Puerto Rico's Miguel Cotto Hits A Hot L.A

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.

The copyrighted work at issue is the text that appears on http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/7368/puerto-rico-miguel-cotto-hits-hot/

News HBO SPORTS’ 24/7 PACQUIAO/COTTO, A FOUR-EPISODE, ALL-ACCESS SERIES LEADING UP TO THE PAY-PER-VIEW SHOWDOWN BETWEEN TWO BOXING SUPERSTAR

HBO Sports’ groundbreaking “24/7” reality franchise, which has captured seven Sports Emmy® Awards, will return to present its seventh installment with 24/7 PACQUIAO/COTTO, an all-new four-episode, all-access series. Debuting SATURDAY, OCT. 24 (10:15-10:45 p.m. ET/PT), the series will follow Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto, two of the sport’s brightest stars, as they prepare for their Nov. 14 pay-per-view showdown in Las Vegas. Pacquiao seeks to continue his reign as the sport’s pound-for-pound king, while Cotto looks to prove that his ring skills are ideal for derailing the Pacquiao express.

This fast-paced series will capture the interactions and rigors the two fighters experience in preparing for their contest. Making his third “24/7” appearance, Pacquiao is expected to surround himself with a familiar contingent of family and friends as he trains with trusted longtime associate Freddy Roach. HBO reality series newcomer Cotto, who never ducks a challenge, is taking on his biggest fight yet with trainer Joe Santiago as they seek to set a strategy to unseat the widely regarded pound-for-pound champ.

Episodes two and three of 24/7 PACQUIAO/COTTO debut on subsequent Saturdays – OCT. 31 (11:00-11:30 p.m.) and NOV. 7 (9:00-9:30 p.m.) – while the finale debuts FRIDAY, NOV. 13 (9:30-10:00 p.m.), just one night before the fight. All four episodes will have multiple replay dates on HBO, and the series will also be available on HBO On Demand.

Source: http://philboxing.com/news/story-28443.html

Mayweather's return boosts Pacquiao-Cotto bout

No one will ever confuse Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Bob Arum as friends.

The ex-welterweight champion's former promoter, however, will give him this much: Mayweather's successful comeback from an almost two-year layoff last month has boosted Manny Pacquiao's Nov. 14 bout with Miguel Cotto.

"Mayweather's return has gotten people, particularly the people who follow Mayweather, energized. Those people are going to watch this fight because the winner is a potential (opponent) for Mayweather," says Arum, whose Top Rank Inc. promotes Pacquiao and Cotto.

A month before the year's most anticipated fight, Las Vegas is almost sold out for Pacquiao-Cotto. Only about 90 high-end seats remain at the 16,500-seat MGM Grand Garden Arena ($9 million gate) and the 1,000 tickets for local closed circuit are gone.

Pacquiao is guaranteed $10 million while Cotto's take is $6.5 million. If the bout reaches 1 million pay-per-view buys, Pacquiao's take would increase to about $20 million while Cotto would draw $12 million.

Pacquiao's two-round destruction of Ricky Hatton for the junior welterweight championship in May sold just less than 900,000. Mayweather scored a unanimous decision vs. Juan Manuel Marquez, surpassing that total to reach 1 million buys to become 2009's No. 1 PPV show.

Arum says there's no rematch clause for Pacquiao-Cotto but both fighters have extended their promotional deals; Cotto until the end of 2011 and Pacquiao, whose current deal ends in November 2010, through 2012. — J. Michael Falgoust

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/boxing/2009-10-20-mayweather-pacquiao-cotto_N.htm

Pacquiao Focuses on Life Inside and Outside Ring

In the Philipines, the expectations of Manny Pacquiao have reached lofty levels: his countrymen are starting to believe that there is nothing their champion can't do.

In preparation for Nov. 14, when he'll challenge WBO welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto (34-1, 27 knockouts) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas at a catch-weight of 145 pounds, Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs) appears to be in sensational shape thanks to a grueling training regimen.

Reportedly a four-hour ordeal, Pacquiao's workouts are simply "inhumane," said his promoter, Bob Arum, "something very few people in the world" can endure.

Pacquiao is also a political force in his country, where he is running for Congress. There have been typhoons in the Philippines, and Pacquiao is helping to save lives by personally delivering food into devastated areas.

And if you ask Arum, "Pacquiao's people" are close to believing that he is more powerful than a locomotive, is able to out-run a speeding bullet, and is capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound.

Ironically, the fighter whose nickname is "The Pac Man" even spent time last month filming a movie in the Philippines in which he plays a super hero -- Wambat Man -- whose powers are a combination of those of Superman and Spiderman.

"Wait until you see what the HBO cameras caught on film," said Arum, referring to the cable network's 24/7 series documenting the fighters' camps leading up to their matchup. "They got Manny swimming in an outdoor pool in the middle of a typhoon. It's amazing. But then, this kid is truly amazing."

Arum believes that Pacquiao, who lost his last bid for Congress in the local district, should have a better shot this time "and perhaps get the biggest vote in history if he chooses to run on the party list in the national election."

"Manny's becoming like a god-like figure to these people, but part of it is that he's so unassuming," Arum said of Pacquiao, who is often trailed by admirers during his early morning runs. "He just acts like he's one of them, and they just love him."

Pacquiao's popularity has crossed over into America, where last month, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at San Diego's PETCO Park before the Padres' baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Most recently, Pacquiao was shown flexing his upper torso in ESPN the Magazine's Body Issue, which featured other celebrities -- some of them nude -- such as tennis star Serena Williams and the Minnesota Vikings' running back Adrian Peterson.

Arum has witnessed Pacquaio's present workouts, which have taken place approximately a mile above sea level at Baguio City's Shape-Up Gym in the Philippines since Sept. 21.

"Before he does anything, he goes down into a corner of the room, kneels down, crosses himself, and says a prayer. Then, Manny does the usual warming up exercises to get limbered up and so forth," Arum said of Pacquiao.

"And then, Manny spars with real life sparring partners, at least 10 rounds," said Arum. "In between rounds, he doesn't sit down."

Pacquaio, who is required to complete 160 rounds of sparring, has employed among his foils former world champion Jose Luis Castillo and Shawn Porter, and could also use either Urbano Antillon or Danny Escobar.

Porter, 21, of Akron, Ohio, is 10-0 with eight knockouts. Antillon, 27, of Maywood, Calif., is 26-1 with 19 KOs. Escobar, 20, of Riverside, Calif., is 3-0 with as many KOs.

"After the sparring, Manny goes right into hitting the mitts," held by trainer, Freddie Roach, "for 10-or-12 rounds -- never stopping between rounds," said Arum. "Then he hits the heavy bag -- not so much the speed bag -- for 45 minutes. Then he jumps rope."

And then, "Manny does these amazing friggin excercises -- the crunches, contortions of his body in different directions," said Arum. "It looks like it's excruciatingly difficult, and it's stuff that I've never seen before."

Arum said the completion of Pacquiao's workout involves "an assistant trainer, with a stick, hitting him like a mad man right in the stomach for like 20 minutes," he said. "It's like, Boom! Boom!. It's directly onto his bare stomach. You're just cringing."

But Pacquiao is nothing if not brave, having broken training earlier this month to provide aid during typhoons that have caused the country's worst flooding in four decades and, reportedly, some 500 deaths.

Typhoon Parma began on Sept. 26, near Baguio City.

After a Saturday workout in Baguio, Arum said Pacquiao drove some 125 miles "through a rainstorm down to Manila to give away food to the people who were made homeless by the floods on the Sunday following training in addition to contributing money."

Pacquiao is unassuming about his volunteering.

"We do as much as we can do when it comes to helping each other," Pacquiao said. "My efforts with the relief efforts are no more important than any other volunteers. It was my honor to be allowed to lend a hand."

The fighter will leave for Los Angeles this Saturday. The ensuing Monday begins Pacquiao's regimen at 2008 Trainer Of The Year Freddie Roach's Wild Card Gym. On Nov. 9, Pacquiao will leave The Wild Card for Las Vegas.

Since his career began at 106 pounds in January 1995, Pacquiao has won titles at flyweight (115 pounds), super bantamweight (122), super featherweight (130), lightweight (135) and junior welterweight (140), with notable wins over Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales.

The 2008 Fighter Of The Year shares an alternate nickname, "The Greatest," with another former champion -- a comparison Arum said is not that far off.

"The closest I've seen to this kid's adoration is when Muhammad Ali came back from the three years when he was deprived of fighting. There were segments of the population that just couldn't get enough of Ali," said Arum.

"This kid has that type of relationship with the people, except that Ali had some people who resented him because of the stand he took in the Viet Nam war," said Arum. "Unlike Ali, there doesn't seem to be a segment of the people who don't like Pacquiao."

Source: http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/18/pacquiao-focuses-on-life-inside-and-outside-ring/

Pacquiao vs. Cotto: Miguel Will Burst the Manny Mystique

Manny Pacquiao has been largely lionized in the past year by the boxing public since beating Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton. It’s sad that boxing fans have been so gullible as to be influenced by two pretty much empty wins as these when crowing Pacquiao as the top fighter in the sport. It’s actually sad when you think about it because it shows that fans don’t really have a great knowledge about the sport and can’t put wins in perspective.

Miguel Cotto is a great fighter, certainly better than De La Hoya and Hatton at this stage in my view. Maybe Hatton and De La Hoya were equally as good fighters at one point in their careers, but not by the time that they got to Pacquiao. Few boxing experts would agree that Hatton and De La Hoya had seen better days by the time that they fought Pacquiao.

So the fighters that Pacquiao faced were played out and vulnerable to getting beaten. And to a certain extent the same thing applies to Cotto, although he still has a lot despite his horrible 11th round stoppage loss to Antonio Margarito last year. Okay, so once we recognize that boxing fans have made the miscalculation of seeing Pacquiao as the top dog in the sport based on his empty wins over De La Hoya and Hatton, we must look at how good Pacquiao really is as a fighter.

The answer to that question, perhaps, can be answered by looking at Pacquiao’s “win” last year over Juan Manuel Marquez. In that fight, Pacquiao was out-boxed in eight of the twelve rounds by Marquez, yet the judges scored the fight for Pacquiao by a 12 round split decision.

I saw the fight five times in a row, okay, and I’m telling you that Marquez should have won that fight, period. I can take the fact that the judges saw it differently, while a massive amount of boxing experts like myself saw it as a Marquez win, but it tells you how good Pacquiao really is.

It doesn’t really matter who won the fight. What matters is that Pacquiao struggled badly against Marquez and won a controversial 12 round split decision. That much we can agree on. Marquez was Pacquiao’s last good opponent. I’m not taking anything away from Hatton or De La Hoya because they were great fighters in their day, but clearly not the same fighters by the time they fought Pacquiao.

But, really, Marquez is the last good fighter that Pacquiao fought and he looked horrible against Marquez. Since Pacquiao had a tough fight against Marquez, that you have to assume is about how good Pacquiao is a as a fighter. You can’t use De La Hoya or Hatton as a measuring sticking because they both looked like condemned fighters as they entered the ring against Pacquiao and didn’t look at all good.

Who besides Marquez can you use in recent history to judge how good Pacquiao is? David Diaz? How about a faded Marco Antonio Barrera? Other than Marquez, you really have to go back years to where Pacquiao fought Erik Morales in their first fight before you see Pacquiao fighting a live body who wasn’t faded, weight drained or just plain not that good.

Okay, so now we bring in Miguel Cotto, who I admit is still probably a little shaken from his beat down from Margarito last year, and put him in with Pacquiao. Say what you want about Cotto’s defensive skills, he’s a great offensive fighter and can punch like few others in the welterweight division. So you put Pacquiao in with Cotto and what do you expect will happen? The answer is in how Pacquiao fought against Marquez. Pacquiao is going to struggle and struggle big time against Cotto and end up taking a beating on November 14th. That’s just the way it is.


Source: http://www.boxingnews24.com/2009/10/pacquiao-vs-cotto-miguel-will-burst-the-manny-mystique/

Pacquiao safe at 150 for bout

MANILA, Philippines - Steady at 150.

With still 34 days before the big fight, Manny Pacquiao hovered around 150 lb and should have no problem making the catchweight of 145 lb when he faces Miguel Cotto for the WBO welterweight crown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Nonoy Neri of Team Pacquiao yesterday said Pacquiao tipped the scales at 150 the other day after working at the Shape Up Gym in Baguio City. He said the reigning pound-for-pound champ is now training as hard and eating as much.

“He’s very comfortable right now because he gets to eat anything he likes. And by training so hard, he stays at 150. He can lose the five pounds in the last two weeks of training and he’ll be safe,” said Neri, a long-time Pacquiao assistant.

Cotto, who agreed to stake his 147 lb title at a catchweight two pounds lower, said during last month’s press tour in the United States he was at 160 lb, and Pacquiao’s conditioning coach, Alex Ariza, said this should favor the FIlipino icon.

“Cotto has to work harder than us making weight,” said Ariza.

Pacquiao’s chief trainer, Freddie Roach, said Pacquiao is where he should be right now as they entered their third week of training in the country’s summer capital. They will move to Los Angeles on Oct. 24, and to Las Vegas a week before the Nov. 14 fight.

There were reports, however, that Pacquiao might fly to the US earlier because of the spate of typhoons that have hit the country and may have had an effect on his training in Baguio City, which has been terribly affected by typhoon “Pepeng” this week.

Jose Luis Castillo, the former WBC lightweight champion, arrived in Manila yesterday along with super-lightweight Danny Escobar but couldn’t proceed to Baguio to spar with Pacquiao because the major roads leading to the city are impassable due to flooding or landslides.

It’s the first time Pacquiao will fight at 145 lb, even if he took on Oscar dela Hoya at 147 last December. For the fight against the Golden Boy, Pacquiao tipped the scales on the eve of the fight at 142 lb and climbed the ring at 148 1/2.

For this fight, Roach has set the numbers.

“I see him (Pacquiao) coming into the fight at 149 lb, the heaviest he’ll be in,” said Roach.”He was 148 1/2 for Oscar and 147 for Ricky Hatton last May.”

“But I don’t want him going over 150 because going past 150 will make him sluggish. I don’t care if Cotto climbs the ring at 165. We’ll stay at 150 or less,” said Roach, adding that for the official weigh-in the Pinoy champ should be at arounf 143 lb.

Again, weight is no weighty issue for Pacquiao.

Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=513167&publicationSubCategoryId=69

HOW TO ORDER PAY-PER-VIEW

To order a pay-per-view event, follow the instructions on your cable box or satellite receiver or contact your pay-per-view provider.

To find out how more about service available in your area please contact your cable provider or consult your set top box guide.

DirecTV and Dish Network customers can order online by clicking the appropriate link below:

DirecTV |
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Source: http://www.hbo.com/boxing/order/

Pacman form impresses Roach

BAGUIO CITY - From the crowd that flocked around the reigning pound-for-pound king came a yell: “You can easily beat Cotto!”

Manny Pacquiao smiled, and shot back: “Oo, may shampoo naman kami. (Yes, we have shampoo, anyway).”

The response may have been an attempt at humor—reigning WBO champion Miguel Cotto’s surname sounds almost exactly like the Filipino for lice—but trainer Freddie Roach, who arrived Tuesday to begin training Pacquiao in his quest for the Puerto Rican’s welterweight crown, was impressed at how quickly his ward has whipped himself into shape.



“He was very sharp,” said Roach after watching Pacquiao for the first time since the two teamed up to successfully destroy Ricky Hatton last May 2.

“If I didn’t know better, I would think he was in the gym for a month. His combinations are fast and his power is already there. His mind-set, we’re on the same page that we know how to fight Cotto.”

The trainer arrived in Manila along with conditioning coach Alex Ariza and American bodyguard Rob Peters and headed straight to this popular vacation getaway around lunchtime.

Wearing a T-shirt with the face of national hero Jose Rizal, Roach took charge right away in Cooyeesan Hotel’s Shape-up Gym.



“Without a doubt, this is our best start,” said Roach. “He’s now in great shape and I’m fine with that.”

Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 knockouts) will battle Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs) over 12-rounds for the Puerto Rican’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight crown on Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. Both combatants agreed to fight at a catch weight of 145 lb.

Pacquiao started his workout ahead of Roach’s arrival, doing road work at this city’s hilly routes and working on crunches to firm up his abdomen.

“Mahirap gawin ito, pero kailangan (It’s difficult but we need to do it),” said the boxing superstar. “Body puncher si Cotto (This is difficult but we need to do it. Cotto is a body puncher).”

“My trainers and I have devised ways to fight him,” he added.

With Roach taking over the training yesterday, the two worked on counter shots and footwork inside the ring.

This weekend, four sparring partners led by undefeated American boxer Shawn Porter are scheduled to arrive. All are capable of simulating the style of Cotto, according to Roach.

“Porter is my main guy right now. He’s 11-0 with 10 knockouts and is a light middleweight who’s got a strong left hook,” said Roach.

Meanwhile, the declaration from Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s camp that “Pretty Boy” should be declared the No. 1 boxer in the world still doesn’t hold water despite an impressive demotion of Juan Manuel Marquez over the weekend.

At least, that’s what the sport’s acknowledged bible, Ring Magazine, says.

The highly respected magazine released its pound-for-pound rankings for September and had Pacquiao still at No. 1, with Mayweather shooting up to No. 2 after his triumph over Marquez.

Last Sunday, Pacquiao said Mayweather can have the mythical pound-for-pound title because the undefeated American earned it with his latest conquest, which came after a 21-month hiatus.

“[Mayweather] can boast about being better because he has finished his job [of beating Marquez],” Pacquiao said. “I still have to finish mine and hurdle Cotto.”

Mayweather leapfrogged past Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins, who were third and fourth on the Ring list. Marquez slipped to fifth with the defeat.

source: inquirer.net

Roach: Pacquiao very sharp

By Dennis Principe
If Manny Pacquiao were to fight Miguel Cotto this weekend, there is no doubt in the mind of Freddie Roach the Filipino boxing sensation could still win the highly-anticipated bout. This was how Roach described Pacquiao’s conditioning as soon as the two linked up for the first time since their 2nd round demolition of Ricky Hatton last May in Las Vegas: “He was very sharp. If I didn’t know better I would think he was in the gym for a month. His combinations are fast and his power is already there. His mindset, we’re on the same page that we know how to fight Cotto,” said Roach moments after their training.


The legendary trainer arrived Tuesday morning in Manila along with conditioning coach Alex Ariza and immediately proceeded to Baguio City where they arrived just before lunchtime.

Wearing a T-shirt with the face of national hero Jose Rizal, Roach took charge right away in Cooyeesan Hotel’s Shape-up Gym.

“Without a doubt, this is our best start. He’s now in great shape and I’m fine with that,” said Roach.

The whole time they were inside the ring, Roach and Pacquiao apparently were trying to work on the fighter’s counter shots as well as his footwork.

From time to time though Roach and Pacquiao discussed about their technique by whispering at each other.

After their more than two hours of work out Roach cleared to Fightnews that training in Baguio was never an issue in their previous discussions.

“It has nothing to do with the Philippines. The only problem I have is the jetlag and going back so I want to make sure we’re going to have enough time to come back and adjust and be 100%,” said Roach.

Roach insists they have to be back in the United States at least two weeks before the fight.

“That’s the minimum and we might go straight to Las Vegas and skip Wild Card because going from one gym to another gym and another gym gets a little bit crazy,” said Roach.

This weekend four sparring partners led by American undefeated boxer Shawn Porter who are scheduled to arrive and all, according to Roach, are capable of simulating the style of Cotto.

“Porter is my main guy right now. He’s 11-0 with 10 knockouts and is a light middleweight who’s got a strong left hook,” said Roach.

Pacquiao ( 49-3-2, 37 knockouts) will battle Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs) for 12-rounds with the Puerto Rican’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight crown at stake on November 14 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. Both combatants agreed to fight at a catch weight of 145lbs.

Source: http://www.fightnews.com/?p=24019

Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto: November 14, 2009 Showdown

This week's official announcement of the Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto fight scheduled for November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas brings with it a wave of excitement for fight fans. The diminutive Pacquiao, boxing's acknowledged pound-for-pound king, will move north in weight once again to fight Cotto, the current WBO welterweight champ, at an agreed-upon catch-weight of 145 pounds.

Over the next four months, this match-up is certain to provoke a firestorm of debate among devoted followers of the sweet science. Both men are accomplished stars who inspire great passion in their fan base, and yet they have unanswered questions hanging over them at the moment—questions that will be settled once and for all when they fight in November.
Miguel Cotto Can Cotto Keep Pace with Pacquiao?

For Cotto, those questions center on a single, harrowing fight and its after-effects— his war with Antonio Margarito in July 2008. That fight is Cotto's only loss as a professional, but what a loss it was. In an electrifying fight-of-the-year candidate, Cotto took a commanding early lead, only to get steadily chopped down by his relentless opponent. Margarito was seemingly immune to pain that night, a Mexican terminator at 147 pounds. But when Margarito was subsequently caught with illegal, hardened inserts in his hand-wraps prior to his fight with Shane Mosley this past January, the speculation immediately swirled about the savage beating he'd dished out to Cotto. Was it administered with loaded gloves? If so, how much did it take out of the Puerto Rican star, and could he ever expect to be the same?

Those questions still haunt Cotto's career more than a year later. He's had two fights since the loss to Margarito—an easy victory over Michael Jennings in February to capture the vacant WBO welterweight title, and then a June battle with the tough veteran, Joshua Clottey. Despite fighting most of the bout with a nasty gash above his left eye, Cotto found a way to eke out a split decision over Clottey. But, according to Doug Fischer, the co-editor of RingTV.com, Cotto's performance provided no conclusive answers as to whether the boxer has made it all the way back to his pre-Margarito form.

"Some folks, like myself, were impressed with the way he gutted out a close decision against a bona fide welterweight contender, with basically one eye," Fischer explains. "But there's another camp that thinks he's just not the same guy he was. He appears to them now to be a solid welterweight, but not someone who could conceivably be the welterweight champ anymore or a top-five pound-for-pound player."

HBO commentator Max Kellerman agrees that the verdict is still out on Cotto. He sees the fighter's best blueprint for beating Pacquiao in Cotto's victory over Shane Mosley in December 2007, but wonders whether Cotto has that kind of fight left in him. "The dominant question here is whether Cotto can handle Pacquiao's speed," Kellerman says. "And the good news for Cotto is that his timing was able to offset Mosley's speed, and Mosley's lightning fast. But is this the same Cotto who beat Mosley? He cuts more easily now, and he doesn't seem as quick as he once did. And in Pacquiao, he's going to have to offset a guy who at this moment is faster than Shane, and who's a southpaw, and who has just shown us that he can really punch, even at these higher weights."

There's no doubt that Pacquiao presents a frightening package to any opponent right now, but he's not without question marks himself, particularly when faced with a proven heavy-handed puncher of Cotto's size and caliber. "The question for Manny is, 'Can he take a shot from a guy who has more than respectable power as a welterweight?'" Fischer says. "Because I think Cotto has the ability to catch Pacquiao and hurt him."
"Pacquiao has looked great in his last three fights," says RingTV.com's Doug Fischer, "but he's also fought the perfect opponents, the perfect guys to make him look like a million bucks."

Of course, whether Pacquiao could handle the power of naturally bigger men has been the primary subplot heading into his three most recent fights, and each time he answered with a resounding "yes" and with increasingly spectacular emphasis. Last June, in his first fight above 130 pounds, he dominated then-WBC lightweight champ David Diaz. Six months later, he moved all the way up to 147 pounds and destroyed Oscar De La Hoya in an explosive performance that catapulted him to superstardom. Then in May, he followed up his De La Hoya masterpiece with a crushing second-round knockout of junior welterweight champ, Ricky Hatton.

It was an astonishing trio of victories that, taken as a whole, would seem to pose quite a convincing response to any doubts about Pacquiao's ability to cope with the size and pop of just about anyone. Still, doubts linger.

"Pacquiao has looked great in his last three fights," Fischer says, "but he's also fought the perfect opponents, the perfect guys to make him look like a million bucks."

Fischer is quick to qualify that statement by saying that he's felt that Pacquiao was the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world going back to around his second fight with Erik Morales in 2006. Like almost everyone in boxing, he is blown away by what Pacquiao is accomplishing in the ring right now. Nevertheless, victories over the slow, plodding Diaz, the old and weight-drained De La Hoya, and then the artless and overrated Hatton have not completely sold pundits that Pacquiao, a guy who won his first title as a flyweight, is up to the challenge of fighting an elite welterweight.

The Cotto fight should put those doubts to rest one way or the other. "If Cotto still has it, Pacquiao is going to be in there against a natural welterweight in his physical prime with a lot of pride," Kellerman says. And then we'll find things out."

Or, as Fischer puts it, "The way Pacquiao got rid of Hatton was impressive, and you have to give him credit for it, because he just blew him out of the ring. If he blows Cotto out like that, then my God…he's just a great fighter."

And Fischer is talking great as in "all-time great." Come fight night, Cotto will seek to prove that he's still among the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport today. But Pacquiao will be competing for an even heavier bounty: to stake his claim among the best pound-for-pound fighters the sport has ever known.

Source: http://manny-pacquiao-fight-vs-miguel-cotto.blogspot.com/2009/09/manny-pacquiao-vs-miguel-cotto-november.html