November 18, 2009
In the lead-up to their fight, many wondered whether Manny Pacquiao could handle the power of a hard-punching welterweight like Miguel Cotto. Tonight Pacquiao answered with a resounding yes, taking Cotto's best shots and breaking down the Puerto Rican with speed and precision to take his welterweight crown.
With utter fighting mastery, Manny Pacquiao defeated Miguel Cotto with a TKO in the 12th round at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas tonight, taking Cotto's WBO welterweight belt in a sensational performance that left no question that Pacquiao is not only one of the best pound-for-pound fighters of his generation, but one of the best of all time.
It's a record seventh world title for Pacquiao in seven different weight classes, proving himself perhaps a more complete and explosive fighting machine as a welterweight than he was when he won his first world title eleven years ago as a 112-pound flyweight. For Cotto, meanwhile, though it was only the second loss of his great career, it was a nevertheless a devastating evening, as he found himself on the receiving end of a thorough beating that had him retreating so dramatically at the end of the bout that boos were heard throughout the sold-out arena.
It was a much different story early in the fight, however, when a confident Cotto went on the attack. In the first four rounds, it appeared the showdown was going to follow the script set out for it by many boxing pundits as a memorable war between Cotto's considerable power and Pacquiao's electrifying speed. Cotto's well-timed jab seemed to neutralize Pacquiao'shandspeed in the first frame, and using his own underrated speed, he was able to land heavier shots onPacquiao than the Filipino sensation has absorbed in recent memory.
In fact, tonight's major story may be just how well Pacquiao took those shots. Going into the fight, the public knew how fast Pacquiao was, and also knew that he had knockdown power in both hands. But one thing the world learned tonight about Manny Pacquiao was that he can walk through gigantic punches from a bruising welterweight on the order of Cotto, a man long known for breaking down his opponents with the ferocity of his attack.
Despite Cotto's landing head-snapping jabs and hooks, the speed differential started to show in Pacquiao's favor in the second round, and in the third, he drew first blood with a sneaky-fast right hand that sent Cotto stumbling and then bracing himself with a glove on the canvas - the first knockdown of the fight. The second, a much more convincing knockdown, came in the very next round, as Pacquiao, having languished on the ropes for much of the round, exploded with a roundhouse left that caught Cotto lunging and sent him sprawling to the canvas, clearly injured.
It's arguable that Cotto never quite recovered from that knockdown. He fought a cagey fifth round and may have tipped the frame in his favor, but after that it was all Pacquiao in a frightening onslaught. By the seventh, Cotto had begun to circle the ring relentlessly to stay out Pacquiao wheelhouse, and by the ninth, swollen and bloodied, he was merely in survival mode, desperately trying to end the fight on his feet.
It was not to be, as referee Kenny Bayless stepped in to stop the carnage at 55 seconds of the final round. Now a seven-time champion, all that seems left for Pacquiao to accomplish in boxing is to solidify his claim on being the world's top pound-for-pound fighter by facing the other current aspirant to the pound-for-pound throne, Floyd Mayweather. After tonight's performance, and after Mayweather's commanding victory over Juan Manuel Marquez in September, the way is cleared for a Pacquiao/Mayweather extravaganza that, if it happens, is set to become the biggest, most anticipated, and most hotly debated boxing match of the young millennium.
by Dave Larzelere
Photos by Will Hart & Ed Mulholland
HBO Boxing
Posted by HBO Boxing. Posted In :
Pacquiao vs Cotto
September 19, 2009
In speaking with many of boxing's biggest names, I got some of their thoughts on the upcoming Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto fight. The majority of people inside the boxing world are saying that Pacquiao will win, but not everyone is.
James "Lights Out" Toney - 6 division world champion - Pacquiao
" Pacquiao is going to destroy Cotto. Pacquiao's speed and his power will be key, you see Cotto is over hyped, he's a good B class fighter, but he's with a great promoter in Bob Arum."
Freddie ... Continue reading...
Posted by Examiner.com
September 18, 2009
THE journey to the biggest fight next year, and probably for the decade, begins on Saturday (Sunday Philippine time) when ‘comebacking’ claimant for the world’s pound for pound best honor Floyd Mayweather Jr. lock horns with Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez.
Many see this fight as a potential mismatch, if not a boring encounter between two excellent counter punchers.
I see it a different way.
With a megabuck fight with Manny Pacquiao as the ultimate prize for the winner, both Ma... Continue reading...
Posted by Philboxing.com
September 18, 2009
Trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. spoke with 8countnnews.com Thursday night and responded to rival trainer Freddie Roach’s threat of a slander lawsuit against him for comments Mayweather made about Roach trained fight Manny Pacquiao.
“If that’s what he wants to do, that’s what he wants to do”, said Mayweather Sr., “I’m just saying what I believe and what I feel.”
Previously Mayweather Sr. had been quoted in hometown newspaper The Grand Rapids Press saying:
“I believe (Pacquiao... Continue reading...
Posted by 8countnews.com
September 18, 2009
Cory Olsen | The Grand Rapids Press
Top Rank president Todd duBoef said Manny Pacquiao asked to fight Miguel Cotto
after seeing Cotto face Joshua Clottey in New York in June.
LAS VEGAS -- Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank Inc., which promotes Pacquiao, said his company intends to negotiate in good faith if Mayweather and Pacquiao both win their upcoming fights.
"I agree that there is a public demand for it that you don't see often in our sport, this pent-up demand for Pacquiao and Mayweathe... Continue reading...
Posted by MLive.com
September 18, 2009
EVERYONE is anxious about the upcoming fight of Manny Pacquiao. Blogs, web sites, chat rooms and articles are all focused on the preparation—or the absence of it—of the People’s Champ.
Pacquiao is back in Manila after a week of fulfilling his marketing obligations that included traveling in key cities in the US and Puerto Rico to drum up excitement for the fight.
Experts have pointed out that with Pacquia’s tight schedule, he may not have enough time to prepare for Miguel Cotto.
P... Continue reading...
Posted by BusinessMirror.com
September 18, 2009
 Freddie Roach was far from shy earlier this morning...
Posted by Examiner.com
September 18, 2009
Finally what we wanted to hear from Manny Pacquiao, and a sign he is getting mentally tuned for Miguel Cotto.Pacquiao has admitted that Cotto, who he faces in Las Vegas on November 14 for the WBO welterweight title, is “resilient, smart” and he believes he will have to go 12 rounds.
That’s spot on. “This will be my toughest test as a professional boxer,” said Pacquiao. “I know he is an excellent, smart fighter and a great world champion. We also know that he is good in body punc... Continue reading...
Posted by Telegraph.co.uk
September 18, 2009
Hall of fame boxing trainer Freddie Roach has confirmed to this writer that a slander case is in the works against Floyd Mayweather Sr. Recently, Mayweather Sr went on the record and accused the pound for pound king, Manny Pacquiao of taking illegal steroids. In response to these allegations,, Roach said, " All of the sudden Floyd Mayweather Sr is an expert on steroids? Tell me what kind of steroids Manny is taking Floyd? Tell me how much you know about steroids, first of all. Steroids ha... Continue reading...
Posted by Examiner.com
September 17, 2009
A strong left hook as devastating as the one that knocked out Ricky Hatton last summer may be coming Floyd Mayweather Sr.’s way.
Boxing star Manny Pacquiao bared he’s seriously contemplating on taking legal action against the outspoken American trainer regarding comments he made insinuating the Filipino boxing idol is into steroids.
The issue surrounding illegal supplement welcomed Pacquiao Thursday morning upon his return from a week-long promotional tour for his Nov. 14 title fight wi... Continue reading...
Posted by GMANews.TV
September 17, 2009
Floyd Mayweather Jr. AP
"Yes I said it!" just like Floyd Mayweather Sr. said, "I said what I said and I don't care what kind of impact it has" pertaining to his statements that Manny Pacquiao may be on steroids in an article recently published by NY Boxing Examiner Michael Marley.
I guess that ends my quest in finding substance and truth behind Floyd Sr.'s accusations. He just felt like it, and said what he said and he simply doesn't care about destroying another person's character, logic o... Continue reading...
Posted by Examiner.com
September 17, 2009
Boxing star Manny Pacquiao returned to the country early Thursday and will start priming up for a two-month training for his Nov. 14 title fight with World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight king Miguel Cotto.
Pacquiao and his small entourage that toured New York, Puerto Rico, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego for almost a week to promote the Cotto bout arrived at 5 a.m. via Philippine Airlines flight 103.
He is expected to wrap up all the remaining commitments he left behind whi... Continue reading...
Posted by GMANews.TV
September 17, 2009
LOS ANGELES — They smiled at each other, shook each other’s hands, and hardly spoke ill of the other during the media blitz that took them to five other stops from the US East Coast down to the Caribbean and to the West Coast the past seven days.
But come fight night on November 14 in Las Vegas, Miguel Cotto isn’t going to think twice of laying his best shots on Manny Pacquiao.
“It’s just work,” Cotto told the gathering of scribes at the Beverly Hills Hotel during the penultima... Continue reading...
Posted by Manila Bulletin
September 17, 2009
Assorted thoughts of Floyd Mayweather Sr. as his son’s comeback bout against Juan Manuel Marquez draws near…
On Joshua Clottey: “Tell you the truth, Miguel Cotto did not look good against Clottey. Personally, I don’t Manny Pacquiao could beat Clottey. Clottey is too tough and too strong for Pacquiao. Clottey would frustrate Pacquiao.”
On Pacman beating Cotto: “I don’t think Pacquiao is strong enough to beat Cotto really. Pacquiao’s best bet is to bust that left eye of Cotto,... Continue reading...
Posted by Examiner.com
September 17, 2009
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Pacquiao and Batista are united in more than just friendship; they are also united in common accusations and rumors of taking steroids and HGH.
Batista’s been accused of taking steroids for the last several years while Pacquiao’s accusations have just risen to a fever pitch
Floyd Mayweather Sr, on his own volition, decided to accuse Pacquiao of “cheating”. Could this be due to the fact that Floyd Jr is ducking Pacquiao? Could this be due to the fact that Pacquiao destroyed Ricky Hat... Continue reading...
Posted by Examiner.com
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