto family spokesman Jose Pereira said.

Miguel Cotto Sr. was a “great human being” who took his son “to the highest level of the sport of boxing,” Sports and Recreation Department Secretary Henry Neumann said.

“He was an untiring worker with young men in the gym. Puerto Rican sports have lost a bastion,” Neumann said. EFE

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Miguel Cotto’s Dad Dies At 57

2010-01-04T21:14:00.000-08:00

Don Miguel Cotto Carrasquillo or Miguel Cotto Sr., father of former WBO and WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, died on Sunday, January 3, 2009, at the age of 57.

Miguel Cotto Sr. was said to have died of heart attack while driving in his hometown Caguas near the shopping center Oscar Cash & Carry. He has been known to have suffered from a heart disease and asthma for years.

Joseph A. Sanchez of El Nuevo Dia reported that a young bartender named Douglas Melendez was asked to call an ambulance by Cotto Sr. but he said that the ambulance never came. Melendez said he called around 2:04 p.m, 2:14 p.m, and twice at 2:15 p.m., and until 2:53 p.m. He said that around 3:15, the old man died on his arms. At around 4 p.m. his body was moved to the Institute of Forensic Sciences for autopsy purposes. He said that he didn’t know that the old man is Cotto’s father not until Caguas police officer Emily Rodriguez fond the information on his profile.

The 911 service was blamed in this incident for they never responded to Melendez’ emergency call.

Miguel Cotto were very close to each other. His father was present during his title defense fight against Manny Pacquiao on November 14, 2009. He was the one who forced his son to stop the fight for he had been badly beaten by Pacquiao.

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Miguel Cotto Rightfully Questions Why Manny Pacquiao Won't Agree to Testing

2010-01-03T00:50:00.000-08:00

By: Colin Linneweber

Former WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto said Tuesday that Manny Pacquiao’s refusal to undergo Olympic-style random blood-testing for a potential March 13 fight versus Floyd Mayweather, Jr. “raises questions.”

“I am in complete awe with Manny’s reaction to this matter,” said Cotto, 29, who lost his crown to Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) by a 12th round TKO this past November.

“He has always been a great athlete and gentleman. Why in the world would he require restrictions or conditions for the tests? It is a golden opportunity for him to dispel all worldwide rumors surrounding his figure and use of enhancement drugs. His refusal to commit to the tests without conditions raises questions.”

Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs) is a valiant warrior in the ring and his only two losses as a professional now seem to be illegitimate.

Cotto suffered his first defeat to Antonio “Tijuana Tornado” Margarito (37-6, 27 KOs) in July 2008 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Margarito’s 11th round TKO victory over Cotto is widely considered to be bogus because the “Tornado” was subsequently caught cheating with illegal hand-wraps in his matchup versus Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs).

If Margarito swindled Mosley, how can one not possibly believe that he also duped Cotto months before?

Pacquiao, who is rated by Ring Magazine as the No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world, gave Cotto his second loss as a pugilist.

Pacquiao, the only boxer to ever win seven world titles in seven different weight divisions, has never been caught using performance enhancing drugs and he has passed every test he has ever taken.

Nevertheless, Cotto is justified to question Pacquiao now that he has so adamantly opposed Mayweather’s call for Olympic-style testing.

Pacquiao should simply agree to Mayweather’s demands and then badly batter him without the chance for any debates whatsoever to arise.

“Olympic type drug testing is the most efficient tool for the sport to secure fair play,” said Cotto, who represented Puerto Rico in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

“My recommendation to all boxing authorities in the world is to implement it across the board. I would agree to it without hesitation or reservations. It is the only way to ensure that the outcome of a bout is the strict result of conditioning and ability. To magnify your talent with drugs is repulsive.”

Pacquiao is one of the greatest fighters in the annals of boxing and it is sad that he is enabling his reputation to be needlessly soiled.

Like Cotto correctly wondered of Pacquiao, “Why in the world would he require restrictions or conditions for the tests?”

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Miguel Cotto vs Felix Trinidad: Tito Wants The Fight?

2009-12-28T19:42:00.000-08:00

By Mark Vester

Could the ultimate all-Puerto Rico super fight be in the works? According to a report in El Nuevo Dia, former three division champion Felix "Tito" Trinidad is interested in a career-ending catchweight fight with Miguel Cotto in 2010. The Puerto Rico based newspaper spoke to a source who refused to disclose their name on the record. Going by the comments, the source seems to be someone affiliated with Trinidad.

"For a lot of people it might sound outlandish, but the truth is that they both need a great fight to finish their careers," the source said. "We know that Cotto is thinking about moving up in weight for his next fight, and there is enough time, if we get a quick agreement, that Tito can get to a healthy weight because he is a guy who is careful and does not gain a lot of weight. They can negotiate anywhere between 158 and 164."

Does anyone actually think Trinidad can get to 158 or 164? He barely made 170 for last January's fight with Roy Jones Jr. Trinidad is simply too big for Cotto. The promoters are at not eactly friends. I don't even remember the last time Bob Arum of Top Rank made any sort of deal with Trinidad's promoter Don King. The dream fight of Puerto Rico is simply what it is, a dream.

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MIGUEL COTTO: "I TAKE NOTHING AWAY FROM MANNY...HE IS FAST AND STRONGER THAN WE THOUGHT"

2009-12-27T19:47:00.000-08:00

By Percy Crawford

"I take nothing away from Manny. We both made a great fight...He is fast and stronger than we thought he would be...He is fast and stronger than we thought he would be," stated former welterweight champion Miguel Cotto as he talked about his loss to Manny Pacquiao, his future plans and more.

PC: How are you doing Miguel?

MC: I'm doing pretty good, enjoying the holiday season.

PC: Now that you have had time to reflect on the Pacquiao fight, where do you feel you went wrong?

MC: Well, some details did not came out the way we wanted, but I take nothing away from Manny. We both made a great fight.

PC: Was coming down to 145 tougher than you thought it would be since you hadn't weighed 145 or less since 2006?

MC: I felt really good at that weight. It wasn't a problem for me.

PC: We all know Manny has a ton of speed, but was he a bigger puncher than you thought he would be?

MC: He is fast and stronger than we thought he would be.

PC: A lot of people felt that your corner should have stopped the fight. Was that not an option for you?

MC: No, I didn't want the fight stopped. I was feeling good.

PC: I read where you plan on retiring at 30, which is next year for you. Is that accurate and what led to that decision?

MC: I always said that when I get to age 30, I was going to be out of the ring. That decision has been made and has nothing to do with my defeats.

PC: When I think of Miguel Cotto, I think of a warrior; a fighter that can punch with both hands and also a fighter that would fight anyone. How would you like to be remembered?

MC: As a good fighter and a great champion.

PC: You have one, possibly two fights left if you plan on retiring in the fall of next year. What caliber of opponents would you like to go out facing?

MC: As I always said, I'm just another employee of Top Rank. I'm willing to fight the big names out there.

PC: Although the fight looks shaky now, who do you like if Pacqiao and Mayweather did hook up?

MC: The one with the best condition will win.

PC: It was a pleasure and my honor to conduct this interview. I truly appreciate your time and would like to thank Eric for setting this up. Is there anything you want to say in closing?

MC: Anytime. Thanks for the opportunity. It is a pleasure for me.

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Three Possibilities For Miguel Cotto's Planned Return - Foreman, Margarito, Cintron

2009-12-21T22:42:00.001-08:00

by James Slater

Warrior Miguel Cotto, who recently made it public how he intends to retire by the time he hits the age of 30, will possibly make his return to the ring in June of next year; in New York and on the eve of The annual National Puerto Rican Day parade. Cotto, as his fans are aware, has fought on this date a number of times previously, and, according to Dan Rafael over at ESPN.com, promoter Bob Arum is currently working on making this happen again..

Badly beaten by pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao in November, some people, myself included, wondered if Cotto would ever want to fight again. He does. But now he and Arum have to agree on who the former two-weight king should face in his comeback bout.

According to ESPN, there are three possible big-name opponents against whom Cotto could return against; and all three fighters would make extremely interesting opponents for the 29-year-old who is 34-2(27). They are: WBA 154-pound champion Yuri Foreman, Cotto's fellow Puerto Rican Kermit Cintron and, perhaps most interestingly, Antonio Margarito, who, of course, met and defeated Cotto in July of last year.

For Cotto to fight Foreman, a move up in weight would of course be needed, and the chance would be for Cotto to win his third "world" title at different weights. Arum told ESPN.com that new WBA champ Foreman's next fight will likely go ahead in March (against a TBA, venue to be decided) and that he could then perhaps face Cotto three months later. A win for Foreman would help propel him into the big time, while a win for Cotto would make him a champion all over again.

As for Cintron, ESPN.com reports how Arum and fellow promoter Lou DiBella have sat and talked about the fight, and it taking place at Madison Square Garden.

"Bob and Cotto have other options, but Cintron is certainly on the radar screen," DiBella said.

In all likelihood, however, a rematch between Cotto and the disgraced (and soon to be re-licensed) Margarito would prove the biggest draw of the three possibilities. Sure, a good number of fans have vented much anger on the Mexican, with some even saying they will never watch "Margacheato" fight again. But say what you want: Margarito's inevitable ring return WILL attract a load of attention - even more if it's against Cotto!

For what it's worth, my hunch tells me Cotto will opt for a fresh start, and decide to take on Foreman in a weight division the Puerto Rican star has not fought in before. Also an interesting fight, Cotto-Foreman would probably sell out The Garden.

Either way, and whoever he fights, it will be good to see the always-exciting Cotto back in action.

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Three Possibilities For Miguel Cotto's Planned Return - Foreman, Margarito, Cintron

2009-12-21T22:42:00.000-08:00

Cotto: Retired or Inspired?

2009-12-21T00:08:00.000-08:00

By Eli Grant

The last time we saw former World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in action, Manny Pacquiao just got done beating his face to a bloody pulp. Is this why Cotto has seemingly disappeared from the media? Is this most recent defeat combined with the relentless abuse administered by Marga-cheat-o just too much for one man to take? I think not. In fact, Cotto has been itching to get back into the ring, and it looks like we won’t have to wait too long for Arum to put something together, most probably with Yuri Foreman.

A recent interview, published by primerahora.com, showed Cotto looking like he has spent most of his life getting facials rather than climbing up the ranks of professional boxing. In fact, though nobody else would have been able to tell you, Miguel said he was completely fine after the fight with Pacquiao, stating that “it was just inflammation.” Why would anyone go to the hospital bleeding out the ears when you could just pop some Motrin? Regardless, his plans are to ease back into training, and hopefully headline a fight in June.

Unfortunately, for all the Cotto fans around the world, the good news stops shortly thereafter. Cotto’s plan from the beginning has been to retire by the time he turns thirty and it looks like he is sticking to his guns. He plans on two, maybe three more fights and then he is calling it a career.

Why!?!? He is one of the most exciting and explosive fighters to watch. Cotto-Moseley will never be forgotten. Neither will the two low blows he gracefully landed on Zab Judah. Besides, how often do you get to see a fighter break his opponent’s cheek bone? Thanks Malignaggi! I guess Paulie forgot to take the steroids that apparently make your face turn into steel like that of Pacquiao. Few boxers out there can make every one of their matches an instant classic.

Cotto is too young to quit, especially when we see Sugar Shane, De la Hoya, and Jones Jr. fighting like forty is the new twenty two. And he spent all that time learning English for publicity. Why let it go to waste? At twenty nine, one would have to suspect that Cotto has at the very least four more years in him.

Imagine this: Cotto dumps his school boy trainer and mends his relationship with his uncle. Then, Cotto takes on Margarito sans Plaster of Paris and reinstills a championship attitude that he maintained for his first thirty two fights. Cotto then runs over loud mouth Shane for the second time, sending him into retirement before he rolls over the hill. With peaking confidence, Cotto takes on Pacquiao one more time and this time actually throws punches, a gameplan that won him twenty seven knockouts, garnering him one of the biggest KO to win percentages.

Well, that’s just a fantasy because Cotto is considering moving up a weight class, probably because coming in at a 145 catchweight left a bad taste in his mouth. Not to mention the fact that he refuses to be a part of Margarito gaining another penny. And Pacquiao will be busy governing his country and hanging up the gloves for good after a Mayweather slaughtering. But it’s not so bad. It will be good to see him not looking like Skeletor fluttering his pitter patter while desperately trying to avoid getting hit by sprinting around the ring, forgetting to leave the defensive drills at his training camp. I guess it’s better to quit too soon rather than too late, where we would get to witness the all too familiar showcase of pathetic attempts trying to get every last bit of attention out there. So farewell to one of the classiest boxers in the sport – with the exception of that whole illegitimate child thing – we hope you go out with a bang.

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No talk of boxing as Pacquiao marks birthday in GenSan

2009-12-18T01:35:00.000-08:00

By NICK GIONGCO

GENERAL SANTOS CITY — For a moment during his lavish 31st birthday celebration on Thursday night, Manny Pacquiao hardly spoke about the sport that has given him an unimaginable amount of fame and fortune.

Instead of regaling his guests with stories about his ring exploits, Pacquiao instead let the occasion take its natural course, allowing a bevy of guests share the limelight with him during his special day.

There were several high points during the close-to-six hour affair, including a dance number featuring his sons Jimuel and Michael Stephen and daughter Princess, and a rendition of the Carpenters’ classic “You Are The One” by wife Jinkee, who was radiant in her aquamarine gown.

There was no mention of Floyd Mayweather, who is being penciled to meet him on March 13, 2010, and the pound-for-pound king also was a bit surprised that negotiations have come to a stop after the promoters had initially laid the groundwork for the super fight.

“I don’t know, I don‘t know,” Pacquiao answered when asked about the status of the Mayweather bout being eyed either for the MGM Grand in Las Vegas or the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas.

But a conversation with a member of Pacquiao’s training team, two-time world champion Dodie Boy Penalosa, said he has been advised about the start of training by the second or third week of January either in Baguio City or Los Angeles.

Still, Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum said he expects to finally dot the Is and cross the Ts, in a matter of days. The MGM Grand in Las Vegas and the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas for slugging it out for the right to host the showdown.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao was officially sworn in as a member Nacionalista Party of presidential aspirant Manny Villar shortly after the birthday bash. The oath-taking rites were held at Pacquiao’s palatial home.

Pacquiao is seeking a congressional seat in Sarangani province next year.

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Cotto vs Foreman: Miguel Would Consider a Move Up

2009-12-16T18:41:00.000-08:00

By Mark Vester

Former two-division champion Miguel Cotto is six months away from his ring return. It was a big year of ups and downs for Cotto. He made a record amount of money [for his career] in 2009. Cotto beat Michael Jennings in February for the WBO title, retained it in June with a close decision over Joshua Clottey and then got stopped by Manny Pacquiao in November. Prior to the fight with Clottey, he was involved in a brawl with ex-trainer/uncle Evangelista Cotto. His uncle has since filed a lawsuit seeking millions of dollars. Not the only trouble in Cotto's life, as now a former female employee has filed a sexual harrasment suit naming Cotto and several of his family members.

Despite the setbacks, Cotto says 2009 was a good year. He says 2010 will be his final year in the sport. He plans to fight two or three more times before calling it a career.

"[2009 was] very good. Besides the outcome of my fight in November, I am very happy with what I've done during the year and I'm ready to start working on my final year in boxing," Cotto said to Primera Hora.

Cotto's return will happen in June around the time of the Puerto Rican Day Parade. Top Rank's Bob Arum wants his return in New York City's Madison Square Garden or Yankee Stadium. One possible option being discussed is a jump to junior middleweight to face unbeaten WBA champion Yuri Foreman. He won the title from Daniel Santos on the Pacquiao-Cotto undercard. The brand new champ is a New York native under the same promotional banner as Cotto. Top Rank likes the fight. Cotto is open to making it.

"I will make a fight in the summer and depending on how I do, there will be more. Still, we have not had any conversations with Top Rank. We're hoping that once the Christmas period goes by, we could then sit down and talk, "said Cotto. "[Moving up in weight], these are things that we are considering. I'm open to everything."

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Gensan gears up for Pacquiao’s birthday bash

2009-12-15T19:18:00.000-08:00

abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines -- General Santos City is currently gearing up for Manny Pacquiao’s 31st birthday celebration this coming Thursday (December 17).

A regional report said organizers are currently dressing up the KCC Convention Center, the same site where the pound-for-pound boxing champion celebrated his birthday last year.

Organizers said that unlike last year’s theme that focused on Pacquiao’s life as a boxer, this year’s celebration will emphasize other facets of his life.

Among this year’s birthday themes are Pacquiao’s roles as a son, father and husband.

The event, which will also serve as a mini-concert, will also highlight Pacquiao’s entrepreneurial skills and his acting and singing talents.

The celebration will be a tribute to Pacquiao after he won 7 world titles in 7 different weight classes.

‘Pacquiao loves singing more than boxing’

The Centerpoint band, which will serve as the front act of Pacquiao’s grand birthday bash, is also busy rehearsing.

Its lead composer Julius Paler has actually written Pacquiao a song titled “King of the Ring”.

Paler said the song is just right for Pacquiao, who recently won the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title from Puerto Rican boxer Miguel Cotto last month.

Pacquiao’s main composer, Lito Camo, also arrived on site to join the rehearsals.

Camo said Pacquiao, who has released several recording albums, said is excited to sing at the concert.

“Actually si Manny, mas excited pa ata sa pagiging singer niya, kaysa sa pagiging boksingero. (Actually Manny seems more excited about his being a singer than his being a boxer),” he said.

Organizers will also hold a raffle draw, which counts a Toyota Vios as the grand prize.

Cotto doubtful to attend party

Meanwhile, Cotto is reportedly doubtful if he can attend the celebration.

Cotto, who had earlier expressed interest in visiting the Philippines, may not join Pacquiao on his 31st birthday owing to time constraint, according to MB.com.ph.

The report said Cotto aide-de-camp Bryan Perez sent a message to Pacquiao’s assistant, Joe Ramos, that the Puerto Rican champ wishes the Filipino "all the best in his birthday."

“Maybe, some other time (Cotto will get to visit the Philippines),” Perez said in the article. “Still, Miguel wishes Manny a happy birthday.”

Last year’s guests include former Pacquiao opponent David Diaz, Venezuelan champ Edwin Valero, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum and American boxing trainer Freddie Roach. With a report from Chat Ansagay, ABS-CBN News SOKSARGEN

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Cotto coming for Pacquiao b-day bash?

2009-12-13T19:45:00.000-08:00

By Francis T.J. Ochoa
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines--Guess who might be coming to Manny Pacquiao’s birthday bash?

Former WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, who lost his title to the Filipino ring sensation last month, might accept an invitation to fly to the country and be a special guest during Pacquiao’s birthday.

Although Team Pacquiao has yet to confirm the Puerto Rican’s arrival, Cotto had posted on his Twitter page that he is willing to fly to the country to attend the Filipino’s birthday bash—an annual extravaganza normally held in Gen. Santos City—on Dec. 17.

“Yes, we are willing to complete all the logistics (requirements) and we will go,” posted Cotto, in a reply to a query from Top Rank as to whether he would honor the invitation.

Pacquiao has a tradition of inviting opponents to the country after their bouts. Erik Morales was a regular guest of the boxer in the past. The two eventually shot a commercial together for beverage giant San Miguel Beer.

David Diaz also flew in last year for Pacquiao’s birthday party while Juan Manuel Marquez visited after their second fight—albeit to challenge the Pacman to a third bout.

Cotto’s statement was in response to a question posted by Top Rank on its own Twitter page: “Good day to you champ. I heard Manny invited you and your wife to his birthday on 17. Will you come?”

Pacquiao destroyed Cotto via a 12th-round TKO to snatch the WBO welterweight title and become the first fighter in boxing history to win seven crowns in as many weight classes.

Pacquiao is scheduled to fight undefeated superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. on March 13.

Manny Pacquiao wants to party with Miguel Cotto

2009-12-12T21:58:00.000-08:00

Manny Pacquiao has invited his previous opponent Miguel Cotto to his birthday party on December 17.

Pacquiao, who defeated Cotto by a 12th round technical decision last month, will celebrate his 31st birthday with a party in his hometown of General Santos City in the Philippines.

Both Cotto and Pacquiao are promoted by Bob Arum of Top Rank, and when the boss was in the Philippines recently to discuss a future match-up with Floyd Mayweather Jr, Pac-Man said he had great respect for Cotto and extended an invite to the Puerto Rican welterweight and his wife.

Pacquiao has been the subject of much speculation of late regarding his showdown with Mayweather, which is pencilled-in for March 13, 2010.

However, he hasn’t allowed the prospect of facing the biggest challenge of career put him off his birthday party.

Arum has been working on setting up the Pacquiao v Mayweather bout, which both fighters have agreed to in principle, but neither has signed a contract at this time.

The venue of the bout has been subject to speculation. Arum and Mayweather’s promoter Richard Schaefer were expected to visit Dallas this week to discuss the use of Cowboy’s stadium only for Schaefer to back down at the last minute and rule out an outdoor stadium as host.

This leaves Las Vegas as the front runner for what could be the biggest fight in the history of the sport. Arum will also be speaking to Team Cotto in the New Year to discuss future fights in 2010.

Source

Cotto camp denies allegations

2009-12-11T21:55:00.000-08:00

The family of former WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto has dismissed a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against Cotto in Puerto Rico by a former female employee as “frivolous, empty and a total fabrication.” Martha Chacon Acevedo is reportedly seeking $261,000 in damages against Cotto, whom she alleges she was fired after she rejected Cotto’s sexual advances.

Source

Miguel Cotto, Dad Sued For Sexual Harassment

2009-12-10T21:52:00.000-08:00

By Mark Vester

In a developing story on both sides of the fence, former two division champion Miguel Cotto, his father Miguel Cotto Sr. and other members of his team have been sued with claims of sexual harassment by a former employee of Cotto.

Martha Chacon Acevedo is seeking more than $500,000, claiming that Cotto made unwanted sexual advances when she worked as an administrator of a residential property that Cotto owned in the U.S. Caribbean territory. She claims to have had an affair with Cotto for two months out fear of losing her job. And further claims to have been fired after breaking up with Cotto in October 2008.

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. district court in San Juan on August 24.

Cotto’s family released a statement calling the suit “frivolous, empty and a total fabrication.” They plan to fight the claims to the very end.

Source

Miguel Cotto Plans Two More Fights, Then Retirement

2009-12-02T23:56:00.001-08:00

By Mark Vester

Former two division champion Miguel Cotto is claiming that 2010 will be his last year in the sport. He wants to retire by the age of 30, which is next October. Cotto is recovering from the injuries he received during the fight with Manny Pacquiao on November 14. His promoter, Bob Arum, of Top Rank, wants to bring him back in the summer - likely in June on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade.

"Ten months will go by, so perhaps two more fights, and I'm going to walk away from boxing completely," Cotto told P rimera Hora . "I have been champion on three occasions and I am satisfied with what I have carried out [in boxing]. For the moment, I am going to rest during the Christmas period and then I will begin to train little by little."

Jose Luis Castillo has been mentioned as a comeback opponent. If Castillo falls in line, Cotto is willing to fight him. Cotto is also not against a possible move to 154 to face WBA champion Yuri Foreman.

"I've always been open to fighting the big names. I've never said no to anybody and if Castillo is the one, I'll fight him," Cotto said.

Source

A Damaged Miguel Cotto Was Gobbled Up By Pacman

2009-11-26T21:49:00.000-08:00

By Lester Salvador

I don’t wanna take anything away from Manny Pacquiao’s Nov. 14th victory over Miguel Cotto, he did what he had to do, dispose of a guy who was basically just a shell of his former self.

Miguel Cotto, however, was mishandled and used as a pawn, he had no time to rest. I felt great sadness at what foul treatment Cotto was given.

Instead of allowing this man to let his body rest and heal properly they rushed him right away into a fight with a well rested Manny Pacquiao.

The boxing match was not on equal terms. Miguel had to cut an extra 2 pounds because the fight was at a 145lb catch weight, he had to fight immediately after getting in a brutal war with Joshua Clottey, and he got the smaller purse against Pacquiao. Sadly, Miguel Cotto may never be championship level again after the unnecessary beating he received.

This type of tragedy happens in boxing, when a fighter becomes ruined at a young age and is never the same. Cotto reminds me of Fernando Vargas, both are young men who got worn way to soon because of the physical beatings they took early in their careers.

Cotto was denied his full potential, he was never the same after the beating he took from Antonio Margarito. Margarito who was caught loading his gloves for the Shane Mosley fight could have loaded them for his previous fights including the Cotto one.

Cotto was destined to be one of the greatest Puerto Rican boxers of all time but was denied his full potential because he was rushed along. Cotto was used to build up Manny Pacquiao’s Career, they knew he was not the same fighter, he needed time to rest but Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao saw already that Cotto was not the same and demanded that fight.

Manny Pacquiao should be grateful this Thanksgiving for having the privilege of not having to go through the tough route that Miguel Cotto had to endure.

I have so much respect for Cotto, he is a good man an honorable man with a good heart. Cotto shown humility in defeat and class during the Pacquiao fight.

It was so hard for me to watch the replay on HBO. That didn’t look like the Miguel Cotto his fans came to know and love. His corner didn’t even help him with any good advice, it was all Miguel Cotto himself, the least they could of done for him was hire a top trainer like Emmanuel Steward.

I hope he takes a year off and rests before even considering a comeback. Miguel Cotto, you lost that night but you didn’t lose the fans, you are a true warrior who fought the best at their weight and on equal terms.

Source

Boxing Gives Thanks for Manny Pacquiao

2009-11-25T23:17:00.000-08:00

By Thomas Hauser

Thanksgiving and Christmas came early for boxing this year. The November 14th mega-match between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto was the biggest and most important fight of 2009. Think of it as a holiday festival with Pacquiao in the role of Santa Claus. Or maybe Manny is better characterized as a non-stop Energizer Easter Bunny, whose fists exploded like Fourth of July fireworks and turned Cotto’s face into a gruesome Halloween mask.

Andrew M. Kaye writes, “Like royalty, the reign of a particular fighter can instantly evoke an era, reminding us of some of the values held by his generation, people, or nation.”

Pacquiao is the perfect symbol of the hopes and aspirations of the Filipino people.

The Philippines are mired in a culture of poverty and oppression. “Pacquiao,” Time Magazine observes, “has a myth of origin equal to that of any Greek or Roman hero.” He grew up amidst squalor that most Americans can’t begin to comprehend. At age twelve, he ran away from home to escape his abusive father. Thereafter, he survived by selling water and donuts on the streets and worked occasionally as a gardener’s assistant. Then he fell into boxing, living for two years in a tiny room adjacent to the workout area in a Manila gym. He fought for pennies under all manner of circumstances; then professionally for as little as two dollars a fight.

Now, Time Magazine proclaims, “In the Philippines, Pacquiao is a demigod.”

Pacquiao is dedicated to improving the spirits of his people. “There is bad news all the time in my country,” he says, explaining why Filipinos love him. “There is not enough food. We have typhoons. There is corruption in the government and too much crime. So many people are suffering and have no hope. Then I bring them good news and they are happy.”

Filipino journalist Granville Ampong speaks to Pacquiao’s mass appeal when he writes, “Pacquiao has been a saving grace for the government. The Philippines is in a state of political chaos and economic meltdown. There are many controversies around the current administration. The masses could have overthrown the government; but each time Manny fights, he calms the situation. When he enters the ring, a truce is declared between guerrillas and the national army and the crime rate all over the Philippines drops to zero.”

"To live in the Philippines is to live in a world of uncertainty and hardship,” notes Nick Giongco (one of that country’s foremost boxing writers). “Filipinos are dreamers. They like fantasy. And what is more of a fantasy than Manny Pacquiao?”

During the past year, Pacquiao has also become a standard-bearer for boxing. In recent decades, the powers that be have balkanized the sport, depriving the public of legitimate world champions. As a result, boxing has become more dependent than ever on “name” fighters.

Pacquiao fights with the look of a video-game action hero. He’s a remarkable blend of speed, power, endurance, determination, and (in recent years) ring smarts. He first came to the attention of boxing fans in the United States when he challenged Lehlohonolo Ledwaba for the IBF 122-pound crown in 2001. At the time, he was an unknown 22-year-old, who’d fought only in the Philippines, Thailand, and Japan.

Entering the ring on two week’s notice, Pacquiao lit up the screen and won every minute of every round against Ledwaba en route to a sixth-round stoppage. Since then, he has been on an extraordinary run.

Over the past year, each Pacquiao victory has been more remarkable than the one before. The snowball keeps getting bigger. At a promotional event in Manchester, England, to promote Pacquiao’s May 2, 2009, fight against hometown hero Ricky Hatton, Manny’s fans were so exuberant that Pacquiao was moved to comment, “I think Manchester is now Mannychester.”

Pacquiao’s November 14th encounter with Cotto shaped up as Manny’s toughest test to date. Miguel had amassed a 34-and-1 record with 27 knockouts. His sole loss was an eleventh-round stoppage at the hands of Antonio Margarito. Subsequent events led to the suspicion that Margarito’s handwraps had contained gauze sprinkled with plaster of Paris.

Cotto is respected but not adored in his native Puerto Rico. “I know that some people are happy with my accomplishments in boxing,” he said a week before the Pacquiao fight. “Others do not believe in me. I have to do my work whether the people believe in me or not. I am here for me, my family, and the people that want to follow Miguel Cotto.”

As for his place in Puerto Rican boxing history, Cotto declared, “I am going to be wherever the fans put me. I am never going to claim something that the people won’t give me. Wherever they are going to put Miguel Cotto, I am going to be happy.”

Prior to fighting Pacquiao, Cotto was no stranger to going in tough. The list of opponents he’d vanquished included Shane Mosley, Joshua Clottey, Zab Judah, Paulie Malignaggi, Carlos Quintana, and Randall Bailey. His loss to Margarito had been followed by two less-than-scintillating victories. But the assumption in boxing circles was that Miguel would have dominated Oscar De la Hoya and Ricky Hatton (Pacquiao’s most recent opponents) as thoroughly as Manny had.

Then there was the issue of weight. Pacquiao-Cotto would be fought at a catchweight of 145 pounds. On March 15, 2008, Pacquiao defended his super-featherweight crown at 129 pounds. Four weeks later, Cotto defended his WBA welterweight belt weighing 146. In other words, twenty months ago, there was a differential of three weight classes between the two men. Being the best fighter in the world pound-for-pound (an honor accorded to Pacquiao) doesn’t mean that a fighter can beat any opponent at any weight.

Breaking down the fight, most prognosticators began with the premise that Pacquiao was faster while Cotto was bigger and stronger. They further agreed that Miguel would be Manny’s toughest test to date. Pacquiao had beaten two great symbols (De la Hoya and Hatton) in his last two fights. Now he’d be facing a great fighter. Cotto had proved that he could deal with speed when he defeated Shane Mosley and Zab Judah. And Judah, like Pacquiao, was a southpaw.

“Everyone is so intrigued over Pacquiao and thinks that he wins big,” trainer Emanuel Steward posited. “I just don’t see it that way. Miguel is going to have to improve his defense; in particular, his defense [against punches] right up the middle. If he boxes and keeps his defense a little bit tighter and if he starts banging those hard left hooks to the body on the smaller guy, this could be a tough fight for Manny because Manny is not really a welterweight. I see it as almost a toss-up.” Cotto radiated confidence. “His weaknesses are obvious to me,” Miguel said during a teleconference call. “He is coming from a lower weight division. If he thinks he is going to have the same power as Miguel Cotto, his thinking is very wrong. He’s a fast fighter. You know what? That’s why we prepare ourselves. We know he has speed and we are prepared to beat it. I am prepared for anything he can show me.”

Miguel, the media was told, was having his “best training camp ever.” Meanwhile, Team Pacquiao was reportedly in chaos.

Freddie Roach (Pacquiao’s trainer) would have preferred that Manny prepare for the fight at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles. But United States law dictated that Pacquiao’s tax bill would rise considerably if he spent more than three weeks training in America.

Initially, Roach wanted the early stages of training to take place in Mexico. “Toluca is the best option,” he maintained. “It’s private, quiet, not a vacation-type of area. The gym is owned by the government. It’s a very safe place. A federal marshal works there. He’d be with us the whole time, so security wouldn’t be a problem.”

But as of September 1st, the training site still hadn’t been agreed upon and Roach was having trouble contacting his charge. “My gut feeling,” he said, “is that we’ll end up in the Philippines. The thing is, there are a lot of distractions in the Philippines. One weekend, this governor will want to fly him here. The next weekend, another governor will want to fly him there. It’s a hassle.”

Eventually, Baguio (in the Philippines) was chosen as the camp site. Then that region of the country was hit by typhoons and there were reports that civil war had broken out within Team Pacquiao.

Roach, it was said, had been conspiratorially lodged in a separate hotel away from Pacquiao. Manny, according to some newspapers, was spending as much time helping typhoon victims as he was training for Cotto. Strength-and-conditioning coach Alex Ariza and Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz were engaged in a much-publicized feud that culminated in a physical confrontation.

“Koncz is so condescending, so passive-aggressive, and just doesn’t care if he’s being unreasonable,” Ariza told Time Magazine. “He crossed a line, and I bitch-slapped him."

Meanwhile, Roach was fearful that the long flight from the Philippines to Los Angeles (where Pacquiao would conclude training) would result in several days lost due to jet lag.

Pacquiao tried to keep things in perspective. During a teleconference call, he was asked about the problems inherent in training in an area that had been devastated by typhoons.

“It is very difficult for me,” Manny acknowledged. “But I have to focus on my fight because nobody can help me in the ring. I am not only fighting for me. I am also fighting for my country. It is my responsibility to focus on training.”

Then more typhoons threatened and the training camp was moved to Manila.

How did it all work out?

“Much better than I thought it would,” Roach reported. “It was very emotional in Baguio. We saw a lot of death and destruction. But when Manny walks into the gym, he leaves the distractions behind. We had to run inside with the treadmill because the rain was so heavy, but it didn’t effect our preparation. We worked right through it. We had good sparring partners. We didn’t miss a day. The first month was the best first month of training I’ve had with Manny. He was in great shape. I’d go back to Baguio with Manny in a minute. We had a great four weeks there.”

And Manila?

“The five days in Manila sucked,” Roach said. “Everyone wanted a piece of Manny. Filipino politicians, governors, mayors, councilmen; all dragging him every which way. The American Embassy, entertainers, you name it. Too many distractions; too many people in the gym. Manny’s mind was all over the place. His focus wasn’t there.”

Then Pacquiao journeyed to Los Angeles for the final days of training, and what passes for normalcy within Team Pacquiao reigned.

“Manny trains hard for every fight,” Freddie said afterward. “If he was fighting me, he’d train hard and be in perfect shape. He sees that as his responsibility to his country and himself, and he’s right.”

On paper, Pacquiao and Cotto were fighting for Miguel’s WBO welterweight crown. In theory, that offered Manny the opportunity to win a world championship in the seventh weight division of his career. But given the multiplicity of belts in boxing today, that was of secondary importance. The real prize was Pacquiao’s pound-for-pound title.

There was a buzz in the media center at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino during fight week. Pacquiao-Cotto wasn’t a manufactured event. It was a legitimate super-fight, and the promotion had caught fire.

Time Magazine ran a five-page feature article on Pacquiao in its United States edition and placed him on the cover of its Asian counterpart. The New York Times (which has largely ignored boxing in recent years) ran daily stories on the fight. Pulling out all the stops, Top Rank (which was promoting the bout) spent US$150,000 to rent a 21-foot-high cylindrical LED video screen that was suspended above the ring and was evocative of a rock concert. Google and Twitter reported record numbers for Pacquiao traffic. The fight was completely sold out.

“Not one ticket left," Top Rank CEO Bob Arum chortled. “We got a list of one hundred names of people that want tickets, and we don’t have any. It’s not my problem. Everybody had an opportunity to buy tickets. The peopled that snoozed lose’d."

Arum was in his glory. His run as Pacquiao’s promoter began with Manny’s first fight against Juan Manuel Marquez in 2004 and has been highlighted by two bouts against Marquez, Pacquiao’s second fight against Marco Antonio Barrera, three fights against Erik Morales, and one fight each against Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton.

Arum is also Cotto’s promoter. “One reason this promotion has gone so well,” he noted, “is that I have no co-promoter to argue with and give me tsuris.” But for the first time in his ring career, Miguel was the “B-side” in a promotion. Fight week was The Manny Pacquiao Show.

“Fights like De La Hoya-Trinidad and De La Hoya-Mayweather were big,” Arum proclaimed. “But they were boxing stories, and boxing people live in a very insular world that’s all about HBO, Showtime, and the boxing websites. This fight has created interest in non-traditional ways. There’s Time Magazine, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal. People who know nothing about boxing have heard about Manny Pacquiao and are becoming interested in him.”

“Manny has gotten bigger since he fought De La Hoya and Hatton,” Arum continued. “Neither of those fights had this kind of feeling. The interest in this fight is global. Oscar was charming and good-looking and a very good fighter, but Manny is something more. Globally, Manny is now bigger than Oscar ever was. And Manny is going to get bigger and bigger because the world has changed. The stars no longer have to come from America.”

At the center of it all, Pacquiao seemed to glide effortlessly through the storm of attention.

Despite an unspeakably hard childhood, Manny looks younger than his thirty-one years. Women describe him as “adorable.” There’s a gentle childlike quality about him, much like a young tiger cub. He’s partial to casual clothes, has a ready smile, and laughs easily. Left to his own devices, he text messages constantly on two cell phones that he carries with him. Reflecting on the fame that has overtaken him, he says, “It’s a big change in my life. That’s for sure.”

Fame like Pacquiao’s can eat a person alive (think Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson). To survive, either a person sets rigid boundaries in the manner of Tiger Woods or gives himself to the public like Muhammad Ali.

Pacquiao immerses himself in his celebrity status the way a fish takes to water. He might wonder sometimes, “What’s going on here? What’s this all about?” But he’s loves being Manny and is enjoying the ride. He understood early on the value of speaking English and has learned it well. He acts and speaks without media advisors telling him what to do and say. He loves the big stage. He makes movies. He sings.

“There’s no spotlight that’s too bright for Manny,” says Freddie Roach. “He likes being famous and he handles it well. He’s got class and a great way about him. He brightens every room he enters.”

Meanwhile, Roach has been on a remarkable ride of his own. Like Pacquiao, he’s one of boxing’s feel-good stories.

As a young man, Freddie had a promising ring career that began with 26 victories in 27 fights. Then the opposition got tougher and he got older. By the end, he was an opponent, losing four bouts in a row to fighters with a composite record of 81-2-2. He closed the active-fighter portion of his life with a 39-and-13 career mark. Then Parkinson’s syndrome struck.

Roach is now one of the best-liked and most respected trainers in boxing. He’ll be fifty years old in March. Despite his physical condition, he’s constantly in the ring with Pacquiao and other fighters, working the pads and otherwise engaged. His workload would exhaust a younger healthy well-conditioned man.

Freddie has a self-deprecating sense of humor. At the start of a satellite TV interview two days before Pacquiao-Cotto, a sound technician asked him to count to ten for a microphone check.

Roach dutifully complied: “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.” Then he added, “Didn’t think I could do that, did you?”

“I get more anxious as a trainer than I ever did as a fighter,” Freddie acknowledges. “When I’m lying in bed at night before a fight, I go through things over and over again in my mind. I do it for hours. And finally, when I’m satisfied that I’ve covered all the bases, I fall asleep.”

Pacquiao is Roach’s monument. Freddie never achieved greatness as a fighter. But as a trainer, he has reached glorious heights. Skyhorse Books (a division of Simon & Schuster) has contracted for his autobiography to be written with journalist Peter Nelson. Time Magazine calls him “the most popular foreigner in the Philippines.”

“Training a fighter like Manny is what a guy like me lives for,” Roach says. “As far as the attention is concerned; I’m like Manny. I enjoy it. It’s nice to be recognized for what you do, and it’s not that hard to smile and be nice to people. If I can make someone happy by taking a picture with them or signing my name, I do it.”

Three days before the fight, Roach supervised Pacquiao’s final intensive workout at the IBA gym in Las Vegas. The early odds had favored Manny at slightly better than 2-to-1. Now they were 3-to-1 and would settle on fight night at 5-to-2, despite the insider view that Pacquiao should be only a slight favorite.

Manny never trash-talks. In the days leading up to the bout, he spoke respectfully of his opponent, telling the media, “Cotto is a bigger guy and a hard puncher and strong. He has a good left hook and a good uppercut. He is a good fighter and a champion. For this fight, it is a challenge.”

Early in the promotion, Roach had predicted that Pacquiao-Cotto would be “the toughest fight of Manny’s life.”

“This guy beat Shane Mosley, a speed guy,” Freddie explained. “He knows how to nullify speed. Cotto is better than Oscar De La Hoya, better than Ricky Hatton. He’s the biggest, strongest guy we’ve ever fought. To beat Manny, you have to slow him down. Cotto knows how to do that with body shots. And low blows. I’m a little concerned about the fact that, when Cotto gets hurt, he goes to low blows. I try to teach fighters, ‘If the other guy hits you low, hit him back low.’ But Manny won’t do it.”

However, as the fight approached, Roach seemed increasingly less troubled. Among the thoughts he offered were:

* “I’m not worried about Cotto’s size. Size and brute strength might win a weight-lifting contest, but they don’t win fights. Boxing ability wins fights, and Manny is a better boxer than Cotto. Hatton was bigger and stronger than Manny until the fight started. So was Oscar.”

* “We’re not reinventing the wheel. We’re adjusting to the styles of our opponents. We study them and we find their habits and adjust to them. I don’t look for mistakes. Every fighter makes mistakes, and you don’t know when they’ll come. I look for habits. I’ve seen all the tapes on Cotto. The idea is to not get hit with the hook. Cotto cocks his left hand before he throws it, so it shouldn’t be that hard for Manny to take it away from him. And Cotto makes certain adjustments when he fights a southpaw, which is something we’ll deal with.”

* “Working the mitts with Manny at this weight; he’s punching so much harder than he ever has. He’s used to the extra weight now and has learned how to use it to his advantage, especially on the inside. I’ve never seen Manny better than he is now. He’s punching harder than I’ve ever seen him. He’s as fast as I’ve ever seen him. Cotto has never fought a guy with speed like Manny. That’s where he’s going to have trouble; with Manny’s speed. I don’t think he can handle it.”

* “I’m very confident in my guy. Manny is one hundred percent ready for this fight and he knows exactly how to win this fight. It’s like a choreographed dance. Manny knows what Cotto will do, and he knows how he’ll respond to it. We have a Plan A and a Plan B. I don’t think we’ll need a C.”

* I don’t think Cotto has enough. He’s hittable; and people that Manny can hit, he knocks out. I feel like Manny, with the power he’s punching with right now at this weight; he’s going to knock Cotto out. I think I have the greatest fighter in the world today, and I think we’ll prove that again with Cotto.”

In the IBA gym, Roach worked with his fighter for close to an hour. During a break, he observed, “Sometimes, when I’m working the pads with Manny, I ask myself, ‘What would I do if I was fighting this guy?’ Let’s be realistic. What could I do if I was fighting Manny?”

Then the conversation turned to the issue of weight. There’s a school of thought that the division Pacquiao is fighting in now is more appropriate for him than the lower weight classes that he competed in for years. He was undernourished as a child, eating mostly rice until the age of sixteen. Then he suffered through another decade of having to make weight. Now (the theory goes), for the first time, Manny is eating what he should be eating.

“I’m not a nutritionist, so I can’t answer that,” Roach said. “I think that Manny’s best fighting weight is probably 140, but the biggest fights are at 147. What I do know is that, when Manny had to make weight at 126 or 130, he was unhappy all the time. Now he can eat the week of a fight. He can eat on the morning of the weigh-in. The whole time leading up to the fight, he’s in a much better frame of mind.”

Then there were the intangibles.

“It’s what you can’t see that’s inside a fighter that makes the difference,” Freddie offered. “Manny has all the right things inside. One of the questions I have about Cotto is, ‘What did the loss to Margarito take out of him?’ I was 26-and-1 when I got knocked out for the first time, and I never believed in myself quite the same way again. Cotto can tell himself that the reason he got beat up by Margarito was the gloves. But whether he believes that in his heart is something else. I don’t think Cotto is the same fighter he was before Margarito. His first fight back [against Michael Jennings], he wasn’t that good. And I wasn’t impressed with Cotto against [Joshua] Clottey either. Cotto is slower now than he used to be. I don’t think he has the confidence he once had. Manny is better now than ever and he feels like he’s fighting with a hundred million Filipinos behind him. Nothing is certain in boxing, but I’m as certain as I can be that Manny will beat Cotto.”

The fighters weighed in at the MGM Grand Garden Arena at 3:00 PM on Friday. Fans started lining up at 5:45 AM. At one o’clock, fire marshals closed off access to the arena because the six thousand seats available to the public were filled to capacity.

Cotto tipped the scales at the contract weight of 145 pounds; Pacquiao at 144. Spirits were high. There was partisan cheering. The only thing missing was the Ricky Hatton Band.

One discordant note accompanied the proceedings. Earlier this year, Cotto split with his uncle, who had trained him throughout his career. Evangelista Cotto’s replacement, Joe Santiago (formerly a Cotto camp assistant), was training Miguel for only the second time.

Initially, Santiago and Roach were respectful of one another. “I have a lot of respect for what Freddie Roach has done,” Joe said early in the promotion. “But he won’t be able to fight for Pacquiao. It’s the fighters that are going to do the fighting.”

Then people started questioning whether Santiago was qualified to train a fighter at the elite level. Joe got huffy and made a few intemperate remarks about Freddie that led Roach to respond, “He’s never fought in his life and he has no idea what it’s like being in the ring. He’s got a towel on his shoulder and gives water and all of a sudden he’s a coach. Cotto trains himself.”

One issue prior to the fight was whether Cotto would have trouble getting down to 145 pounds. At the weigh-in, as the scale registered Miguel’s weight, Santiago turned to Roach and said, “145, asshole.”

“He’s supposed to weigh 145,” Roach countered. “And if you call me ‘asshole’ again, I’ll punch you in the face.”

The trash-talking escalated from there until cooler heads prevailed.

On fight night, Roach was the first member of Team Pacquiao to arrive at the arena. He entered dressing room #3 at 5:30 PM and emptied his bag of the tools he’d need in the hours ahead.

Pacquiao was due at 6:00 PM. Word came by cell phone that his van was stuck in traffic.

“I’m not worried,” Roach said. “The earliest we’ll walk is eight o’clock. HBO likes the fighters here two hours early, but I can get Manny ready in an hour. And whatever happens, they’re not starting the fight without him.”

Pacquiao arrived at 6:40 PM, accompanied by an entourage far larger than Roach or the Nevada State Athletic Commission would have liked. He went into the toilet area to give a pre-fight urine sample to a commission inspector. Then he returned to the main room, took off his shoes and socks, and began putting band-aids on his toes to protect them from blisters. When that chore was done, he stood up, intoned, “Ladies and gentleman; from the Philippines . . .” and threw several punches in Roach’s direction.

At seven o’clock, NSAC inspector Jack Lazzarotto began the process of clearing unauthorized personnel from the room, winnowing the number from thirty to twenty.

Over the next twenty-five minutes, Pacquiao wrapped his own hands, singing softly to himself as he worked.

Several of Manny’s friends who had balked at the earlier removal order were escorted to the door.

Pacquiao did some stretching exercises and shadow boxed for fifteen seconds. He had the look of a boy who was warming up for a youth soccer game.

At 7:45, referee Kenny Bayless entered and gave Manny his pre-fight instructions. After Bayless left, there were more stretching exercises and a brief prayer.

The number of people in the room had risen again due to the presence of several entourage members who had hidden in the shower area during the earlier sweeps. This time, with help from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the room was cleared for real.

At 8:10, assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez gloved Pacquiao up. There was an almost-casual feeling in the air. Manny had the calm demeanor of a man who felt fully protected against the storm to come.

At 8:20, Pacquiao began hitting the pads with Roach; his first real exercise of the night. World class fighters have a snap to their punches. The crack of leather against leather sounds like an explosion. There was intensity in Manny’s eyes.

Roach gave running instructions in a soft voice.

Crack! Pop!

Blazing speed.

HBO production coordinator Tami Cotel entered the room. “Ten minutes, guys,” she said.

The padwork ended at 8:30. “You’re ready to go,” Roach told his fighter.

On a large television monitor at the far end of the room, Miguel Cotto could be seen in real time throwing left hooks toward the body of his trainer.

“That’s what he does,” Roach reminded Pacquiao. “He cocks the left when he goes up top and opens himself up when he reaches with the hook to the body. Either way; you nail him with a counter-right.”

Manny sat on a chair. He looked happy and serene.

No one spoke.

Then it was time.

Pacquiao stood up and turned toward Peter Nelson, who’d been granted access to the dressing room because of his work with Roach on the trainer’s autobiography.

“Do you have a good story?” Manny asked.

Nelson looked startled that his book would be of concern to Pacquiao at this moment.

“Yes,” he answered after a moment’s pause.

Each time a fighter steps in the ring, he has to prove himself all over again. Against Cotto, Pacquiao did just that.

The first round belonged to Miguel. He neutralized Manny’s speed with his jab and fought a smart measured three minutes. Pacquiao turned the tables in the second stanza, getting off first and giving every indication of relishing a fire-fight.

The pendulum swung several times in round three, most of which was controlled by Cotto. He landed several hard shots and seemed the stronger of the two men. Manny took the punches well and scored a knockdown with a sharp right hook of his own. But because Miguel didn’t seem hurt and was superior for the rest of the round, two of the three judges appropriately scored it 10-9 in Manny’s favor instead of 10-8 (which a knockdown usually warrants).

Round four belonged to Pacquiao. He decked Cotto again; this time with a hard left-uppercut that hurt Miguel.

Round five was close. All three judges gave it to Pacquiao. But many observers (including this writer and HBO’s Harold Lederman) thought that it belonged to Cotto.

At this point, as predicted, Pacquiao was the faster of the two men, but Cotto looked to be physically stronger. Certainly, Miguel was competitive.

“I was a little concerned,” Roach admitted afterward. “Cotto looked pretty good. And for a while, Manny was fighting Cotto‘s fight. He was laying on the ropes, and Miguel caught him with some punches that got his attention.”

Then, in round six, Pacquiao turned a great fight into a great performance. The “smaller” man started digging to the body and scoring up top, staggering Cotto twice. By the end of the round, Miguel was badly cut on the left eyelid and Manny was dominating the action.

From that point on, Pacquiao beat Cotto up. The second half of the bout saw Miguel in full retreat, back-pedalling and circling away in an effort to get to the end of the fight with as little additional damage and pain as possible. He looked like a man who was trying to escape from a spinning airplane propeller. Manny relentlessly pursued him and, when Cotto landed, simply walked through the punches.

“When Cotto started backing up, I knew it was over,” Roach said afterward. “His corner should have stopped the fight three rounds before it ended. All that happened after Miguel started running was that he took a beating.”

Cotto himself later acknowledged, “I didn’t know from where the punches come. I couldn’t protect myself. After round seven, I tell Joe [Santiago] to stop the fight, but I think better and I prefer to fight.”

Roach was right. Santiago should have stopped it. As the fight progressed, Cotto’s face became more and more disfigured. He was bleeding from the nose and mouth. His lips were horribly swollen.

One could make a strong case that round nine was 10-8 in Pacquiao’s favor even though there was no knockdown. Rounds ten and eleven were more of the same. Meanwhile, Manny wasn’t playing it safe. Great fighters have the ability to finish strong and close the show. He was going for the kill.

Fifty-five seconds into round twelve, Bayless did what Cotto’s corner should have done earlier. He mercifully stopped the slaughter.

The entourage was waiting when Pacquiao returned to his dressing room after the fight. After embracing several friends, he began to sing:

You raise me up so I can stand on mountains;

You raise me up to walk on stormy seas;

I am strong when I am on your shoulders;

You raise me up to more than I can be.

Then he grimaced. Manny had been in a fight. There were bruises under both eyes and, of greater medical significance, he’d suffered torn cartilage in his right ear. The ear hurt and was starting to swell. Unattended, it would lead to the condition known in boxing as a “cauliflower ear.”

A plastic surgeon took Pacquiao to an adjacent room and drained his ear. When they returned, white gauze was wrapped around Manny’s head. The merriment resumed. Roach stood quietly to the side.

“Manny is such a great guy to work with,” Freddie said. “He’s unbelievable, one of a kind. I’m working with the greatest fighter of my time and one of the greatest fighters ever. Sometimes I can’t believe how lucky I am.”

So . . . How good is Pacquiao?

It’s axiomatic in boxing that either a fighter is getting better or he’s getting worse. Remarkably, at age thirty-one, Pacquiao is getting better; much better. He’s on a roll where each new fight (first De La Hoya, then Hatton, now Cotto) becomes his signature outing.

Part of that is Roach’s influence. Freddie has worked with some of the best fighters of our time and the three most famous (De La Hoya, Tyson, and Pacquiao).

“Oscar was a slow learner,” Roach says. “Oscar needed repetition. He had to do something over and over again to get it right. Tyson, at the point in his career that I was with him, wasn’t interested in learning. Manny is very teachable and an incredibly fast learner. He’s carrying his punch and his power with him along with his speed as he moves up in weight. He‘s on fire. He’s getting better all the time.”

Against Cotto, Pacquiao made a world-class fighter look ordinary and turned him into a foil. “His performance,” Gordon Marino wrote in the Wall Street Journal, “was absolutely jaw-dropping; a fistic work of art.” His ability to take punches and walk through punishment is astounding. And speed is only part of the problem that Manny poses for opponents. He punches with power too.

“We thought Pacquiao was great,” Larry Merchant said after the fight. “He’s better than we thought.”

Pacquiao frequently talks about entering the political arena. In 2007, he ran for Congress and was defeated decisively by incumbent Darlene Antonino-Custodio. But his popularity has grown since then and another campaign in 2010 appears to be in the cards. Manny’s motives are pure, but some of his biggest admirers fear that politics could be his unmaking; that depending on his associations, he could be tainted by the political process, especially if he wins.

“Manny might find out that politics isn’t as much fun as boxing,” Roach says. “And it might be rougher. I’ve been wrong before, but I think Manny can do more for his country as a boxer than he can as a politician.”

What we know for sure is that Pacquiao is doing a lot for boxing.

“What did Manny Pacquiao achieve?” Jerry Izenberg (the dean of American sportswriters) asked after Pacquiao-Cotto. “He brought boxing back into newspapers, back onto television, and back into an unbroken chain of conversations across America, from its office water coolers to its neighborhood saloons. Yankee Stadium and the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium are now talking about outdoor championship fights with guess who as the magnet that will pack them in. The face of all of boxing is indelibly stamped with that of Manny Pacquiao today. This wasn’t just a great fight. It was a coronation.”

For years, the people who run boxing worried, “What will happen when Tyson retires?” Then it was, “What will happen when Oscar retires?” Now Manny Pacquiao is ushering in a new potentially-golden era.

Pacquiao-Cotto showed that boxing is still capable of thrilling entire nations and giving the world magical nights. It wasn’t the last big fight of the current decade. It was the first big fight of the future.

For too long, boxing has been rooted in the past. Ten years ago, the conventional wisdom was that all things good and profitable in the sweet science flowed from the United States. The Internet was an afterthought insofar as marketing was concerned. Now boxing has gone global and digital. And Pacquiao is reaching critical mass. His fights keep getting bigger.

Boxing has taken Manny Pacquiao on a journey that’s almost beyond belief. In return, he has put his mark on the sport forever.

Thomas Hauser can be reached by e-mail at thauser@rcn.com. His most recent book (“An Unforgiving Sport”) was published earlier this year by the University of Arkansas Press.

Source

PACQUIAO NOMINATED IN U.S. SPORTS ACADEMY'S ATHLETE OF THE YEAR 2009

2009-11-25T23:13:00.000-08:00

PhilBoxing.com

Thu, 26 Nov 2009

Who were the greatest athletes of 2009? Have your say in the United States Sports Academy’s Athlete of the Year balloting, presented to the world by NBCSports.com and USATODAY.com. Balloting begins at noon, 1 December 2009.

The Athlete of the Year ballot is the culmination of the Academy’s yearlong Athlete of the Month program, which recognizes the accomplishments of men and women in sports around the globe. The Academy Athlete of the Month is selected by an international voting committee comprised of members of the media, sports organizations and governing bodies.

There are 12 male and 12 female candidates for Athlete of the Year. The Male and Female Athlete of the Year awards will go to the athletes that receive the most votes. Votes can be submitted on the Academy’s website at http://ussa.edu/ballots/athlete-of-the-year. The athlete with the most votes regardless of gender will be the Overall Athlete of the Year.

Balloting is open until 24 December. Last year’s winners were 2008 Olympic stars Michael Phelps and Nastia Liukin.

Voters are asked to select their top three candidates for the award in descending order. First choice is worth five points, second place is three points and third place is one point.

The men’s ballot consists of, in alphabetical order: Craig Alexander, triathlon, Australia; Usain Bolt, track and field, Jamaica; Drew Brees, football, United States; Kobe Bryant, basketball, United States; Angel Cabrera, golf, Argentina; Roger Federer, tennis, Switzerland; Santonio Holmes, football, United States; LeBron James, basketball, United States; Jimmie Johnson, auto racing, United States; Manny Pacquiao, boxing, Philippines; Albert Pujols, baseball, Dominican Republic; and Tiger Woods, golf, United States.

The women’s ballot consists of: Yelena Isinbaeva, track and field, Russia; Carmelita Jeter, track and field, United States; Courtney Kupets, gymnastics, United States; Linet Masai, track and field, Kenya; Lorena Ochoa, golf, Mexico; Courtney Paris, basketball, United States; Sanya Richards, track and field, United States; Jiyai Shin, golf, South Korea; Diana Taurasi, basketball, United States; Lindsey Vonn, skiing, United States; Chrissie Wellington, triathlon, United Kingdom; and Serena Williams, tennis, United States.

The United States Sports Academy is an independent, nonprofit, accredited, special mission sports university created to serve the nation and the world with programs in instruction, research and service. The role of the Academy is to prepare men and women for careers in the profession of sports. For more information about the Academy, call 251-626-3303 or visit www.ussa.edu.

Pacquiao tested clean following Nov. 14 TKO win over Cotto

2009-11-24T21:33:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK (SI.COM) -- Seven time world champion Manny Pacquiao tested clean following his Nov. 14 TKO win over Miguel Cotto, SI.com has learned.

Pacquiao, who became the first boxer to win seven championships in as many weight classes, underwent urine tests twice -- before and after the fight -- and both came back negative, said Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. It's the the 10th time the Filipino has turned in clean tests in Nevada.

Immediately following his win over Cotto, fans inside the MGM Grand Arena pleaded for a megafight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., who many have regarded as the top pound-for-pound fighter since his return in September. In response to the expected fanfare, Floyd Mayweather Sr. publicly accused Pacquiao of taking steroids.

Mayweather Sr., Floyd's father and trainer, told SI's Chris Mannix that he believed Pacquiao's ability to take Cotto's powerful shots and keep coming proved the champion was taking performance-enhancing substances. "I know Floyd is the best," said Mayweather Sr. "But when [your opponent] uses something illegal, even the best can get hurt."

Floyd Sr. offered no evidence to support his claim.

Since 2002, Nevada has required fighters to submit urine samples before every fight. Those samples test for 40 types of steroids, diuretics and masking agents. In his 10 Las Vegas fights, Pacquiao has never tested positive, and his conditioning coach, Alex Ariza, said the only substances his fighter took leading up to the fight with Cotto were whey protein and liver-support supplements, in addition to his 6,500-calorie diet.

Pacquiao has been bombarded with accusations of doping, having conquered seven weight divisions since entering the sport at 106 pounds when he was 16. And after Mayweather Sr.'s comments following the Nov. 14 bout, there has been speculation that if a megafight between Floyd Jr. and Pacquiao is agreed upon, Mayweather's camp may place stipulations in the fight contract that would require both fighters to take separate, mandatory drug tests in addition to the required tests by state athletic commissions.

But at 10-0 with his Nevada drug tests, Pacquiao has provided plenty of proof he cleanly fought his way to seven world titles.

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LOOKING BACK AT COTTO AND AHEAD TO FLOYD

2009-11-24T21:27:00.000-08:00

By Jason Aniel
PhilBoxing.com

San Francisco, CA—Manny Pacquiao has made a career of continuing to exceed fans, writers, and critics expectations. From winning the flyweight title in Thailand to winning the super bantamweight title on 14 days notice, Pacquiao has never been one to shy away from a big challenge. Last week, Pacquiao took on the biggest challenge (literally) in his career so far when he ran over the much larger Miguel Cotto in the same fashion that has defined his career. The 12 round beating he put on Cotto was similar to the 11th round destruction Pacquiao laid on Marco Antonio Barrera exactly six years ago.

After an impressive opening round by Miguel Cotto, where he effectively caught Pacquiao moving back with jabs and left hooks, Pacquiao began to step up the pace. Pacquiao started landing straight lefts and Cotto could not keep up with him. After Pacquiao scored knockdowns in the 3rd and 4th round, it was the beginning of the end for the former champion from Puerto Rico, as he began to fade where as Pacquiao only got stronger. For the first 6 rounds, the fight was exciting, well fought, and competitive. It was well on its way to become the fight of the year. However, after the 6th round, it became a masterful performance by Pacquiao.

Not only did Pacquiao out fight and out speed Cotto, but also he proved to be too smart and too experienced even for a master technician like Cotto. For example, Cotto has been known to switch from the conventional stance to a southpaw stance in order to get better angles with his left hand. Every time Cotto switched to southpaw, Pacquiao would immediately lead with a right hook and left uppercut. Manny adjusted his style to counter Cotto’s style and it worked brilliantly. Where other southpaws have difficultly fighting other southpaws, Pacquiao, who saw more than a few southpaws early in his career, knew exactly what to do. It may be hard to believe, but Pacquiao is even better against other southpaws.

Another example of Pacquiao using his ring smarts over his physical talent was when he became defensive and allowed Cotto to land punches while he was on the ropes. While this was the last thing his trainer, Freddie Roach, wanted from his prized pupil, Pacquiao wanted to make a point that he was able to withstand heavy punches from a strong puncher. In past fights, when Pacquiao was hit with a clean punch, he would immediately retaliate with a furry of punches. As a result, often times, that would leave Manny even more open for counter punches. However, against Cotto, Manny remained patient and disciplined in his offense. When Cotto did land solid blows, Pacquiao was able to get out of the way and reestablish himself in the center of the ring, where he had the clear advantage. With the dominance Pacquiao has shown in his last four fights, it’s clear that the mental side of boxing has caught up with Manny’s unique physical abilities and tremendous heart. The scary thing is that he may not yet be in the prime of his career, as Freddie Roach still believes Pacquiao can get better.

As Manny Pacquiao enjoys the rest of 2009 with family and friends, the boxing universe is already buzzing over the potential “Fight of the Century” between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Representative from both side have already begun initial discussions to try to put the fight together, which is an accomplishment in itself. At one point, it seemed impossible that Mayweather, who began his career with Top Rank but ended it in a bitter buyout, would ever fight on card promoted by Bob Arum. However, with the success of the Pacquiao-Cotto PPV, the massive public demands, and with the help of Golden Promotions CEO, Richard Schaefer, Mayweather’s team is willing to make the fight happen.

Over the holiday season, the most intriguing storyline in boxing will be the negotiation process between Arum and Schaefer and between Team Pacquiao and Team Mayweather. The advisers and representative of Mayweather have already made their stance as to why their fighter should receive the greater percentage of the massive PPV profits. They cited to Mayweather’s superiority in PPV buys over Pacquiao in their three common opponents (De La Hoya, Hatton, and Marquez). While numbers do not lie, they also do not tell the entire story. Mayweather’s PPV numbers dropped at a higher percentage rate than Pacquiao’s did in their bouts from De La Hoya to Hatton. Also, Pacquiao’s curve in PPV buys is in an upward trend, where Mayweather’s has leveled off a bit. Pacquiao’s PPV buys rose higher from Hatton to Cotto than Mayweather did from Hatton to Marquez.

The story on Mayweather is out and has been well documented for the past two years. People know what they have with Floyd Mayweather Jr. On the other hand, Pacquiao’s story is continuing to grow as more people are learning about the Filipino phenomenon. While Mayweather can been seen on World Wrestling Entertainment feuding with the Big Show, Pacquiao can be found on TIME magazine and signing ballads on YouTube.com. Pacquiao’s NIKE trainers are some of the most sought after shoes causing stores to raffle a limited number of shoes to the public. It’s clear that now Pacquiao is trending at a much higher rate than Mayweather at this point in time. And that’s just in terms of mainstream popularity. Manny is expected to rack up additional hardware with boxing awards like 2009‘s “Fighter of the Year” and possibly “Fighter of the Decade”. Pacquiao is already considered the best fighter in the world pound for pound.

Will Pacquiao’s recent economic and pugilistic success be enough to convince Mayweather to take a lesser percentage than he initially desires? Probably not. However, as Freddie Roach explained, if Floyd is asking for 65-35 split, he’s really saying he doesn’t want the fight. However, one can understand Mayweather’s position seeing how Manny has much more to gain in beating Mayweather than vice-versa. Pacquiao is already being touted as one of the 10 to 25 best fighters of all time. If Pacquiao beats Mayweather, you can only imagine the hysteria that will ensue in the Philippines and to Filipinos all across the world. If Mayweather wins, he will simply confirm the greatest he knew he had from the beginning.

Mayweather has made it clear that he is all about the “check cashing business” and that money is his sole driving force to continue with the sport. When he made many concessions to Oscar De La Hoya in their 2007 fight (from the size of the gloves, the weight, and the PPV split), Mayweather understood that beating De La Hoya is the key to launch the Mayweather brand. Taking less with De La Hoya would allow Mayweather to cash in later when he’s a superstar. Maybe this bout with Pacquiao is his attempt to break the bank just like a baseball player who becomes an unrestricted free agent for the first time. Does that mean Manny will have to give up more just to get the fight he needs to possibly become the greatest fighter in history?

One concession Pacquiao should not make is the size of the gloves. Pacquiao must be allowed to wear eight once Reyes gloves against Mayweather. Money is one thing, but Pacquiao is already fighting at an unnatural weight class and against fighters that are naturally ten pounds or more heavier than himself. To make Pacquiao wear ten once “pillow gloves” at 147lbs tilts the competitive advantage too much in Mayweather’s favor.

If Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson can negotiate a fight then there’s no reason why Pacquiao-Mayweather can’t become a reality. There are many issues, small and big, that could delay or prevent the fight from happening. It’s going to take both sides to give a little to make the fight happen. However, with the potential money that’s on the table, this fight cannot get any bigger than it is right now.

QUICK JABS

Newly crowned Super Middleweight champion, Andre Ward, just became Oakland’s only winning sports franchise. Maybe Ward sent good vibes to the Oakland Raiders when they beat the division leading Cincinnati Bengals the day after Ward’s victory…Of all fifteen Manny Pacquiao fights I’ve witnessed live, his fight against Cotto brought in the most Filipinos to Las Vegas than any other Pacquiao before. Half of the passengers on the flight to Vegas from San Francisco were Filipino and there wasn’t a minute of my stay in Vegas where there was not a Filipino within the area…A friend informed me that Mayweather was in Las Vegas for the Pacquiao fight and was seen at nightclub at the Encore at Wynn Hotel. He was about to “make it rain” with hundred dollar bills but the crowd started chanting “Manny”, which Mayweather did not like at all…Something to think about for all the haters claiming Manny is on “something”: Pacquiao has weighed between 146lbs and 148lbs on the night of the every fight he been in starting with his third fight with Erik Morales three years ago.

Manny Is a Beast But What of Cotto?

2009-11-24T01:10:00.000-08:00

Posted by Jonathan Yaghoubi

Manny Pacquiao has proven for the last year and a half that the more you doubt him, the better he continues to get. Pacquiao delivered the best boxing performance of the year and quite possibly of his career as he totally outclassed and punished Miguel Cotto with a 12th round TKO.

The win gave Manny a staggering 7th world title in his seventh different weight class!! With that accomplishment, we can now start to talk about him being at the top of the list of the greatest pound for pound fighters of all time. He has done something that no other fighter in the history of the sport has done. We are talking about a fighter who started his career at 106 pounds and won his first championship at 112 pounds. He has gone up the scales like no other boxer in the history of the sport.

He has done it all from Flyweight to Junior featherweight to Featherweight to Junior lightweight to Lightweight to Junior welterweight, and now welterweight. This is something we will never see again in our lifetime and puts him right up there with the Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali as one of the best boxers of all time.

While many boxers like Juan Manuel Marquez and Oscar De La Hoya have failed miserably moving up in weight class, Pacquiao has made it as easy as saying the ABC's. We can't be shocked anymore on how he performs in these fights. He totally destroyed a bigger Oscar De La Hoya and forced him into retirement. This past May, he went to 140 pounds to face Ricky Hatton, a guy that has about much power as anyone at 140 pounds. No problem for Pacquiao as he would knock Hatton down two times in the first round and knock Hatton out cold in a second round TKO. There is still no way people could doubt Manny, can they? Well many people, including some in our 411 family, thought Cotto would be too big and powerful for Manny to handle. I thought it could happen but I sobered up and knew that this was going to be Manny's night once again. This past Saturday night, Pacquiao punishment of Cotto looked like a lion devouring a zebra in those nature videos. It was quite disturbing.

Everyone expected this could be an all time classic and early on it looked like it might head that way. Cotto came out as the aggressor in that first round and constantly beat Manny to the punch. He threw his left jab successfully and looked like his size and power would be too much for Manny.

Rounds two through four were give and take but it would be Manny to be the one to come on top as he dropped Cotto in round three with a right hand that Cotto never saw. However, Cotto never appeared hurt and finished the round strong. He would continue with a very strong fourth round landing some good left hooks. He was well on his way on winning that round. But Cotto and many ringside observers would be shocked once again of the supreme talent of Pacquiao. Manny ate Cotto's punches and spit it right back in his face. Cotto, a fearsome left hooker, landed his shots. But Pacquiao never went anywhere.

At the end of the round, the fight would change for good. Pacquiao landed a powerful left hand and Cotto went down and was still very hurt when he got to his feet. Fortunately for Cotto, the round was about to end and he was able to collect himself during the rest period. But the rest period was not enough for Cotto as he endured a beating that made the Antonio Margarito fight a walk in the park. He was bleeding all over his face and was dripping it all over the ring as he tried to back up from Manny's pressure. Referee Kenny Bayless had seen enough and put a stop to the fight at 55 seconds of the 12th round.

It does not take a brain surgeon to know where Manny goes from here. A potential mega fight with the self proclaimed pound for pound king, Floyd Mayweather, looms on the horizon. It is a fight that will generate some serious buzz that boxing has not seen in a very long time. Forget for a moment on who people who think is going to win this fight. The potential matchup is so big that the MGM Grand might not be a large enough location to contain the buzz and electricity this fight will create when it does happen. Arum has talked about having the fight at the Dallas Cowboys new 100,000 seat stadium which would be a pretty awesome sight to look at. For those WWF/E fans out there, this could be like Wrestlemania 3 when Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant squared off in the biggest title match ever at the Pontiac Silverdome, former home of the Detroit Lions. It will break Pay Per View records and wherever the fight takes place that will be the place to be.

There are people who feel that Mayweather will not take the fight because he won't get the money he feels he deserved. Floyd has to understand that he will be stepping into the ring with a superstar just as big as him and a national hero in his home country of the Philippines. Mayweather is certainly no national hero in the United States. Many fans detest Mayweather's antics and is looked at as a bully who is scared to take a fight that he might have any chance to lose. This is one of those fights but I find it hard to believe that Floyd will walk away from such a potential big money fight. It will certainly be the most money he will ever earn in one night and it will give more chances to entertain and promote his "Money" gimmick. Whatever it takes to get it done but get it done!

And What of Cotto?

Where does Miguel Cotto go from here? There is only one thing for Cotto to do. He MUST avenge his first loss of his career and take a rematch against Antonio Margarito. It's the only fight that makes any kind sense for Cotto. It is very obvious that Miguel Angel Cotto has still not recovered from that night and looks like he lost a piece of his fighting soul that night.

He didn't look like the great Cotto when he fought Clottey and certainly looked nothing like himself against Pacquiao. In every interview Cotto does, he tries his best to dismiss the Margarito fiasco and whether or not he had plaster in his gloves that July night. He says he is over it but you can just tell that it is still eating him up inside. Look no further doing the PPV telecast when members of Cotto's team went to Manny Pacquiao's locker room before the fight. They looked like zombies in observing if Manny was doing anything illegal to his hands.. Not once did they take their eyes of Pacquiao's hands and made sure that no more illegal stuff would never happen to Cotto again. They are just about a year and half too late. It was reported that not one member of Cotto's team was in Margarito's dressing room that night when he was wrapping his gloves up. Also add in the pictures that HBO were able to provide of Antonio Margarito's hands after the fight. They showed Maragrito's entire hand was wrapped except the pinkie finger. The finger looked to be very red and only further proves that there was indeed some type of substance in Margarito's gloves. This is something that won't die.

Cotto must slay this controversy once and for all. Bob Arum needs to put together an Antonio Margarito-Miguel Cotto rematch in June at Madison Square Garden during the Puerto Rican parade weekend. While it may not be fair to put Margarito in hostile territory, he must work his way back up after being caught red handed before his fight with Mosley. We talk about how big a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight would be but how big you think a rematch of Cotto-Margarito in MSG would be. There are plenty of Puerto Ricans that would be on hand for that one but there are just as many Mexicans and the atmosphere would be more like a soccer match than anything else.

Source

Miguel Cotto's Return Eyed For June in New York City

2009-11-24T01:08:00.001-08:00

By Mark Vester

According to promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank, former champion Miguel Cotto may return in his favorite position - headlining a June event on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York. Arum plans to meet with Cotto and his team in the near future to discuss the plans for 2010. First, Cotto needs to recover from the beating he took against Manny Pacquiao on November 14.

"First, Miguel needs a long period of rest, so forget boxing for a while. Then we will sit down to talk about some possible opponents, but the idea is for him to fight again in the summer," Arum told Primera Hora .

Arum would love to put together an event with Cotto in the new Yankee Stadium but obviously Madison Square Garden is a frontrunner to host the card. Juan Manuel Lopez is a possible co-feature to Cotto's comeback if the event lands in Yankee Stadium.

"If we reach an agreement to make the event at Yankee Stadium, it would be ideal to have Miguel with Juan Manuel "Juanma "Lopez on the same card. We would need both of them to fill the place. But if it's at Madison Square Garden, then it would only be Miguel," Arum said.

Source

WBO PRESIDENT VALCARCEL SENDS CONGRATULATORY LETTER TO PACQUIAO

2009-11-24T00:56:00.000-08:00

PhilBoxing.com

WBO President Francisco 'Paco' Valcárcel has sent a congratulatory letter to pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao for his recent achievement in capturing his 7th title in seven weight divisions by beating Valcárcel's compatriot Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico last Nov. 14 in Las Vegas, NV. Valcarcel has named Pacquiao the WBO super champion in the welterweight division.

Valcárcel's letter to Pacquiao follows in full:

------

November 18, 2009

Super Champion
Welterweight Division
Manny Pacquiao

Dear Manny:

The World Boxing Organization congratulates you on your historic and triumphant performance against Miguel Cotto on Saturday, November 14th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, where you became the first seven division world title champion. It was a
spectacular performance. You have brought great admirable credit to yourself, trainers, manager, promoter, fans, and most especially, to the entire Philippine country who now see you as an example of emulation. Your contributions to the community are as well known, as your contributions to the history of boxing, making you a true champion in and out of the ring!

We are very proud of your accomplishments and your new titles of WBO Welterweight Champion and Super Champion. For this reason, we want to celebrate with you this historic triumph, either in the Philippines or in Puerto Rico depending on what is more convenient for you. Let us know as soon as possible the place and date of your choice for this celebration to take place.

Again congratulations, and welcome a board, Manny!

Cordially,

[Signed]
Francisco Valcárcel, Esq.
WBO President

Hatton Sr. Praises Pacquiao's Performance Against Cotto

2009-11-22T18:43:00.000-08:00

by: Ronnie Nathanielsz

The father/manager of former IBO light welterweight champion Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton, Ray Hatton, has praised pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao for “a cracking fight” in which he stopped WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in 55 seconds of the final round at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas last Saturday.

In an overseas telephone conversation with BoxingScene.com, insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports, Hatton said Pacquiao put on “a tremendous performance and he (Pacquiao) looked so big on the scales, even bigger than Cotto.”

Hatton said he felt that Cotto “took more than what he needed to about eight rounds onwards” even as he commended Pacquiao who, he observed, “at times took his foot off the pedal (eased off) which was good job he did.”

At the same time Hatton said Cotto was “very, very brave and took punches with about three rounds left that I thought he didn’t have to although he didn’t want to quit.” He said such decisions “could be punishing a little bit later and could be the difference between how long his career lasts.”

Pacquiao administered a brutal second round knockout on Hatton when they clashed at the MGM Grand last May 6.

Hatton disclosed that following that crushing defeat his son Ricky would make a decision on whether to return to the ring sometime in January after an extended holiday and that should he return the opponent may well be Juan Manuel Marquez, the reigning WBA/WBO lightweight champion who dropped a lopsided points decision to Floyd Mayweather Jr last October.

Hatton said “that’s the fight they want him to have and I know for a fact that if Ricky comes back you have to come up against an opponent who is in the top three or four in the pound-for-pound list. I wouldn’t think he’ll come back to just fight and knock somebody out.”

He said Ricky Hatton “is just like Manny (Pacquiao) who wouldn’t do that either. If he (Ricky) does fight again it will be a really credible opponent.”

Hatton Promotions chief executive Gareth Williams had earlier told Gavin Glicksman of The Sun that “if Ricky does carry on it would be an ideal fight for him to take on Marquez. He is an elite fighter, just like Ricky, who will want to challenge the best.”

Source

Miguel Cotto: "I will continue fighting".

2009-11-22T16:55:00.000-08:00

Norfolk Boxing Examiner Glenn Wilson

The event is over, but not the fighting spirit. Miguel Cotto has let it be known that the loss to Manny Pacquiao may have dampened his spirit, but not his desire to fight on. When asked by HBO's Larry Merchant if he would continue to fight, Miguel responded, "Yeah. I will continue, I will continue fighting."

Merchant also asked Cotto if Manny's propensity to throw many punches from various angles was the difference in the fight. "Yeah, it really made the difference, he jabs and throws. Makes alot of difference because I didn't see from where the punch was coming. I didn't protect myself from the punches."

Cotto and Pacquiao put on a great show for the first four rounds. It was after that point that the fight was controlled by Pacquiao. Manny's nonstop punches allowed him to floor Miguel twice.

The battered Cotto fought on gamely, although he did hear some boos when he danced away from Pacquiao during the later rounds. The volume and angles really did a job on Miguel's face. To Cotto's credit, he took the best Manny could throw at him and tried to make it to the final bell.

Pacquiao has become the complete opposite of what many old timers said was impossible, bring your punch with you when you move up in weight. One theory is that he has grown into his more natural weight, instead of draining himself to make the 130 to 135 weight limits. Add to that his amazing foot and hand speed and we are seeing one man who is surely destined to make anyone's alltime great list.

Critics had said that they were interested to see how Manny would stand up to a full fledged welterweight's power. He passed this test with flying colors also. Cotto landed heavy shots on Manny, only to have Pacquiao spring back with punches of his own.

The only thing left for Pacquiao is Mayweather. It would be hard to imagine that there is a fight any true fan would want to see more, including Freddie Roach. Roach stated so much immediately after the fight.

As far as Miguel Cotto, he will continue fighting. This comes as great news to the fans in Cotto nation. And let the reality of his fight be told. Early in the fight Cotto looked great. So good , that it is hard to imagine that any other fighter could have beaten him on that night. The one possible exception just happened to be the man in the ring with him.

When asked to compare Pacquiao to the other top fighters he had faced, Miguel said,"I fought every body, you know Miguel Cotto comes to boxing to fight the biggest names. I'm always available and Manny is one of the best boxers we have of all time."

Source

Latest win his third best

2009-11-22T16:40:00.000-08:00

By Abac Cordero
The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines - While focus shifts to his next fight on and off the ring, Manny Pacquiao looked back at his historic win over Miguel Cotto and said last week’s victory, which made him the first and only boxer to win seven world titles in seven different weight classes, now ranks as the third best among all his previous wins.

Pacquiao said his eight-round victory over the boxing’s golden boy, Oscar dela Hoya, last December is the sweetest of them all, followed by his sensational second-round knockout of British superstar Ricky Hatton last May. Then he said the victory over Cotto, who’s supposed to be bigger and stronger, comes next.

“That would be my top three choices. My favorite wins in boxing. It’s the fight against Oscar, then Hatton and Cotto,” said Pacquiao who has won world titles as a flyweight, super-bantamweight, featherweight, super-featherweight, lightweight, junior welterweight and welterweight, a feat no other boxer has ever accomplished.

It’s a feat that may be hard to match and even harder to surpass.

In fourth among Pacquiao’s all-time favorites is his 11th round stoppage of the Marco Antonio Barrera six years ago, on Nov. 15, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas at 126 lb, followed by his back-to-back knockout victories over Mexican legend Erik Morales in January and November of 2006 at 130 lb.

Pacquiao won a unanimous decision in his rematch with Barrera in 2007 at 130 lb. He fought Cotto at 145, Hatton at 140 and Dela Hoya at 147. In all these fights, Pacquiao did not climb the ring heavier than 150 (he was 149 when he faced Cotto at the MGM Grand).

“There’s Barrera I of course. Then it should be the Morales fights. But the Dela Hoya win is the best,” said Pacquiao, who is amazed at himself that as of March last year he was fighting Juan Manuel Marquez at 130 lb, then he went on to beat David Diaz at 135 then Dela Hoya and Hatton.

“That’s four weight classes and three titles (on the one against Dela Hoya was non-title) in just over a year,” said Pacquiao.

“But the fight against Cotto should be up there, too, because it was where I made history. And it wasn’t an easy fight. He was strong. I thank the Lord that I survived the fight. In between rounds, I could hear them (including his wife Jinkee) shouting and asking me to finish him off. But I couldn’t. He was tough,” said Pacquiao.

And it’s not over yet for the 30-year-old superstar who said he can still fight at 154 lb or the super-welterweight class. He said that except for the size perhaps he’s confident that he can still carry his punch and his speed to the next higher division. But that’s looking too far ahead of the future.

In the meantime, Pacquiao will spend the next couple of weeks bonding with his family, and putting things in place regarding his bid for a Congressional seat in the coming May 2010 elections. He is running in his hometown in Sarangani, up against a formidable foe that comes from a formidable political clan in the province.

Then at the same time, Pacquiao is busy looking at his next fight, although none would be bigger and more exciting than a fight with the undefeated American and ex-pound-for-pound champion Floyd Mayweather. With all the money the fight could generate, it would be crazy for these fighters not to get it done by next year.

The Mayweather camp, through Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, can get the ball rolling soon and start negotiating with the Pacquiao camp, through Bob Arum of Top Rank.

“If they really want the fight, they know whom to call. Period. Period,” said Arum, the legendary fight promoter.

“It’s not certain if this fight with Mayweather would ever push through. There could be difficulties in the negotiations.

And this early, strategies are on place just for one to get a bigger share of the purse,” said Pacquiao.

The fight that could break all records in fight purse and pay-per-view sales should take place by the middle of 2010 or just a couple of months after Pacquiao runs in the elections.

Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach had suggested a 50-50 split in the purse and the winner takes more, or takes all of the income to be generated through pay-per-view sales, gate receipts or merchandise.

“I like it when the winner takes more,” said Roach.

Cotto classy in defeat

2009-11-21T18:29:00.000-08:00

By Doug Fischer

LAS VEGAS -- Miguel Cotto is no longer a welterweight titleholder.

Following the dominant fashion in which he was beaten by Manny Pacquiao on Saturday night, he may have also lost his status as one of the best fighters, pound for pound, in the sport.

However, the classy boxer-slugger from Caguas, Puerto Rico remains one of the true professionals of the sport.

Cotto’s professionalism was evident during the thrilling early rounds of the fight when he out-jabbed and counter punched Pacquiao better than any fighter since Juan Manuel Marquez.

It showed during the middle portion of the fight when Cotto switched to stick-and-move tactics in order to survive Pacquiao’s power after being dropped and badly hurt in the fourth round.

His professionalism was in his desire to continue fighting when it was clear, particularly after he barely made it out of a brutally one-sided ninth round, that he could not beat his stalking antagonist.

But it was never more evident than immediately after the fight, when Cotto respectfully acknowledged that he had been beaten by the better fighter.

“Miguel Cotto always fights the world’s best fighters and Manny is one of the world’s best,” Cotto told HBO’s Larry Merchant during his in-the-ring post-fight interview.

That’s Cotto. He’s as gracious in defeat as he was humble after his 34 pro victories. In the time he compiled what is arguably a hall-of-fame resume, Cotto proved to be the best Puerto Rican fighter of the decade.

He defeated 11 fighters who held world titles, including future hall of famer Shane Mosley, on his way to developing into one of the best welterweights in recent years.

He was the underdog in Saturday’s fight, but many trainers and elite fighters believed that Cotto had the ability to score the upset.

And why not? Cotto, the naturally bigger man, is a heavy handed, versatile boxer with underrated technique and counter-punching ability.

People who know boxing know that Cotto is a very good fighter. On Saturday night he lost to a great one, but only after electrifying the sellout crowd in the MGM Grand’s Garden Arena with his aggressively effective boxing in the early rounds.

Cotto had a brilliant first round, one of accurate jabs and body-head combinations that kept Pacquiao honest.

The second round is arguably the round of the year. The two welterweights traded hard, pin-point combinations for three blistering minutes.

Round three was another thrilling round. Cotto was dropped but two of the official judges scored it 10-9 for Pacquiao because the proud Puerto Rican dominated the rest of the round.

Three rounds into the fight, members of the ringside press wondered if they were witnessing a “great” fight.

After the fourth, when Cotto was floored by a monstrous left cross after working Pacquiao over for much of the round, members of the media were sure they were watching one for the ages.

However, Pacquiao took his foot off the gas pedal in the fifth round, stemming the momentum of the bout. And when the Filipino icon resumed his attack in the sixth, walking Cotto down and buckling the bigger man’s legs before the bell, the “fight” basically ended.

It became a rout as Pacquiao, confident in his ability to take Cotto’s best shots, found a home for his right hook and continued to rock the game titleholder, who got on his toes to avoid getting knocked out.

Cotto didn’t run. He was still able to score sporadically with his jab and with occasional single counter punches, but there was an ironic role reversal as Cotto assumed Pacquiao’s early rounds gameplan of moving to his left and avoiding getting caught along the ropes.

It wasn’t the most entertaining choice of tactics. Many fans and more than a few in the media would have liked to see Cotto make an all-or-nothing rush in the middle rounds of the fight and either blast out Pacquiao or go out on his shield trying.

But Cotto made the most-professional choice. He tried to create distance with his footwork, clear his head and hope that a frustrated Pacquiao would get sloppy in pursuit. The same tactics worked against Mosley when the dangerous veteran pressed him in the final rounds of their bout.

It didn’t work against Pacquiao, who kept his head and continued to punish Cotto. By the ninth round Cotto’s face looked almost as battered as it did at the same point of his fight with Antonio Margarito.

Cotto boxed as well as he could in the 10th and 11th rounds, losing those stanzas as referee Kenny Bayless watched closely.

Bayless stepped in and ended the fight 55 seconds into the 12th round, making for an anti-climatic ending to what started out as the fight of the year, but the referee did what Cotto’s corner probably should have done after the ninth round.

“Miguel looked good early on,” Cotto’s trainer Joe Santiago said after the fight. “Pacquiao took some good shots, which was a surprise.

“He hit a lot harder than we expected and he was a lot stronger than we thought.”

Cotto didn’t make any excuses.

“I always try to bring all I can to my fights,” he said. “It didn’t go my way tonight. The jabs I threw landed, but I didn’t not protect myself.”

The truth is that he couldn’t protect himself.

After two brutally late-round stoppage losses and a series of tough fights against the likes of Mosley, Joshua Clottey and Zab Judah, many question whether Cotto should continue to risk his health in this punishing sport.

Fans aren’t asking what’s next with Cotto; they’re asking what’s left.

They won’t find out the answer to that question any time soon. Cotto, who was admitted to the trauma unit of UMC hospital for a complete body scan immediately after the fight, will be taking a long and well deserved break from the sport.

He told Santiago that he wanted to “continue fighting.”

If Cotto returns, it’s doubtful he will be able to recapture the form he exhibited in his victories over Carlos Quintana, Judah and Mosley -- or in the early rounds of his losses to Margarito and Pacquiao -- but fans can be certain of two things when he steps into the ring:

He will give his all and he will conduct himself as a professional.

Source

Cashing in on late stoppage

2009-11-21T06:07:00.000-08:00

SPORTING CHANCE By Joaquin Henson
The Philippine Star

A Las Vegas habitué is wondering if Miguel Cotto knew about the 20-1 betting line for Manny Pacquiao to win by a 12th round knockout in their WBO welterweight title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena last weekend.

The source said about an hour before the bout, odds were placed on the MGM boards to give a $100 bet a reward of $2,000 if Pacquiao beat Cotto by knockout or technical knockout in the last round.

The payoff was largest in the 12th round. According to the source who has witnessed every Pacquiao fight in Las Vegas the last two years, the odds were 12-1 for the ninth round, 15-1 for the 10th and 18-1 for the 11th.

“It wasn’t attractive to bet on a Pacquiao win because he was so highly favored,” the source said. “If you picked Pacquiao to win, you would take only $100 on a $350 bet. On the other hand, if you picked Cotto to win, your $100 would win $240. The problem was everybody knew Cotto would lose – probably, Cotto knew, too.”

Maybe, Cotto was aware of the 20-1 betting line and that’s why he refused to quit earlier even as his trainer Joe Santiago suggested a surrender before the 11th round. Maybe, Cotto had a bet, too.

Fans said when Cotto went down in the third and fourth rounds, hardly anybody gave the Puerto Rican a chance to come back. His wife Melissa and their children left the stadium after the ninth round with Cotto beaten black and blue.

Starting the seventh round, all Cotto wanted to do was to survive – up to the 12th round?

* * * *

Pacquiao’s nutritionist Teri Tom called Floyd Mayweather Sr.’s charge that the Filipino icon takes steroids to retain his speed and power despite invading higher weight divisions an absurd accusation.

“I’m not even going to dignify that with an answer except to say that some guys are more genetically gifted than others,” said Tom who was recruited by Pacquiao’s conditioning coach Alex Ariza to join the training team. “I’ve seen over 900 clients in my nutrition practice – that’s a lot of bodies. I know that guys who’ve thought their whole lives that they’re hard gainers often find out that if we pinpoint exactly how much protein and calories they need, and if we monitor and adapt over time, their genetic potential far exceeds their expectations. Obviously, Manny has incredible genetic gifts. Our job is to bring the most out of those gifts.”

Regarding Mayweather Sr. Ariza told The STAR he could only expect crazy comments from someone who didn’t even finish high school.

“We use supplements, not steroids,” said Ariza. “Someone who never finished high school, like Mayweather, wouldn’t understand the difference and that’s why they make dumb comments.”

Asked how much longer Pacquiao could fight at a high level given his age, Tom said “while he just keeps getting stronger and faster, a couple of more fights and he’ll probably move on to politics.”

Tom called Pacquiao’s rise from flyweight to possibly the welterweight champion “an incredible run.” Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said even if Pacquiao becomes a congressman, he could still squeeze in two fights a year, taking a total of four months of preparation and leaving eight months for work in the Lower House. It’s been mentioned that Pacquiao’s dream is to be introduced by Michael Buffer before a fight as the world champion and fighting congressman from the Philippines.

“He obviously has a passion for helping people,” said Tom.

* * * *

Pacquiao’s feat of capturing seven world titles in seven weight divisions is phenomenal, to say the least.

There were several multiple-division champions who crashed on their way up. Alexis Arguello was a sensation as a featherweight, superfeatherweight and lightweight but just couldn’t beat lightwelterweight Aaron Pryor in two attempts. Sugar Ray Robinson was almost unbeatable at welterweight and middleweight but couldn’t repulse lightheavyweight Joey Maxim.

Henry Armstrong won the featherweight, lightweight and welterweight crowns but managed only a draw with Filipino middleweight king Ceferino Garcia. Jeff Fenech was fearsome as a bantamweight, superbantamweight and featherweight but couldn’t deliver the power in losing to superfeatherweights Azumah Nelson and Calvin Grove. But Pacquiao was unstoppable in claiming the world flyweight title from Chatchai Sasakul in 1998, superbantamweight crown from Lehlo Ledwaba in 2001, featherweight belt from Marco Antonio Barrera in 2003, superfea therweight diadem from Juan Manuel Marquez last year, lightweight throne from David Diaz last year, lightwelterweight plum from Ricky Hatton last May and welterweight championship from Cotto last Saturday in his incredible ascent to the top of today’s boxing world as the No.1 pound-for-pound king.

The judges in the Pacquiao-Cotto bout were Hall of Fame referee Robert Byrd’s wife Adalaide, Dave Moretti and Duane Ford.

Byrd and Moretti were judges in Pacquiao’s fight against Oscar de la Hoya last December. They both saw it 80-71, a shutout for the Filipino when the fight was stopped before the start of the ninth round. Moretti, 65, was a judge when Pacquiao lost a unanimous decision to Erik Morales in 2005. He had it 115-113 for the Mexican. Pacquiao has since won 11 in a row.

Ford, 71, was a judge in Pacquiao’s rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez. He scored it 115-112 for the Filipino who won via a split decision.

When referee Kenny Bayless stopped the Pacquiao-Cotto fight in the 12th round, Byrd had it 109-99, Ford 108-99 and Moretti 108-100, all for the challenger. Byrd gave Cotto only a round, the first, while Ford and Moretti were a little generous in awarding the Puerto Rican two.

Pacquiao-Cotto Nears 1.5 Million Buys

2009-11-19T18:00:00.000-08:00

Lem Satterfield

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said that the early pay-per-view numbers released on Manny Pacquiao's victory over Miguel Cotto are "over a million and under 1.5 million buys -- and that's without all of the precincts being reported."

"They're not really accurate yet, but all that we can say with absolute certainty is that Pacquiao-Cotto was the biggest, revenue-producing event on pay-per-view for the entire year," said Arum. "And that surpasses all of the UFC. Everything. Any event. It's the biggest event of the year from the standpoint of revenue being generated."

Arum, who promotes Pacquiao (50-3-2, 37 knockouts), said that he met with officials at HBO on Thursday concerning the numbers.

Arum said that he expects Mark Taffet, HBO's senior vice president of pay-per-view, to release a statement on Friday when all of the numbers are totaled up.

"That's without Washington, D.C., being reported, Baltimore, California -- a lot of Comcast Systems," said Arum. "But based on what we have, we can make that statement -- that Pacquiao-Cotto was the biggest revenue-generating pay-per-view event of the year."

Arum had hoped to begin negotiating with Richard Shaefer of Golden Boy Promotions concerning a potential Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) matchup when the numbers were released, but would not elaborate on whether or not that had taken place.

However, according to sources with knowledge of their intentions, Arum and Shaefer could meet as early as next week to begin working on a deal to make Mayweather-Pacquiao.

During an Oct. 6 interview with FanHouse, Taffet said September's Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez bout produced more than a million pay-per-view buys -- only the fifth non-heavyweight fight to reach seven figures.

So with Pacquiao-Cotto and Mayweather-Marquez, boxing history was made, for their pay-per-view numbers marked the first time since 1999 that two fights generated more than a million pay-per-view buys in the same year, joining Felix Trinidad-Oscar De La Hoya and Lennox Lewis-Evander Holyfield.

"Floyd Mayweather clearly has proven his star status by generating the kinds of pay-per-view numbers that very few men in the history of the sport have ever generated," said Taffet, who last month called Mayweather "a bona-fide superstar in the ring and out of the ring."

"Floyd has proven to be the No. 1 attraction in urban markets across America, and over the past few years, Floyd Mayweather is also a major attraction across all demographics," said Taffet.

"The facts speak for themselves. Mayweather has participated in the biggest fight in he history of the sport -- Oscar De La Hoya-Mayweather, which generated 2.4 million buys," said Taffet. "Floyd just generated with Juan Manuel Marquez over one million buys on Sept. 19. That's rarified air."

Mayweather also generated 920,000 buys against Ricky Hatton in 2007, said Taffet, adding that "Mayweather clearly has proven his star status by generating the kinds of pay-per-view numbers that very few men in the history of the sport have ever generated."

Source

Pacquiao-Cotto outdraws Mayweather-Marquez at gate

2009-11-19T17:56:00.000-08:00

By J. Michael Falgoust,, USA TODAY

Who's the bigger draw, Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao? If the official numbers are indication in Las Vegas, it's the Filipino.

The gate from last weekend's showdown between Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto— which will air on HBO Saturday (10 p.m. ET/PT) — was $8.84 million with 15,470 tickets sold.

That's 3,500 more tickets sold and $2 million more than what Mayweather's comeback from a near two-year layoff drew when he fought Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez in September on Mexican independence weekend.

No tickets were sold beneath face value for Pacquiao-Cotto. For Mayweather's bout, 94 tickets were sold at 50% discount and 895 were comps, or giveaways while just 46 comps were doled out for Pacquiao-Cotto.

Pacquiao, who began his career at 106 pounds, won a major belt in his seventh different weight class and captured a share of the lineal welterweight championship with a 12th-round stoppage of Cotto. Mayweather is the division's former champion.

This week, Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions — on behalf of Mayweather — entered negotiations with Top Rank chairman Bob Arum in hopes of reaching a deal for Pacquiao-Mayweather in 2010.

A major sticking point to making the bout will be the purse split. Based on the numbers, Pacquiao appears to have the leverage because he's the bigger draw.

Pacquiao earned at least $20 million for the fight with Cotto, and the Puerto Rican will make at least $12.5 million if it reached one million pay-per-view buys (official numbers are expected to be released by HBO PPV on Friday).

Mayweather-Marquez is the leading pay-per-view show of 2009 with one million buys, surpassing the 850,000 that Pacquiao drew when he fought Ricky Hatton on May 2.

Pacquiao's bout with Cotto, however, is expected to eclipse that.

"Richard and I have put a lot of big fights together," said Arum, the last being the Pacquiao-Hatton fight. "I find him a good person to negotiate with because we negotiate seriously. Sometimes you can't make a deal because you're so far apart. But the chances of making a deal is great if you're negotiating seriously."

Source

Pacman not ready to hang up gloves

2009-11-19T17:44:00.000-08:00

The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao, who is set to arrive today, said retirement was far from his mind despite her mother Dionisia’s plea for him to quit following his historic victory over former WBO welterweight king Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“I don’t want to see him fight anymore. I don’t want to see him get hurt anymore,” her mother said.

“I want him to retire because he’s got nothing more to prove,” added Mommy Dionisia, now getting as popular as her iconic 30-year-old son, in Filipino as she stepped out of the colorful Team Pacquiao bus in Los Angeles after a long trip from Las Vegas.

Last Monday, during his visit to the Wild Card Gym, wearing dark glasses and signs of his 12-round battle with Cotto, Pacquiao confirmed that yes, his energetic and showbiz-minded mother had long asked him to call it a day and quit while he’s way ahead.

“Sabi nga ng mama ko tama na (My mother told me that’s enough),” said Pacquiao.

“Umiiyak na nga eh (She’s been crying),” he added.

But the fighter, regarded as the greatest of his era following his demolition of Cotto, reiterated he’s not ready to retire.

For the fight against Cotto, he took a guaranteed purse of $13 million and stands to earn a total of $20 million or a little more once everything comes in, including pay-per-view sales and TV rights back home, merchandise and gate receipts.

Pacquiao has earned no less than $10 million for his last couple of fights, including one against the legendary Oscar dela Hoya and British superstar Ricky Hatton. Both fighers did not last the distance against the hard-hitting Pacquiao.

The Filipino icon is looking at a few more fights, and it seems that his mother would have to wait and suffer some more. She did not come to the MGM Grand when Pacquiao faced Cotto, opting to stay inside his Mandalay Hotel room to pray.

“I don’t want to see him like this,” she said, touching her own face as if she was the one hurting, and not Pacquiao who had two black eyes, some bruises on his cheekbone, a swollen right hand, a busted eardrum and an aching body.

But Pacquiao just shook them off, and said he’s ready to do some more.

“Kaya ko pa lumaban (I can still fight),” he said.

“Hindi naman ako nabugbog sa mga laban ko noon eh (It didn’t get beat up in my previous fights). Ngayon lang ulit (Except for this fight),” Pacquiao said.

The last time he got hurt, as far as he could remember, was when he fought Erik Morales the first time in 2005, and then Juan Manuel Marquez last year. In both fights, he walked away with stitches on his face.

After getting past Cotto and rewriting boxing history, Pacquiao is looking forward to bigger battles ahead, and not one could be bigger than a projected clash with undefeated American and ex-pound-for-pound champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Or even Shane Mosley, Andre Berto, Edwin Valero. But it’s the fight against Mayweather that the world wants to see, and Pacquiao has no problems with it, as long as the promoters strike a deal that can make both ends meet and fight fans happy.

He wants another fight next year. but is in no hurry.

“I can wait a little while. I want to enjoy some vacation before I fight again,” said Pacquiao. – Abac Cordero

Grateful nation welcomes Pacquiao

2009-11-19T17:33:00.000-08:00

Grateful nation welcomes Pacquiao

By Abac Cordero
The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao comes home today to a nation proud of what he has achieved, being the greatest fighter of the era with record seven world titles in seven different weight classes.

Pacquiao boarded a Philippine Airlines plane that took off at the Los Angeles International Airport Wednesday evening (LA time) and should arrive in Manila at around 5 a.m.

Pacquiao traveled with his wife, Jinkee, and an entourage made up of family members and friends in politics and show business.

Philippine Sports Commission chairman Harry Angping was tapped by President Arroyo to head the welcoming committee, and the former Manila congressman has made sure it’s something big.

From the airport, Pacquiao will be brought to the Renaissance Hotel for a brief rest. Then he proceeds to the Quiapo Church for a Thanksgiving Mass, then to the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) office to pay a courtesy call on the DENR Secretary Lito Atienza, whom he looks up to as his second father.

As a tradition, a hero’s motorcade will begin at 10 a.m. from the DENR that will go around Metro Manila’s major thoroughfares as a fitting tribute to Pacquiao whom Atienza says “has proven time and again that we, Filipinos, have what it takes to be on top.

GMA-7 has also lined up a victory party for the Filipino icon at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

At 3 p.m., Pacquiao will proceed to the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta where President Arroyo will confer another award to the 30-year-old boxer whose ring exploits have put the Philippines on the center of the map.

Angping said the Luneta event, dubbed “Parangal kay Manny sa Luneta,” is open to the public. He called on all Pacquiao fans to join in the celebration.

In the past, Pacquiao met the President in Malacañang on the day of his arrival, but Angping said holding it in Luneta will give the people the chance to be closer to the champion.

Angping hailed Pacquiao as the greatest living example of how athletes, and the Filipino people in general, should strive in search of glory.

“Pacquiao epitomizes resiliency, hardwork, discipline and dedication to overcome all difficulties in life,” said Angping, who recently arrived from an official trip abroad.

“The strong-willed character should be imbibed by every Filipino in order for us to also be a winner in everything we do,” he said, hoping that Pacquiao’s latest achievement could spark the RP bets to the Laos SEA Games in December.

“I’ve always told our national athletes to look at Manny Pacquiao. Who was Manny Pacquiao a few years ago and who is he now?” said the PSC chairman.

The motorcade route will kick off at the DENR central office and turn right to Quezon Ave, straight to España, right to Lacson, left to Pritil, right to Moriones, left to R10, straight to Roxas Blvd, left to Pedro Gil, right to Taft, left to Buendia, right to Ayala, left to Makati Ave, and end at the Pag-Ibig Building.

The Way I See It: Cotto's Next Step

2009-11-18T00:24:00.000-08:00

Joe Roche

After his brutal beating at the hands of Manny Pacquiao on Saturday night, what is next for Miguel Cotto?

On Saturday night Manny Pacquiao made history by becoming the first boxer to ever win seven world championships in seven different weight classes by defeated former WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV. It was a virtuoso performance by Pacquiao who displayed an iron chin and granite fists as he pummeled Cotto for most of the 11+ rounds that the fight lasted. Immediately after the fight the crowd began to chant "We want Floyd" and it's obvious where Pacquiao should go from here – but the question of where Miguel Cotto now stands is a little more complicated.

The Way I See It: Miguel Cotto (34-2, 22 KO's) finds himself in a strange position. A quick glance at his record shows an accomplished welterweight who has fought all of the top competition and been competitive against almost everyone. In the last three years Cotto has beaten Paulie Malignaggi, Carlos Quintana, Zab Judah, Shane Mosley, Alfonso Gomez, and Joshua Clottey. His only loses have been the questionable yet brutal beating at the hands of Antonio Margarito and a one sided washout against Manny Pacquiao. Essentially there isn't a top fight at welterweight that Miguel Cotto hasn't already had and won – other then Margarito and Pacquiao and neither of them should be mentioned for a rematch (for differing reasons of course).

It's an interesting position that Cotto is in because he's almost penalized for being so willing to fight the top guys in his weight class. He's left with few new match ups and even fewer interesting rematches. Let me just discount immediately the idea that Miguel Cotto may retire after losing to Pacquiao. Cotto is not even 30 years old yet, and while he did lose in convincing fashion to Pacquiao, there isn't another Pacquiao out there so Cotto should still be favored over most of his potential competition moving forward. I also hate the idea of a warrior like Cotto going out in the fashion that he did on Saturday so for the sake of this argument let's talk about the potential avenues that Cotto could go down as he tries to rebuild his career in 2010 and beyond.

1. Shane Mosley/Andre Berto. This is the most obvious place to start because Mosley and Berto round out the top five welterweights in the world right now (along with Cotto, Pacquiao and Mayweather Jr.). It also fits that these two are going to meet in the ring on January 30th because it would leave the window for the winner to take on Cotto for sometime around June 2010 (coming off the heels of Pacquiao's next fight – with or without Mayweather Jr.). Obviously the interest in a fight between the lose of Mosley/Berto and Cotto would be much less, especially if it's Berto but that doesn't mean that it wouldn't be a fight worth watching. The bigger money fight would be Shane Mosley coming off a victory over Berto taking on Cotto and trying to redeem his loss from 2007. If Berto beats Mosley then I still think HBO could market a Mosley/Cotto rematch because there is enough history there to make for an interesting fight (although if Mosley loses to Berto there is a chance Mosley will hang up the gloves for good). A Berto/Cotto fight doesn't strike me as something that is to enticing even if Berto does beat Mosley – although I'm sure HBO would love to have that fight, and it's still better then most of the alternatives. I think if Cotto remains as a welterweight (more on this in a moment), then one of these two guys will be on the docket for 2010 even if it's not his first fight back from the Pacquiao loss.

2. Issac Hlatshwayo (29-1-1, 10 KO's). Right off the bat the biggest problem with making a fight with "The Angel" is that Hlatshwayo won't sell many tickets. That wouldn't be a major issue if the fight took place during Puerto Rican Independence weekend in New York City where Cotto can draw a good crowd and Top Rank could pull in decent numbers. Hlatshwayo is the current IBF welterweight champion and he fights again on Dec. 12, 2009 against Jan Zaveck. Assuming Hlatshwayo retains his title for that fight I think a Cotto fight might not be the worst idea for either guy. If Cotto can beat Hlatshwayo he'll have a championship
back and he'll be on his way to rebuilding his reputation, meanwhile if Hlatshwayo could up-end Cotto he'd have a legitimate victory on his resume to stake a claim to bigger and better fights in 2010. I don't think this would be a bad fight for Cotto because having seen Hlatshwayo in action there is simply no way that he could hang with Miguel Cotto – even a diminished Miguel Cotto should be able to beat "The Angel" and frankly it's a better fight for Cotto's career then another stopover fight with Michael Jennings.

3. Paul Williams. No, no, no – one hundred times no. By law anytime you write a column about potential opponents for anyone who weights between 147 and 160 pounds you have to mention "The Punisher." Frankly I don't want to see this fight for two reasons, the first being that I don't think Williams should be fighting at 147 anymore and I'm not sure he will, so it's out the window right there. The second reason is that for Cotto to make a comeback he'll have to do it against someone who has a style that works with his, and Paul Williams throwing 120 punches a round isn't exactly the guy you want to make a comeback against. One thing working in this fight's favor is that it would be a pretty fantastic fight. I mean Miguel Cotto has never shied away from fighting anyone and what better way to prove it then by fighting the guy that nobody wants to fight in Paul Williams. If nothing else this would be a war.

4. Yuri Foreman (28-0, 8 KO's). Hear me out. For Cotto to fight Foreman he'd have to move up to 154 pounds. After talking to a few people who were at the weigh in the other day for "Firepower" they said that Cotto looked a little drained in his face, which leads me to believe that cutting to 145 pounds was not the easiest thing for him to do. I know that Cotto has never gone above 147 pounds, but isn't this the perfect time to move up in weight? And isn't Foreman the perfect opponent to move up against? Think about this for a second – in Miguel Cotto's last three fights he's been brutally beaten by Antonio Margarito (fairly or unfairly it doesn't change the outcome), he handily defeated Michael Jennings, he was in a vicious war with Joshua Clottey, and he was pummeled by Manny Pacquiao. That's three very difficult fights out of four in the last year and a half. Maybe Miguel Cotto just doesn't have it in him to be an elite welterweight anymore. Perhaps he's reached a point in his career where he will struggle with all of the top tier fighters at 147 pounds – and if that is true would it make more sense for him to remain as a welterweight and fight second tier competition or try his hand at moving up in weight and challenging for titles in a less stacked division like 154 pounds? From my perspective Cotto has always seemed like someone who could handle putting on a little extra weight, and the jump from 147 to 154 isn't so much that I think it'll hurt him in the ring. I also think that Foreman is the perfect guy to test the weight jump against because he won't threaten Cotto's chin with his power. The other reason I love this fight is because it would do very good in New York City – oh what you don't think the Rabbi world champion and the Puerto Rican hero could sell tickets in NYC? Give me a break this would be a license to print money for Top Rank in the Big Apple and if you throw JuanMa Lopez on that card you'd probably have to turn people away at the door. Of all the potential match ups for Miguel Cotto this is the one that most interests me and if I was a better man I'd say this idea at least gets floated around the Cotto camp after he's had a chance to recover from Saturday night.

Source

Trainer's inexperience spelled Cotto's doom?

2009-11-18T00:21:00.000-08:00

HOLLYWOOD – Now it can be told.

When all else appeared to be a losing cause, Miguel Cotto Sr. asked that his son’s one-sided fight with Filipino Manny Pacquiao be finally stopped, but was talked out of it by those manning Cotto Jr’s corner, including trainer Joe Santiago.

The elder Cotto wanted a halt to the world welterweight championship fight shortly after the 11th round, by which time only a knockout could turn the tide and save the day for his battered son, who went and lose his welterweight title against Pacquiao following a 12-round stoppage.

Cotto’s wife, Melissa, actually left the MGM Grand Garden Arena, tagging along their youngest son, as early as the ninth round, the uneasiness of seeing her husband taking a severe beating from the world’s top pound-for-pound king easily overcoming her.

"But can the inexperience corner of Cotto has the authority to throw in the towel right now?" asked HBO boxing analyst Emmanuel Steward, giving rise to speculations on how Cotto runs the show in his camp.

As Cotto returned to his corner after the ninth round, Santiago asked him bluntly, “Is that enough?" Then he added, We’ll give you one more round. One more."

The valiant champion from Caguas, Puerto Rico did well in the 10th, enough to earn the nod of two (Duane Ford and Dave Moretti) of the three scoring judges.

"Good round," Santiago said in the corner. “Can you do one round? We’ll do one more."

But by then, everything else had been lost for Cotto.

"Dapat stop na `yung fight earlier pa," said Pacquiao, a notion shared by two of his trainers, Freddie Roach and assistant, Buboy Fernandez. – GMANews.TV

Palace prepares hero’s welcome for Pacquiao

2009-11-18T00:17:00.001-08:00

There will be no additional special title or award from Malacañang this time but the Palace is preparing to give seven-division champion Manny Pacquiao a special hero’s welcome upon his return on Friday.

“We will pull out all stops to give Manny Pacquiao the welcome that he truly deserves," Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said Tuesday.

“Pacquiao has indeed become today the world’s greatest boxer and he has made of all us proud and the least that we can do for Pacquiao is really to give him all the honor that he deserves," he added.

The 30-year-old Pacquiao is coming off an eye-popping 12th round TKO win over Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico Saturday in Las Vegas (Sunday in Manila), in the process earning an unprecedented world title in a seventh weight division.

According to Press Secretary Cerge Remonde, the Palace has no plans of bestowing another award or special title on the new WBO welterweight champion like it did when Pacquiao beat Briton Ricky Hatton last May.

At that time, Malacañang named the Pacman the government’s special envoy for peace and development, tasking him to join efforts to promote peace and unity especially in Mindanao where he hails.

Remonde said President Arroyo gave Pacquiao the title because she saw his potential to exert moral influence in order to contribute to peace in the South.

“Tingnan natin sa pagbabalik niya if there is anything again that he can contribute for the betterment of our country and our people. And considering his love of country and patriotism, we’ll also be able to come out with something but as to the question whether we are thinking of giving him additional title, right now, we are not doing that yet," he said.

Remonde said Malacañang is coordinating with Pacquiao's camp and government sports officials in arranging the welcome party for the pound-for-pound king.

Mrs. Arroyo has been a known friend and supporter of Pacquiao. The Chief Executive, though, wasn’t able to watch how Pacquiao demolished Cotto, having been at Asia-Pacific Economic Conference (Apec) summit in Singapore at the time of the fight.

It would have been highly-irresponsible for the President to leave her fellow Apec leaders just to watch the fight, Remonde explained. - GMANews.TV

Smallish Manny Pacquiao comes up big for boxing after beating Miguel Cotto

2009-11-18T00:12:00.000-08:00

Bill Gallo

First, let's throw out all of boxing's cliches. Such as:

"A good big man will always beat a good little man."

"Southpaw boxers - because of a tendency to fight too distant from their opponents - make for an uninteresting match."

"Generally, punchers have either a great left hook or terrific right hand, but hardly ever own two pulverizing mitts."

"A great little fighter is in above his head when he bridges too much over his natural weight."

"A little boxer cannot take the punch of the bigger fighter."

Then there is this rant: "Boxing as a major sport is dead and what's taking its place, is (God forbid) something called Ultimate Fighting."

Toss that one out in the garbage right away!

What I saw Saturday night was Manny Pacquiao making a joke of all the so-called truisms about his sport.

There was the kid from the Philippines doing everything a great fighter does. He was beating Miguel Cotto every which way and making the bigger man look like he didn't belong in the same ring.

Pacquiao had demonstrated his ring superiority before this bout. Why else would Time put his face on the cover of its international edition?

The fight was the most enjoyable one I have seen in years. Some of the boxing people I know gave Cotto a good shot to win or make it close enough that a point or two would mean the difference. Neither happened.

Cotto held his own and looked good in winning the first round and maybe the second. Then came the third, when Pacquiao caught Cotto on the chin with his right. Down went Cotto, but seemingly unhurt.

In the fourth, Pacquiao landed a beauty of a left hook, putting his man down again. Now, Cotto was feeling the the power in the little guy's hands.

In the fifth, it was apparent how this fight was going to go. Pac moving steadily on his man and Cotto backing up.

It was going to be a chasing game and in each subsequent round Cotto would be more on his bicycle. As Cotto ran, he hardly threw any punches.

You look at Pacquiao at work and you see a man who knows all there is to know about boxing. Although he has been well-schooled by Freddie Roach, a fine trainer in the Ray Arcel, Eddie Futch, Charley Goldman and Freddie Brown mold, Pac has his own natural talent that nobody can teach.

Here was a package of speed, grit and sudden inventive moves not seen since Sugar Ray Robinson and Willie Pep. Yes, he is that good.

I don't want you to think I'm taking anything away from Cotto, for before this meeting, he was justifiably regarded as one of the top fighters around.

But there he was running and taking a terrible beating. It was as if he was a heavy puncher on the receiving end.

In all my years of fight-watching, I've always noted which boxer had that winner's face. That's when the man does a fine job in a round and walks back to his corner with that ever-so-slight grin. He knows he's going to win.

Cotto, on the other hand, walked back to his corner every round with the look of a loser on his lumpy head.

I have heard that Pacquiao does not like to be compared to other greats, so I won't do that here.

"I am me, a fighter who goes out to win every fight I'm in," he says.

Okay. Let me say that this fireball is his own man and his fighting and winning are done with his own art and toil.

So, now I give another cliche - one I have used myself - that should be scrapped:

"Boxing has to have a good, popular heavyweight to lead its parade."

Let's change that to say: "And a little guy shall lead them."

Source

Video: Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto Post Fight Press Conference

2009-11-16T21:25:00.000-08:00

Video of Pacquiao-Cotto Post Fight Press Conference:

$82M seen from Pacquiao-Cotto pay-per-view

2009-11-16T21:16:00.000-08:00

By Francis T.J. Ochoa
Philippine Daily Inquirer

LOS ANGELES—Do the math, start counting.

Manny Pacquiao is expecting yet another cash windfall after successfully making history following his 12th round technical knockout of Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand’s Garden Arena that looked more like a demolition job.

Pacquiao earned close to $13 million from his lion’s share of the purse and is expected to make much more from his fat slice of the pay-per-view (PPV) pie.

Experts are saying that the Pacquiao-Cotto bout could generate at least 1.5 million PPV buys, leading to a gross of $82,425,000, after taxes.

Pacquiao is again expected to get a huge share of that pie through his own promotional outfit, MP Promotions.

“The signs are good. We really won’t know until we get the preliminary results on pay-per-view sales on Wednesday,” said Top Rank chief Bob Arum, who promoted the fight dubbed “Firepower”.

Initial reports, however, indicated that the PPV hits for the Pacquiao-Cotto bout could exceed the 1 million buys reeled in by the fight that saw Floyd Mayweather Jr. outclass Juan Manuel Marquez in September.

“From every sign that we see, we know our goal of garnering more than one million pay-per-view buys is well within sight,” Mark Taffet, a vice president for HBO Sports, which beamed the fight on PPV, said earlier.

That could mean that Firepower will profit more since it was sold to homes on a higher price.

Mayweather-Marquez PPVs were sold at $49.95 each, while the Pacquiao-Cotto PPVs were sold for $54.95 each.

Huge demand

And despite the higher price, there was a big demand for an uninterrupted showing of the Pacquiao-Cotto bout.

“We’ve never had this experience with so many people ordering a fight,” a local New Jersey cable operator was quoted by Fighthype.com as saying hours before the clash. “This must be a big, big fight.”

Several cable operators were forced to turn away customers because they could not keep up with the demand, the report added. And these customers even filed complaints.

“We're sorry,” the New Jersey provider told customers. “We are just so overwhelmed with people trying to order this fight. So many people are trying to order it from their remote controls that it locked up the computer. It was processing so many orders, the computer was overwhelmed.”

Huge fan base

Aside from the profit it generates for the pound-for-pound champion, the PPV hits will play a crucial part in negotiations for next year’s highly anticipated superfight: Pacquiao vs Mayweather.

Richard Schaefer, whose Golden Boy Promotions partnered with Mayweather’s outfit for the Marquez bout, said Pacquiao-Cotto would have to exceed the PPV hits of Maywather-Marquez to prove that the Filipino could get at least half of the share of the purse.
Mayweather’s camp is asking for a 65-35 share in profits, something that Team Pacquiao is not amenable to, especially since the new welterweight champion is on a meteoric rise to stardom and commands a huge PPV-buying fan base.

Biggest pay day

Aside from the 16,200 fans that bought tickets to the Garden Arena for the Cotto fight, close to 18,000 also purchased closed-circuit TV seats to watch Pacquiao as he demolished the Puerto Rican after a slow start.

Cotto earned over $6 million for the fight, his biggest payday by far, and is expected to also get his own share of the PPV income.

Manny's the man! Pacquiao's on top of the world after Miguel Cotto demolition

2009-11-16T21:06:00.000-08:00

By Claude Abrams

Consider this: Prince Naseem Hamed, regarded as one of the greatest talents to emerge from Britain, was crowned world champion in only one division.

It wasn’t for the lack of trying. His trainer Brendan Ingle had predicted, before Hamed became featherweight king in 1995, that triumphing in at least four categories was possible.

What does that say for the amazing Filipino Manny Pacquiao who, by stopping Miguel Cotto in the 12th and final round in Las Vegas last Saturday, became WBO welterweight champion?

It may not seem a great achievement to those unfamiliar with the formidable Puerto Rican Cotto or how Pacquiao began his career weighing only 7st 8lbs.

Pacquiao’s victory, however, made him a legitimate world champion in five divisions from flyweight to welterweight (10st 7lbs).

If you include less established belts, the total would be six, as he knocked cold Britain’s Ricky Hatton for the IBO’s light-welterweight crown in May.

Had Pacquiao opted to consider the super-flyweight and bantamweight belts instead of going straight from flyweight to super-bantam, or had he defeated Juan Manuel Marquez at featherweight in 2004 instead of drawing (having floored the Mexican three times in the opening round), the total might be eight or nine.

Even more astonishing is not how Pacquiao has risen through the divisions and maintained his speed, power and precision, but also how he rebounded from two knockout defeats when he was much smaller.

Because of the 30-year-old’s ruthless streak of success, Pacquiao is revered in his homeland, where the country comes to a virtual standstill for his fights.
Floyd Mayweather Jr

Great: Floyd Mayweather Jr

Pacquiao, however, is also an inspiration to any fighter who has suffered defeat and believes there is no way back. Pacquiao is a phenomenon and, although the sport has changed considerably since championships first began, he would undoubtedly have held his own in any era.

As a Filipino, Pacquiao often has to forsake home advantage to travel where the money is, yet he has polished off a host of big names who have made Las Vegas their adopted home.

None were greater than Oscar De La Hoya, a six-division former champion made to quit after eight rounds by Pacquiao last December.

Pacquiao defeated the excellent Marquez in their rematch, twice toppled Hamed’s conqueror, Marco Antonio Barrera, and did the same to another outstanding Mexican, Erik Morales — after Morales had won the first of their three meetings.

That loss, back in 2005, was Pacquiao’s third and last in 55 contests.

Beating Cotto, though, confirmed for me Pacquiao’s position as the sport’s supreme fighter if the criteria is based on achievement rather than natural talent and skill.

The only fighter who can possibly challenge his status is American Floyd Mayweather Jnr, who in 40 fights has never been defeated.

As they operate at roughly the same weight, such a fight is a natural for 2010 and promises to challenge worldwide pay-per-view and box office records.

Mayweather, brash and confident, is a multi-weight (five) champion himself and a defensive maestro, whereas Pacquiao is a devastating attacking force.

Their styles and personalities are a perfect contrast. Mayweather has insisted he is the premier attraction and should command the greater share of the financial pot, but the manner of Pacquiao’s domination of Cotto has once more seriously threatened that argument.

Source

Cotto goes to hospital for 'routine' checkup

2009-11-15T18:01:00.000-08:00

(image from doghouseboxing.com)

By Abac Cordero
The Philippine Star

LAS VEGAS — Miguel Cotto walked out of the MGM bruised and battered but unbowed.

“I just came from a fight so that’s how I’m supposed to look,” Cotto, according to Top Rank pointman Ricardo Jimenez, told someone who made a comment that the Puerto Rican fighter looked “beat up and swollen” after the fight.

Cotto took so many blows to the head he had to skip the post-fight press conference. He was taken to the UMC Hospital for precautionary measure, and Jimenez said the ex-champion was to undergo a complete body scan.

“Miguel wants to come out here. He’s a real man. But the Nevada State Athletic Commission wanted him to go straight to the hospital. So he had to go. Not because he wanted to but because the commission wanted to,” said fight promoter Bob Arum.

Cotto, according to Jimenez, was okay as he was brought to the hospital, and needed no help as he boarded the Team Cotto bus that took him to the hospital. The bus was loaded with around 30 members of his family and his team.

Cotto had cuts over or under both eyes and bled from the fourth round onwards. His trunks, white with red bands, were stained with his own blood. Pacquiao did not go home unscathed either as he wore puffy eyes to his post-fight concert.

It took Pacquiao a little longer to attend the press conference because doctors had to do some procedure to drain blood from inside his right ear. So he showed up at the press conference with his head bandaged and his right ear protected.

But it was Cotto who drew sympathy from all those who saw the fight.

“Miguel Cotto has always been a courageous fighter. It’s just that he was in with a guy who’s the best fighter of our era and may very well be the best fighter ever. My heart goes out for him — to see his face and to see the damage,” Arum added.

Even in defeat, Cotto was gracious to acknowledge Pacquiao’s historic win. As the Filipino prayed in his corner, down on his knees, the Puerto Rican, with a bloody face, came up to him to congratulate Pacquiao.

“I’m still proud. I’ve fought everyone, but Manny’s one of the best boxers of all time,” said Cotto, adding that his seconds had wanted to stop the fight a couple of rounds earlier, but he decided to go on.

“I told Joe (Santiago, his trainer) I wanted to continue fighting. It was my decision. It was a real hard fight,” said Cotto who drew cheers from the MGM crowd as he spoke on the microphone and got off the stage.

With his head held high.

Pacquiao lands 336 blows to Cotto's 172

2009-11-15T17:44:00.000-08:00

By Abac Cordero

The Philippine Star

LAS VEGAS – Manny Pacquiao’s swollen right hand, and Miguel Cotto’s bloody face told the entire story.

And based on the numbers, as provided to the media by CompuBox, it was quite difficult to imagine how the ex-champion from Puerto Rico survived 12 brutal rounds with the hard-punching Filipino ring icon.

Pacquiao, as busy on top of the ring as he is outside, threw a total of 780 punches and landed 336 of them for a respectable batting average of 43 percent. Yes, 336 punches landed in one night of boxing.

Cotto, whose left hook is as famous as Puerto Rican rum, baseball and its beauty queens, threw less punches, 597 in all, and landed only 172 for a dismal 29 percent.

Cotto won the jabs department, throwing them 297 times and connecting 79 of them. It was the first punch that landed in the opening seconds of the fight, and sent a good message.

In the eighth round, Cotto landed a jab that made Pacquiao’s head move like sombody pulled his hair from behind.

Pacquiao, who’s never really known for his right jab, threw 220 jabs and connected on 60 occasions. But it was really with the power punches that the left-handed slugger from Genereal Santos in Mindanao made a living.

Pacquiao threw 560 power punches and found its target like a guided missile. He landed 276 times, enough to send Cotto to the hospital after the fight for precautionary measures.

Cotto, the younger, bigger and supposedly stronger fighter, let loose 300 power punches and hit Pacquiao, either to the head, the body or the arms, 93 times. His punches, any one of them, could have knocked out a lesser opponent.

But most of Cotto’s power punches were thrown in the first five rounds of the fight because from thereon he only managed to throw them in single digits until the end came with only 55 seconds left of the 12th and final round.

“We knew he was fast but he was a lot stronger than we thought,” said Cotto’s young trainer, Joe Santiago.

“I tried to bring all I can everytime for all the fans. But tonight didn’t go my way. The jabs I threw were landing but I didn’t protect myself,” said Cotto just minutes after the fight.

“The instruction was not to hurry so we were very careful in the early rounds. And I was trying to test his power that’s why I got hit. But when I started to control the fight I became more aggressive,” said Pacquiao.

“In the second round I was looking for the knockout that’s why I threw a lot of punches and I landed the right hook in the third round. I heard he was bigger than me. So I wanted to test his power. And his punches hurt,” he admitted.

Cotto was knocked down twice, once in the third and fourth rounds, and must have been ordered by his cornermen to stay away from trouble, and that means staying away from Pacquiao.

But it seemed inevitable for the fight to be cut short. Because after the last power punch thrown by Pacquiao, a left to Cotto’s head, referee Kenny Bayless had to step in between and put an end to the fight.

Pacquiao’s amazing run continues

2009-11-15T17:16:00.000-08:00

By Kevin Iole

LAS VEGAS – The History Channel was among the many sponsors of the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, which, in an odd sort of way, was appropriate.

Pacquiao made history on Saturday when he battered Miguel Cotto over 11-plus brutal rounds, winning the World Boxing Organization welterweight title in one of the finest performances of a brilliant career.

Pacquiao dropped Cotto in the third and fourth rounds, landed 43 percent of his punches and mercifully stopped the game Puerto Rican 55 seconds into the final round when referee Kenny Bayless jumped in to save Cotto.

Cotto’s trainer, Joe Santiago, ought to be flogged for not stopping it sooner. Cotto never recovered after the second knockdown, which came in the fourth round, and spent most of the final seven-plus rounds trying to fend off a man who was far too fast, far too slick and far too talented.

Pacquiao’s performance was so good that no one laughed when promoter Bob Arum said he believes Pacquiao is the best fighter he ever saw. And yes, Arum included Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvelous Marvin Hagler in that group.

The pay-per-view numbers were tracking exceptionally well, also. HBO’s Mark Taffet said indications on Friday were that the show is tracking to do at least 1 million buys. Taffet is notoriously conservative, but the fight is likely to zoom well past 1 million and may approach – or even exceed – 1.5 million sales.

HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg said that Golden Boy Promotions chief executive officer Richard Schaefer plans to call Arum on Monday in order to start negotiations on a Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. bout that would be the richest in the sport’s history.

There’s little question that promoters are going to be under intense public pressure to make a match between Pacquiao and Mayweather, the two men with a claim to the mythical title of pound-for-pound champion.

Mayweather’s grip weakened significantly on Saturday after Pacquiao’s stellar performance, and it may weaken more if the pay-per-view results come in well above 1 million.

Arum wasn’t so eager to take Schaefer’s call, at least not on Monday. Given preliminary pay-per-view figures are due on Tuesday, Arum prefers to wait. Mayweather’s victory over Juan Manuel Marquez in September sold 1 million on pay-per-view. “Tell Richard to wait until Wednesday to call me,” Arum said.

Pacquiao’s speed was the most obvious difference between the men, though it was hardly the only one. Pacquiao was once a one-dimensional, one-handed fighter with plenty of holes defensively.

On Saturday, Cotto faced a two-fisted fighter who was in command every second of the fight. His defense was tight, his ring generalship magnificent and his power was overwhelming.

“He’s the best boxer I ever fought,” Cotto said in the understatement of the night. Pacquiao was typically humble, refusing to compare himself to the legends of the game that Arum said he has surpassed.

“I just think I’m an ordinary fighter,” Pacquiao said. “When I fight a good fighter, sometimes I can beat him.”

Hearing that, his trainer, Freddie Roach, chided him.

“You’re not ordinary,” Roach said.

Pacquiao, who has taken to calling Roach his “boxing master,” beamed.

“Sorry, Master,” he replied.

It was probably the only thing he had to apologize about. Roach said Pacquiao didn’t stick to the game plan in the first two rounds, backing to the ropes, a style that Cotto clearly preferred.

Roach urged him to get off the ropes. Once he did, it was no contest.

“Manny Pacquiao is just unbelievable,” Roach said. “The first couple of rounds, I was a little bit worried, because he didn’t follow the plan. Toward the end of the second round, he got into the program and he made it look easy after that.”

Pacquiao was so good on Saturday, he was singing at the post-fight news conference and planned to head across the street to Mandalay Bay to sing eight songs in a concert.

The song he played in the ring was as good as anything that has been heard in a long time. He debunked many popular theories and took many of Mayweather’s arguments away from him.

If Mayweather doesn’t take the fight, he’ll simply be running.

There’s no other way to put it.

“Manny can punch with any 147-pounder in the world,” Roach said. “He has great power and speed. He proved everything tonight.”

Pacquiao has now claimed sanctioning body titles at flyweight, super bantamweight, super featherweight, lightweight and welterweight and he won the linear championship at both featherweight and super lightweight.

There’s little the man can’t do. And Roach, who began training Pacquiao in 2001, wasn’t about to disagree much with Arum’s assessment of Pacquiao’s greatness.

“He’s as good as anybody,” Roach said. “He’s the greatest fighter of his generation. I agree 100 percent.”

As good as Mayweather was in September in dismantling Marquez, Pacquiao was that much better. Pacquiao fought a bigger, stronger and better man and beat him into submission.

A clash between Mayweather and Pacquiao would be one of those epic battles that come only once every 25 years or so.

And while it once seemed inconceivable that Pacquiao could ever deal with Mayweather’s speed and defensive prowess, it isn’t any more.

Anyone who doubts the guy now is a fool.

Source: Yahoo Sports

Pacquiao vs. Cotto, round by round

2009-11-15T00:10:00.000-08:00

Lance Pugmire's round-by-round assessment of the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto welterweight title fight:

ROUND 1

* What happened: After a soft touch of the gloves, Cotto lands a jab. Cotto flashes powerful lefts to the face, and he's strongly defending his head. Pacquiao sneaks in a left, but Cotto throws a combo to the body. Cotto lands a double-jab to the head. Pacquiao tries a flurry but Cotto blocks it.

* Pugmire's take: This is Cotto's formula to win. Can it last against Pacquiao's relentless reputation?

* The judges: Adalaide Byrd, 10-9 Cotto; Duane Ford, 10-9 Cotto; Dave Moretti, 10-9 Cotto.

ROUND 2

* What happened: Cotto returns to the body, bangs a left to the head, buries two more shots to the body before Pacquiao rallies with a combination. Cotto's punch of choice is the left. Pacquiao charges and lands, but Cotto answers with a combination. A late Pacquiao rally, I thought, gave him a very close round.

* Pugmire's take: All week we've been hearing these guys are never in bad fights, and this round is proof.

* The judges: Byrd, 10-9 Pacquiao; Ford, 10-9 Pacquiao; Moretti, 10-9 Pacquiao.

ROUND 3

* What happened: Cotto opens with jabs. Pacquiao throws a right-left, then unleashes a big right to knock Cotto down to a knee. Cotto looks up, assuring referee Kenny Bayless he's OK. Pacquiao goes to the body, but Cotto responds with a scoring left. A head butt causes a brief delay. Cotto attacks the body, his trademark, but Pacquiao goes jab, right, right. Cotto is cut under the right eye.

* Pugmire's take: Pacquiao's precision punching has him in boxing's stratosphere. He displayed it here to effectively answer Cotto's strong start.

* The judges: Byrd, 10-9 Pacquiao; Ford, 10-8 Pacquiao; Moretti, 10-9 Pacquiao.

ROUND 4

* What happened: Cotto jabs again, throws a scoring left. Pacquiao comes back with another left. The pair engage in an impressive exchange. Pacquiao has a nice combination, Cotto wraps up, then punches Pacquiao in the gut. A big right by Cotto, and someone says, "Manny's hurt." Cotto's body work is strong. Yet, like Cotto tells Larry Merchant in the ring afterward, he couldn't see all the punches coming, and Pacquiao decked Cotto again with a strong left uppercut with about 20 seconds left. Pacquiao wants to finish the fight, but the bell sounds.

* Pugmire's take: The second knockdown hurts Cotto, whose game plan is now unraveling because of Pacquiao's power and speed gifts. Why does every opponent underestimate those strengths?

* The judges: Byrd, 10-8 Pacquiao; Ford, 10-8 Pacquiao; Moretti, 10-8 Pacquiao.

ROUND 5

* What happened: The pace settles slightly, and both guys need that. Cotto lands a hard left uppercut. Pacquiao comes back with a combination. Cotto slowing, both guys taking a breather. Pacquiao delivers a combination to the belly and jaw.

* Pugmire's take: Not a lot of action here, but Cotto's inactivity will be repeated, while Pacquiao was just resting up for additional onslaughts.

* The judges: Byrd, 10-9 Pacquiao; Ford, 10-9 Pacquiao; Moretti, 10-9 Pacquiao.

ROUND 6

* What happened: A Cotto jab sets up a right to the face, but Pacquiao shows his power with a hard left that nearly lands flush. A big right by Pacquiao, another, then a damaging left with Cotto on the ropes. Pacquiao combination, and Cotto is cut near left eye, wiping the blood. Another Pacquiao left precedes another that staggers the WBO welterweight champ.

* Pugmire's take: Blood from both eye areas, the face is getting bad as many expected.

* The judges: Byrd, 10-9 Pacquiao; Ford, 10-9 Pacquiao; Moretti, 10-9 Pacquiao.

ROUND 7

* What happened: A nice right by Pacquiao, and it's obvious he wants to finish Cotto, but the tough Puerto Rican stands, takes a shot. Pacquiao lands jabs and a left uppercut. Pacquiao attacks Cotto on ropes, and withstands a nice left by Cotto.

* Pugmire's take: At this point, you get the feeling it's just a matter of when the knockout or TKO is coming.

* The judges: Byrd, 10-9 Pacquiao; Ford, 10-9 Pacquiao; Moretti, 10-9 Pacquiao.

ROUND 8

* What happened: Cotto's left eye is now swelling dramatically. A nice right by Pacquiao makes Cotto pull away, not like him. Pacquiao nails Cotto with a left off a lightning combination. Cotto's getting hit on the ropes, a big left. A big combination by Pacquiao follows, and Pacquiao hammers Cotto on the ropes again.

* Pugmire's take: In the end, Cotto was walking dazed toward the wrong neutral corner. He's hurt, confused, and he reports later that his left shoulder, reportedly ailing with some tendinitis, hurts so much no one can touch it.

* The judges: Byrd, 10-9 Pacquiao; Ford, 10-9 Pacquiao; Moretti, 10-9 Pacquiao.

ROUND 9

* What happened: Pacquiao punishes Cotto with a flurry of blows in a neutral corner, then adds another devastating left uppercut. Pacquiao still looking to finish. A big left-right combo probably would've done the trick but Cotto fell forward onto Pacquiao, then stood. Cotto is spitting blood, his lip cut, his nose bleeding.

* Pugmire's take: Roach said later the fight should've been stopped here. Cotto explained he told his trainer to let him fight. Referee Bayless said Cotto was throwing jabs, but doing little else from the eighth on. That about sums it up.

* The judges: Byrd, 10-9 Pacquiao; Ford, 10-9 Pacquiao; Moretti, 10-9 Pacquiao.

ROUND 10

* What happened: The fight slows again, as Pacquiao weighs going for the kill or just wrapping up a victory. TV cameras show Cotto's wife and children leaving their seats. It's too gruesome. Pacquiao throws a slew of combinations.

* Pugmire's take: There were tears in the Cotto corner afterward, and it was tough for all to watch the proud champion take such a beating late. The fight shouldn't have been allowed to proceed from here.

* The judges: Byrd, 10-9 Pacquiao; Ford, 10-9 Pacquiao; Moretti, 10-9 Pacquiao.

ROUND 11

* What happened: Cotto's bleeding in two streams from the left eye and is backpedaling, on his bicycle, as Bayless says. Right by Pacquiao, a combination, a hard left and solid right. Cotto keeps backing up.

* Pugmire's take: If this were "Rocky," Cotto would've been merely saving up energy for a big final round. Life's no film.

* The judges: Byrd, 10-9 Pacquiao; Ford, 10-9 Pacquiao; Moretti, 10-9 Pacquiao.

ROUND 12

* What happened: The ringside doctor looks at Cotto during the break. Cotto said he urged his trainer to let him fight. He's spitting up blood. Pacquiao throws a big left, surges toward the ropes to deliver a combination to Cotto's head. Then, 55 seconds into the round, Bayless steps in and stops it, amid cheers of "Manny!"

* Pugmire's take: We're seeing an athlete at his peak, a dominating, charismatic boxer who has speed, power and smarts. That was Pacquiao's plan, and he carried it out brilliantly against a powerful foe, sending Cotto to the hospital. Bring on Mayweather.

Source.

Video: Pacquiao-Cotto Highlights

2009-11-14T23:21:00.000-08:00

Video: Pacquiao-Cotto Highlights:

Pacquiao batters Cotto for TKO win

2009-11-14T23:17:00.000-08:00

Kevin Iole

www.sports.yahoo.com

AS VEGAS – Manny Pacquiao staked his claim atop boxing’s mythical throne as the pound-for-pound best, using his lightning hand speed to beat and batter Miguel Cotto into submission Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Pacquiao knocked Cotto down once in the third round and again in the fourth, pummeled him repeatedly and easily lifted the World Boxing Organization welterweight belt from the Puerto Rican with a 12th-round stoppage. The time was 55 seconds into the final round, as referee Kenny Bayless leaped between the fighters to save Cotto a more savage beating and ignominious end.

Cotto came out strong and landed some hard punches, but Cotto couldn’t deal with the speed. Pacquiao was landing three shots for every two Cotto did early. After the knockdown in the fourth, Cotto’s offense was nonexistent as he spent most of the last two thirds of the fight fending off Pacquiao’s onslaught.

Cotto landed in single digits in power shots in every round from the fifth forward.

Pacquiao nearly had the stoppage after the 11th when Cotto trainer Joe Santiago walked onto the ring apron and waved his hand at Bayless.

It appeared he was going to stop the fight, but then Bayless and ringside physician James Game spoke and allowed it to continue. It was only extending the misery as Pacquiao poured it on in the 12th.

When the fight ended, the crowd began to chant, “We want Floyd!” It was a reference to Floyd Mayweather Jr., the other man with a claim to the top of the boxing pound-for-pound list.

Pacquiao, who has won championship belts in five divisions and beat the linear champion in two others, can no longer be knocked as a small man who was beating washed up fighters.

In Cotto, he took on an elite and powerful welterweight whose only loss came under suspicious circumstances to Antonio Margarito last year. There is suspicion that Margarito’s gloves were loaded for that fight, though it has never been proven.

But Pacquiao proved he was able to not only take a welterweight punch, but rock him repeatedly. It was a magnificent performance and will create public demand for a fight with Mayweather.

“I want to see him fight Mayweather,” Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach said.

Santiago said Pacquiao hit harder and was stronger than expected. Cotto injured his left shoulder in the eighth.

High Quality Video of Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto Weigh-In from MGM Las Vegas

2009-11-14T02:20:00.000-08:00

High quality video of Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto weigh-in at the MGM Las Vegas:

Trainers scuffle at Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto weigh-in

2009-11-14T02:12:00.000-08:00

Cotto makes weight, Roach and Santiago get into argument on stage

By Brett Okamoto

Freddie Roach had warned Miguel Cotto’s camp all week through the media that if Cotto weighed in even slightly over the agreed-upon 145-pound weight limit for the WBO welterweight title fight on Saturday, he would pull Manny Pacquiao from the event completely.

Pacquiao weighed in first at 144 pounds, then Cotto at 145. Roach put up his hands as if he were to say he was happy with Cotto’s weight, but then got into an argument with Cotto’s trainer, Joe Santiago, after Santiago approached him and said something.

Roach then began walking toward Santiago, who pointed to the scale and yelled, “Yeah, 145 (expletive)."

The incident didn’t escalate further, however the trainers were separated by Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, who mouthed, “Just stop it,” to Roach.

“As you can see,” said actor Jeremy Piven from the stage, “there’s a lot of tension with this fight.”

The two fighters didn’t seem to notice the scuffle between their trainers, as Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KO) and Cotto (34-1, 27 KO) met centerstage in a traditional stare down for media before briefly tapping each other on the arm.

Piven then detained the fighters for a bit of colorful banter for the hundreds of fans who packed into the arena.

He even asked Pacquiao if it is his strategy to become abstinent during training for a fight.

“This is like the Jimmy Kimmel show,” Pacquiao said. “Once I start my training I have to focus on my fight so there is no more, I mean, there is no more night time.”

To Cotto, he asked if the efforts he makes to cut weight make him angry.

“I think everybody is unhappy when they can’t eat,” Cotto said. “But I’m pretty healthy. I ate well for this fight. My strength will be too much tomorrow night.”

New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs also got a turn on the microphone. He called both fighters "warriors" and said it was anyone’s guess how long the fight could last.

Retired boxer Roberto Duran, as well as Juan Manuel Lopez and Nonito Donaire were also in attendance.

Televised bouts:

WBC Continental Americas Welterweight Title fight:

Jesus Soto-Karass (24-3-3, 16 KO), 147.5 pounds vs. Alfonso Gomez (20-4-2, 10 KO) 145.5 pounds

WBA Super Welterweight Title fight:

Yuri Foreman (27-0, 8 KO), 154 pounds vs. Daniel Santos (32-3-1, 23 KO), 154 pounds

Middleweight fight:

Troy Rowland (25-2, 7 KO), 159 pounds vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (40-0-1, 30 KO), 160 pounds

Source

WEIGH-IN RESULTS FROM THE MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA

2009-11-14T02:04:00.000-08:00

By Ed de la Vega, DDS

PhilBoxing.com

Las Vegas, NV:- Top Rank held the weigh in for the gladiators fighting tomorrow at the MGM Grand Garden Arena moments ago.

Miguel Cotto, the Boricua from Puerto Rico came in right on the nose:- 145lbs. Pacquiao, the challenger was a pound less at 144 lbs.

The rest of the weigh results are as follows:

Troy Rowland -- 159lbs vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. -- 160lbs

Yuri Foreman -- 154 lbs vs Daniel Santos -- 154 lbs

Jesus Soto-Karass -- 147.5lbs vs Alfonso Gomez -- 146.5lbs

Martin Vierra -- 152lbs vs Rodrigo Garcia -- 150lbs

Eilon Kedem -- 119.5lbs vs Eden Sonsona -- 121lbs

Mustafah Johnson -- 158lbs vs Matt Korobov -- 160.5

Ernie Marquez -- 112lbs vs Richi Mepranum -- 112lbs

Lupe Guzman -- 134.5lbs vs Abner Cotto -- 133lbs

The event could have been “uneventful’ if not for the sharp verbal exchanges between Freddie Roach and Joe Santiago, Santiago said something that did not sink in too well with Roach and the Wildcard Gym master charged towards Santiago. But, as they go in these events, cooler heads prevailed and the two trainers were separated.

At this writing, we are still looking for people who heard what was said and as soon as we get to the meat of that exchange, we will post it in this site.

Manny Pacquiao – Miguel Cotto: The Unspectacular Undercard

2009-11-12T23:43:00.000-08:00

by Tim Starks

Remember how it felt like there was the start of a movement afoot just a few months ago to make boxing undercards better? It is, after all, a reason some mixed martial arts fans say they prefer their sport over boxing, and it’s a long-standing gripe of boxing fans, and in some cases, it’s been the reason someone turned to an illegal stream rather than willingly paying $50 for what amounts to one fight.

The undercard for Floyd Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez in September was really put together with that in mind, with two of the undercard bouts worthy of being separated out into their own HBO main event and co-feature — and the third turning into quite a scrap. After seeing Golden Boy get a lot of love for that card, Top Rank’s Bob Arum announced that he would have a “spectacular” undercard for Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto Nov. 14 . It would feature a lightweight bout between Edwin Valero and Humberto Soto, maybe, and just that fight alone would have had the potential to continue the “good undercard” trend.

Surprise, surprise. It didn’t work out that way. Now we get… this.

* Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.-Troy Rowland, middleweight. Chavez is the son of the consensus best Mexican fighter of all time, but at this point in his career, there ain’t much to him. He’s got some decent skill and power but may never have enough to amount to anything, he’s said to be lazy, has no amateur background and so he’s learning on the job and maybe — just maybe — Arum is milking him for every pay-per-view dollar he can until the day comes that all the people who keep inexplicably paying for Chavez, Jr.-headlined event will get sick of him fighting nobodies and, at times, struggling to beat them. That day is not Saturday. Rowland has fought primarily and Michigan and hasn’t beaten anybody of note or even fought anybody of note, unless you count Epifanio Mendoza, and he’s 25-2 with seven knockouts. It may sound impressive on the surface, but it’s pretty easy to get 25-2 when you fight exclusively in the Midwest, and it’s not a good sign that he’s lost twice that way. I’m guessing it’s just a total coincidence that he can’t crack, either.
* Daniel Santos-Yuri Foreman, junior middleweight. This fight is significant, but it has approximately a 100 percent chance of sucking. I like Santos, but he gets booed in his native Puerto Rico — he sometimes stinks out the joint by keeping action to a minimum and winning in the bare minimum fashion, which doesn’t endear him to the warrior-pride set in PR. Santos is skilled and can punch when he wants to, as he showed in his highlight-reel knockout of Joachim Alcine (in his most recent fight in July of 2008) to take Alcine’s WBA strap. He’s a top-10 caliber junior middleweight, but he’s so inactive for such long stretches he can’t stay in the rankings. Foreman comes in at #10 according to Ring magazine, but he makes Santos at his worst look like Pacquiao. Foreman can’t punch a lick and circles endlessly. I give him credit for trying to be more aggressive in his last fight, a mercifully cut-shortened no contest against Cornelius Bundrage. But if Pacquiao-Cotto is a proselytizing fight that will make people love boxing, Santos-Foreman stands a great chance of making them turn off the television before that fight even starts. (My prediction: Santos by decision, a sucky one.)
* Jesus Soto Karass-Alfonso Gomez, welterweight. This fight has approximately a 100 percent chance of not sucking, but it is of nearly zero consequence. Karass is an all-volume, heavy-handed, long-armed punching machine, and defense isn’t his strong suit. Gomez won over fans of the original “The Contender” season on NBC with, among other things, his own television-friendly tendencies in the ring. Karass and Gomez are top-20 welterweights at best, both of whom would get massacred by the welterweights in the main event. Oh wait, Gomez already did get massacred by Cotto. Still, these two guys are going to punch each other and punch each other and punch each other until they can’t no more, and I’ve always said I’m more than happy to watch a meaningless fight where both men go at it like they’re trying to snatch floating dollars from one of those television game show money booths.

That’s pretty nearly as far from “spectacular” as it gets. Any time you speak the sentence “Soto Karass-Gomez is the highlight of the undercard!” you’re in dire straits, friend.

Arum has a master plan, of course. He thinks Chavez’ involvement will bring in more Mexican fans. I don’t know what kind of numbers Chavez does when he headlines his own cards, but it’s enough that Arum keeps throwing him into main events, and I’m guessing that a big segment of the audience is Mexican one that primarily follows Mexican fighters. Likewise, Karass keeps headlining smaller shows in Mexico, and Gomez may still have some leftover fans from “The Contender” who wouldn’t normally watch boxing unless they were curious what he was up to. Arum also thinks Foreman’s involvement will recruit Jewish fans back to the sport. Admittedly, Foreman’s “boxer by night/rabbi-in-training by day” story is pretty cool. But I have no idea whether Foreman sells tickets to Jews in sufficient quantities to make him worth the trouble.

Still. I refer to my very first paragraph about why crappy undercards are such a bad idea for boxing. I don’t have the energy to rant about it again, like I do every time. Bad undercards are stupid and self-defeating and piss everyone off, but they keep happening. I can’t think of another business that is so routinely short-sighted about this kind of bullshit.

(If you’re going to the show live, the highlight of the non-televised card is exciting but very green middleweight prospect Matt Korobov. I throw that out there for no real reason I can explain. Boxing’s idiocy just turns me into a dadaist sometimes, I guess.)

Source

An overwhelming undercard for Pacquiao-Cotto

2009-11-12T23:11:00.000-08:00

The undercard for Saturday's Miguel Cotto-Manny Pacquiao bout in Las Vegas is a compelling one, featuring five unbeaten boxers and a WBA world welterweight title fight.

But the fight promoters really wanted was unbeaten Mexican middleweight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who will meet Michigan's Troy Rowland in the final preliminary of the night.

Bob Arum of Top Rank Boxing, which put the card together, needs to draw a audience that rivals the 1 million pay-per-view buys Floyd Mayweather drew for his September comeback fight with Juan Manual Marquez. Without big numbers, Arum will find it difficult to negotiate the kind of contract he'll be asking for when the winner of Saturday's main event takes on Mayweather next year. Adding Chavez, the son of six-time world champion Julio Cesar Chavez, who is still a legend among Latin boxing fans, figures to help with that.

"Yeah, he'll drive the pay-per-view," said Arum, who is confident Saturday's card will surpass 1 million buys. "I don't care what anybody says. I'm not running an election. I'm trying to do business."

It wasn't good business for Chavez Jr., though, who is getting just $100,000 for the fight, about a quarter of what he gets for fighting in Mexico, Arum said.

"Chavez Jr. pressed us to be on this card because with worldwide attention, he'd have his image all over the world," Arum said.

Plus a win over Rowland (25-2, 7 knockouts) would move Chavez Jr. (40-0-1, 30 KOs) a big step closer to his ultimate goal, a world title fight.

"This is a great opportunity for me," he said in Spanish. "It's a great opportunity to demonstrate that I'm ready for a world championship fight. I think I'm ready to take this next step in my career."

Rowland, who reached across the dais to shake hands with Chavez Jr., during Thursday's news conference, would like nothing better than to trip up those plans.

"He's undefeated, and we've got just one chance to take his zero away. That's what we've been training to do," Rowland said. "I've been reading stuff on the Internet that says, 'Oh, well, he's fighting a nobody' because nobody knows my name. But I've been around a while. I've had some good fights.

"He's a hard fighter and I'm a hard fighter. So we're going to tear it up."

-- Kevin Baxter and Lance Pugmire

Source

Pacquiao’s historic quest

2009-11-12T22:48:00.000-08:00

by Jojo Robles
manilastandardtoday.com

Some people say that Manny Pacquiao’s fight this weekend is historic because if he wins he would become the first fighter to win championship belts in seven different weight classes, the first time that’s been done. As boxing writer P.H. Burbridge wrote on the East Side boxing Web site (eastsideboxing.com):

“For Manny Pacquiao, a win puts him in a class all by himself. He would have accomplished a feat that no boxer in the history of the sport has ever achieved and that’s winning a seventh championship in a seventh weight division.

“It’s a mark that you might not see equaled or broken in your lifetime. A feat that our grandchildren will marvel at. Much [like] the way we marvel at Henry Armstrong’s feat of holding the featherweight, lightweight and welterweight titles simultaneously 70 years after the fact. [If Pacquiao wins,] people will similarly be talking about Manny’s accomplishment.

“Most of us will be long dead and gone and our ancestors will still be throwing this man’s name around. Who knows, maybe this accomplishment will become boxing’s version of [football coach] Don Shula’s record in the NFL of most wins for a head coach. It might be damn near impossible to break. Shula was a head coach for over 30 years! In today’s age of one bad season and “there’s the door” it’s hard to imagine anyone being around long enough to even challenge him.

“Maybe the same will be true of a seven weight-division champion. In a sport that’s becoming increasingly more fiscally conservative and becoming far less historically adventurous, who would even dare undertake such a lofty challenge? Especially, if it’s not in your best financial interest to do so.

“It may make more financial sense to stick around your division and defend your title [like Floyd Mayweather Jr. – JR]. The circumstances would have to be just right to justify a move up and, let’s be honest, we’ve just been lucky that those circumstances of late have suited Manny Pacquiao. I’m pretty confident that much of this happened in a natural, unplanned manner.

“Obviously, Team Pacquiao were astute enough to identify the opportunities and capitalize but the landscape really suited Manny’s run at history. If [Antonio] Margarito was still on top at welterweight along with Paul Williams and maybe even Shane Mosley, the chances of Manny moving up to challenge would have been highly unlikely. But because Miguel Cotto is generally viewed as damaged on a number of levels, Pacquiao and his people have based their run on that perceived weakness. The stars have aligned to make all this possible from Bob Arum representing both guys to Freddie Roach convincing himself this is the right guy at the right time....

“Certainly there’s no one on the horizon today that has a real shot at it. Floyd Mayweather Jr. has the distinction of being a five weight-division champion but he would have to win the middleweight AND the super middleweight title just to match Manny. We all know that’s not likely and we also don’t expect Floyd to challenge for the 122 or 126 lb championships, either.

“Manny will be the MAN! Period!”

* * *

But as far as Pac-man’s recent personal history is concerned, the bout with Puerto Rico’s Miguel Angel Cotto is already significant even before it begins because it will be the first time in a long time that the Filipino champ will be an odds-on favorite. Of course, it will be pointed out that Pac-man wasn’t exactly the underdog in his fights against David Diaz and Oscar de la Hoya, both of which took place fairly recently, as well. But these two bouts were just like treading water for the Pinoy champ —I’m talking about his two last fights, when Pacquiao really started to get the attention of sports fans (not just fight fans) the world over.

These were Pac-man’s battles against Oscar de la Hoya and Ricky Hatton, two fancied boxers who were both predicted almost universally to put the hurt on Pacquiao even before the first-round bell was rung. Of course, after Pacquiao had punched the Golden Boy into retirement and sent the British champ off to dreamland in the second round, the know-it-all boxing fans were quick to point out that both of them were shot fighters when they faced off with the Filipino.

De la Hoya was weight-drained and old, they said; Hatton was a pub fighter with no defense and a career record that was window-dressed with patsies, they added. Neither was a true test for Pac-man, said the very same people who had predicted Pacquiao’s demolition.

But Cotto is an entirely different set of boxing gloves altogether. The Puerto Rican champion that Pacquiao will face is acknowledged to be the bigger and more powerful fighter, younger than the Filipino and definitely in his prime.

And yet, Pacquiao is the 3-1 favorite in Las Vegas, according to the vote of the people who actually put their money where their mouth is, the bettors. Now, that’s historic.

There might be some truth to what that slimy promoter Bob Arum is saying, regarding the betting odds, that the bookmakers’ calculations are just being skewed by the heavy bets being made by Filipinos backing their champion. On the other hand, Arum also insists that Pacquiao is “the only social welfare system of the Philippines” to drum up the Pinoy fighter’s so-called generosity at home, so we’ll have to take whatever he says with a huge boulder of salt.

The truth is, the so-called experts are just about equally divided in their predictions about the Pacquiao-Cotto fight. While Pacquiao has endeared himself to fight fans the world over for his exploits, there is definitely no shortage of boxing analysts and fans who pick the Puerto Rican over the Filipino.

This marks a definite sea change in the way people view the Pac-man, who is used to entering the ring against elite fighters as the decided underdog. And to shocking the world when he raises his hands in victory afterwards by vanquishing his heavily-favored opponent.

(If Pacquiao wins and Floyd Mayweather Jr. decides that Pac-man is small enough and money-making enough to challenge, then the odds will surely be against the Filipino once again—something that Pacquiao will probably like. This early, a lot of fight fans are expecting that fight to come to pass because the money will just be too big for either to refuse, even if most of them believe it will be a one-sided affair in favor of the undefeated fighter that they call “Money.”)

The fact of the matter is, whatever the outcome of this weekend’s fight, Pacquiao will already be acknowledged as one of the greatest-ever practitioners of the “sweet science,” as they used to call it. He is already hands down the greatest Filipino sportsman who ever lived—and that’s saying a lot in a country that has never seen anyone as world-renowned in the sporting world as the fighter from General Santos.

Having said all that, I’m picking the odds-on favorite on Sunday—and hoping that Mayweather is up next in 2010. Go Pac-man!

Pacquiao's strengths and weaknesses

2009-11-12T17:42:00.000-08:00

SPORTING CHANCE By Joaquin Henson
The Philippine Star

As the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, Manny Pacquiao is expected to beat Miguel Cotto in their “Firepower” showdown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas tomorrow night (Sunday morning, Manila). The odds are 3-1 in Pacquiao’s favor and the betting is the scheduled 12-round bout won’t go the distance.

Although Cotto is bigger, Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach isn’t losing sleep over it.

“I know Cotto’s a big, strong guy and I worry about that at times,” said Roach, quoted by William Dettloff in The Ring Magazine. “But Manny is very strong also at this weight. I think it’s our toughest fight to date and a much tougher test than Oscar (de la Hoya) or (Ricky) Hatton. I don’t look at it as an easy fight whatsoever and I look for Cotto to come out at his best.”

Glyn Leach, writing in Boxing Monthly Magazine (Oct. 2009), said even as Cotto is the defending WBO welterweight champion, the Puerto Rican is playing “second fiddle in what had once been his own orchestra - the Filipino is the leading man, Cotto is just a bit-part player in the big picture.”

Cotto is fighting for respect and recognition while Pacquiao is aiming to make history. If he wins, Pacquiao will become the only fighter ever to capture seven world titles in seven weight divisions.

Pacquiao, 30, has a 49-3-2 record, with 37 KOs. His only losses were to Rustico Torrecampo, Medgeon 3-K Battery and Erik Morales. The draws were with Agapito Sanchez and Juan Manuel Marquez. He has logged 19 more fights than Cotto who turned pro six years after the Filipino icon.

Pacquiao will be a lot fresher than Cotto when they slug it out. Pacquiao has fought only once this year, dispatching Hatton in two rounds. Cotto took five rounds to dismiss patsy Michael Jennings last February and went through the wringer to eke out a split decision over Joshua Clottey last June. The fact that Pacquiao has fought only two rounds this year compared to 17 for Cotto may be an advantage or disadvantage.

* * *

Here are Pacquiao’s strengths.

• Speed. There’s no way Cotto can match Pacquiao’s hand-speed and foot-speed. Pacquiao throws combinations with incredible rhythm, sometimes in bunches of three or four. Before his opponents can even think of countering, they’re either down on the floor or Pacquiao is a safe distance away. Foot-speed will be particularly critical because Pacquiao must be quick on his heels to avoid Cotto’s rushes. Cotto will attempt to pin Pacquiao along the ropes and trap him in a corner. Pacquiao won’t let it happen and he’ll use his foot-speed to avoid sticky situations.

• Heavy artillery. Pacquiao hits from all angles. Because of Pacquiao’s dizzying hand-speed, it will be difficult for Cotto to read where the punches are coming from. What makes Pacquiao even more formidable is his right is as lethal as his left. He’ll attack Cotto with both fists. Roach said the left will finish off Cotto but the right will set it up.

• Hard to hit. Pacquiao’s defense has improved tremendously through eight years of working with Roach. He uses head movement, his arms and footwork to stay clear from bombs. Pacquiao is a moving target in the ring and unless Cotto is able to bring the fight to the ropes or the corners, he won’t be able to land too accurately.

• Experience. Pacquiao picked up a lot of lessons from his skirmishes with Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Marquez and De la Hoya. He’s learned to fight more methodically. He’s become more patient in creating the openings for his punches. Pacquiao has been a pro for 14 years and Cotto, for eight. In tight situations, experience will go a long way in wiggling veterans out of trouble.

• Heart. Pacquiao is a proud warrior with the biggest heart in the business. He fights not only for himself but for his family, his country and the entire Filipino people. When Pacquiao steps onto the ring, he carries the weight of the Filipino nation on his shoulders. The responsibility doesn’t faze him. He thrives under pressure. Pacquiao’s spirit is as inspiring as it is unflappable.

* * *

Here are Pacquiao’s weaknesses.

• Focus. If Pacquiao is bothered by distractions that come his way in every fight, he could be in danger against Cotto. Because he is a showbiz celebrity in his own right, Pacquiao is fair game for intrigue and rumors. If he’s affected by all the “star” talk, it could be a problem on fight night. Focus is important for Pacquiao who’s up against a deadly serious and highly motivated opponent.

• Size. Pacquiao is smaller and lighter than Cotto who will surely use his bulk to try to overpower the Filipino challenger. Since Cotto is bigger, he has more width and length to cut the ring off and prevent Pacquiao from moving around. Cotto’s ability to fight big or small will be a major headache for Pacquiao.

• Overconfidence. If Pacquiao is looking beyond Cotto and conjuring visions of a megabuck showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr. or a third meeting with Marquez, he should wake up to present reality. He can’t afford to take Cotto lightly, no matter if his entourage continues to belittle the Puerto Rican for being a bleeder, slow and easy to hit. What Pacquiao shouldn’t do is to give Cotto some momentum in the fight. Pacquiao should dictate tempo from the start and take away Cotto’s confidence.

• Questionable power. The jury is still out on whether Pacquiao’s punches will be as potent against bigger opponents. He wasn’t able to floor De la Hoya - possibly an indication that a bigger opponent, like Cotto, may be able to take his power. If Pacquiao’s punches don’t kick in, Cotto will attack relentlessly and put extreme pressure on the Filipino. If Pacquiao’s punches kick in, it could be a short night for the Puerto Rican.

• Unfamiliarity. Pacquiao will face a versatile opponent who switch-hits, comes forward or strikes from a distance. If Pacquiao fights on reaction, meaning he doesn’t assert himself, Cotto will set the pace. Cotto could be the toughest opponent ever for Pacquiao who must be ready to make quick adjustments in the ring because the Puerto Rican is a clever operator.

* * *

In Sunday’s column, we’ll list the 15 factors of consequence in the fight and rate how the protagonists fare in each. We’ll also make a fearless forecast of the outcome.

Incidentally, you can still listen to philstar.com’s inaugural podcast - a 77-minute in-depth primer of the Pacquiao-Cotto fight. Access the website in the internet, locate the podcast microsite and click the icon. After 2 1/2 days since the podcast was imbedded in philstar.com at midnight last Monday, it has generated 12,623 hits and 3,661 downloads - incredible figures.

“Hits mean the users listen to the podcast directly from philstar.com,” explained The STAR’s Dino Maragay. “Downloads mean that users actually download and save the podcast into their computer hard drives and listen to the files on their own devices like an ipod for example. This option is available via clicking on the ‘get podcast’ button on the audio player. By downloading the podcast files and saving, users can listen to them anytime. Even on the go. That makes podcasts a great form of delivering audio content. Ten years from now, I could still listen to the Pacquiao-Cotto primer on my music device.”

Are you betting on Pacquiao vs. Cotto? Points to ponder

2009-11-12T00:06:00.000-08:00

Dallas Boxing Examiner
Matt Stolow

I kindly suggest to fans of both fighters to "Bet with your head, not over it."

Miguel Cotto's 12 - round split decision win over Joshua Clottey in June didn't seem to be as impressive as Manny Pacquiao's knockouts of Ricky Hatton in May and Oscar De La Hoya in December of 2008.

But it sure was as important.

Even I have said Cotto is "shot" as far back as June after the Clottey win and the controversial loss last year to Antonio Margarito.

Cotto has not had an easy road to get here. He's had difficult fights. He's stumbled but never lost until the Margarito fight which is still a point of contention.

Cotto always seems to be improving in each fight.

Pacquiao's had difficult fights getting here also. But he no doubt has knocked out world class competition.

Cotto looked terrific against Shane Mosley. He overcame demons to get past Ricardo Torres and DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley. Even southpaw Zab Judah was a hassle. And he certainly had moments against Clottey where I thought he would finally cave in.

The Margarito fight was looking like his winning lottery ticket to the big time after only six rounds. Something happened and is not yet fully explained.

Anyway, Cotto is a prohibitive, but respected underdog. He's resting tonight in a nice suite at the MGM Grand. He got here. You must give him credit for that. He's bigger, stronger and even younger than the favorored Pacquiao.

So if Team Pacquiao, promoter Bob Arum, and matchmaker Bruce Trampler have guessed wrong on Cotto, this entire thing may topple down like a six - level house of cards Saturday night.

I believe Cotto is a top 10 pound for pound fighter. I just believe Pacquiao is a once in a lifetime amazing fighter.

Source

Cotto's strengths and weaknesses

2009-11-11T17:08:00.000-08:00

SPORTING CHANCE By Joaquin Henson
The Philippine Star

WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto could be the toughest opponent ever for Manny Pacquiao whose quest for an unprecedented seventh world title will end either glowingly or uneventfully in Las Vegas this Saturday night (Sunday morning, Manila).

Cotto, 29, has a 34-1 record, with 27 KOs, compared to Pacquiao’s 49-3-2, with 37 KOs. Even as the Filipino icon turned pro in 1995 and Cotto six years later, the less experienced Puerto Rican has been a lot more active lately. Since 2005, Cotto has figured in 13 fights and Pacquiao, 11. Overall, Cotto has averaged 4.4 fights a year to Pacquiao’s 3.8.

Pacquiao has logged 19 more total fights but saw action only once, going two rounds against Ricky Hatton, this year. Cotto, in contrast, went five rounds with Michael Jennings and 12 with Joshua Clottey since February.

“While we’ve been waiting to see exactly where Cotto belonged among boxing’s elite, we may have forgotten the punishment he’s been taking,” wrote Don Stradley of The Ring Magazine. “Starting with his bouts against DeMarcus Corley and Ricardo Torres, where he was rocked, wobbled and dropped, through his bouts with Zab Judah, Sugar Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito and Clottey, he has been through a hellacious few years. Perhaps like other Puerto Rican stars Wilfred Benitez and Felix Trinidad, Cotto may be feeling the sport’s effects at an earlier age than he would like. His eyebrows are fleshy masses waiting to be torn open and if he was down to 95 percent against Clottey, he may be down to 92 percent now.”

* * *

Here are Cotto’s strengths:

• Versatility. Cotto is a natural left-hander who fights orthodox and has the ability to switch-hit. He adapts to situations easily, can come forward or strike from a distance. Cotto can either fight big (using his size to overpower an opponent) or small (moving in and out). When Cotto outpointed Mosley in 2007, he was hailed as a skilful boxer with a “rediscovered jab...that may hold the key to solving styles that pressure and power-punching alone would never crack,” according to The Ring editor Nigel Collins. As a power puncher, Cotto has established a fearsome reputation, too, with 27 KOs in 34 wins or nearly an 80 percent rate which is higher than Pacquiao’s.

• Size. Cotto is definitely bigger than Pacquiao. As a legitimate welterweight, he will try to wear out Pacquiao by leaning on him, pushing him around and overpowering him. Because he’s bigger, Cotto might be able to take Pacquiao’s power more than smaller fighters like Hatton and David Diaz. Note that Pacquiao wasn’t able to floor Oscar de la Hoya whose weight will probably be close to Cotto’s on fight night.

• Power jab. This was the weapon that led to Mosley’s defeat. Cotto matched Sugar Shane’s blinding hand-speed and outworked him for an impressive win on points. Judges Glenn Feldman and Pete Trematerra saw it 115-113 and judge Wynn Kintz, 116-113. “Miguel is very strong,” said Mosley. “Not only was he powerful with pressure but he can also box. He really mixed it up and did a great job out there.”

• Body puncher. Cotto likes to “tenderize” his opponents with vicious shots to the side of the body, midsection and kidneys. No doubt, he’ll attack Pacquiao’s body early to slow him down. Fans still remember Cotto’s vicious body shot that brought down Carlos Quintana in the eighth round as the Puerto Rican captured the vacant WBA welterweight crown in 2006.

• Hunger. This is Cotto’s golden chance for fame and fortune. He’s got everything to gain by beating Pacquiao who’s the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter today and the sport’s hottest ticket seller. Cotto wants the three Rs that Pacquiao has – respect, recognition and riches. He’ll be highly motivated to win. Cotto’s hungry – like the words in the popular Queen song, he wants it all and he wants it now.

* * *

Here are Cotto’s weaknesses:

• Bleeder. Cotto is easily cut. The scar tissue above both eyes makes him susceptible to bleeding. He was badly wounded by Margarito and Clottey. Because Pacquiao is a volume puncher with quality attached to quantity, you can be sure Cotto will get hit. Blood will flow. With Pacquiao’s deadly accuracy, Cotto’s face could be transformed into a crimson mask.

• Wear and tear. Even if Cotto has fought less than Pacquiao in terms of bouts and years in the ring, he’s a lot more battered. Pacquiao has paced his career intelligently while Cotto is a young man in a hurry. Cotto has been involved in more gruelling wars than Pacquiao the last few years and it’s taken a heavy toll on his body.

• Easy to hit. Since Cotto is slower, he’ll be an easy target for Pacquiao whose hand-speed is dizzying. Pacquiao won’t find it difficult to connect because Cotto will be right in front of him. Even if Cotto moves more than usual, he’ll still be slower than Pacquiao. Cotto won’t be able to hide from Pacquiao who’ll hunt him down wherever he goes. There won’t be a safe haven for Cotto in the ring.

• Vulnerable to right. Pacquiao’s right will penetrate Cotto’s high-handed defense more easily than the left. In 2005, Cotto went up against Corley, an experienced southpaw like Pacquiao, and was repeatedly pummelled by a counter right hand. Corley, in fact, had Cotto in trouble before he was halted in the fifth round. It could be that Pacquiao’s right will soften up Cotto for the kill then the left will finish him off.

• Distractions. Cotto split ways with his uncle and long-time trainer Evangelista after the Jennings fight last February. The separation was bitter. Cotto sent Evangelista to the hospital with a broken nose and busted ribs. Evangelista threw a concrete brick that shattered Cotto’s 2009 Jaguar. Their squabble eventually reached the courts where Evangelista has filed a $7.5 million case for breach of contract. Without Evangelista in his corner and untested nutritionist Joe Santiago assuming the trainer’s role, Cotto almost lost to Clottey. Santiago will be back in Cotto’s corner for Pacquiao who happens to be an exponentially superior fighter than Clottey. Cotto’s mental toughness is also under question as it’s not known how far-reaching are the negative effects of his brutal knockout setback to Margarito.

Tomorrow, we’ll discuss Pacquiao’s strengths and weaknesses.

Crowd goes wild: 'Manny, Manny!'

2009-11-11T17:04:00.001-08:00

By Abac Cordero

The Philippine Star

LAS VEGAS – He was 30 minutes behind schedule, late as usual, but the moment Manny Pacquiao stepped into the main lobby of the MGM Grand on Tuesday the place went crazy.

The crowd that packed the lobby of the grand hotel here in Sin City chanted his name ‘Manny, Manny’ and clicked away with their cameras as the 30-year-old Filipino superstar inched his way to a makeshift ring that was put up days before.

Once in, Pacquiao, very casual in jeans, running shoes and an army-green jacket, raised his arms and acknowledged the cheers from his fans. He faced all sides of the ring, and looked more like a leading presidential candidate.

It was a grand welcome ceremony for Pacquiao who takes on the new pride of Puerto Rico, WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, at the hotel’s Grand Garden Arena on Saturday for what should be the biggest fight of the year.

Promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank said it could even be more than that, even more than being the fight of the decade, saying it could go down in history as one of the great classics ever. He may be wrong but he may be right.

Pacquiao, whose popularity has grown 10 times with each win over the last couple of years, is well-loved not only in the Philippines but in every corner of the world, including the United States, Mexico or, sad for Cotto, even Puerto Rico.

The kind of reception he got Tuesday was a very clear sign.

“Floyd Mayweather never had it like this,” said Top Rank publicist Fred Sternburg as he chased Pacquiao out of the ring. Of course, he referred to the undefeated American who, after a long layoff and a recent win over a smaller foe, still claims to be the best.

Pacquiao smiled all the way, and couldn’t control his laughter at times, as he fielded questions from the media, which should come in full force for Wednesday’s final press conference. There he will face more questions, and should be ready with longer answers.

He faced the media and fielded questions on top of the ring, but it was so crowded, so noisy you could barely hear him two feet away.

But the kind-hearted fighter who can easily knock out an opponent with one punch was heard saying the coming fight is “nothing personal” between him and Cotto, and should be “nothing personal” between their trainers as well.

Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer for eight years now, is on a shooting spree, having said some nasty things against the other camp, including his counterpart, Joe Santiago, who “has never fought and doesn’t really know how it is being inside the ring.”

Again, Pacquiao said it shouldn’t get as personal as this.

The Pinoy pound-for-pound champion was scheduled to come in at 11 a.m. but jumped out of his customized bus that took him from his hotel, the Mandalay Bay, which is just five minutes away, 30 minutes behind.

But no one really cared.

“I’m happy. I am focused on the fight, and I believe in myself. I don’t want to say anything before the fight. I will wait. But I’m ready now. I’m ready to go,” said Pacquiao.

He left after 15 minutes, taking the backdoor. An hour later Cotto came in. That’s a different story.

Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto arrive at MGM Grand

2009-11-10T17:00:00.000-08:00

By Brett Okamoto

Trainer says world title in seventh weight class looks likely, probably not eighth

Manny Pacquiao made his grand arrival at the MGM Grand on Tuesday, marking the first time in the world champion’s career the Las Vegas ceremony didn’t take place at Mandalay Bay.

Although Pacquiao is known to be superstitious — he stays in the same hotel room at Mandalay Bay for each of his Las Vegas fights — head trainer Freddie Roach said Tuesday’s change wouldn’t throw off his fighter.

“He is superstitious, but stuff like that he doesn’t care about,” Roach said with a shrug.

“Of course,” he added, “He’ll still be staying in the same room.”

Pacquiao’s fans certainly had no trouble tracking him down, as they packed their way into the hotel’s lobby to catch a final glimpse of the Filipino before his WBO welterweight title fight with Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday.

By the time Cotto arrived 90 minutes later, the scene had noticeably died down a bit.

After months of promoting the fight with the reigning pound-for-pound king, however, Cotto says he’s used to Pacquiao’s crowd and that it hasn’t affected his mindset coming into the fight.

“I’ve known since we agreed to do this fight that it’s just going to be me and him in the ring,” Cotto said. “When we get in there, no one can help Manny. No one can hand him something to hit me with.

“I expected it to be like this. Everything Manny has, he has earned.”

Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KO) is seeking a world title in an unprecedented seventh weight class when he takes on Cotto (34-1, 27 KO) Saturday night.

He claimed his first on Dec. 4, 1998, when he defeated Chatchai Sasakul for the WBC flyweight title in his 25th professional fight.

As time progressed and opportunities at world titles in heavier weight classes continued to present themselves, Pacquiao transformed from the 105-pound fighter he started his career as to a legitimate welterweight contender.

A transformation of such magnitude actually, that he says he can barely recognize the kid he once was.

“I watch the tape when I was fighting at 105 pounds and I think, ‘I’m just a kid,’” Pacquiao said. “I think back to moving up to 108, then 112, 115, 118, up to welterweight — I can’t believe it. It’s just happened.”

In addition to world titles, another incentive for Pacquiao to move up in weight (at least initially) may have been a desire to stop cutting weight — a process Pacquiao admits was difficult in the early stages of his career.

“It was a struggle,” he said. “When I captured my first title in the flyweight division, I lost my belt because I didn’t make the weight. I decided after that fight to move up to 122 pounds.”

Cutting down won’t be an issue this week, as Roach said they’re feeding Pacquiao five times per day to keep the weight on.

According to his trainer, Pacquiao weighed 148 pounds Tuesday morning and will weigh-in right at 145 for the Nevada Athletic Commission on Friday.

“When he doesn’t have to miss a meal and can eat before weigh-in, which he’ll do twice, he’s happy,” Roach said. “He’ll weigh 149 to 150 pounds at most on fight night. I don’t like him gaining too much weight before the fight.”

While Pacquiao has shown the ability to maintain his speed no matter how much weight he adds, Roach said he believes this will be the last stop in his move up the weight classes.

“With the right opponent we could move up again,” Roach said. “But for top-level guys, I think this is it.”

The historical implications of Saturday night is enough that Pacquiao’s father, Rosalio, will travel to the U.S. from the Philippines to watch his son box live for the first time.

Pacquiao’s mother, Dionisia, saw her son live for the first time in May when he fought Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas.

“It is the first time my father is coming so I am very excited, he wanted to see this fight,” Pacquiao said. “This is a very important fight for me because I can do it, it’s going to be history in boxing. It’s an honor.”

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or brett.okamoto@lasvegassun.com.

Source

Pacquiao hits Vegas as heavy favorite

2009-11-10T16:44:00.000-08:00

By Abac Cordero

The Philippine Star

LAS VEGAS– The numbers that are reflected in the giant electronic billboard of Mandalay Bay’s betting station suggest a one-sided contest this coming Saturday.

Now it’s even harder to think that Manny Pacquiao is facing Miguel Cotto, the WBO welterweight champion who is supposed to be the younger, bigger and stronger fighter.

Pacquiao arrived here in Sin City late Monday evening after a delayed five-hour trip from Los Angeles, and amid all the bright, colorful lights stood as the overwhelming favorite.

Based on the odds, the 30-year-old Filipino superstar is now a -350 favorite, meaning you need to place $350 just to win a hundred bucks.

And for those rooting for Cotto, there’s everything to win and nothing to lose now. The 29-year-old champion from Puerto Rico is placed at +270, meaning you get $270 dollars for every bet of $100.

But during a quick stopover at Barstow, the halfway point of the LA-Vegas trip, Pacquiao tried to make fun of it all.

“Nanginginig na ako (I’m shaking),” he said when asked how he felt as the fight draws closer.

And you can feel the sarcasm when he added, “Malakas eh, at mabilis (He’s strong and he’s fast).

But later on, inside his suite, he turned serious, and before tucking himself in, said, “Ayoko isipin na llamado ako (I don’t want to think of myself as the favorite).”

Pacquiao is so favored that fight fans are looking for a knockout win for the reigning pound-for-pound champion who climbs the ring six months after a spectacular second-round knockout of Ricky Hatton at the MGM Grand.

For the Hatton fight, Pacquiao was a -270 favorite and Hatton at +230, and eveybody saw what happened.

Odds that this fight won’t last the distance are at -155 and that it would are at +125. It’s now 1/2 that Pacquiao would win by a knockout and 6/1 if it’s Cotto up on his feet in case of a knockout.

Pacquiao left LA a little past five in the afternoon, on board his gray SUV, together with his wife, Jinkee, and a couple of friends. Behind them were a few other vehicles and the customized Pacquiao bus.

Everybody went straight to Pacquiao’s suite at Mandalay Bay where a feast of Filipino food was prepared beforehand.

Pacquiao, with no problems at all with his weight, enjoyed his dinner of bulalo, kaldereta, chicken and rice.

“Grabe kumain, lamon (He splurged on them),” said Onyok Velasco, the silver medalist of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in the 48 kg division. He has become a close friend of Pacquiao’s after they appeared in a movie together.

Video flashback: Manny Pacquiao vs Ricky Hatton Round 2

2009-11-10T02:43:00.000-08:00

Manny Pacquiao vs Ricky Hatton Round 2:

Pacquiao and Cotto to Bring Brisk Business back to Las Vegas

2009-11-09T21:08:00.000-08:00

By Leo Reyes.

The 'Firepower' match between Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao and WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico is expected to draw thousands of boxing fans to Las Vegas and keep the local economy alive even for just a week.

World's most popular boxer Manny Pacquiao and WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto are expected to draw thousands of boxing fans from around the world to visit Las Vegas to watch their 'Firepower' match at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Fans and supporters of both Pacquiao and Cotto will turn the dull domestic economy of Las Vegas into a vibrant and progressive economy even for just a week. Hotels and eating places and even casinos along the strip as well as known tourists spots will be filled with thousands of visitors who are expected to watch the fight.

Boxing fans who will watch the fight at the MGM Grand usually tag along their families and friends for a weekend stay in Las Vegas. Family members may not watch the fight for lack of seats, but they will definitely spend some money for food and accommodations which will in turn keep the local economy alive.

Rod Mijares of Boxing.com thinks that Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman should give a symbolic key to Manny Pacquiao, the main attraction of the 'Firepower' match in recognition to his contribution to the local economy.

The 'Firepower' match will be Manny Pacquiao's 11th fight in Las Vegas. Eight of these fights were staged at the MGM Grand Garden arena since 2001 when the Filipino boxing champion fought and won over the South African super bantamweight champion, Lehlohonolo Ledwaba

The 'Firepower' match will be staged at the MGM Grand Garden arena in Las Vegas on November 14, featuring popular Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao and WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico. At stake is Miguel Cotto's WBO championship belt.

The two fighters are now in Las Vegas for the final phase of their training and physical conditioning.

The fully sold out fight will be carried in worldwide television and is available on pay-per-view.

Source

Will Manny Pacquiao v Miguel Cotto be another Hagler-Hearns ?

2009-11-09T19:47:00.000-08:00

By Gareth A Davies

Could Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto recreate 8 minutes of ring mayhem as Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns did 24 years ago ?

Promoter Bob Arum thinks it is possible.

Hagler v Hearns, at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, in April 1985, is regarded by many as the most exciting eight minutes in fight history, with Hagler the winner by a technical knockout in the third round. It was Fight of the Year after both men went at it from the opening bell like men possessed.

Miguel Cotto against Manny Pacquiao brings together two fighters who are sporting icons in Puerto Rico and the Philippines respectively, and who are regarded as boxing’s No 3 and No 1 pound-for-pound, respectively, at present.

Cotto, 29, a two-weight world champion, has fought at welterweight for three years, and has been beaten only once in 35 contests, while Pacquiao, 30, attempts to win a seventh world title in a seventh weight division, which has seen him come up over eight years from flyweight to welterweight. He has been beaten twice in his 55-fight career, with two draws.

Although this contest is taking place at 145lbs, Cotto’s World Boxing Organisation welterweight (147lb) crown is on the table.

When Hagler and Hearns met in 1985, for the WBC, WBA and IBF middleweight titles, Hagler was 30, and had lost only twice, much earlier in his career, while Hearns was 26 and had been beaten just once, stopped in the 14th round by Sugar Ray Leonard.

Arum, who promotes both Pacquiao and Cotto, visited both training camps – in Baguio City in the Philippines and Tampa, Florida.

“The way Manny and Miguel are talking about it, it could be like the three-round war between Hagler and Hearns,” the veteran promoter Arum told Telegraph Sport. “The conventional wisdom is that Cotto is best when he’s aggressive, but I don’t know if he feels he can be aggressive with this guy from the get-go. But if Cotto is aggressive, though, it could be a Hagler v Hearns all over again.”

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Before Pacquiao Cotto: How Many of Manny’s Championships are Legitimate

2009-11-09T19:41:00.000-08:00

by: Scott Levinson

Manny Pacquiao has claims to six world championships, but how many are legit?

Manny Pacquiao has won titles in six different weight classes (some incorrectly say five), but which ones are legitimate? Who can really sort through the muddled alphabet-soup mess? Well actually, even in the murky confusion, we can often determine a real championship from a spurious title. We must try to establish the differences in quality among the alphabet straps, or even when a fighter is “World Champion” despite being unrecognized as such by the sanctioning bodies. And we must do this “as we go” since the landscape is always changing.

Now with the influx of interim, regular, and super champions, I defy anyone to keep track of it all. A casual fan feels lost and referring to these organizations for clarity will only make it worse. Boxing insiders must rise above it, and develop a consensus and reality that might sometimes exclude the sanctioning bodies.

We cannot withhold World Championship status to a fighter in lieu of title unification, given the impossible obligations that would now entail, the absurd practice of having multiple divisional titlists even within one organization, the politics, and the unwillingness of these groups to work together. We collectively must find a new way, an essence of clarity and truth, and shun those who try to cloud it while supporting those who champion it.

Let’s look at Pacquiao’s championships and see if we can’t determine which ones were legit and which ones were not.

WBC Flyweight Champion (1998-1999)

In December of ’98, Manny knocked out Thai Chatchai Sasakul in eight rounds to win the WBC Flyweight Title. Sasakul, 33-1, was in his third defense after winning the title from Yuri Arbachakov, a prodigious talent, and perhaps the top flyweight of the 90’s. At the time Sasakul relieved him of his belt, Yuri was the recognized #1 guy, undefeated and in his 11th defense. By “beating the guy that beat the guy,” Pacquiao became “the guy.” His claim as former Flyweight Champion cannot really be challenged on the grounds of merit.

Verdict: Legitimate

IBF Super Bantamweight Champion (2001-03)

After losing his flyweight title, he immediately leapfrogged the 115 and 118 lb. classes to fight at 122. After a “reign” as WBC International Super Bantamweight Champion, he knocked out Lehlo Ledwaba to become IBF Super Bantamweight Champion. Ledwaba, 33-1-1 and in his sixth defense, was a splendid fighter, a classy and talented practitioner with an almost-irrefutable claim as being the #1 guy at junior featherweight. By the time this fight happened, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales had left the division. Their alphabet soup replacements were simply not on Ledwaba’s level.

Verdict: Legitimate

Ring Magazine/Universally Recognized Featherweight Champion (2003-05)

Here we have a situation where we are forced to virtually ignore the sanctioning bodies. In November of ’03, Pacquiao stopped Barrera in 11 rounds. No official title was at stake, but Barrera was the Ring Magazine Featherweight Champion at the time. He first cemented his status by beating #1 Naseem Hamed. Barrera further locked in his position as World Featherweight Champion by exacting revenge against WBC Champion Erik Morales, but he refused the belt. Good enough? I would say so.

We don’t need nor should we require the sanctioning bodies to cosign on what we already know to be true. If they want to get on board, fine, but if not, we must defer to a higher order of reasoning. There is virtually no way one could coherently debate Barrera’s (and therefore Pacquiao’s) championship legitimacy at this weight.

Verdict: Legitimate

WBC Super Featherweight Champion (2008)

Again, we have an alarming gap in reality as we know it compared to the often times Bizarro World of the sanctioning bodies. Why did it take until 2008 before Manny was crowned at junior lightweight by a major sanctioning body? His run at 130 began with his last loss, to Erik Morales in March of ‘05. By the end of ’06, however, he had stopped Morales twice in rematches and was the clear-cut #1 guy. Who else was there? Barrera? Well, he had already lost to Pacquiao before. Marquez? He was still at 126. Manny went on to beat Barrera again at 130, but still had to beat Marquez before getting a major belt. Whatever. He was the best junior lightweight in the world from ’06-’08, hands down.

Verdict: Legitimate

WBC Lightweight Champion (2008)

Nowadays we often hear the term “strap-holder,” which indicates a fighter who holds a belt from a major sanctioning body, but whose claim as World Champion is shaky at best. David Diaz, outclassed by Manny is nine rounds, was a strap-holder. He won the “interim WBC title” when he beat Jose Armando Santa Cruz, and later was named the organization’s champion when “regular” champion Joel Casamayor was stripped. Not exactly spine-tingling stuff.

Pacquiao needed to beat Casamayor to have become the real lightweight champion .You could almost make a case for unified titlist, Nate Campbell, but nobody thought of Diaz as the real lightweight champion. You can argue Casamayor benefited from a robbery against Santa Cruz, who Diaz stopped or that Casamayor was about to lose to Marquez, who Pacquiao beat, therefore Manny was the legitimate champion. You could argue that. And you would lose that argument.

Verdict: Illegitimate

World Junior Welterweight Champion (2009)

In today’s age, it doesn’t get more clear-cut than this. What the alphabet organizations have to say about it is almost irrelevant. I don’t know, nor do I care. Ricky Hatton was the Undisputed Junior Welterweight Champion, a distinction he had enjoyed since deposing Kostya Tszyu. By beating Hatton, Pacquiao became, and is still the recognized champion at 140. If his first bout after Cotto does not get made at 140, however, he would rightfully lose that recognition.

Verdict: Legitimate

Let’s Add It All Up! (The Final Verdict)

As of this writing, Manny has won titles in six different weight classes, five of which are legitimate championships. It’s nothing short of ridiculous to deny him his due at featherweight based on sanctioning body technicalities and maneuverings, a fact overlooked by many in the media when summarizing Pacquiao’s accomplishments.

Nevertheless, what Manny has accomplished is a staggering feat, only achievable by fighting the best, which Manny has done in almost every division he has been in. On Saturday, he goes for an unheard-of title in his seventh weight class. Would it be his sixth legitimate championship if he wins? Well, the catch-weight component, as well as the divisional presence of Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather makes that highly debatable. But it would be a good start.

Be sure to keep checking in with ProBoxing-Fans.com for continued coverage on everything related to Pacquiao vs. Cotto. You can take a look at our Pacquiao vs. Cotto preview and prediction and then on the night of the fight check in for Pacquiao Cotto results.

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Video flashback: Miguel Cotto vs Joshua Clottey Higlights from HBO

2009-11-09T02:41:00.000-08:00

Watch highlights from Miguel Cottos thrilling split decision victory over Joshua Clottey. The fight originally aired 6/13/09 from New York City.

Manny Pacquiao's billboard in Hollywood

2009-11-09T02:36:00.000-08:00

Pacman billboard along Vine Dtreet near the corner of Hollywood Blvd. The other billboard at left is by Kobe Bryant.
ABAC CORDERO
The Philippine Star

Video flashback: Manny Pacquiao vs Oscar Dela Hoya Highlights (HBO)

2009-11-08T05:39:00.000-08:00

Manny Pacquiao vs Oscar Dela Hoya Highlights (HBO)

Pacquiao vs Cotto Tale of the Tape

2009-11-08T02:11:00.000-08:00

Pacquiao vs Cotto Tale of the Tape:

Cotto expected to fight like Marquez

2009-11-08T02:04:00.000-08:00

By Joaquin Henson

The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines - The betting is WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico will try to fight like Juan Manuel Marquez and use a counterpunching style in his second title defense against Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Nov. 14 (Sunday morning, Manila).

A source from Pacquiao’s camp said yesterday trainer Freddie Roach has prepared several strategies and tactics depending on what Cotto brings to the ring. But the expectation is Cotto will counterpunch instead of come forward to avoid presenting Pacquiao with an easy target.

Pacquiao went the distance twice with Marquez and was hard-pressed in both 12-round bouts. Marquez, a technical fighter with a counterpunching style that appeared to baffle Pacquiao, said he’s convinced he won the fights.

The first encounter ended up a split draw at the MGM Grand Garden
Arena in May 2004. Judge John Stewart scored it 115-110 for Pacquiao, judge Guy Jutras 115-110 for Marquez and Burt Clemens, 113-all. Clemens later admitted he erred in scoring 10-8 instead of 10-7 when Pacquiao decked Marquez thrice in the first round. If Clemens had not made a mistake, Pacquiao would’ve won by split decision.

In the rematch last year, Pacquiao was stretched to the limit in pounding out a win by split decision. Judge Duane Ford had it 115-112 for Pacquiao, judge Jerry Roth 115-112 for Marquez and judge Tom Miller 114-113 for Pacquiao.

Ford is one of three judges assigned for the Pacquiao-Cotto bout. The others are Adalaide Byrd and Dave Moretti.

Since Pacquiao had difficulty with Marquez, Cotto probably figures to do exactly what the Mexican did in the two fights against the Filipino icon. It’s no secret that Marquez gave Pacquiao a lot to think about in their faceoffs. Cotto wants to do that, too.

“We expect Cotto to counterpunch, do something different,” said the source. “But whatever he does, it won’t work. Manny’s in the best shape of his life. There’s no way Cotto can win, no matter what style he shows.”

Cotto, a natural left-hander, could be Pacquiao’s toughest opponent ever because he’s clever, unpredictable and bigger. He’s also known to use unorthodox tactics, like hitting below the belt to stymie his opponent’s momentum.

Cotto fights right-handed but because he’s a natural southpaw, he has the ability to switch-hit. The Puerto Rican displayed his flexibility in fighting either way in halting Demetrio Ceballos in the seventh round in Las Vegas in 2003.

Roach said he’s not taking Cotto lightly. “I know what he can do,” said Roach. “He can box or punch, come forward or fight from a distance. That’s why we brought in different types of sparring partners for Manny. We’re ready for any eventuality.”

In training for Cotto, Pacquiao has sparred with former world champion Jose Luis Castillo, 35 (60-9-1, with 52 KOs), Shawn Porter, 22 (10-0, with 8 KOs), Urbano Antillon, 27 (26-1, with 19 KOs), Danny Escobar, 20 (3-0, with 3 KOs), Raymundo Beltran, 28 (22-4, with 14 KOs) and Rashad Holloway, 28 (11-1-2, with 5 KOs). The sparmates are a mix of welterweights, lightweights and a lightmiddleweight.

In contrast, Cotto’s sparmates are far from quality fighters. They’re all southpaws like Pacquiao. Welterweight Fred Tukes, 36, has a 7-1-1 record, with 5 KOs, and hasn’t fought since figuring in a four-round draw with Max Skayzer last year. Lighweight Kenny Abril, 25, has a 9-3-1 record, with 5 KOs. Another sparmate Francisco (Gato) Figueroa, 31 (20-3-1, with 13 KOs ) was fired after a week and the speculation was he made Cotto look bad.

Aside from working with superior sparmates, Pacquiao has the advantage of a high-quality corner. Roach, 49, is joined by Argentinian cutman Miguel Diaz, a trainer and manager in his own right with a storybook career. His strength and conditioning coach is Colombian Alex Ariza. Cotto’s trainer is Joe Santiago, 32, who got the job after the Puerto Rican booted out his uncle Evangelista Cotto before the fight against Joshua Clottey five months ago. Cotto’s cutman is Joe Chavez and his strength and conditioning coach is Phil Landman.

Diaz used to be Cotto’s cutman and Chavez previously worked with Pacquiao. Now, they’ve exchanged corners with Pacquiao clearly getting the better deal.

Pacquiao ready for Cotto's counterplay

2009-11-08T02:01:00.000-08:00

By Abac Cordero
The Philippine Star

HOLLYWOOD – Manny Pacquiao won’t make the same mistake twice, and that’s an absolute guarantee.

That mistake, there for all to see in Pacquiao’s fight against Juan Manuel Marquez in March last year, will be the same mistake Miguel Cotto is hoping to exploit when he climbs the ring against the red-hot Filipino southpaw next week in Las Vegas.

Too bad for the champion from Puerto Rico that Pacquiao has already found ways to correct them.

“We all know they studied our fight against Marquez,” said Buboy Fernandez, who helps Freddie Roach work the corner of the 30-year-old pound-for-pound champion, at the Wild Card Gym here Friday.

The childhood friend and assistant trainer of the greatest fighter in the planet today said against Marquez, Pacquiao, winner of the controversial split decision, showed his tendency to drop his left hand when he throws the jab, and leaves himself open.

“They probably saw Manny’s weakness, which they could counter,” said Fernandez.

“Binababa niya ang kaliwa pag tumapon ng jab,” he added.

While the wide-bodied Cotto makes a living with his left hook, he can always go for Pacquiao through every opening.

“That’s why we worked hard on that aspect. Pinag-aralan namin ang pinag-aralan nila sa atin (We studied what they studied against us),” added Fernandez, heavy on the belly but always up to the task of working Pacquiao’s corner.

“We found the ways to counter this mistake now,” he said.

When Pacquiao is on the ring, sparring or working on the mitts, Fernandez is always there to air his voice, and in Friday’s workout gave Pacquiao constant reminders when moving in and out and throwing punches both ways.

“Ingatan lang ang left hook ni Cotto (We should be wary of the left hook),” added Fernandez.

Pacquiao hit the mitts for eight rounds with Roach, and oftentimes the American trainer would remind Pacquiao not to be as reckless as he probably was against Marquez when he walked into the Mexican’s right the whole night.

It was the closest Pacquiao came to defeat since March of 2005 when he lost to Erik Morales.

“Remember, don’t walk straight into him. Don’t be reckless,” Roach kept on reminding Pacquiao as they worked the mitts.

Fernandez said Pacquiao is good to fight anyday from now, considering that all the hard work has been done, with close to 150 rounds of sparring over the last seven weeks.

Pacquiao spars another four rounds Saturday, and on Monday will close it out with a couple more before he and his huge entourage take the four-hour ride to Las Vegas.

“We’ve achieved the number of sparring rounds we wanted. We’re close to 150 now (144 in total) and that’s as many as we’ve had in the previous fights,” said Fernandez.

“I feel like I’m in perfect condition now -- a hundred percent. I can already feel the power in my hands. It’s there. I’m ready,” said Pacquiao.

Video flashback: Miguel Cotto vs Michael Jennings

2009-11-07T05:35:00.000-08:00

Miguel Cotto vs Michael Jennings

Underdog role no concern for Cotto against Pacquiao

2009-11-06T05:14:00.001-08:00

By Mark Lamport-Stokes

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Miguel Cotto has no qualms about being listed as the bookmakers' underdog for his WBO welterweight title defense against Filipino Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas next week.

The Puerto Rican, who has an enviable career record of 34-1 featuring 27 knockouts, is confident his power and meticulous preparation will trump Pacquiao's speed when the fighters clash on November 14.

"I don't know anything about the betting business," Cotto said on a conference call from his training camp in Las Vegas on Thursday. "I am just here to try to bring my best every day in the gym.

"With all the work I make in my training camp, I am going to the fight to win money.

"I am here for myself, not for any kind of bet.

"I am prepared for anything Manny can bring to this fight. He has a lot of things besides his speed and I am prepared for all he can show me at this time."

Pacquiao, (49-3-2, 37 KOs), is widely viewed as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world but Cotto believes the Filipino southpaw has picked the wrong opponent for his first bout in the welterweight division.

"Manny comes from a lower weight division and if he thinks he is going to have the same power as Miguel Cotto, he is thinking pretty wrong," the Puerto Rican said.

"He has picked the wrong moment and the wrong fighter. If he thinks he is going to win against Miguel Cotto, he is pretty wrong."

RENOWNED SPEED

Cotto, who retained his WBO title with a gruelling split decision win over Ghana's Joshua Clottey in June, was confident he would be able to cope with Pacquiao's renowned speed.

"We know he has speed and style and that is why you prepare yourself to beat him," he said. "You will find out on the 14th how I am going to deal with his speed and it is not going to be the factor that everyone thinks it is."

Pacquiao cemented his status as the sport's premier fighter with a stunning second round knockout of Britain's Ricky Hatton in May to claim the IBO light welterweight crown.

Since then, he and his trainer Freddie Roach have frequently discussed the possibility of a lucrative bout with undefeated American welterweight Floyd Mayweather Jr, leaving many fans to regard the Cotto fight as a formality.

Cotto, however, was unfazed by suggestions he was being underappreciated by the Pacquiao camp.

"What they say and do doesn't concern me," the 29-year-old said.

"I know they know what they have in front of them. I know what I can do to him and he better be focused on what he is up against in Miguel Cotto.

"It's not really important what the boxing world wants to see or wants to do.

"Once I beat Manny Pacquiao on November 14, they continue their plans and do whatever they want but I am not going home without winning this fight."
(Editing by Greg Stutchbury)

Source

A man of our times: Pacquiao on TIME Magazine

2009-11-06T05:05:00.000-08:00

Houston Boxing Examiner

Marv Dumon

20 years after former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson appeared on the cover of TIME Magazine, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao has attained the same feat. A month after several typhoons devastated the Philippines, "Pacman" is featured on the cover of TIME Magazine (Asia edition). All regions of the publication will feature a story on the pound-for-pound boxing icon this weekend.

Titled "The Great Hope" the General Santos City's appearance on the cover is historic for any sports athlete. The last Filipino featured on the cover was the late President Corazon Aquino. She was named TIME Magazine's "Woman of the Year" in 1986, for toppling the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. Only nine boxers have ever been featured on the cover of TIME. Reserved for Popes, presidents, Nobel Prize winners, and societal feats, the publication decided to shine the spotlight on the Philippine hero. The tale? Clawing out of the abyss of homelessness, dropping out of elementary school to support his family, and participating in local fights for a purse of $2 - if he won. On some days, he slept on cardboard boxes and ate one meal a day consisting only of rice.

Pacquiao worked menial odd jobs. After running away to Manila as a young teenager, Pacquiao would begin to hone his pugilistic skills. His ferocious drive bludgeoned with distinct clarity the faces of his ring opponents. They represented nothing more than the extreme adversities which he long sought to overcome. On the flight back home after his demolition of Oscar de la Hoya (Manny was a 2-1 underdog going into the fight), he declared "Nothing is impossible, so long as you keep God in your heart and in your mind." That message is a rallying cry for a struggling people. Today, he makes his mark as an all-time great. He remains a gentleman outside of the ring. Out of the many legendary fighters to have fought in the last 25 years, Mike Tyson was the last boxer featured (in 1988). The likes of Oscar de la Hoya, Roy Jones, Jr., Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, Julio Cesar Chavez, and Evander Holyfield were not. Prior to Tyson, Muhammad Ali was last on the cover in 1978. "What is happening to me now is the most humbling experience of my life. It is a great honor for me to be the face of my people and to let everyone know we are a small but mighty country. I have great pride for all of the Filipinos living throughout the world and it is these people that I fight for each and every time I step into the ring."

Manny Pacquiao's significance on and to Philippine society may never be overstated - or entirely understood by the West. And he is only 30. The West cuts down and cannibalizes its own role models. In the East, heroes are praised and elevated - especially upon the retention of original values and virtues. Michael Jordan, widely considered the greatest basketball player, appeared on TIME's cover once (in 1998). (Other Athletes on TIME Magazine Cover) Pacquiao's humility, generosity, and faith are qualities that resonate with his people. For the West, who also struggles under a deep economic recession, he provides an opportunity to reflect upon its mores of brashness, ego, and obsession on self-interest. In a recent interview on Philippine GMA News at a church in Los Angeles, Pacquiao said he not only prays for himself but for all of his opponents in the ring. That includes a prayer for his next opponent on November 14th. Proverbs 22:4 may aptly describe the examplar: "By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life."

Should the Filipino emerge triumphant in his bout with Puerto Rico's welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, he will have become the only fighter in the long history of the sport to secure seven world titles in seven different weight classes. Many expect it to be a tough fight against another larger opponent. (9 Legendary Boxers on TIME Cover) In seeking boxing immortality, Manny Pacquiao discloses the attributes of a man that on a daily basis choose large, historic challenges. He intends to permanently retire from boxing in 2010 and run for congress in the Philippines in May next year. The struggle lives on. Inspiration marches alongside.

Video flashback: Miguel Cotto vs Antonio Margarito Round 11

2009-11-06T00:41:00.000-08:00

Round 11 of Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito bout:

Video flashback: Manny Pacquiao vs David Diaz Round 9

2009-11-06T00:24:00.000-08:00

The round when Diaz fell down the canvass and Pacquiao captured his 4th world title:

Manny Pacquiao: I thank God for fame, wealth, everything

2009-11-05T00:15:00.000-08:00

NY Boxing Examiner

Michael Marley

HOLLYWOOD--Manny Pacquiao’s mystique is getting positively Muhammad Ali like.

“Look at the press, look at the people,” promoter Bob Arum said at a packed Wild Card Gym. “It’s like a throwback to the days of Ali, it is incredible.”

I was one of a small group of scribblers who got to speak to Pacman in a cramped, steamy closet jokingly referred to as a dressing room here Wednesday afternoon.

It was Media Day at Coach Freddie Roach’s gym and even movie star Mickey Rourke showed up to pay homage to his former trainer and to Da Pacman.

Here’s words from the lips of Megamanny:

Constant mention of possible distractions: "I keep my focus. If you have a science test you study science, you don't study math. I am studying only Cotto. (Family plans) “My father, Rosalio, is coming to the fight. My mother will be there again. My sister Isidra is coming also. My father was a farmer, a corn farmer, in General Santos. “I want the people, the fans to be satisfied, with the fight. I want them to be satisfied with the fight. (On his amazing popularity) “No, I have thought about that. I think it’s because I always give it (all praise) to God. It is really amazing. This is all from God. I always thank God for giving me the fame, the wealth, everything.” (On Miguel Cotto’s strengths) “He is strong, he has a left hook and an uppercut. He is one of the toughest opponents I have ever had. I think he will be coming forward, being aggressive.” (On becoming a seven time world champion in a seventh weight class) “I am hungry because of this, winning seven different titles in seven divisions. I am so proud because I am the first person to do this and I am proud that a Filpino can do this." (On his greatest fight) “I say (Oscar) de la Hoya.” (On his country battling typhoons and flooding, dealing with disaster) “Right now, they are OK, they are recovering from the typhoons. But I want to win the fight, I want them to be proud. I want them to be happy.”

That applause you hear is the sound of 97 million Pinoys clapping wildly.

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Will Cotto get the last laugh?http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

2009-11-05T00:13:00.000-08:00

Mississippi Fight Sports Examiner
Brad Cooney

There is absolutely no doubt about it, Pacquiao gets way more ink than his future opponent Miguel Cotto does. Headline after headline, it's Pacquiao this, and Pacquiao that, with Miguel Cotto rarely getting much mention, unless it's in a manner that portrays him as getting a future beat down.

The Puerto Rican champion has had a very quiet and very focused training camp. There hasn't been as much as a peep out of his camp thus far. Is an upset in the making? Most say "no" but that doesn't mean that it's not possible. The greatest fighters of all time have been beaten, and some have been on the losing end of some major upsets. Take Mike Tyson for example. Who in their wildest imagination would have dreamed that Buster Douglas would fly to Japan broke, and fly back home to America as the world heavyweight champion with a chunk of money in the bank?

Is it possible that Miguel Cotto can defeat Manny Pacquiao? Yes it is possible. Is it probable that Miguel Cotto will defeat Manny Pacquiao? No, it's not very probable. With that said, it's not completely impossible.

Pacquiao fans for the most part feel as if their champion is invincible. I mean, can you blame them? He's done nothing but demolish legends. Pacquiao himself is a bit more humble about it. He is very confident, but he is not cocky and brash about his talent.

What would the boxing forums be like in a world where Manny Pacquiao was defeated? Would they be littered with excuses and back peddling? Or would the Filipino fans be stand up about it, and give Cotto is due credit?

The only time Cotto was soundly defeated was when he faced Antonio Margarito, and who knows what was inside Margarito's gloves at the time. In fact, that was the only time he has been defeated. Cotto has taken down some very impressive names as well, such as Mosley, Judah, Clottey, and Malignaggi. He's a full fledged welterweight, big and strong. Although not many people are saying Cotto wins this fight, it wouldn't be completely crazy if the guy pulled it off.

Miguel Cotto is straight up warrior. He may not be as fast as Pacquiao, but he damn sure has heart and he can crack like a whip. Recently in an interview with http://www.8countnews.com, fellow countryman Hector Camacho Jr not surprisingly predicted a Cotto victory. Camacho feels that Cotto's jab is the key. If he is successful with his jab, Camacho believes that everything else will set up off of that jab and Cotto wins.

Pacquiao gets an awful lot of the headlines these days, but he has earned it. Cotto has not been blessed with the same amount of headline love, but I don't think he's crying about it. This fight is getting closer and closer, and at the end of the fight a lot of questions will have answers. I wonder if Floyd Mayweather Jr will be in attendance?

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Roach predicts Pacquiao destruction over Cotto

2009-11-05T00:10:00.000-08:00

Mississippi Fight Sports Examiner
Brad Cooney

When Freddie Roach makes a prediction it is usually pretty darn close to what actually happens. Recently the legendary trainer not only predicted that Pacquiao will win, but he predicted that he will win quickly, perhaps via first-round knockout. Roach gives numerous reasons as to why he feels this fight will end up a bad one for Cotto.

1. Cotto's corner. Roach points out that Cotto's corner is very inexperienced. In a fight against a ring killer like Manny Pacquiao, one's corner better be ready.
2. Cotto's lack of movement. Roach points out that Cotto does not move fast enough. In a fight against a man with speed like Pacquiao, you better be able to move quickly.
3. Cotto telegraphs his punches. Roach points out that Cotto has flaws in his game that remind him of Ricky Hatton. He said that both Hatton and Cotto telegraph when they are going to throw a hook. Manny will be ready for this.
4. Cotto cuts easily. With the amount of punches that Pacquiao will be throwing at Cotto, it could open up cuts early.

These are just four reasons why Roach predicts an early night for Pacquiao, and a bad night for Cotto. According to Roach, Manny wouldn't even be breaking out a sweat yet. Roach predicts a first-round knockout.

This writer feels as if this fight goes well past the first round. I do not see a first-round knockout for Pacquiao, but I do see a convincing win for him. Time will certainly tell.

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Boxer Pacquiao holds hopes of the Philippines

2009-11-03T21:00:00.001-08:00

By Mynardo Macaraig (AFP)

MANILA — For the Philippines, boxer Manny Pacquiao is more than a sports champion. His fans, the media and politicians see him as nothing less than a national hero whose feats can lift the nation.

"The hopes of an entire country are riding on me. That is why I cannot let myself fall," Pacquiao says in one television advertisment.

It is a heavy message for a shampoo commercial but it is one that many Filipinos have taken to heart as they cheer Pacquiao on in his improbable career that has seen him rise from deep poverty to six-time world champion.

"There is a great responsibility on his shoulders because his victories are the victories of all of us and his loss would be the loss for all of us," Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said when he awarded Pacquiao an "outstanding achievement" medal recently for his feats in the ring.

He lauded the 31-year-old for inspiring the 92 million people of this impoverished Southeast Asian nation.

Teodoro also referred to much-publicised security reports that rebel attacks and crime went down during Pacquiao's fights as guerrillas and criminals wanted to follow his fate on radio or television.

Both Pacquiao and the nation's faith will again be put to the test on November 14 when he faces hard-hitting World Boxing Organisation champ Miguel Cotto in a welterweight title fight in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao has a record of 49 victories with only three defeats. He has won 27 times by knockout to now be widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

But the Philippines has produced many world-class boxing champs, such as Flash Elorde and Gerry Penalosa, and the adoration bestowed on Pacquiao is unprecedented.

"People just swarm (Pacquiao) to get a touch or a look. His countrymen love him," his American trainer, Freddie Roach, told reporters recently.

Pacquiao has parlayed his fame well, starring in two TV series and a movie, and appearing as a celebrity endorser for products ranging from luxury watches to milk and health drinks.

He is currently listed by Forbes magazine as the world's sixth highest-paid athlete, earning 40 million dollars in prizemoney, endorsements and business ventures for the 12 months beginning in June last year.

Even his mother, Dionisia Pacquiao, has benefitted from his celebrity status, becoming a television comedy star in her own right.

The concept of a sportsman becoming a marketing phenomenon is new to the Philippines, according to David Guerrero, chairman of BBDO Guerrero/Proximity Philippines, one of the country's leading advertising agencies.

"There are very few sports endorsers in this country compared to overseas where you have guys like Tiger Woods and David Beckham. The bulk of celebrity product endorsers here are from show business," he told AFP.

"It has taken someone like Manny to break through from a sports star to a mainstream celebrity."

Bill Velasco, host of "Hardball", the country's leading TV sports talk show, said Pacquiao's fame was partly due to his accomplishments.

"(It's) for the sheer volume of titles he has won. He is the first Asian to win four or more titles," Velasco said, but he added the sport of boxing itself was also an important factor.

"He has made good in a tough field that does not require technology, does not require schooling and does not require too much expenditure. It is basically his physical body. It is very primal, it strikes a chord with the Filipino.

"Additionally, he came along at a very good time. He came along when the economy was down, people were looking for a hero, and he won a world title, and he has been undefeated for four years."

Importantly, Pacquiao is also widely seen as a genuinely nice man who cares about others.

"He says all the right things, he does the right things, he does charity work, he does good things for his hometown. He plays his cards well, he is subtle in the way he handles things, He is very savvy," Velasco said.

Pacquiao plans to run for a seat in the nation's parliament in next year's elections, representing a district where he comes from in the southern Philippines.

This is one area where Pacquiao has failed before. Despite his widespread popularity, he lost to a veteran politician in his first bid for Congress in 2007.

"During the last election campaign, people were afraid that if he does win, he may not box anymore. That is the fear of most people," explained Velasco.

source

Cotto 'won't leave anything to chance' against Pacquiao

2009-11-03T20:49:00.000-08:00

By Greg Heakes (AFP)

LOS ANGELES — Miguel Cotto's handlers say they will carefully scrutinize the gloves and hand wraps of Manny Pacquiao before their World Boxing Organization welterweight title fight in Las Vegas.

Miguel Cotto Sr said Tuesday they blundered by not inspecting Antonio Margarito's gloves prior to Cotto's lone career loss in July of last year and vow never to let it happen again.

"We only commit the same error once," said Cotto Sr. "We will never make that mistake again."

The increased vigilance comes after Margarito was caught using "loaded wraps" in his following fight against Shane Mosley in January.

Unlike Cotto, Mosley's trainers entered Margarito's dressing room prior to the fight. There they noticed that a damp hard white powder had been placed in between the rows of wrapping and tape before Margarito put his gloves on for the fight.

It has never been proven that Margarito cheated by using a plaster of Paris type substance for the Cotto fight but suspicions are strong, especially in Cotto's camp and that's the reason for the stepped up inspections of opponents' gloves and wraps.

Cotto, of Puerto Rico, senses he has the public support on this one.

"A loss is a loss. Nobody knows for sure if he uses it with me, or not, just Margarito and his team," said Cotto, after a 90 minute workout at the Pound4Pound Gym in Beverly Hills Tuesday. "But it makes me feel better (about the loss). Boxing fans are knowledgeable. They are the judges."

A classic boxer in the true sense of the word, Cotto is 34-1 with 27 knockouts.

Cotto bristled Tuesday at suggestions by Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach that the first loss is one of the toughest for a previously unbeaten fighter to recover from.

Cotto denied that the loss to Margarito had any negative effect on his confidence in the ring.

"Why don't you ask Manny that question because he has had three losses I have just one," Cotto said.

"My commitment is with myself. In my last fight (Joshua Clottey) I could have stopped the fight (cuts) but I decided to stay in the ring because of my commitment to myself and my family."

"Sometimes when you lose you win. Since Margarito great things have come to my career.

"Where is Margarito right now and where is Miguel Cotto?"

Said Cotto Sr, "We have worked a lot with his mind and staying focused. Mentally he is a strong guy."

Roach is predicting that the November 14 fight at the MGM hotel and casino won't go the distance and that the favoured Pacquiao will knock Cotto out capture his seventh title in seven different weight classes.

"This is the problem," Cotto said. "Freddie Roach is not the guy who is going to climb into the ring. If he prepares Manny for just nine rounds then he has three more rounds.

"He (Roach) can say whatever he wants. One day he says the first round and the next day he says round seven. I'm preparing for 12 rounds and nobody is going to know what will happen until the night of the 14th."

Cotto said he is focusing on this 145-pound bout and doesn't listen to talk about Pacquiao (49-3-2, 27 KOs) possibly fighting Floyd Mayweather in a mega title fight if he beats Cotto.

"He can fight Mayweather as many times as he wants after I beat him," Cotto said.

Cotto respects Pacquiao for the way he has come from modest roots in the Philippines to become a world class boxer who is revered by Filipinos at home and abroad.

"He has earned everything he has," Cotto said. "Manny looked good against Oscar De La Hoya and (Ricky) Hatton. But I'm not Oscar or Hatton. Manny chose the right time to fight Oscar."

Cotto is looking forward to wrapping up training camp, heading to Las Vegas next week and says this is the biggest fight of his life.

"It is the most important fight of my career, but we'll have to see on the 14th if he is the toughest guy I have fought in my career," Cotto said.

source

Puerto Rico's Miguel Cotto Hits A Hot L.A

2009-11-03T20:40:00.000-08:00

By David A. Avila

WEST L.A.-Reeking of sweat, heat and the scent of more than 100 body odors in the small West L.A. boxing gym, Miguel Cotto seemed right at home as he used the ropes, shadow boxed, hit the mitts and chit chatted with a few celebrities on Tuesday.

Cotto’s rare L.A. media workout brought out the journalists eager to capture the Puerto Rican bomber who defends his WBO welterweight world title against Pound for Pound champion Manny Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs) on Saturday Nov. 14.

The clash takes place in the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and will be shown on HBO pay-per-view.

Cotto spoke with television star Mario Lopez and posed with the Tecate girls before sitting down to speak with the several dozen fight reporters. On Wednesday it’s Pacquiao’s turn.

“I wouldn’t be here unless I thought I could beat him,” said Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs), who is soft-spoken as usual.

Standing in the corner away from the press was cut man Joe Chavez, a long-time trainer in the gyms of East L.A. and perhaps the best hand wrapper and caretaker for boxers suffering gashes during a fight. Many attribute Cotto’s win over Joshua Clottey to Chavez’s ability to shut down the blood streaming down the Puerto Rican’s face.

One thing most people overlook is Chavez previously worked with Pacquiao too. Aside from hand wraps and cuts, the man also knows boxing. But don’t ask him who is going to win.

“I stay out of that,” said Chavez, who may work with Pacquiao in the future. “I just deal with the day to day stuff.”

But ask Chavez what Cotto does well?

“He’s a very strong puncher,” said Chavez. “And he’s a very good counter-puncher. That’s what he does very well.”

When Cotto and Pacquiao meet next week it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Puerto Rican boxer force the Filipino superstar to attack. He’s probably seen dozens of tapes and evaluated what opponents like Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales were able to do successfully and throw out the strategies that didn’t work.

Told that Pacquiao has been talking about Mayweather, Cotto was succinct with his response.

“After I beat him then he can fight Floyd Mayweather all he wants,” Cotto said matter-of-factly of Pacquiao.

Most people forget that Cotto has only one loss. That came a year ago to Mexico’s Antonio Margarito. The issue of hand wraps though often given to Cotto as a scapegoat was not grasped.

“Nobody knows if his hand wraps were illegal or not,” said Cotto of Margarito.

Cotto is a man’s man. He would rather beat Margarito in the ring then have some commission reverse the loss of July 2008. He knows a win over Pacquiao would vault him to the top of the Pound for Pound standings too.

“I don’t know how fast Manny Pacquiao is but we’re going to find out,” said Cotto.

source: thesweetscience.com

The Rise & Fall of Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto

2009-11-03T01:31:00.000-08:00

Jeff Pryor previews the upcoming mega-fight between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto.

On a recent trip to Puerto Rico, at a time when Manny's personal minions were to be seen prowling about the streets of San Juan, bedecked in "Team Pacquiao" track suits, biding time until the press conference scheduled later that week and eating mofongo's at any number of quaint eateries before strolling back to their accommodations among the resort laden streets, I had the chance to talk to a few Puerto Rican's about the upcoming bout between their beloved boxer and the Filipino phenom.

One such islander, a taxi driver I got to chatting with, told me "Of course I want Cotto to win. I have great pride in my country. So of course I want Cotto to win... but... I like Pacquiao, he's my favorite." The man told me this with a sheepish, apologetic grin that seemed to plead please don't mention this to anyone.

It's eye opening that Pacquiao's ubiquitous appeal is so strong that a Puerto Rican who, so he told me, has never left the island, would be rooting for the Filipino outright if not for a patriotic sense of duty to his country.

On the flip side of that, I've seen Puerto Rican's born and raised in one of the five boroughs of New York, out of their minds and raucous at Madison Square Garden shrieking in reverie for a man from a land they've never been.

Both men are worthy of such adulation and both men are torch bearers for their profession. The torch, however, slips from everyone's hands at some point.

One senses that Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao are both at precarious positions within their careers.

On the Puerto Rican pugilists side, a string of less than scintillating outings has triggered whispers that Cotto's brutalizing loss at the hands (augmented or otherwise) of Antonio Margarito in the summer of 2008 may have permanently changed his mentality and longevity within the sport.

Over that same time period, the Filipino fighter has continually tempted the scales, fighting well above what was thought to be his prime weight, taking on increasingly larger men and running the risk of hubris that could dethrone him from the pinnacle of the sport at which he now resides.

When they stare at one another from across the ring, awaiting the bell to sound and set off the fury that will ensue, one of their career paths will be on the teetering precipice of veering in an entirely different and less acclaimed path.

Over the course of that thirty six minutes of action (or less), both men's stature... profitability... and legacy will be altered. How, and by how much, is why we watch.

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Miguel Cotto has mutated. From a stalking brawler, to a boxer puncher, and now, some would claim, a pot-shotting runner.

The truth is, Miguel is a little of all those things, and his opponent indictates which one we'll see. In the case of his matchup with Pacquiao, Cotto should be the naturally bigger, more rugged man. Obviously it would be to his advantage to make it a rough and tumble affair where he forces the action.

What Cotto has had trouble with of late are bigger men, who he cannot hurt. Margarito was the epitome of that mold, up until Shane Mosley punished and stopped the Tijuana Tornado early this year. Clottey, had the same toughness, though lacked the relentlessness that Margarito had been so successful with. Both men caused Cotto to shift from an excellent boxer-puncher to more of a hit and run artist.

It would seem that as physically arduous as the Margarito fight was for Cotto, it may have equally damaged his psyche to some extent.

The good news for Cotto is that in Manny Pacquiao, he is not facing a bigger, unhurt-able punishment sponge, but a smaller, more vulnerable pugilist. That alone is a key factor for, not only Miguel Cotto's chances at sustaining a successful fight plan, but also for plugging any lingering mental fissures that have appeared in his confidence.

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Manny Pacquiao has mutated. From a raw, all destroying dynamo, to a half controlled burgeoning boxer, and now to a well rounded precision power puncher.

Pacquiao's rise up the weight charts has coincided with a dampening of his reliance on natural ability and more emphasis on learned skills and technique.

His dominant wins against De La Hoya and Hatton seem to suggest that he is capable of fighting at these weights with great success, but perhaps what has been hidden by the sheen of their impressive names is the actual quality of those two fighters at the time Pacquiao got them in the ring.

Without meaning to take anything away from these terrific wins, one could still make a legitimate case that Pacquiao's impressiveness was at least partially bolstered by the inefficiencies of his two foes.

Stated plainly, Pacquiao still has something to prove at weights in excess of 135 pounds. In facing Cotto he will be squaring off against his first elite fighter, still in his prime, since abandoning the lower weights.

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Let's quickly tick off the advantages and disadvantages for each.

Size favors Cotto, though by a slimmer margin than might be expected, at least on paper. They stand within an inch of one another and reach is the same.

The catchweight may affect Cotto who used to suffer to make 140lbs. At 145lbs. he will be forced to drain off an extra bit for this fight. It could be the difference in a gruelling bout, but in my estimation it will be a minor factor. Cotto will likely outweigh Pacquiao after rehydrating leading up to the fight. Regardless of height, reach and weighing in the same, Cotto will be bigger and fight bigger when the opening round begins.

The counterpoint of that is that Pacquiao will be faster. How much faster may determine the outcome of the fight. Ripping a page from Cotto's own recent playbook, Manny may look to potshot and counter for large portions of the round. It's not his traditional style, but he showed a fleet footed finesse against Hatton that would suggest he could employ a highly effective gorilla warfare mode of attack; strike and manoeuvre out before any retaliation can find you.

His dynamic speed and dexterity may overwhelm Miguel, who at times, though he was able to match Mosley's speed, can be plodding and measured with a penchant for admiring his work.

If Cotto finds himself chasing Pacquiao across the ring, trying to corral the Filipino for prolonged stretches, it could be a long night for the Puerto Rican. Cotto will have to employ his underrated jab to keep Pacquiao occupied while he works to get close to Manny. But if he can't lay gloves on him, it may lead to frustration and even fouling which Cotto has not been above before.

For Pacquiao's part, he'd be well served to stay off the ropes and keep Cotto from getting set to rip shots to his body.

It's those shots that bring us to the next factor, power. Cotto will undoubtedly be the heaviest handed opponent that Pacquiao has faced. While Margarito and Clottey were able to withstand extreme amounts of battery, they are two exceptions in the division... perhaps in the entire sport.

It might be easy to forget that before facing those titanium headed titans, Cotto was considered pound for pound one of the more devastating punchers in the sport.

His punching prowess made Gianluca Branco quit after a crushing punch... to the shoulder. It left Quintana sucking wind on the canvas debilitated and nursing a severely battered liver. And Paulie Malignaggi's face grossly distorted, a bone in his face busted and deformed.

It can even be argued that the punishment he foisted on Margarito over the course of their brutal showdown, likewise, took something out of the controversial Tijuana fighter and in short softened him up for his ultimate collapse against Mosely.

Pacquiao's own power seems to have carried up with him admirably, his explosive knockout of Ricky Hatton being the most illustrative example. However one wonders if Cotto had fought the De La Hoya that Pacquiao did, would the Golden Boy have been left to call it a career on his stool, or would he have been splayed on the canvas, perhaps pounding it futilely from a body shot like the one Hopkins delivered?

The salient point however is whether Pacquiao will have enough firepower to hurt Cotto, and I believe he does. Cotto holds the edge, but Pacquiao holds his own.

The overriding equation is as follows; is Cotto's speed close enough to Pacquaio's to let him land and is Pacquiao's power close enough to Cotto's to make his punches punish? The reality ratio of those two factors are the crux of this fight’s outcome.

While you can question Cotto's durability at this point, you cannot question his heart. He is a warrior through and through. And while you may question the true value of Pacquiao's most recent conquerings, you cannot question his bravery. In facing down bigger, highly respected opponents he has proven to truly be with 'No Fear", a statement his trunks are often emblazoned with.

The combination of these fighters, facing off in a ballet of brutality should be enough to set off any fight fans excellence detector, for when these men, two of the sports prized practitioners, meet up on the 14th it should be an electrifying showdown that sends one of them rocketing into the stratosphere and the other drifting back to earth.

source: theboxingbulletin.blogspot.com

Videos of Miguel Cotto in prep for Manny Pacquiao

2009-11-03T01:27:00.000-08:00