PACQUIAO VS COTTO

Miguel Cotto's Training Video

2009-09-30T00:44:00.000-07:00

Roach Won't Allow Cotto To Use Mayweather Trick

2009-09-24T06:13:00.000-07:00

Trainer Freddie Roach will not allow WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto to use the weight tactic of Floyd Mayweather Jr. Last Saturday in Las Vegas, Mayweather weighed 146-pounds for his fight with Juan Manuel Marquez. The fight was agreed upon for a catch-weight of 144-pounds. At the late hour, the Marquez camp was informed that Mayweather was unable to make 144 and a deal was reached for the fight to move forward.

Marquez weighed four pounds less at the weigh-in. Nobody knows what Mayweather weighed on the night of the fight. He refused to step on the official scales in the back and refused to answer any and all questions regarding his weight. Some speculate that he may have been in the mid-150s.

Roach's prize pupil Manny Pacquiao faces Cotto at the catch-weight of 145-pounds on November 14. He will not allow Cotto to jump on the scales at any weight above the contracted limit of 145. Cotto is in a different position than Marquez. Mayweather was brining all of the money to the table and did whatever he pleased. Pacquiao is the one bringing most of the money to the table in his fight; giving himself the advantage to impose his authority on Cotto.

“We will make sure that Cotto cannot use his weight to his advantage,” Roach told The Philippine Star.

Source: Boxingscene.com

Latest Pound For Pound Ratings

2009-09-22T05:54:00.000-07:00

Source: The Ring

1. Manny Pacquiao

Country: Philippines

Record: 49-3-2 (37 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #1 | Last Week: #1 | Weeks On List: 303

Titles: The Ring
2. Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Country: USA (Las Vegas, Nevada)

Record: 40-0-0 (25 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #2 | Last Week: - | Weeks On List: 1
3. Shane Mosley

Country: USA (Las Vegas, Nevada)

Record: 46-5-0 (39 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #3 | Last Week: #4 | Weeks On List: 35

Titles: WBA
4. Bernard Hopkins

Country: USA (Philadelphia, Pa.)

Record: 49-5-1 (32 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #4 | Last Week: #3 | Weeks On List: 172
5. Juan Manuel Marquez

Country: Mexico

Record: 50-5-1 (37 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #5 | Last Week: #2 | Weeks On List: 132

Titles: WBA, WBO, The Ring
6. Israel Vazquez

Country: Mexico

Record: 43-4-0 (31 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #6 | Last Week: #5 | Weeks On List: 112
7. Rafael Marquez

Country: Mexico

Record: 38-5-0 (34 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #7 | Last Week: #6 | Weeks On List: 70
8. Nonito Donaire

Country: USA (San Leandro, Calif.)

Record: 22-1-0 (14 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #8 | Last Week: #7 | Weeks On List: 21

Titles: IBF
9. Miguel Cotto

Country: Puerto Rico

Record: 34-1-0 (27 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #9 | Last Week: #8 | Weeks On List: 21

Titles: WBO
10. Celestino Caballero

Country: Panama

Record: 33-2-0 (23 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #10 | Last Week: #9 | Weeks On List: 35

Titles: IBF, WBA

Pacquiao starts training: Fans mob champ in Baguio camp

2009-09-21T19:49:00.001-07:00

MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao is providing a different kind of chill up in Baguio these days.

Since arriving in the country’s summer capital the other day, the reigning pound-for-pound champion has generated so much attention that people have started to follow him wherever he goes and drool over whatever he does.

Pacquiao was met by a pack of mediamen, including those from various wire agencies, at the Cooyeesan Hotel upon his arrival, and a horde of fans, mostly tourists, when he went out for a run at the famous Burnham Park.

Pacquiao was out on the road at 5 a.m. yesterday, and instead of going to the Sta. Lucia golf course, opted to go straight to the park located at the heart of Baguio City. Before he knew it, a crowd had gathered around him.

Pacquiao chose a spot to do his morning rituals after the run, some shadow boxing, stretching and abdominal exercises as a security team tried to shield him from the crowd.

“It’s okay, Michael,” he told his Canadian adviser, Mike Koncz, referring to the crowd that had inched closer to the boxer to watch his every move.

Pacquiao stayed in the park for close to an hour, and in between sets, shared jokes with his trainers, Buboy Fernandez and Nonoy Neri, and Koncz, who’s in charge of the boxer’s stay in Baguio.

Pacquiao was very friendly with his fans and showed them how he loves putting on a show while training.

After a brief rest in his hotel suite, Pacquiao moved a couple of floors lower where the gym is located. He worked out for nearly two hours, with just a few mediamen allowed in to take pictures of the boxer.

From the gym, Pacquiao moved to another wing of the hotel and played basketball with members of his team. The other day, he complained of some pain in his knee after playing basketball in San Francisco.

But all seems well now for the 30-year-old megastar who pounded the road, and the mitts like he’s been training for a month now.

Pacquiao has eight full weeks to prepare for his Nov. 14 fight with WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto who’s in his first month of training by now. From Puerto Rico, he has moved over to Tampa, Florida.

Pacquiao’s chief trainer, Freddie Roach, and conditioning coach, Alex Ariza, are scheduled to arrive this morning from Los Angeles and take the five-hour ride to Baguio to start presiding over the training.

Source: Philstar.com

Does Manny Pacquiao use Steroids, Cocaine or Marijuana? Test Results Now Public

2009-09-19T07:12:00.000-07:00

The magnificently talented Manny Pacquiao is NOT injecting Anrold Schwarzenegger-Juice in his veins and he is NOT a coke-head or pot-head. According to a report out by the NSAC, not only is Manny Pacquiao not using illegal steroids, but he also isn't using cocaine or marijuana.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission which vigorously tests Athletes for illegal substances, have come out on record to clear Manny Pacquiao's name. Recently Floyd Mayweather Sr. made allegations that he believes Pacquiao is on some sort of enhancement. To be fair, Mayweather Sr. did not accuse Pacquiao of using Marijuana or Cocaine, but strongly indicated to the Grand Rapids Press that he believed Pacquiao was using something to boost his performance.

Keith Kizer, the executive director for the NSAC, has now gone on record to defend Pacquiao and gave insight to the tests Pacquiao has passed. Quoted by abs-cbnNEWS.com, Kizer stated:"All I can tell you is that Pacquiao, every time he's fought here (in Nevada, has) been tested, as well as his opponents. He passed every drug test we did to him, every steroid test we did to him."

Kizer went on to explain just how in-depth the NSAC goes when conducting searches of the athletes when it comes to Title fights. Not only do they look for performance enhancing drugs, but also illegal drugs, such as Marijuana and Cocaine. "Title fights (we have) tests for steroids and drug abuse. (We look out for) marijuana, cocaine. We collect urine (for tests) before and after the fight," stated Kizer.

There you have it Folks.... Manny Pacquiao is CLEAN!

Source: DogHouseBoxing.com

myLot User Profile

Arum Blasts Mayweather Sr. Over Pacquiao Steroid Talk

2009-09-19T06:41:00.000-07:00

Las Vegas - Top Rank promoter Bob Arum today blasted Floyd Mayweather Sr over his allegations that reigning pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao was on steroids or some performance-enhancing drugs saying, “he is as close to a moronic person as anybody.”

In a conversation at his Top Rank office with BoxingScene.com, ABS-CBN and Standard Today, Arum said “he (Mayweather Sr) has no credibility about anything. He keeps bragging that he is the greatest trainer in the world and Freddie Roach wasn’t a trainer and then his man (Ricky Hatton) gets humiliated and one of the reasons he got humiliated is because he didn’t coach his guy to watch out for Manny’s style.”

Arum characterized Mayweather Sr as “a fraud as a trainer and to give him any credibility on any kind of wild statement you have to recognize the source from which it comes. They’ll say anything to get attention.”

The astute promoter who will leave for the Philippines on September 30 said “people don’t realize what Manny (Pacquiao) means to the Filipinos,” who were up in arms over Mayweather Sr's wild and unsubstantiated statements.

Arum said the Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto “Fire Power” showdown at the MGM Grand on November 14 was doing “unbelievably well” and showed us the sales report stating that “of the 15, 887 saleable tickets with everything being sold, except 642 at the top price and 80 at the second price. Everything else is completely gone. And they are selling about 60 tickets a day so in ten days there won’t be a ticket left and then everybody will go crazy.”

The 682 tickets are priced at $1,000 and the 80 at $750 even as Arum revealed “there is nothing at $500, nothing at $300 and nothing at $150. Nothing.” The income on ticket sales to date is $8.2 million in at the box office with another $700,000 to go.”

Arum also announced that on October 10 they will open the sale of 15,000 closed circuit seats at $50.

Source: Boxingscene.com

The Mayweathers can never put a good man down

2009-09-16T05:10:00.000-07:00

Floyd Mayweather Sr. as usual, is throwing every bomb from his family's arsenal of lies and thrash talking against the pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao. Every boxing fan knows that the Mayweathers do not like Pacquiao. Floyd Sr., Floyd Jr., Roger and Jeff are all in one against Pacquiao. They have bitterly expressed their unacceptance of the fact that their 'Lil Floyd is no longer considered as the face of boxing and it's No. 1 fighter pound for pound.

Even before Pacquiao demolished Ricky Hatton last May of this year, the Mayweathers were against Pacquiao saying the latter is overrated and overhyped in his victory against the Golden Boy of boxing, Oscar dela Hoya. They claim that Dela Hoya was a dead man walking and that Hatton will be too much for Pacquiao to handle. Pacquiao shut their mouth up after he destroyed Hatton and knocked him out cold.

Everybody thought the Mayweathers will become silent for a while after witnessing Pacquiao's dominance over Hatton. But everybody thought wrong. Floyd Sr., came out in public saying to the press that it was not Pacquiao's superior skills that decided the fight, rather it was Hatton's refusal to listen to his instructions. I can not blame this good trainer if he just wanted to save his face from embarassment after telling the whole world how superior he is as a trainer compared to the great Freddie Roach.

Just recently, back to his old self, Floyd Sr. has again thrown what could be his most ridiculous bomb when he accused of Manny Pacquiao of taking illegal substance everytime he fights. Although this would make some noise, I don't think Floyd Sr., has still credibility left in him. He may be a good trainer, but his consistent showing of dislike on Manny Pacquiao only shows that he is becoming too personal and not really showing concerns for boxing.

I will not write everything the other Mayweathers (Lil Floyd, Roger and Jeff) have said against Manny because I am giving them what they really wish for. To make some noise in favor of themselves. So I will be writing separate articles out of their statements against Pacquiao and let people know how the Mayweathers are trying to put a good man down.

So far, they have failed. Manny is one of a kind as many boxing experts say. A true warrior in the ring, Manny still manages to show his humility to people. He has shown that he can win in every fight, but he knows he is just human. He may be defeated in the ring in the future, but he can never be put down as a person. As the cliche goes, "you can never put a good man down".

Cotto may have problem making weight

2009-09-15T20:28:00.001-07:00

BEVERLY HILLS – Conditioning coach Alex Ariza liked what he saw at the Beverly Hills Hotel here yesterday.

No, it wasn’t the elegance of the “Pink Palace” (as the hotel, built in 1912, is affectionately called), not its scroll of past celebrity guests like Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino, Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne or John F. Kennedy, and neither those gorgeous ladies walking the premises.

What caught Ariza’s sharp eyes was the shape Miguel Cotto was in, in the last day of the press tour that carried the Puerto Rican champion, and Manny Pacquiao, the reigning pound-for-pound king from the Philippines, to New York, Puerto Rico and San Francisco and LA over the last five days.

“Did you see him out there? He must be weighing 160 pounds,” said Ariza who came into the picture with the promise that he can keep Pacquiao moving up in weight and adding up more power without losing his speed. He introduced the Pinoy icon to the special program of plyometrics.

And they’re been extremely successful so far with big knockout wins over Diaz, Oscar dela Hoya and Ricky Hatton.

He said Cotto weighing as much (the WBO champion said a few days ago he was at 159 lb) gives him the feeling that the wide-bodied Puerto Rican might find it quite difficult making the catchweight limit of 145 lb. Pacquiao is just a little over 150, and with two months left is safely there.

“He (Cotto) must be 160 pounds and we’re fighting at 145 with only two months left. He’s got a lot more work to do than us. We also have work to do but Cotto has got to lose a lot of weight,” said Ariza, who’s hoping that at 145 lb, Pacquiao could be as sharp, as fast and as strong as he was in his last fights.

Cotto said he plans to climb the ring at 160.

“He weighed in at 142 for the Oscar dela Hoya fight (which was fought at 147 lb) and climbed the ring at 148 1/2. Now if we can put him in that shape I don’t see anyone who will be able to take his punches. He really looked exceptionally well at 142,” said Ariza, who’s coming over to Baguio City for the training.

Ariza said he’s not concerned at all that some people feel that Pacquiao is lagging behind Cotto in training. While the Puerto Rican is into his fourth week, Pacquiao will mark day one of his training on Sept. 21 at the earliest.

But Ariza said it doesn’t really matter because eight weeks have proven to be the perfect formula, and anything more or less than that won’t bring out the best in him.

“Believe me, once he’s in training nothing can disrupt him. And once he’s ready, he’d climb the gate just to fight,” he said.

At the press conference, Pacquiao said when he climbs the ring against Cotto he will prove the world “who Manny Pacquiao is.”

The 30-year-old icon is gunning for a record seventh world title in different weight classes.

Cotto capped the press tour by saying there’s nothing else to do now but train, and make sure that when the fight comes “you’re in your best shape.”

Cotto is scheduled to fly back to Puerto Rico, and in just a couple of days will be in Tampa, Florida for the big grind. Pacquiao, on the other hand, motors to San Diego today to do the ceremonial pitch in the Padres’ game before heading back to Manila later in the evening.

Source: Philstar.com

Cotto fight my toughest test, says Pacquiao

2009-09-15T20:26:00.000-07:00

BEVERLY HILLS, California (Reuters) — Manny Pacquiao, widely viewed as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, is primed for his biggest test when he challenges Miguel Cotto for the WBO welterweight title in November.

Although Filipino Pacquiao holds a significant speed advantage over the Puerto Rican, he has great respect for Cotto's punching power, strength and intelligence.

''This will be my toughest test as a professional boxer,'' Pacquiao, 30, told a news conference at a Beverly Hills hotel on Monday to promote the big-money clash.

''I know he is an excellent, smart fighter and a great world champion.

''We also know that he is good in body punching and that he's strong so we have to study that, how to counter it and fight that in the ring.

''We also need to use our own advantage over Cotto,'' added the southpaw, who 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.

''Everybody knows that I am faster than Cotto so how can I use that speed in the fight? I will do my best in this fight to capture my seventh title belt.''

Pacquiao has a glittering career record of 49-3-2 featuring 37 knockouts, but his trainer Freddie Roach predicted the November 14 bout in Las Vegas would go the full distance.

''It's going to be a much more tactical fight than people think because he (Cotto) is a very smart fighter,'' Roach said.

''It's who can implement their game plan and use it to the fullest advantage.

''I think this is going to be a 12-round fight, no knockout.

This guy (Cotto) is very resilient. If a knockout comes, it comes but if you go out there looking for a knockout, you might get caught yourself. We have to be very tactical.''

Cotto, who retained his WBO title with a gruelling split decision win over Ghana's Joshua Clottey in June, felt his own renowned defence would more than match Pacquiao's speed.

''When you have good defence, you can stop speed,'' said the 28-year-old, 34-1 with 27 KOs.

''I don't know if he (Pacquiao) is ready to be beaten but I am in my prime of my career. I'm going to use every kind of tool I have in my repertoire.

''He has fought a lot of tough fighters but never one like this,'' added Cotto, who has held a world title in every year since 2004.

''The world will know who the best is when we meet in the ring in November.''

Pacquiao, a winner of six world titles in as many different weight divisions ranging from 112 to 140 pounds, is being tipped by boxing pundits as the favorite to win.

Source: MB.com.ph

PACQUIAO-COTTO PRESS-CON TOUCHES DOWN AT LA-LA LAND

2009-09-14T20:29:00.000-07:00

Beverly Hills, CA:- No travelling press con to hype an event such as “Fire-Power” will be worth its salt if it does not make a stop at Tinseltown, aka Los Angeles.

Today, fresh from the East (which went as far as Puerto Rico), the main protagonists for “Fire-Power” finally touched down in town -- at the Beverly Hills Hotel on the west side of the famed Sunset Boulevard.

Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto met the LA Press corps to hype their fight on Novemebr 14th at the MGM in Las Vegas.

A whole plethora of sportwriters and many of the best sports photographers in town and a sprinkling of foreign press members filled a large ballroom at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Needless to say, and true to the Bob Arum tradition, the press was served a wonderful late lunch.

The Pacquiao-Cotton tiff is promoted by Top Rank Promotions in cooperation with MGM Grand Hotel Casino Resort and Tecate, the beer “with character”. It will be shown live on HBO via PPV.

Source: Philboxing.com

Pacquiao has Cotto figured out

2009-09-13T19:49:00.000-07:00

SAN FRANCISCO — A week before he officially begins training camp in Baguio in the Philippines, Manny Pacquiao has already solved the puzzle that is Miguel Cotto as the five-city publicity tour for the Nov. 14 super fight makes a stop to the City by the Bay for a press conference at AT&T Park on Sunday.

Talking to a couple of Manila-based scribes sent here to cover the event, Pacquiao said he is overly excited to get in the ring with Cotto, the shaven-skulled banger whose World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight crown will be on the line at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“I don’t only know what are my advantages over Cotto,” said Pacquiao, who was met at the airport by members of the L.A. Boys, made up of his basketball and dart buddies living in Hollywood. “It’s not enough for you to know your strong points but what is important is how to use them in the actual fight.”

Pacquiao, 30, regarded as boxing’s best pound-for-pound, said he doesn’t see Cotto imposing his will by bullying inside or dancing around to keep him away from punching range.

“I would welcome him if he decides to slug it out at close range and if he intends to run, I know a lot of ways how to pin him down,” said Pacquiao. “I have a feeling, though, that he will try to dance around.”

Pacquiao kicks off training camp as soon as he arrives in Manila on Thursday as top trainer Freddie Roach is scheduled to follow him on the 20th or the 21st.

Earlier in Cotto’s hometown of Caguas, Puerto Rico, Pacquiao was again mobbed by Puerto Rican fans before and after a press conference held at the Centro Bellas Artes.

“I feel flattered that even Cotto’s people love me,” said Pacquiao as he was en route to the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in the capital city of San Juan for the 10-hour flight to San Francisco on Delta Airlines.

Even Cotto himself was very warm to Pacquiao, who was a first-time visitor to the US territory known as “La Isla del Encanto” (Island of Enchantment).

“”I would like to tell Manny Pacquiao that he is very much welcome here in Puerto Rico,” Cotto said during the flamboyant presentation held at noon before a packed crowd of 1,800.

The two were very cordial that they even sat beside each other before the start of the affair, something that photographers didn’t miss by taking pictures of the two as though they were buddies from way, way back.

Meanwhile, after the baseball game at the AT&T Park featuring the Giants and the Dodgers, Pacquiao will fly to Los Angeles for another round of media gathering at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Monday.

On Tuesday, Pacquiao will proceed to San Diego for another baseball match featuring the Padres and will take a private plane back to Los Angeles so he could catch a Cathay Pacific flight bound for Manila via Hong Kong.

Arum is Baguio-bound Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum is flying to the Philippines at the end of the month to check on the status of the training of Manny Pacquiao.

Pacquiao overheard Arum telling two Filipino writers about his plans then immediately told the Top Rank chief that he doesn’t have to worry about how to get to Baguio.

“I will send a private plane to pick you up in Manila,” said Pacquiao.

Arum was relieved because he had initially thought that he had to endure the traffic in Manila and the possibility of being inside a car for as much as seven hours.

Source: Mb.com.ph

Ariza To Head With Roach For Pacquiao's Baguio Camp

2009-09-13T19:02:00.000-07:00

Manny Pacquiao’s conditioning expert Alex Ariza will arrive in Manila sometime this week to work with the reigning pound-for-pound king at his training camp in Baguio City.

In an interview at the Thai restaurant that Pacquiao frequents in the Wild Card Gym complex, Ariza said trainer Freddie Roach will follow a few days later.

Ariza admitted that Roach was “a little bit on edge because of his failure to contact Manny” in the Philippines because of what he claimed was “all the interference which was bothering a lot of us.” However, Ariza said the multi-award winning trainer is “a nice man. He’s cool and doesn’t let anything rattle him and when it comes and he gets face-to-face with Manny he’ll get out whatever he has to.”

Ariza indicated he was looking forward to his first visit to the Philippines and the training camp in Baguio which also means that a “lot of the people that are here (in LA) won’t be able to travel” to the Philippines which will minimize the distractions.

Ariza indicated that “as long as we have a track and good places to run and train” it will be fine, pointing out that when Pacquiao shows up in camp he shows up to train. Ariza added “I’ve never seen anybody train as hard as Manny.”

The conditioning guru who helped Pacquiao turn into a truly explosive fighter who annihilated David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton told BoxingScene.com, insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports that “watching Manny grow into his size and watching how strong he’s become and while everybody keeps saying these guys are bigger and stronger , they said that about Hatton. I said he wasn’t going to be the bigger guy, he wasn’t going to be the stronger guy.”

Referring to Pacquiao’s growth, Ariza said “Its very fortunate that he has responded so well to the exercises we do now and the new circuit training and things like that. We’ve got a good program where we focus on the strength part of it doing all the explosive movements, the plyometrics, ballistic training and in the last few weeks we focus on speed , strength work, balance, agility and things like that.”

Ariza brushed aside concerns over the time Pacquiao has to train for his WBO welterweight title fight against Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand on November 14 saying “ I think it is long enough. Its because the way he trains. If it was anybody else I’d say we might need a little bit longer but Manny pushes, and pushes and pushes so a longer camp might burn him out. It might work against him. Shorter camps with his mind focused and as hard as he trains I think seven weeks is perfect.”

Ariza predicted that Pacquiao’s “speed and explosiveness is going to be the key. Everybody doesn’t believe how strong he’s getting but when you are there and you see it . Freddie might think this will go twelve rounds but I wouldn’t be surprised if Manny stopped him (Cotto) I think he is so overwhelming now and he’s so confident he’s just a completely different fighter.”

Source: Boxingscene.com

Manny yields limelight to Cotto

2009-09-13T19:00:00.000-07:00

WITH MANNY PACQUIAO AGAIN REfraining from lighting up verbal fireworks, it was Miguel Cotto who generated a buzz in his hometown Puerto Rico by making a little promise in front of his compatriots.

“I will return as champion,” he was quoted by Internet reports as saying after a press conference in Caguas to promote his match against Pacquiao.

Cotto will defend his World Boxing Organization welterweight belt against the Filipino pound-for-pound king on Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“Puerto Rico has been having great moments in sports the past weeks,” Cotto said. “I assure you the party will continue because after Nov. 14, I will return as champion.”

Puerto Rico’s latest triumph on the international stage was a silver-medal finish in the recent Fiba Americas, where it qualified for basketball’s World Championships in Turkey next year.

Pacquiao was greeted by an appreciative applause when he was introduced by Top Rank chief Bob Arum.

“I understand you support Cotto, but no matter who wins, we’re going to have a good fight,” said the Filipino icon.

This will be the fourth time Pacquiao will fight beyond his turf in the featherweight and super featherweight ranks.

In 2008, he took the WBC lightweight belt of David Diaz before stopping Oscar De La Hoya in eight rounds of a welterweight match. Early this year, he knocked Ricky Hatton out in two rounds of a light welterweight championship duel.

Source: Inquirer.net

Roach: Pacquiao too quick for Cotto

2009-09-13T18:58:00.001-07:00

Freddie Roach insists Manny Pacquiao can cement his place as the world's best pound-for-pound fighter against Miguel Cotto on November 14.

The six-weight world champion, who knocked out Ricky Hatton to claim the IBO light-welterweight crown in May, will return to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in a bout at 145lbs.

The winner is in line for a megafight against either Floyd Mayweather Jr of Juan Manuel Marquez and, though Pac Man acknowledges his natural deficiencies, he remains confident his ability will see him through.

"I can see that this fight is going to be a hard fight for me because Miguel Cotto is bigger than me and stronger than me," Pacquiao told Sky Sports News. "But of course I believe in my power and my speed."

Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach has studied the 28-year-old Puerto Rican - 34 (KO 27)-0-1 - closely over recent months and is sure his charge can come through.

"He (Cotto) knows that hand speed because he dealt with that when he fought Shane Mosley as well, but he has a little difficulty with the southpaw style," Roach said.

"But it's really not our hand speed that's going to win this fight, it's the foot speed. That's the key to this fight.

"After we exchange we can't stay in front of this guy and let him throw back at us."

The press conference to officially announce the bout was held at the new Yankee Stadium. And promoter Bob Arum is hoping that big fights themselves will soon return to major ballparks.

"We have a history of bringing big fights to the Yankee Stadium," said Arum, who put on Muhammad Ali's bout against Ken Norton on Sept. 28, 1976, a fight remembered more for the chaos caused by a police strike than anything else.

"It's something we'd like to do again."

Source: ESPNstar.com

Close, hard fight looms for Pacquiao

2009-09-11T23:14:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK – Freddie Roach is calling this fight 50-50.

The three-time Trainer of the Year who had correctly predicted knockouts in Manny Pacquiao’s most recent fights has found big reasons to say that the Nov. 14 showdown between his pupil and WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto is going to be close.

“It could be a very hard fight. He’s strong. He’s a 147-pounder. And he’s a good puncher. He has a good left hook to the body,” Roach, who flew in Wednesday evening from Los Angeles yesterday told mediamen who gathered in front of him just off the Yankee Stadium diamond.

He said Cotto being a natural welterweight, plus the Puerto Rican’s ability to neutralize the speed of his opponents is what they’d be working on when Pacquiao officially begins training on Sept. 21 in Baguio City. They will be there for four weeks before heading to Los Angeles.

“I’ll be watching a lot of tapes everyday because he knows how to nullify speed. And he’s very, very good at measuring the distance. He knows his range. Timing is everything. Timing and distance. I’m not calling a knockout like Hatton because that fighter makes fundamental mistakes

“And this guy (Cotto) doesn’t make mistakes. He’s a sound fighter. He’s solid. And he’s very consistent. We have a tough fight ahead of us. By fight time he’s gonna be 160 pounds and Manny should be 147,” said Roach who should be in Manila on the 19th with sparring partners in tow.

Later on, Cotto, a plus 210 underdog against Pacquiao who’s at minus 250, was himself surrounded by scribes as he sat in the Yankee dugout. He seemed to have agreed with the observations of Roach regarding the fight.

“Well he’s (Pacquiao) better than Oscar dela Hoya who was taking the last steps in his career, and he’s better than Ricky Hatton who’s always over-rated – the guy he beat with a left hook in the second round,” said Cotto of Pacquiao’s last two opponents.

“But now he’s going to face Miguel Cotto – a guy who knows how to box. So, what he has to do in the ring, and what his corner knows Miguel Cotto can do they have to figure out. He’s coming to my division coming from what... 126? And he thinks he’s going to be stronger than a guy who’s been at 147,” he asked.

During the on-field press conference, Top Rank’s Bob Arum described Pacquiao as “the guy who stopped Oscar dela Hoya and Ricky Hatton.” And Cotto later on made some clarification.

“I heard Bob Arum say that, but I’m not Oscar dela Hoya and I’m not Ricky Hatton. I’m Miguel Cotto and everybody knows what Miguel Cotto is capable of doing. I will do my best,” he said.

“It’s going to be a great, great fight. I know Miguel Cotto is bigger than me and stronger but I will do my best to give you a good fight. I respect Miguel Cotto and his team. He’s a good man, a nice man. But, don’t worry. I’ll train hard for this fight,” Pacquiao told Filipino fight fans among the audience.

“Mabuhay. Lalaban ako hanggang sa huling patak ng aking dugo (Long live. I will fight until the last drop of my blood),” Pacquiao vowed.

Roach said he has lined up Shawn Porter, Ray Serrano, Urbano Antillon and Dave Rodela as Pacquiao’s sparring partners for the fight.

Roach said he had a good talk with Pacquiao the other night, following almost two months of no communication. He said they managed to work out things all right, and that once the training starts then it’s nothing but Cotto in the mind of the reigning pound-for-pound champion.

Roach said he doesn’t have any concerns with Pacquiao setting up camp in Baguio City, the gym, inside a hotel, to be strictly guarded to ward off any form of distraction.

“Afraid of distractions? I wouldn’t go there if I were afraid of that. The only issue in the Philippines is the travel. It’s a long flight. And flying in sparring partners for 15 hours is hard. But we had a great talk last night. A hundred percent there’ll be no mayors taking him out to campaign,” he said.

“We’re campaigning for Miguel Cotto right now,” added Roach.

Source: Philstar.com

I am not De La Hoya, Cotto says

2009-09-11T23:11:00.000-07:00

BRONX, New York — Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto hardly spoke ill at each other Thursday afternoon that one would have thought they were band members about to embark on a worldwide tour when they took the dais for a press conference at the Yankee Stadium.

There was so much respect between Pacquiao, the pride and joy of the Philippines, and Cotto, the shining glory of Puerto Rico, that reporters barely had enough words to write on their notepads after the momentous affair.

Pacquiao, regarded today as boxing’s best pound-for-pound, described his 28-year-old opponent as “strong and big” and somebody not to be messed around with.

Even Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach, who had been very vocal and blunt about the 30-year-old Pacquiao when he fought Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, was tight-lipped when asked about the possibility of another devastating Pacquiao win. He instead focused on the plus points of Cotto rather than his own fighter’s attributes.

Cotto also talked along that same line although he managed to sneak in some harsh words towards the end of his conversation with reporters.

“He’s facing Miguel Cotto who knows how to move inside the ring. I am not Oscar De La Hoya or Ricky Hatton,” said Cotto.

“I am going to train the hardest I have ever had in my career (for this fight with Pacquiao),” added Cotto.

It was amusing that the only abrasive remark spoken happened when Cotto’s father Miguel Sr., was given the chance to say a few words during the formal introductions.

And talk tough Cotto Sr. did.

“Since we have started working, we urge Mr. Roach to do the same with his fighter because we don’t want any excuses (after the fight). No excuses,” who sat beside his son.

Cotto Sr. was obviously referring to the fact that Pacquiao has yet to enter training camp while his son has already been working out the last five weeks.

Actually, Pacquiao’s preparations for Cotto took a giant step early Thursday when the southpaw braved the icy winds and jogged around Central Park, just a couple of blocks away from his suite at the Lowes Regency on Park Ave.

Meanwhile, the traveling circus shifts to Puerto Rico at noontime on Saturday when Pacquiao and Caguas host a press conference at the Centro de Bellas Artes in Cotto’s hometown of Caguas.

To prepare for that event, the respective camps of Pacquiao and Cotto as well as the promotional team from Top Rank are scheduled to head to Newark Airport in neighboring New Jersey on Friday to catch the 7 pm Continental Airlines flight to San Juan.

Source: Mb.com.ph

Pacquiao, Cotto next up for '24/7' treatment

2009-09-10T20:18:00.001-07:00

There are still two episodes remaining in HBO's "Mayweather/Marquez 24/7" series, which is building up to next Saturday night's Floyd Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez pay-per-view fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, but already the network is getting started on its next batch of "24/7" episodes.

The acclaimed series (winner of seven well-deserved Sports Emmy Awards) has undergone a subtle name change for the next fight, for which it will take fans behind the scenes during the fighter training camps. This one will be "24/7 Pacquiao/Cotto," which was made official Thursday at the Yankee Stadium news conference that kicked off the press tour for the much-anticipated Miguel Cotto-Manny Pacquiao welterweight title bout Nov. 14, also at the MGM Grand.

The new four-episode series debuts Saturday, Oct. 24 (10:15 p.m. ET/PT), with the remaining episodes premiering Oct. 31 (11 p.m. ET/PT), Nov. 7 (9 p.m. ET/PT) and Nov. 13 (9:30 p.m. ET/PT). Once again, the final episode will air the night before the fight, which will allow HBO to cover what figures to be a festive weigh-in Friday afternoon.

"The '24/7' franchise provides an engaging and accurate look into the lives of boxers as they toil and sacrifice to get ready for a huge showdown in the ring," said Ross Greenburg, president of HBO Sports. "Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto are dynamic individuals in and out of the ring, and our cameras will be there to capture all the drama prior to their fall face-off."

Pacquiao has been featured on the show before in the lead-up to his big bouts against Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton. Cotto, however, will be on the show for the first time.

One request, however, to HBO: Please, no more shots of a fighter drinking his own urine, as we saw last week with Marquez.

Source: Espn.com

Photos: Pacquiao vs Cotto, Yankee Stadium Mega Gallery

2009-09-10T19:46:00.000-07:00

-=CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL GALLERY=-
Source: Boxingscene.com

Cotto declares Pacquiao’s style not his business

2009-09-10T19:45:00.001-07:00

NEW YORK — Miguel Cotto doesn’t give much attention to what Manny Pacquiao is up to, and that includes not being concerned by the fact that until now the Filipino hasn’t broken a sweat to train for their November 14 fight in Las Vegas.

“He knows what to do to get in shape for this fight,” Cotto told Filipino scribes in passable English at the lobby of the Le Parker Meridien on Wednesday afternoon after a four-hour flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

“I told you it’s not a matter for me but a matter for him if he don’t train (early),” said Cotto, who sounded as though he felt slighted by the fact that Pacquiao continues to spend more time attending to shooting film and commercials.

“I am just training for my own benefit and what’s best for my career,” said the 28-year-old Cotto, who emerged from a full-sized black SUV looking unruffled and fit in a long-sleeved light-colored shirt, slim-fit jeans, and black leather shoes.

Cotto was very accommodating to the Filipino reporters, telling them that while it’s been widely reported that he’s neck-deep in training, it wasn’t really so.

“I haven’t really been training the whole week, but just training lightly. Yeah, I sparred but only a few times. Hard work will start when I go to my training camp in Tampa (in Florida). I just wanted to be prepared for the tough training weeks that lie ahead.”

Cotto, who barely scraped past Joshua Clottey of Ghana last June, said he currently weighs “between 159 and 161 lbs” and is not even worried that he won’t be able to drop down to the agreed catch weight of 145 lbs without sacrificing strength.

Joining Cotto in the tour are his lawyer Gabriel Penagaricano, aide Bryan Perez, and conditioning coach Phil Landman.

This afternoon at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, Pacquiao and Cotto engage in a staredown and assess their respective chances to the delight of fight fans followed by a series of photo shoots and interviews.

After the Big Apple, Pacquiao and Cotto will fly to Puerto Rico for another event at the Centro de Bellas Artes in Cotto’s hometown of Caguas. Then the tour makes a stop in San Francisco, Los Angeles and finally to San Diego.

Source: Mb.com.ph

Pacquiao admits he’s far from fighting form

2009-09-10T19:37:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK — On the way to the gate at Hong Kong airport for the connecting flight to JFK International on Wednesday, Manny Pacquiao made a startling admission as he prepares for a five-city press tour for the November 14 fight with Miguel Cotto that kicks off at noontime Thursday at Yankee Stadium.

“Kung ngayon kami maglalaban ni Cotto, talo tayo (If Cotto and me fight today, I’d lose),” said Pacquiao in-between stopping for pictures with giggling Filipino passengers.

Of course, it’s been common knowledge that while he has yet to begin training camp, Cotto has been training in Puerto Rico the past month.

“Medyo nasa kundisyon na ang kalaban pero tayo papasok pa lang (My opponent is already feeling good in training while I haven’t started mine),” said Pacquiao, who is being joined in the tour of New York, Puerto Rico, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego.

As Cotto was sweating it out under the watchful eyes of trainer Joe Santiago and conditioning coach Phil Landman, Pacquiao was spending countless nights in front of the camera, fulfilling all his showbiz commitments so that when he enters training camp as soon as he gets back to the Philippines, there’ll be no more distractions.

Still, Pacquiao remains upbeat that eight weeks of punishment in Baguio will be more than enough to propel him past another marquee name in the sport.

“Partida ko na sa kanya na hindi pa ako nag-eensayo (I am giving him a big plus by not training early),” added Pacquiao.

Pacquiao is billeted at the Loews Regency Hotel on Park Ave., while Cotto is staying at the Le Parker Meridien on Ave. of the Americas and 57th Street.

To make it a memorable stay, Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum went to the extent of getting his flagship fighter a suite that has a piano.

Before leaving for Puerto Rico for a press conference there on Saturday, Pacquiao will drop by the New York Times office on Friday for a round-table discussion also featuring Arum and trainer Freddie Roach.

Times staffer Greg Bishop is doing a story on Pacquiao, according to publicist Lee Samuels, who has also received requests for interviews from Time magazine, Wall Street Journal and other outfits.

Source: Mb.com.ph

Pacquiao vs Cotto: Manny Begins The Hectic Tour

2009-09-10T07:43:00.000-07:00

Filipino boxing hero and the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter Manny Pacquiao is set to begin a hectic schedule on a promotional tour for his “Fire Power” showdown against WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on November 14.

Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz said the champion had "a good rest on the flight from Manila to New York" after wrapping up his commitments in the Philippines which included shooting a movie, TV shows, commercial endorsements and other activities.

Pacquiao gave way to his musical inclinations when he began playing the grand piano in his New York hotel suite shortly after being checked in.

Pacquiao is in New York along with Cotto, the pride of Puerto Rico, to kick-off their cross country, five city tour with a huge press conference at the spanking new, state-of-the art Yankee Stadium on Friday, Manila Time.

The two fighters will fly to Cotto’s hometown in Puerto Rico for a big media event on the 12th after which they will leave for San Francisco where there will be another big media affair at the Giants stadium before they return to Los Angeles for a 4:00 p.m. gathering at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Monday.

They will wind up the promotional tour in San Diego before getting into the serious business of preparing for their eagerly-anticipated title fight with Pacquiao returning to the Philippines to train in the summer capital of Baguio City along with trainer Freddie Roach. Pacquiao told us he planned to train f or one month in the refreshing Baguio environment at an altitude of over 5,000 feet before winding up his preparation at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles and tapering off in Las Vegas.

An added attraction which according to Top Rank promoter Bob Arum drove the fighters "crazy" was the newly-minted “WBC Diamond Belt” which will be at stake in the clash of what WBC president Don Jose Sulaiman described as “elite fighters.”

Pacquiao was elated when he received his Diamond Belt jacket in his hotel suite and indicated there is added motivation for him to win his record-setting 7th world title in the clash with Cotto.

Despite some concern over Pacquiao’s numerous commitments in the Philippines which some experts feel may tell on his shortened training stint, both Pacquiao and his conditioning excpert Alex Ariza are confident that an eight week schedule was perfect, as anything longer would result in Pacquiao being burned out or over-trained.

Not known to many, Pacquiao actually trained secretly during breaks in his rigorous schedule by jogging and playing basketball. At a luncheon hosted by Solar Sports for Pacquiao and IBF light flyweight champion Brian Viloria, prior to their departure, Pacquiao looked trim and fit and indicated he was around 150 pounds or some five pounds over the catch-weight of 145 pounds for the Cotto fight.

Viloria was also scheduled to leave for Los Angeles on Thursday along with his girlfriend Erica Navarro.

Source: Boxingscene.com

Pacquiao vs Cotto 24/7 Sneak Peek

2009-09-10T00:19:00.000-07:00

Manny at the Piano

2009-09-10T00:17:00.001-07:00

Pacquiao vs Cotto Official Press Tour Teaser

2009-09-10T00:12:00.000-07:00

Pacquiao's Camp: Fernandez Approves Baguio City

2009-09-07T08:46:00.000-07:00

Trainer Buboy Fernandez has inspected the location in Baguio City, Philippines for the upcoming training camp of Manny Pacquiao. The pound-for-pound king plans to use Baguio City to train for the fight with WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto on November 14 in Las Vegas. Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach will be forced to join the camp in the Philippines. He urged Pacquiao to use a facility in Toluca, Mexico. Roach feared the possibility of media and fan distractions if they held the training camp in the Philippines.

Fernandez said the facilities available up there are perfect for Pacquiao. He says Roach will have nothing to worry about because security will be extra tight to prevent reporters and fans from distracting Pacquiao during camp. Pacquiao plans to spend five to six weeks in the Philippines before he head out to the Wild Card gym in Los Angeles to finish up.

“I have inspected the gym and discovered a perfect running area that Manny will use once he begins training here soon,” said Fernandez to The Manila Bulletin. "I think coach Freddie will like it once he sees what Baguio has to offer. Coach Freddie need not worry about distractions and I can assure him that we’ll be focused during training.”

Source: Boxingscene.com

Pacquiao to start promo tour for bout

2009-09-06T09:19:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines - Late nights will soon be over for Manny Pacquiao.

The world’s best boxer today is set to embark on a whirlwind press tour of five key cities to mark the start of his preparations for the Nov. 14 clash with WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto.

He leaves for New York on Wednesday to be at the Yankees Stadium at noon of Sept. 10 for the launch of the press tour that would take him and Cotto to Caguas, Puerto Rico on Sept. 12, the AT&T Park in San Francisco for the Giants-Dodgers match on Sept. 13, the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles on Sept. 14 and the PETCO Park in San Diego (Pacquiao only) for the Padres-Diamondbacks match on Sept. 15.

After a day or two, Pacquiao heads back to the Philippines, hopefully with his chief trainer, Freddie Roach, on hand, for the start of his training in Baguio City. According to plans, Pacquiao will train in the country’s summer capital, and would move to the Wild Card Gym in LA three weeks before the showdown.

Once training starts, it means no more late nights, parties, and shooting of movies and commercials for the 30-year-old icon who said the other day that while he was very busy the last couple of months he made sure he knew his limitations.

“There are some late nights because I worked on my showbiz career. But I made sure I get enough rest. I know my body. Sinigurado ko naman na sapat din ang pahinga ko kahit na medyo napupuyat,” said Pacquiao, who vowed to give it all once training starts.

While his tireless Canadian adviser, Mike Koncz, worked for possible training sites in Mexico or Vancouver, Pacquiao chose Baguio City, and has asked Roach to come over as soon as the press tour is done and over with.

Pacquiao the other day cleared the air on the rumored rift between him and Roach regarding the training, and on some things being written about Koncz.

“Things are being said and written about Mike Koncz but to set it straight he’s just doing his job. I like him because he gets the job done. And contrary to what’s being said, it’s not him calling the shots. I do. He only does what I tell him to do. Masipag siya (He’s hardworking),” said Pacquiao of Koncz.

Pacquiao’s Filipino trainer, Buboy Fernandez, is now up in Baguio for an ocular inspection of the possible training camp inside Teachers’ Village. The route that will cover Pacquiao’s roadwork, both flat and mountainous courses, is being laid out by Fernandez.

He said eight weeks should be enough to get him in tip-top fighting form and everybody who knows the pride of Saranggani Province in Mindanao could attest to the fact that when he trains he trains like no other.

Tax laws have prevented Pacquiao from staying in the US for the duration of his eight-week training as aliens like him are only given so much time to stay there. He is close to his limit (180 days in three years), and if he goes beyond that he will be heavily taxed.

Source: Philstar.com

Pacquiao is surely inspired by Sonsona's victory

2009-09-05T00:14:00.000-07:00

The Philippines is again blessed with another upcoming boxing superstar in Marvin Sonsona, the newly crowned WBO Super Flyweight Champion. Sonsona just dethroned Jose "Carita" Lopez of Puerto Rico. But I will not talk about that fight, rather, tell you that this fight is surely an inspiration to Manny Pacquiao in his upcoming mega fight with Miguel Cotto also of Puerto Rico.

The rivalry between the Philippines and Puerto Rico in boxing has been a favorite subject in some news articles I have read recently. Sonsona's fight with Lopez is the first installment to a three scheduled fights within this year pitting boxers from the Philippines and Puerto Rico. Next in line is next week's rematch between Philippines' Rodel Mayol against WBO junior flyweight champion Ivan Calderon of Puerto Rico. And finally, the most anticipated fight of the year, top pound for pound Pacquiao moves up again in weight to challenge Cotto's WBO welterweight belt.

In this three fights, all are championship bouts with all the Filipino fighters trying to snatch the Boricuas' belts. Philippines now leads 1-0 as Sonsona defeated Lopez for the WBO Super Flyweight belt.

Pacquiao is surely inspired by Sonsona's victory as he wants to win the most important fight of the Philippines/Puerto Rico rivalry series. Being the challenger at 19 years old, Sonsona proved the world that he can handle pressure from a great boxer in Lopez, whose 16 fight-win streak has been broken. Pacquiao will also prove the world that he can handle Cotto's pressure despite the latter's size and strength advantages.

Miguel Cotto – Adjustments, Set & Go!

2009-09-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows even a little about boxing or has followed Miguel Cotto’s career will tell you that one of his strongest qualities as a fighter is his ability to adjust in the fight given what his opponent might bring that night. That is what earned him hard fought victories again the likes of Joshua Clottey, Shane Mosely, and Zab Judah. While many have questioned his events outside the ring, he is no different in that department.

The reports of Miguel starting his training camp early and how impressed his conditioning coach Phil Landman has been, are well know by boxing enthusiasts. What hasn’t been discussed is the non-obvious reasons as to why.

The obvious? This is Cotto’s biggest fight of his career. A fight that will solidify his stake on the mythical P4P list, but more importantly will determine his legacy. With that said, that should be enough to motivate Cotto and Pacquiao as well, to prepare more intensely than any other time in their careers. Ah, but with Cotto there is always something more. If you look at Cotto’s interviews since his lost to Margarito, and put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Cotto knows what a win over Pacquiao means. It means a potential showdown with Mayweather, a fighter that Cotto is confident he can defeat, and more significantly a rematch with Margarito and the opportunity to redeem himself. Then? A ride into the sunset, retiring young, healthy, and on top of the game. Sound ambitious? Sure it does. Is it possible? For Cotto, absolutely! Cotto is as determined a fighter as I have seen in recent years. His dedication is far above his love for the sport. He dedicates himself to achieving success.

Last week Cotto made yet another adjustment. One that should be concerning to Pacman and his corner. He moved his training in Puerto Rico to a gym that provides 20’ X 20’, and 24’ X 24’ rings. The ring they will fight in on November, will indeed be a 20’ X 20’ ring. Miguel Cotto is preparing himself to chase Pacquiao around the ring if needed.

He understands that in order for him to win the fight in Las Vegas, he will have to put a beating on Pacquiao. And he has all the intentions in the world to do just that. If Pacquiao stands in front of Cotto and exchanges power punches, Cotto feels that he will land the one that will end the night. If Pacquiao runs around the ring, Cotto will find him. Another adjustment made by Miguel Cotto with serious intentions.

On November 14, the fastest, most dangerous fighter he has ever faced will step up and give Cotto plenty of work. Many say that Pacquiao’s speed will be the difference in this fight. And that is a very valid point and could be true. However, I would not put my money on that. Cotto’s ability to adjust and find a weakness in his opponent will be the difference in my opinion.

Whether he uses his timing, boxing ability, or his raw strength, he will have done what he wanted to do all along. That is adjust, set up the showdown with Mayweather and Margarito, and go on to retire and never look back. If that is the way Cotto goes out, then here’s to one of the greatest fighters to lace ‘em up in many years. In about 10 weeks we will begin to answer some of these questions.

Will Cotto take the next step to the top, or will he have to adjust again? Either way, as fans we will witness the best fight of the year on November 14. If ever I’ve been so sure about a fight living up to its potential, it is this one. And like Cotto, we too will have to make an adjustment; which fight party to attend on November 14.

Source: Boxingnews24.com

Miguel Cotto's Work Out Videos

2009-09-02T23:56:00.000-07:00

Source: Youtube.com

Who can stop Pacquiao's movements?

2009-09-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

Since his fight with the then WBC lightweight champ David Diaz, Manny Pacquiao has been remarkable with his footwork, hand speed and in and out movements against bigger opponents. He has made Diaz look old and slow with his footwork and hand speed. He frustrated Oscar dela Hoya with his in and out movements and sharpshooting abilities. He was able to avoid Ricky Hatton's pressure by throwing fast combinations right before Hatton can impose his strength and size advantages. These vast improvements from Manny has solidified his top pound for pound status and has brought him to the list of the all time greats.

According to Bob Arum, Pacquiao's promoter since 2007, Manny is on top of the sport but he does not stop learning with the guidance of Freddie Roach. "He keeps getting better and better and that's what Champions should be" Arum told in previous interviews. If we see yet another better Manny Pacquiao, what can Cotto do to stop him? How can he stop Manny's movements?

This will be a tough job to do but I believe only a fighter who is as fast and has the same footwork as Manny, could contain if not stop the Pacman's movements. Cotto has hand speed and footwork too. He has proven that he can frustrate a fighter with hand speed and footwork when he beat Sugar Shane Mosley. However, he barely won that fight. Also, Mosley is not as fast as Manny and does not have the in and out movements. Cotto was not able to avoid Antonio Margarito's pressure. And just recently, he struggled with Joshua Clottey who most of the fight just stood infront of Cotto. Again, he barely won that fight. If Cotto does not come up with the right game plan to stop Manny's movements, he might end up like Pacquiao's previous opponents.

Who can stop Pacquiao's movements? This could be a good debate within the sport as Manny is now the face of boxing as its pound for pound best. For sure, many would want to have a try. But who among them has the best chance. Who has the same hand speed and foot work that could probably match Manny's movements and give the Pacman a hell of a fight? So far, the best candidate would be Floyd Mayweather. But until we see him beat Pacquiao, we can say Pacquiao is unstoppable.

Ring Size Does Matter

2009-08-31T20:50:00.000-07:00

There has been a confusion lately brought about by the statements made by Miguel Cotto's chief trainer Joe Santiago claiming that Manny Pacquiao's people has requested for a 20-foot ring. He also told Pimera Hora that Pacquiao made such request to use it to their advantage saying Pacquiao needs to use a large ring to give him more space for his in and out movements. Santiago through believes their game plan can frustrate Manny's in and out movements and is confident that Cotto will be prepared for this.

On the contrary, Top Rank chief Bob Arum has denied such claim saying nobody from the Pacquiao camp has requested a larger ring. He told boxingscene that neither camp has made such request and even if Pacquiao did, he won't be able to get his request as there is a rule in the Nevada State Athletic Commission stating that every boxing match should be fought inside a 20-foot ring. An exception can be made by the NSAC Commissioner Keith Kizer but Pacquiao would not probably get it should he make a request.

Regardless if this is true or not, what does a larger ring mean to Pacquiao and Cotto? Knowing how Pacquiao outboxed and outworked Oscar dela Hoya when he moved in and out, jumped in with combinations and jumped right out before dela Hoya can throw a punch, Pacquiao will definitely benefit from a larger ring. Although Cotto is not as fast as Manny, he can move better than Dela Hoya. This might give Manny some problems. However, I do not see any problems with Manny using the 20-ft ring compared to a 24-ft ring. He was able to use it against Oscar, Hatton and everybody else. Cotto may be able to catch him at some point but Manny's footwork will be too much. The ring size will be just enough to play out whatever battle plan Pacquiao and Freddie Roach has to beat Cotto.

Cotto has the advantage if the fight is made inside a smaller ring or if Manny decides to stand in front of Cotto and trade punches. He can pressure Manny with his strength and size advantage. But Manny will not allow this, so expect him to move in and out, jump in and out, use the ring very well and dictate the tempo. Cotto will need some chasing to do in order to capitlalize on his advantages. But with Manny, that is one tough job to accomplish.

If Miguel Cotto's shot, Manny Pacquiao will let us know

2009-08-31T20:45:00.000-07:00

For all the talk we've done here about the November 14 encounter between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto, I've done my absolute best to stay way away from the "Miguel Cotto is a changed fighter" talk, and certainly haven't touched the "Miguel Cotto is shot" talk. The former may be true in some respects, and I personally feel that the latter is foolish. I've said repeatedly that those underestimating Cotto are way too quick to count out the Puerto Rican warrior, who won a good, hard and close fight against Joshua Clottey in June.

But I will say this, as I've certainly been wrong before and undoubtedly will be again: If Miguel Cotto is a reeling fighter, then Manny Pacquiao is exactly the guy to cement that idea.

After all, Pacquiao has a pretty strong record of putting the finishing touches, so to speak, on great careers. No less than four superstar fighters have essentially been put out to pasture by the Filipino icon this decade.

The first of the four was Mexico's Erik Morales, Pacquiao's second-greatest rival and one of the most gutsy, courageous fighters of his generation. When we say someone "fights like a Mexican," Morales is exactly the type of guy who employed the style we're talking about. He had boxing skills, but he was easily drawn into firefights. In their first bout back in 2005, Morales beat Pacquiao (115-113 across the board) with a phenomenal performance. It was also the last "real" Erik Morales performance we'd ever see.

In his next fight, Morales was stunned by Zahir Raheem, losing a 12-round decision, and then he rematched Pacquiao. This time, it was the younger, stronger Pacquiao that really gut-checked Morales, eventually stopping him in the 10th round. It was a hell of a fight, just as their first bout had been, but it was clear who the better man was, too. They fought once more in November 2006, with Pacquiao completely dominating and overwhelming Morales, winning by third round TKO.

The second man was Morales' greatest rival, Marco Antonio Barrera. Pacquiao fought Barrera in 2003, coming in as a pretty heavy underdog for most, a fairly one-dimensional slugger with good speed and an awkward southpaw style. He was a one-handed fighter at the time. And that night, he tore Barrera to pieces before the Mexican's corner mercifully stopped the bout in the 11th round.

Morales fought once more, moving up to lightweight and losing a competitive scrap to David Diaz. He now intends to come back, but his relevant career is almost certainly finished.

In 2007, Pacquiao and Barrera fought again, and this time Barrera was the heavy underdog. He was coming off of a loss to Juan Manuel Marquez, a fight that was far closer than it was scored, but Pacquiao-Barrera II just never sizzled. It failed to truly captivate the interest of the fans, as the obvious true desire was for Pacquiao-Marquez II. Barrera also announced prior to the fight that it would be his last, and come fight night, he fought like a man simply there to earn one more good paycheck and not get himself embarrassed or knocked out. He lost a wide decision, fighting tentatively until swiping Pacquiao with a blatant cheap shot late in the fight.

Barrera, of course, also came back from retirement, making an ill-advised move to 135 pounds. It has not gone well, and his career, too, is now simply active instead of relevant.

Source: BadLeftHook.com

On Pacquiao, Cotto Preparations

2009-08-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

Manny Pacquiao is still filming movies while Miguel Cotto is working out in the gym with his conditioning coach exactly two and a half months before they face each other in a mega boxing event of the year billed "Firepower" on November 14, 2009 at MGM Grand in Las vegas. Does this give Cotto an edge for being in the gym earlier than Manny? Cotto is in the gym to get in good shape and be ready for a long grind of training. Manny on the other hand, always keeps himself fit by playing basketball, being active in his other careers and sometimes working out in the gym. I'd say the two fighters are yet into real hard training.

On September 10th, the press tour which will promote the mega fight will start in the Yankee Stadium in New York with stops in Puerto Rico, San Francisco, Los angeles and Beverly Hills in California. The fighters are then expected to start hard training after the tour. Cotto will shift training camp to Florida as earlier reported while Pacquiao's camp has yet to decide where to set up its training camp. Pacquiao was advised to train outside the US owing to an IRS provision called the Substantial Presence Test which mandates non-resident aliens like Pacquiao to limit their number of stay in a three-year period. Pacquiao was discovered to have exceeded the number of days allowed. He may be taxed heavily if he decides to train for eight weeks in the US soil.

Miguel Cotto is working with new trainer Joe Santiago. Although Santiago is not new to Cotto, this will only be the second fight they will be working together with Joe as head trainer. Joe will be calling the shots, so there will be somewhat a familiarity issue. They will be against a tandem of almost a decade in Freddie Roach and Pacquiao.

As the fight draws near, the preparations and training will heat up. We will get a glimpse of it through the HBO 24/7 which is expected to premier a month before the fight.

Firepower Heats Up

2009-08-28T20:03:00.000-07:00

The upcoming fight between Manny Paquiao and Miguel Cotto, that has brought a rivalry between the Philippines and Puerto Rico is heating up as both fighters agree that it would be a tough war. Cotto said in an interview that it is going to be a "war" contrary to what others are saying that Pacquiao will be too much for him. Pacquiao on the other hand admits that this will be his toughest fight so far in his boxing career as he will face a natural welterweight at his prime.

Prior to the fight, we have heard of so many things from both camps that are adding hype to this fight. What excites boxing fans, critics and writers is the fact that these two great fighters represent two countries. Both have huge followings in their mother countries. There is no Filipno who doesn't know Manny Pacquiao. Miguel Cotto is a celebrity in Puerto Rico and he can bring in 20,000 boxing fans whenever he fights in New York.

This fight will not only be a battle between two great warriors but a rivalry between Philippines and Puerto Rico. As the fight draws near, expect more heat and hype that will not only fire up both Pacquiao and Cotto but also the boxing world bannered by two countries from opposite sides of the world.

What makes Pacquiao/Cotto the fight of the year?

2009-08-27T20:41:00.000-07:00

The upcoming fight between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto on November 14 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas is considered by many as the most important and anticipated fight of the year. Despite the comeback fight of former best pound for pound fighter Floyd Mayweather against Juan Manuel Marquez, The Pacquiao/Cotto matchup is what excites most boxing fans, writers and critics. This has the potential to be the fight of the year.

Pacquiao is coming off a demolition job of Britain's Ricky Hatton. Only needing two rounds, Pacquiao proved the boxing world that his win over Oscar dela Hoya is not a fluke in terms of beating a naturally bigger guy by knocking down Hatton in the first round and finally knocking him out cold in the second. We all know Manny was far superior than David Diaz when he first moved up from Super Featherweight to Lightweight. But the way he dominated Diaz solidified Pacquiao's Ring Magazine's ranking as top pound for pound fighter after Mayweather announced his temporary retirement. He then moved up two weight classes (from lightweight to welterweight) to face the now retired Golden Boy of boxing, Oscar dela Hoya. Most experts thought the fight was a circus. How could a guy who used to fight at 106 lbs, face a guy who fought as high as 158 lbs? This question was answered by Manny in 8 rounds, making dela Hoya quit from his stool. Despite Manny's win against Oscar, many still doubt if he can really take on a bigger guy since they believe Oscar was a dead man walking when he fought Manny. Manny faced another bigger guy in Hatton and destroyed him in two rounds. Did the doubtfuls finally give Manny credit for that? No. They are now saying Hatton is overrated and has poor defense. I do think that Manny does not need to prove himself to these people but because of his warrior thinking, he is again pitted to a naturally bigger and stronger guy in Miguel Cotto. I wonder what these doubtfuls would say should Manny beat Cotto convincingly.

On the otherhand, Miguel Cotto has his part in making the Pacquiao/Cotto fight something to watch out for. He was once the most feared welterweight until he suffered a bad beating at the hands of Antonio Margarito. Margarito is suspended in the US for attempting to use illegal wraps in his fight with Sugar Shane Mosley early this year. Many thinks Margarito used this dirty tactic to beat Cotto. That is something we can not take away from people's minds. Maybe a rematch would settle the issue. But the issue right now is whether Cotto was greatly affected by that loss. According to experts, Cotto has lost his usual form, and became too cautious during fights which make his last two victories disappointing. In his last fight, he barely won against Joshua Clottey. Some believe it could have gone either way. But Cotto fought for 9 rounds with a deep cut to his left eyebrow. Also, Clottey is a great champion who has fought and beaten quality opponents so Cotto should be given credit for that.

On November 14th, these two fighters (Pacquiao and Cotto) will meet in the ring not to prove the critics their worth. These are two great warriors who are fighting for their countrymen and for their pride. Manny is not fighting Cotto because of financial problems and definitely Cotto is not fighting Manny because he can not get a rematch with Margarito. I hope you get what I meant.

Is Cotto underestimating Pacquiao?

2009-08-27T06:28:00.000-07:00

Miguel Cotto is not known for being very vocal before a fight. However, he has been very outspoken lately about his fight with Manny Pacquiao on November 14, 2009 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. In previous interviews, he has expressed his confidence that he will beat the best pound for pound fighter. He believes that on November 14th, Puerto Rico will celebrate another victory.

Cotto is the bigger and stronger fighter but Manny is on top of his game having proven that he can beat bigger guys. Experts and critics believe this will be an exciting fight although some think Pacquiao will be too much for Cotto while some predict Cotto will use his size and strength and beat Pacquiao. But what does Cotto think about this fight? Is he underestimating Pacquiao?

In a recent interview with Manila Bulletin, Cotto showed confidence that he can beat Pacquiao and that he is not impressed with his recent victories.

"Pacquiao lost to Erik Morales in their first fight, had a draw against Juan Manuel Marquez and then a razor thin victory in the rematch. Pacquiao faced a very tired and aged Oscar De La Hoya, then Ricky Hatton, an overrated fighter. Against me the story will be different. It will be a war," said Cotto.

"His weaknesses are obvious to me. Hard training as always has been the key to my victories," Cotto added.

Cotto might only be conditioning his mind that Pacquiao is beatable which will motivate him to train harder. If he is underestimating the little fella from the Philippines, he may end up like De La Hoya and Hatton.

Can Pacquiao send Cotto to retirement?

2009-08-27T02:05:00.000-07:00

Many experts believe Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico will be the toughest test for Manny Pacquiao in his incredible boxing career. Proven that not only he can beat naturally bigger guys, but he can also send them to retirement. We all know Oscar dela Hoya has announced his retirement a couple of months after he was demolished by Pacquiao. Ricky Hatton, after being destroyed by Manny in just two rounds, has been thinking of hanging up his gloves and focusing on promoting. Can Pacquiao do the same to Cotto?

While many boxing writers, fans and experts think Manny will be too much, Cotto is not leaving boxing win or lose. He just signed a new contract with Top Rank for another two years. That means he will still have five to six fights with Bob Arum. Although he has expressed his plan of not staying in the boxing ring for long, Cotto will definitely be a big impact to boxing in the coming years.

Should Cotto lose to Pacquiao, I don't think that is a reason to hang up gloves. He is still young and is competitive. Losing to the best fighter in the world would mean less than losing to a regular fighter. He can still bounce back, possibly a match against Andre Berto, another big test against former pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather, a rematch with Sugar Shane Mosley to put away doubts that he really won their fight or avenge his lone defeat to Antonio Margarito.

Should Cotto upset Manny, he will definitely be a hot target by many great fighters. Beating a guy who defeated Manny Pacquiao is something.

We will find out on November 14th where Cotto's career is headed.

Pacquiao not invincible – Cotto

2009-08-26T19:17:00.000-07:00

In the eyes of Miguel Cotto, Manny Pacquiao is not Superman but just like Clark Kent.

“His weaknesses are obvious to me,” Cotto told the Bulletin in an interview that was made possible by his adviser, topnotch lawyer Gabriel Penagaricano.

While Cotto acknowledges that the Filipino pound-for-pound king “is a good fighter,” it doesn’t follow that Pacquiao is invincible.

“(Pacquiao) lost to (Erik) Morales in their first fight, had a draw against (Juan Manuel) Marquez and then a razor-thin victory in the rematch. Pacquiao faced a very tired and aged (Oscar) De La Hoya. Then Ricky Hatton, an overrated fighter,” said Cotto, who is in the thick of training in Puerto Rico for the much-awaited November 14 duel at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“Against me, the story will be different. It will be a war,” vowed the 28-year-old Cotto, who is a 2-1 underdog according to odds makers.

Cotto is currently in the fourth week of training under taskmaster Joe Santiago and the arrival of South African conditioning coach Phil Landman from Los Angeles will push Cotto even further in his daily workouts that will kick off with a 5 a.m. roadwork and followed by a 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. gym session.

Landman was amazed with the condition of Cotto when he first reported for work on Monday, stressing that the fighter had followed the advice he gave him following the June 13 victory over Joshua Clottey.

Cotto will continue to train in Puerto Rico in the coming weeks and will try to keep in shape even while on a four-city press tour with Pacquiao beginning September 10 in New York. Other stops of the Top Rank traveling circus would be Caguas in Puerto Rico, San Francisco, and finally, Los Angeles.

Cotto will transfer his training camp to Tampa, Florida on September 19.

Told about the key to victory against Pacquiao, Cotto was direct to the point.

“Hard training as always has been the key to my victories.”

His message to Pacquiao as well as his supporters all over the world was loud and clear.

“I will only say that in November 14th I will step into the ring as always in excellent condition, and will win the fight for the glory of Puerto Rico,” said Cotto.

Source: Mb.com.ph

Does Cotto have enough time for cut to heal?

2009-08-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Miguel Cotto sustained a deep cut to his left eyebrow in his last fight with tough former champion Joshua Clottey more than 2 months ago. However, some experts suspect Cotto may not have enough time for his cut to completely heal prior to his mega fight with pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao. Arthur Mercante Jr., a well known boxing referee who worked the Cotto/Clottey fight is one of those who think Cotto has taken a fight with Manny too early after suffering such cut.

"Cotto is a tough kid but I think he is taking this fight too soon after the bad cut suffered from the Clottey fight. That fight was mid July and I just don’t know if Cotto’s cut has had time to heal. Pacquiao is very fast and accurate with his punches I just believe that Cotto has not had enough time to heal from the Clottely fight" Mercante told David Tyler of DogHouseBoxing.com.

Facing Manny Pacquiao who is a very effective puncher and a sharpshooter, just a few months after sustaining a deep cut, may pose problems for Cotto during the fight since there is a tendency such cut might reopen. If Cotto's defense allow Manny to effectively hit Cotto's face with regularity, we might see a TKO by Manny. But, if Cotto shows an improved defense and boxing skills, he may give Manny one hell of a fight.

Latest Ring Ratings - Pound for Pound

2009-08-25T18:52:00.000-07:00

Majority of the boxing fans, writers and critics believe the Ring Magazine Rankings/Ratings is the most credible source of boxers' rankings or ratings pound for pound and per weight division.

The pound for pound rankings show interesting signs for boxing as two scheduled mega fights this year involve the current pound for pound no.1, no. 2, no, 8 and a former no. 1

Floyd Mayweather who was the top pound for pound more than one year ago is scheduled to fight current no. 2 Juan Manuel Marquez on September 19, 2009. Interestingly, these two fighters are meeting at a catchweight as Mayweather is a welterweight whereas Marquez has last fought as a lightweight. But, their being top pound for pound contenders makes it an exciting match and something to watch out for.

Current top pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao will go against no. 8 Miguel Cotto on November 14, 2009. Considered by many as the most anticipated fight of the year, Manny Pacquiao is looking to get his 7th world title in as many divisions. Cotto is a natural welterweight while Manny's heaviest was 142 lbs when he fought Oscar dela Hoya in a welterweight match last December 2008. Proven that he can beat bigger guys, Pacquiao is the favorite to win despite the size advantage Cotto has.

Pound For Pound

All Weights

1. Manny Pacquiao

Country: Philippines

Record: 49-3-2 (37 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #1 | Last Week: #1 | Weeks On List: 299

Titles: The Ring
2. Juan Manuel Marquez

Country: Mexico

Record: 50-4-1 (37 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #2 | Last Week: #2 | Weeks On List: 128

Titles: WBA, WBO, The Ring
3. Bernard Hopkins

Country: USA (Philadelphia, Pa.)

Record: 49-5-1 (32 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #3 | Last Week: #3 | Weeks On List: 168
4. Shane Mosley

Country: USA (Las Vegas, Nevada)

Record: 46-5-0 (39 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #4 | Last Week: #4 | Weeks On List: 1

Titles: WBA
5. Israel Vazquez

Country: Mexico

Record: 43-4-0 (31 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #5 | Last Week: #5 | Weeks On List: 108
6. Rafael Marquez

Country: Mexico

Record: 38-5-0 (34 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #6 | Last Week: #6 | Weeks On List: 66
7. Nonito Donaire

Country: USA (San Leandro, Calif.)

Record: 22-1-0 (14 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #7 | Last Week: #7 | Weeks On List: 17

Titles: IBF
8. Miguel Cotto

Country: Puerto Rico

Record: 34-1-0 (27 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #8 | Last Week: #8 | Weeks On List: 17

Titles: WBO
9. Celestino Caballero

Country: Panama

Record: 32-2-0 (22 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #9 | Last Week: #9 | Weeks On List: 31

Titles: IBF, WBA
10. Paul Williams

Country: USA (Augusta, Ga.)

Record: 37-1-0 (27 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #10 | Last Week: #10 | Weeks On List: 7

Ratings Source: Ring Magazine

Floyd Mayweathr Sr on Pacquiao vs Cotto

2009-08-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

"I think Pacquiao is too much for Cotto right now but my thing is if Cotto can hit hard to the body and to the head, he can knock Pacquiao out."

Some people find it odd that Cotto is being considered by some boxing experts damaged goods. Mayweather Sr, is one of those people who believe Manny Pacquiao is too much for Cotto. Although, he mentioned that if Cotto can hit Pacquiao, he can knock him out.

FLoyd, Sr.knows Manny very well after he had studied the Pacman during his preparations and trainings with Ricky Hatton. Unfortunately, he couldn't find an answer to the Pacquiao puzzle.

To read more about Mayweather's interview, click here.

Revisiting Hatton-Pacquiao: What can Cotto do?

2009-08-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

It's been nearly four months now since Manny Pacquiao ended what was then going to be the biggest fight of 2009 in less than six minutes of action. And no matter how many times I watch the video of the fight, I never cease to be amazed by how easy Manny made it look.

That night, the Filipino living legend not only outquicked and outboxed Manchester's favorite son, but he did so in a brutal fashion that left no questions whatsoever. Five months earlier, Pacquiao had stunned the boxing world by beating Oscar de la Hoya so thoroughly that "The Golden Boy" quit on his stool after eight rounds of action, so hopelessly out of the contest that there was no need to go on.

Oscar couldn't touch Pacquiao that night. Hatton never really got a chance to even try.

Oscar de la Hoya retired after what Manny Pacquiao did to him. It remains to be seen whether or not Ricky Hatton will fight again.

What we do know, though, is that both were fights that Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, quickly agreed to. In fact, the win over Oscar was barely in the books before talk of Pacquiao and Hatton on May 2, 2009 began. After some rough patches in the negotiation process, that fight came off, and now it's history.

Freddie took the Oscar fight when people said it was crazy because he saw that Oscar de la Hoya couldn't pull the trigger anymore, and I think he also knew from training Oscar that there was no way that de la Hoya was going to comfortably make 147 pounds.

Freddie took the fight with Hatton because he saw a vulnerable, limited fighter -- a very good fighter, good at what he does, yes, but so tailor made for Pacquiao that Roach knew Hatton had no chance to beat his guy.

But what about Miguel Cotto? Roach has backed off from the idea of fighting a pre-disgraced Antonio Margarito, because he plainly said, "Margarito is too big." He wanted Shane Mosley to boil down to 143 pounds. And he's made Cotto come down to 145.

Why is that?

Source: Badlefthook.com

Edwin Valero should be on Firepower card

2009-08-25T07:40:00.000-07:00

The mega fight between pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines and Boricuan fighter Miguel Cotto is set on November 14, 2009 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas with tickets to the venue reportedly almost sold out. The press tour has been scheduled early next month and it is expected that the fighters will go full blast in its training camp right after the tour.

However, the list of undercards have yet to be finalized and made known to public. Although some possible match-ups have been brought up in previous articles, I have never heard of a match-up that would excite me as a boxing enthusiast. Although the Daniel Santos versus Yuri Foreman fight looks to be a good one, there is still something that boxing fans like me is looking for. Something that has a connection to the main event. Say Edwin Valero (should he be licensed by the NSAC before November 14th) vs Humberto Soto or any of the top lightweights.

Valero has been chasing the Pacman for years and although many experts believe it was too early to pit a Valero to a fighter in Manny's level. While it is true that Valero has knocked out all of his opponents, I couldn't be blamed for discrediting him for his lack of quality opponents under his resume. Should he have fought Pacquiao two to three years ago, he might not have a career as successful as it is right now. Valero is now considered to be one of the top lightweights and could possibly be a threat in the super lightweight division. It is now his time to fight as an undercard to Manny's big show. Who knows? Manny might be impressed and that may give him the go signal to his promoter to grant Valero what he has been wishing for all these years.

Of course, there's a small chance a Valero fight wil be in Manny's eyesight. Money and legacy wise, there are other great fights awaiting Manny. Sugar Shane Mosley, Floyd Mayweather, Juan Manuel Marquez and even Antonio Margarito are mega money fights compared to an Edwin Valero. Boxing fans could only wish for it to happen, but realistically, that is not going to happen.

To read more about a proposed Valero vs Soto fight, click here.

Cotto looks strong, happy and very motivated says conditioning coach

2009-08-25T01:28:00.000-07:00

Miguel Cotto's Physical Trainer, Phil Landman who recently arrived in Puerto Rico, has seen the famous boxer's condition and his workrate in the gym and is very pleased with what he has seen so far.

"Miguel looks stong, happy and very motivated" Landman told Primera Hora. He believes Cotto is in better mental state of mind than in his previous fights. He also thinks Cotto is taking his fight with current top pound-for-pound fighter Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines very seriously.

"Mentally, Miguel looks ready for the long work that awaits him", added Landman.

The training camp will last 11 months which Cotto's camp believes is enough for Miguel to be at his best shape ever come fight night.

For more about this story, click here.

Pacquiao Ex Trainer: Cotto is Dangerous

2009-08-25T00:54:00.001-07:00

An unfamiliar name to most Manny Pacquiao fans, Rick Staheli, Pacquiao's trainer when he knocked out and dethroned Thailand's then superstar in boxing, Chatchai Sasakul in December 1998 warned Pacman that Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto is a "dangerous opponent".

Despite Cotto being a dangerous opponent, Staheli still believes Manny's superior skills and speed will prevail and he expects a Pacquiao victory for his 7th world title in as many divisions. According also to Staheli, Cotto might need to stalk Pacquiao and try to knock him out to win the fight as Pacquiao will use his boxing prowess, hand speed and foot work.

He also thinks Freddie Roach's game plan for Manny not to get hit is an indication that Roach respects Cotto's power.

For more of Staheli's interview, click here.

Pacquiao victim predicts a win for Manny

2009-08-24T04:33:00.000-07:00

Former world lightweight champion David Diaz, who was outworked and knocked out by Manny Pacquiao last year has predicted a decision win for Manny in his super mega fight with Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico on November 14, 2009 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Having fought Pacquiao in 9 punishing rounds, Diaz knows very well what a Manny Pacquiao can do inside the ring notwithstanding the physical advantage of his opponent. Diaz was the bigger man as Pacquiao was only debuting in the lightweight division while Diaz has even fought at 140 lbs sometime in his career. On November 14th, Pacquiao will be fighting at welteweight, his second in his career, against Cotto who is a natural welterweight.

Despite the size advantage some people thought Diaz would use, Manny was obviously too fast and as strong if not stronger than Diaz that night. Diaz even joked in the post-fight interview that Manny was too fast that he thought Freddie Roach was in the ring hitting him too.

To read more about David Diaz's prediction, click here.

Pacquiao eager to win WBO, WBC belts vs Cotto

2009-08-22T21:56:00.000-07:00

Manny Pacquiao drools at the prospect of winning not just one but two world titles if he beats Puerto Rican bomber Miguel Cotto in their “Firepower" showdown on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas.

Cotto’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title would be on the line in the bout set at a catchweight of 145-lbs (two lbs under the regular welterweight limit) and to make the stakes even higher, the World Boxing Council announced it would stake the new WBC Diamond Belt, too.

The twin titles would help Pacquiao realize his goal to win an unprecedented world crown in a seventh weight division after conquests at flyweight (WBC), super-bantamweight (International Boxing Federation), featherweight (Ring Magazine), super-featherweight (WBC), lightweight (WBC), and light welterweight (International Boxing Organization and Ring Magazine).

“Dahil ang WBC ay isa sa pinaka-prestihiyosong world governing boxing body gaya ng WBO, isang malaking pagkakataon ito upang makamit nating lahat muli ang isa sa mga pinakamadalang at pinakamataas na parangal sa sport na ito," Pacquiao wrote in his Kumbinasyon column for Abante on Sunday.

“Kung tayo ay papalarin, ito na ang ikapitong titulo sa ikapitong weight class, at malalampasan na natin ang record ni Oscar Dela Hoya na may anim," the “Pacman" added.

De La Hoya, whom Pacquiao stunned via a nine-round TKO last December 2008, had won titles at super featherweight, lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight, junior middleweight, and middleweight.

According to WBC president Jose Sulaiman, the WBC Diamond belt was created as an “honorary championship exclusively for fights between elite fighters such as Pacquiao and Cotto." The belt is handcrafted by an artisan in Mexico City with 18 carat gold fusion and has about 800 diamonds, emeralds and rubies, as well as 150 Swarovsky semiprecious stones.

“Kung papalarin mang maging kampeon ng WBO at WBC, isusuot ko ang korona at ang mga sinturon at bibigyan ng pagpapahalaga ang mga ito gaya ng ibang mga sinturon na aking nakamit sa loob ng aking career," Pacquiao, the reigning pound-for-pound king, promised.

Pacquiao is currently completing his non-boxing commitments, including his movie Wapakman and new sitcom for GMA Network, Show Me Da Manny, before getting down to serious business at the gym by next month.

Source: GMANews.tv

Cotto to use ‘good defense’ against Pacquiao

2009-08-22T20:53:00.000-07:00

FILIPINO Boxing icon Manny Pacquiao’s vaunted speed is the only thing that worries him, according to world welterweight champion Miguel Cotto when defends his title against the Filipino pound-for-pound king on November 14.

But Cotto said “good defense” would be his answer to Pacquiao’s speed, indicating he would use the ring and his boxing skills in his coming mega fight at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.

“Pacquiao has to fight another welterweight, if he wants a seventh title,” Cotto said in an interview with Puerto Rican daily Primera Hora.

The Puerto Rican puncher-boxer declined to predict the outcome of the title fight, but his father-trainer Miguel Sr. confidently forecasted that Pacquiao would go down once his son connects “with the right punches.”

Cotto, 27, started training in the first week of August in preparation for a long fight against a fellow puncher-boxer like Pacquiao.

For the first time Cotto confirmed that his World Boxing Organization welterweight belt would be on the line at the 145 pound agreed weight, an agreement forged only last week.

Cotto said he was offered “additional guarantees and benefits” to defend his title. He earlier insisted that he would only risk his belt if the fight were held at the regular welterweight standard of 147 pounds.

While showing tremendous respect for Pacquiao, Cotto said he does not think Pacquiao could overcome his physical advantage and strength, which he added would be the key to his victory.

Filipino ring physician Allan Recto of Laredo, Texas said the slick Puerto Rican flyweight champion Ivan Calderon has offered to spar with Cotto to help hone his compatriot’s defense against the fast-fisted Pacquiao.

“I am also a fast southpaw just like Manny Pacquiao,” said Calderon, who has a rematch with Filipino challenger Rodel Mayol on September 12 in San Juan, Puerto. “We are just entertaining that as a possibility, nothing’s definite yet.”

Pacquiao and Cotto, who are scheduled to hold a press conference in San Juan, are expected to be at ringside during the September 12 fight, a logical sequel to the recent Calderon-Mayol title fight that ended in a technical draw due to an accidental headbutt.

Asked for his prediction on Pacquiao-Cotto, Calderon said: “It’s going to be a hard fight for both but I think Cotto will win. It will be Miguel Cotto. He still got the energy, he’s young, he has the spirit, and his boxing skills are better. Cotto has the heart of a true champion.

Source: Manilatimes.net

What happens to the WBC Diamond belt?

2009-08-22T08:44:00.000-07:00

The WBC Diamond belt, a title created for mega fights made at catchweights has created noise within the boxing world. Some people like this idea by the WBC as they agree with the sanctioning body that some fights made at catchweights deserve a title at stake, and that is what the diamond belt is for.

However, it is not yet clear to most boxing fans what will happen to this belt after its sanctioned fight. Obviously, it will be held by the winner. How will it be defended and contested by other fighters wanting to hold such title? Is this a one time belt that whoever gets it, will have it for the rest of his life?

For the sake of argument, do you think this belt gives more excitement to boxing or will just add chaos and complication? Will there be more diamond belts after this first? Or will they need to beat Manny to ever hold such title? These questions will be answered and will be clear to boxing fans eventually.

Teddy Atlas P4P List: Pacquiao 3rd, Cotto last.

2009-08-22T00:07:00.000-07:00

Teddy Atlas, a respected boxing trainer and TV personality has been a regular target of boxing writers as source for predictions or pre-fight analysis. Recently, he has has given his thoughts on the super mega fight between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto saying Pacquiao will beat Cotto within 3-5 rounds. According to him, Pacquiao will be too much because Cotto is damaged goods and will be haunted by Margarito sting everytime he fights.

Atlas, though is not considering Manny Pacquiao as the best in the sport today. He believes Floyd Mayweather is still on top since he really never left the sport. Juan Manuel Marquez is in his list at second spot for its recent achievements and victories over very quality opponents. Third on his list is Pacquiao. When asked if Cotto is in his list, Atlas simply answered, "I would put him at the very bottom."

Although Atlas has been in the sport for a while now, you will find contrasting views on the P4P list as most experts see Manny Pacquiao as the legitimate number one. Come November 14th, I wouldn't be surprised if Atlas still doesn't give credit to Pacquiao because Cotto according to him is damaged goods. When can Atlas consider Pacquiao as number one?

To read more about his interview, click here.

On using Manny Pacquiao's name

2009-08-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

Many fighters not only in boxing, but also in MMA have the responsibility to take part in the promotion of their upcoming fights. Aside from their appearances on press tours and conferences, it has been a regularity to use someone else's name to help sell the fight. One good example which has been very obvious lately is dragging Manny Pacquiao's name by fighters who are either former pound for pound best or wanting to be.

Floyd Mayweather, Roy Jones, Jr, Juan Manuel Marquez, Paulie Malignaggi, Timothy Bradley, Nate Campbell among others have made comments on Manny Pacquiao which created buss within the boxing world. Some are still claiming they're on top of this sport, and some believe Pacquiao is not the best in the 140 division. Some use trash talking too. Of course, it helps sell the fight. The more the public hears about a fighter talking about Manny Pacquiao, who is regarded as the best fighter pound for pound, the more ticket or ppv sales.

Is this a sign that the sport of boxing really is on the decline that it needs to do such thing to sell the fight? As a boxing fan, I'd rather see them do the talking in the ring as Manny Pacquiao did to earn his spot as the most exciting fighter and boxing's cash cow.

Early odds: Pacquiao 2-1 favorite over Cotto

2009-08-21T19:15:00.001-07:00

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Manny Pacquiao is at least a 2-1 favorite to win over world welterweight champion Miguel Cotto with less than three months left to their Nov. 14 megafight, according to Las Vegas and other international online oddsmakers.

Based on early betting lines, Bodog Sportsbook lists Pacquiao a minus 265 favorite, which means one needs to bet $265 to win $100. Conversely, a $100 bet on Cotto wins a little more than double at $205.

Early odds offered by Bookmaker.com are slightly better for Pacquiao fans. A $245 investment on Pacquiao wins $100, while a $100 wager on Cotto nets $195.

The odds in favor of Pacquiao, the reigning pound-for-pound king, are almost the same in UK online betting sites. Bookmakers Skybet, PaddyPower and ToteSport listed Pacquiao a 2-1 favorite.

The odds could change as the fight gets closer, but the betting odds usually get stiffer for those betting on the favored fighter, in this case Pacquiao.

For instance, the betting lines started at minus 180 soon after the fight was announced, meaning betting that amount of dollars wins $100. As of August 20, the odds have changed to minus 190, which means a $190 bet on the Filipino icon nets $100.

As underdog, a $100 wager on Cotto wins $220 when betting lines opened at MGM Grand; now, a $100 bet on the Puerto Rican World Boxing Organization welterweight champ fetches $240.

However, Pacquiao cautions betting persons not to put too much attention on the odds, stressing that when two conditioned fighters square off in the ring anything can happen.

Speaking of conditioning, Cotto started training early for this fight, reporting to the Abner “Pin” Cotto Gym in Aguas Buenas in the first week of August.

“It’s never too early to start training, especially when fighting a boxer with Pacquiao’s caliber,” reported Puerto Rican daily Primera Hora.

Cotto’s Chief trainer Joe Santiago said Cotto will start with a thrice weekly training regimen, gradually building that up to optimize results

Pacquiao, meanwhile, is trying to finish commitments in the Philippines, mostly filming his television series “Totoy Bato” and a comedy movie with Philippine Olympic silver medalist Onyok Velasco, basketball star Benjie Paras and comedian Long Mejia.

Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach said he wants his prized boxer to spend at least eight weeks in training camp, which he expects to start after completing the fight’s promotional tour.

As suggested by his trainer Freddie Roach, Pacquiao may start his training in Baguio City.

Despite his many non-boxing commitments, Pacquiao stressed that he is not taking Cotto lightly. Pacquiao said he considers Cotto his toughest fight.

Source: Manilatimes.net

A Close Look at Cotto's Conditioning

2009-08-21T08:59:00.001-07:00

Miguel Cotto is obviously showing respect to his opponent, the pound for pound best fighter in the world, Manny Pacquiao. This early, he has formed his team that will be in-charge with his training and conditioning that will take 10 to 12 weeks. A recent addition to his team was Phil Landman, as reported a couple of days ago. According to Landman, Cotto should be in its best condition when he faces Pacquiao on November 14th at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. He believes Cotto would easily make 145 lbs as he has made 146 lbs easily in previous fights. Would this cause Pacquiao team to change game plan or do they realize the statement made by Landman was all part of the psychological battle? Pacquiao doesn't seem to be bothered by this development in Cotto's camp as he is still finishing his other commitments without showing any rush with regards to his training program. He believes his 8-week training period which he usually spends with Freddie Roach before a fight is enough make him at his best shape.

To read the whole interview with Phil Landman, click here.

Cotto: "Pacquiao Will Be Another Win for Puerto Rico"

2009-08-21T00:17:00.000-07:00

For the first time, Miguel Cotto revealed that his WBO welterweight title will be on the line when he meets Manny Pacquiao on November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Previously, everyone but Cotto would confirm that the welterweight would be at stake at the catch-weight of 145-pounds. Cotto plans to use his physical size and strenght advantage in the fight to exploit Pacquiao.

"We reached a deal last week. The WBO title will be at stake. They offered us additional guarantees and benefits (to defend the title). Every since the fight was signed, I have the mindset of victory. After the [Pacquiao fight], we will see what is out there. I do not believe that Pacquiao who is physical enough to make it a fight [at welterweight]. I have that advantage over him and that will carry me to victory," Cotto told Primera Hora.

Cotto says that his only concern is Pacquiao's speed. He plans to counter the quick hands of Pacquiao with a good defense. He says the Filipino fighter may have to find someone else at 147 to capture a seventh title.

"The only thing I have to take care of is his speed. By using a good defense, we can counteract it. If he wants a world title, he will have to find someone [to beat] at 147. On November 14, it's going to be a great fight and another win for Puerto Rico," Cotto said.

Source: Boxingscene.com

Countdown to Pacquiao vs Cotto Firepower

2009-08-21T00:02:00.000-07:00

Source: MiguelCottoForum

Paulie Malignaggi: Cotto will beat Manny

2009-08-20T23:26:00.000-07:00

A familiar name who is scheduled to fight this weekend has recently gave his thoughts on the most anticipated fight of the year, Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto. Paulie Malignaggi, whose last opponent was Ricky Hatton, who Pacquiao destroyed in just 2 punishing rounds, is saying that Cotto will beat Manny Pacquiao. Does he want a piece of Mega Manny Sweepstakes reason why he is giving such thoughts? Didn't he predict Oscar dela Hoya to destroy Manny last year? Didn't he say Ricky Hatton would be too big and strong for Manny? What made Paulie give such comment when Cotto even had a hard time with himself? I think Paulie looked bad when Manny destroyed Ricky Hatton, a fighter who made his corner throw the towel. Now, Manny has another chance of making Paulie look bad by defeating a guy (Cotto) who beat the NY-based fighter. If Juan Diaz wins on Saturday and ends up fighting the Pacman, I think Paulie will again say, Diaz will beat Manny.

To check out the interview, click here.

Pacquiao/Cotto, Mayweather/Marquez to get instant replay

2009-08-20T19:31:00.001-07:00

The Nevada State Athletic Commission voted unanimously on Wednesday to bring instant replay to one of the only major sports in America without it. This move is one that critics around the sport have wanted for quite some time, as it adds clarity and transparency to a sport that has displayed very little over the course of times.

A number of fights in recent history has shown us exactly why this move is a great one, and with a Fall lineup that appears to be slated with one mega fight after the next, the time couldn't be more appropriate.

When you look back to the recent fight between Nate Campbell and Timothy Bradley, it was clear that a headbutt caused the nasty gash Campbell suffered, and subsequently ended the fight, yet there was no integrity on behalf of the referee who officiated, and as a result, a warrior in the sport who has received less than his fair share of opportunities has to now deal with a TKO on his record that will reduce that level of participation even more.

The first fightcard to feature this new addition to the sport is the well anticipated card featuring the Floyd Mayweather Jr. - Juan Manuel Marquez showdown, which is set to take place on September 19th. Beyond that, there are a number of other showdowns slated to have it as well, with the most notable being the Cotto/Pacquiao showdown.

Neither Cotto or Pacquiao have a history of headbutts but this would gaurantee an outcome with firm integrity if such a thing happens, taking away the odds of having yet another mega fight end up in a stirring controversy.

Referees will have sole discretion to use the feature as necessary, so if one decides not to use it when foul play was obvious, it leaves blame for one person and one person only.

Should be interesting, and it's great to see this first step in bringing some well needed integrity to the sport.

Lets just hope isn't the final step.

Source: Examiner.com

Known Trainer Speaks: Pacquiao beats Cotto, Mayweather beats Manny

2009-08-20T19:19:00.000-07:00

FLOYD VS. MANNY: “Without a doubt, that fight will happen. Pacman’s speed is too much for Miguel Cotto. He can outpoint Cotto just on speed. You can’t beat Manny throwing one jab at a time because he comes right over the top on you. It would take the Mayweather style to beat Manny. Floyd is a full fledged welterweight, he’s just too big for Manny. He will beat Pacquiao. (Source: Examiner.com)

These words came from known boxing trainer Eddie Mustafa Muhammad (trainer of Chad Dawson) during a conversation between him and popular boxing examiner Michael Marley.

Interestingly, Freddie Roach, who is considered by most experts to be the best trainer at present time, has the opposite thoughts as he believes Floyd would be the easiest fight for Manny. People would tend to go with Roach's side especially after his very accurate predictions on Manny's fights.

Lately, a few boxing trainers such as Floyd Mayweather Sr, Emanuel Steward, Roger Mayweather and Teddy Atlas have made comments on Pacquiao vs Cotto fight that have added hype to the fight.

To read more about the interview with Muhammad, click here.

Mayweather/Marquez vs. Pacquiao/Cotto Could Be the Fight of 2009

2009-08-20T01:59:00.000-07:00

Though it’s been an interesting year in boxing to this point, by far the most important fight of the year – Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton – was a mismatch, consequential only because of the stunning way in which Pacquiao won, a savage knockout that created a crossover buzz around the mighty Filipino and solidified his stature as an international superstar.

As far as the Fight of the Year in 2009 goes right now, my choice is the Juan Manuel Marquez/Juan Diaz lightweight title fight from back in February. That was a thrilling contest, no doubt, with the smaller Marquez dominated early before solving (and cutting) Diaz in the middle rounds and ultimately earning a hard-fought stoppage in the ninth.

Still, compared to the heroic FOY’s of recent vintage – the Israel Vazquez/Rafael Marquez fights, Pavlik/Taylor I, Corrales/Castillo I – Marquez/Diaz seems just a little thin in both content and narrative to be remembered as the definitive fight of 2009.

Of course, there are two gigantic fights looming on the fall schedule, each with narrative out the proverbial wazoo. The oddsmakers will tell you that neither of these bouts will prove FOY material once they hit the ring, and though I’m not entirely sold on that opinion, I at least can see where it’s coming from. In any case, recent news has me thinking that the real of fight of 2009 will not be any one bout taken on its own, but rather a bout that features bout-on-bout, the epic contest that is shaping up to be Mayweather/Marquez vs. Pacquiao/Cotto.

In a telephone press conference yesterday to announce the Mayweather/Marquez undercard (a pretty damn good undercard as well), the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, Richard Schaefer, fired the first official shot of this upcoming battle when he said that “This is certainly, without a doubt, going to be the biggest pay-per-view event of the year.” He was adamant that Mayweather/Marquez would outsell the Pacquiao/Cotto fight and even went so far as to suggest that it had the potential to outsell the 2007 De La Hoya/Mayweather fight, which right now, at 2.4 million PPV buys, is the most lucrative fight in the history of boxing.

Strong words, indeed. Across the internet yesterday, Schaefer’s comments were met with widespread derision by boxing fans along the lines of the old “dude, are you high?” variety. On the whole, the buzz generated among boxing heads by Pacquiao/Cotto, scheduled for November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, has dwarfed that generated by Mayweather/Marquez, scheduled for September 19 in the same arena. Even though Floyd has been away from the ring for almost two years, most people feel like his fight with Marquez is a mismatch merely because of the size differential involved. The bout is being contested at a catch-weight of 144 pounds, and while Mayweather has fought comfortably as a welterweight (and once as a junior middleweight), Marquez has only fought above 130 pounds twice, and he looked small in his fight with Juan Diaz as a lightweight. Though no one in the boxing community disrespects Marquez’s renowned skills, the idea that he can jump two weight classes to beat a fighter as resourceful and disciplined as Mayweather seems like the longest of long shots. Throw in the fact that Marquez has never been a big box-office draw, and that both men are devoted counter-punchers, and you have the potential for not only a mismatch, but a tactical one that is less than exhilarating and that fails to capture the imagination of the public.

Compare that to Pacquiao/Cotto. Pacquiao is a heavy favorite in that fight, but not in nearly the same way that Mayweather is over Marquez, not among boxing pundits anyway. Despite his destruction of Oscar De La Hoya last December, many questions remain about Pacquiao’s ability to fight as a welterweight (or near-welterweight – he’ll face Cotto at a 145-pound limit), especially against a big welterweight like Cotto in the prime of his career and possessing proven speed and very heavy hands. Add to that drama the fact that Cotto is a much bigger star than Marquez, along with the furor that still surrounds Pacquiao following his destruction of Hatton, and you have a fight that on paper promises to be an infinitely bigger draw than Mayweather/Marquez.

For myself, however, I see at least the possibility for an upset in this contest. The question for me is not about the drawing power of Pacquiao/Cotto. That fight will do big numbers, without a doubt. For me the question is about Mayweather/Marquez, and its potential between now and fight night to make up the differential in anticipation that currently exists between the two events.

The main avenue for that will be a familiar one, I think: HBO’s 24/7 series. Mayweather/Marquez 24/7 premieres on August 29, and it may be the most important edition of the lot thus far, because to my mind it has the most riding on it in terms of how it can influence the relative success or failure of a fight. Mayweather has been the breakout star of the 24/7 franchise since it debuted in the spring of 2007, and one could argue that 24/7 made him the star he is today (and vice versa, actually). Floyd is unquestionably great television, as are his curmudgeonly and villainous father, Floyd Sr., and his uncle/trainer, Roger. These three have made for the most compelling 24/7 material by far, and to push the Mayweather/Marquez promotion out of the doldrums in which it currently dwells into the pay-per-view ether, they’re going to have to bring their A-games to this latest incarnation of the series.

Of course, they’ve already suffered a setback on that front – Roger’s recent, grisly run-in with the law. This incident, in which he was found by police choking a woman-boxer who he formerly had trained, is far too ugly to be cast in anything but the darkest light, and it makes Roger Mayweather, who once came off on 24-7 as lovable but dangerous, seem merely dangerous, hideously so, utterly criminal and otherwise unredeemed.

I sense, however, that both Floyd’s braintrust and HBO will be able to find a way to keep the Roger story from completely overshadowing the task at hand. And I see that potentially happening in one very definitive way. If Floyd really wants to take a sure path towards making this fight enormous, and if he wants to immediately supersede any other news that surrounds him or his camp or the fight as it is posited right now, he has it in his power to do so.

All he has to do, with his inimitable gusto, is insult the honor of Mexican boxers, Mexican people, and Mexico itself. Then, oh man … then all hell would break loose.

This to me is the x-factor in the Pacquiao/Cotto vs. Mayweather/Marquez war at the box office, the puncher’s chance, the one reason why, if you gave me the opportunity right now at even money, I still wouldn’t bet on Pac/Cotto doing better PPV numbers than Floyd/Marquez. No one in boxing today (and no one since Duran, I would argue) is so gifted and compelling a villain as Floyd Mayweather. I’ve written at length on this topic before. Floyd wears the black hat with effortless and contagious spirit, and he has built his current fame on the fact that people love to hate him, and watch his fights in droves in the hope of seeing him catch a beating, just as they did in the early 60’s with a Louisville loudmouth named Cassius Clay.

Highlighted by the fact that Mexico City, as the site of Marquez’s training camp, will play a starring role in this upcoming 24/7, if Floyd goes out of his way to insult Mexico and Mexicans on the show, it will do for the fight what Marquez himself probably can’t – bring the Mexican fight-fan masses into the pay-per-view equation in a big way. Marquez has never quite connected with the Mexican fight community in the way of his iconic peers, Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera. But if suddenly he were fighting for the honor of his country against a trash-talking dissmaster on the order of Floyd, well, Marquez would be transformed into a national icon in a heartbeat.

And even beyond the way it would mobilize the Mexican public, should Floyd choose to hate on Mexico in the lead-up to this fight, it would immediately cast the bout as a classic contest of good versus evil on the grandest scale. As for the effects of that on the American scene, I don’t know if you’ve taken a look at a Hollywood blockbuster lately, but cartoonish struggles between the forces of light and the forces of darkness tend to rake in beaucoup bucks at the box office these days. And the more cartoonish, the better. Americans like their good guys good, and their bad guys baaaaaaaaaaad, and our man Floyd can really deliver on that front. How much badder could he get than aiming some gutter-mouthed low-blows at a noble, hard-working, dignified Mexican like Marquez?

I admit that such a strategy would be a bold move for Mayweather, but on the other hand, what does he have to lose? Based on the PR work he’s done to this point in his career, he’s already going to be the bad guy in this fight, and if he wins it, he’s likely going to be the even badder guy in his next fight, which most would expect to be Manny Pacquiao (should he get past Cotto). Pac Man has the good guy market cornered at the moment and for the foreseeable future. At this point, let’s face it – a Pacquiao/Mayweather fight is pretty much Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader territory as far as the public consciousness goes.

That’s why I would not be at all surprised to see Floyd, who always has been bold as bold can be, say “damn the torpedoes” and go for the Mexican jugular in the upcoming 24/7 series, thereby transforming what so far has been a ho-hum promotion into a barnburner. In this emerging battle between Pacquiao/Cotto and Mayweather/Marquez, it would indeed be a very dirty tactic on Floyd’s end, and yet on the other hand, it may be his only shot at scoring a knockout in a fight where right now his opponent seems to hold all the advantages.

Source: Sportingnews.com

Teddy Atlas on Pacquiao vs. Cotto

2009-08-20T01:44:00.001-07:00

The famous boxing trainer and ESPN boxing analyst Teddy Atlas, Jr., in a recent interview by doghouseboxing.com gave some thoughts on the Manny Pacquio vs. Miguel Cotto fight on November 14, 2009 at the MGM Grand in las Vegas.

According to Atlas, Cotto is a damaged goods as shown in his last fight with Joshua Clottey last June of this year. With Pacquiao's speed, he can get rid of Cotto within five rounds or maybe three. He believes Manny's speed and footwork will be too much and will play a major role in not letting Cotto impose his strength and pressure. As a come forward fighter with a strong body punch, Atlas thinks that Cotto will not be able to do those to someone with Manny's caliber.

He also said that this fight would not be as epic as it should be. On paper, Cotto has some advantages but he thinks Manny's skills will prevail. Another reason why Cotto will not beat Pacquiao according to Teddy Atlas is that Cotto still has Margarito in his minds and that is making him hesitant to throw bombs and finish fights the way he used to do.

See this story for the whole interview.

Emmanuel Steward: Pacquiao is not God or Superman

2009-08-18T22:49:00.000-07:00

Trainer and HBO Analyst Emmanuel Steward has again made comments on the pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao saying the boxer is not God or Superman. We all know that Pacquiao is human and can be defeated, but taking away his credits for his recent victories would be another story.

I have no idea what is on Steward's mind but every time Pacquiao has a fight, he predicts a Pacquiao loss. It has been a regularity that Pacquiao faces a bigger man since he faced and destroyed former WBC lightweight champion David Diaz. But despite Manny's convincing victories over these so-called bigger and stronger opponents, Steward thinks Pacquiao will be beated by Cotto because the latter is bigger and stronger.

This good trainer's credibility is questionable when it comes to predicting fights of the Pacman. Now he is saying Manny is not God or Superman. Who said he is? What fans and experts are just saying is that Manny has proven that he can handle big guys at ease because of his superior skills. I would even more understand Steward if he says in public that Cotto has a chance to knock out Pacquiao if the best boxer in the world does not fight like he normally does.

Read here for more about the story.

Pacquiao tickets almost sold out

2009-08-18T22:48:00.000-07:00

There would only be a little over 2,000 tickets for the November 14 fight between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto that will go on sale starting Wednesday, Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum disclosed on Tuesday.

Tickets are priced at $1,000, $750, $500, $300, and $150 and “only 2,100 will be sold to the public,” said Arum from Las Vegas.

The casinos have placed bulk orders and Arum expects a sellout as soon as they become available on line.

This early, internet ticket sellers are dangling tickets for the fight with the low-priced $150 seats selling for as much as $340 (P16,320) and a premium ringside floor seat that retail for $1,000 going for as much as $11,760 (P564,480).

The 17,000-capacity MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas will host the Pacquiao-Cotto brawl.

To perk up more interest in the fight, regarded as the biggest bout of the year, Arum will go on a four-city press tour beginning on Sept. 10 at Yankee Stadium in New York with the two fighters in tow. Other stops will be Puerto Rico (Sept. 12), San Francisco (Sept. 13) and Los Angeles (Sept. 14).

After the Los Angeles leg, the 30-year-old Pacquiao said he will return to the Philippines to start the first phase of his eight-week training camp possibly in Baguio City.

Arum said the highly-acclaimed resort city of Cancun in Mexico looks like it as far as the venue of Pacquiao’s training camp is concerned.

In contrast, Cotto is about to start the third week of his light training since the 28-year-old slugger plans to go heavy once his conditioning coach Phil Landman arrives in Puerto Rico this week.

Source: Mb.com.ph

Two title belts up for Manny

2009-08-17T07:27:00.000-07:00

LAS VEGAS – When Manny Pacquiao takes on Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand Garden Arena here on Nov. 14, there will be two titles on the line and if the Filipino icon wins, he’ll cement his legacy as one of the greatest fighters ever in the history of the sport.

Cotto has agreed to defend his WBO welterweight title after Top Rank chairman Bob Arum convinced him to. The other crown at stake is the newly created WBC Diamond Belt, the first time the governing body is awarding the prize.

Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz said yesterday the WBC belt is studded with 400 diamonds and the winner will pay $40,000 to own it.

“The WBC approved in its last convention in China to put up a Diamond Belt to recognize a championship-caliber fight at a catchweight limit,” said Koncz. “Don Jose (Sulaiman) phoned me offering the Belt to the winner of Manny’s fight against Cotto. He told me it was a big honor for the WBC to be involved with Manny and there wouldn’t be a sanction fee to pay.”

Koncz said he will scout possible training sites in Mexico before leaving for Manila on Thursday with fighter Bernabe Concepcion to meet with Pacquiao. He plans to visit Cancun and Puerta Vallarta.

“Manny’s instructions are to find a training site where there are hills for him to run up and down,” said Koncz. “That struck out the Bahamas as an option because it has no hills. I’m not sure about Cancun and that’s why I’m leaving tomorrow to meet with the Yucatan Governor and survey the place. At least, I know there are hills in Puerta Vallarta so that’s a real option.”

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said he hopes to kick off a media tour with Pacquiao and Cotto at Yankee Stadium in New York City on Sept. 10. That will lead to a Puerto Rican tour then a stop in San Francisco where a press conference is scheduled after the Giants-Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game before 50,000 fans, another press meeting in Los Angeles and finally a visit to Mexico where the travelling party will be received by the President.

Arum said right after the whirlwind tour, he expects Pacquiao to start training, possibly somewhere in Mexico. If Pacquiao plans to return to Manila, Arum said he will try to talk him out of it.

Cotto has already started training but Koncz said he’s not worried about Pacquiao.

“I know Manny wants to finish his obligations in shooting commercials and filming his TV shows and movies by the end of the month,” said Koncz. “Once Manny gets serious in training, you’ll see his determination and commitment. He’s a different man in training.”

Koncz said he expects Cotto to be more competitive than Oscar de la Hoya or Ricky Hatton.

“This could go 12 rounds,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it lasts the distance. Cotto’s a guy who can give Manny trouble. He’s big, he’s a great body puncher. He’s a fighter like Manny. What will happen after the fight? It all depends on the outcome. If it’s close, we could do a rematch. Maybe, this could even end up in a trilogy like Erik Morales. Cotto’s known as a bleeder but while he is affected when he gets cut, he doesn’t quit.”

Koncz said even as Pacquiao continues to attend to his various non-sports commitments before flying to the US, he is keeping in shape.

“He’s been jogging and playing a lot of basketball as part of his preparations,” said Koncz. “He’s cross training. I think he should be ready to fly within the first week of September.”

As for future opponents, Koncz said Sugar Shane Mosley isn’t a pay-per-view attraction and Floyd Mayweather Jr. has unreasonable money demands.

“I don’t know if Mosley will draw although in the end, it’s really Manny whom the fans want to see,” said Koncz. “As for Mayweather, unless he realizes it’s Manny who’s the attraction, not him, we won’t even talk to him.”

Koncz said his only boss is Pacquiao and sometimes, he is misunderstood because of his loyalty to the Filipino icon. For instance, Concepcion failed to attend the press conference for his fight against Steven Luevano here and Koncz was unfairly blamed for it.

“Manny didn’t want me to go to Las Vegas because I still had things to do in Los Angeles,” said Koncz. “But I reasoned to Manny that I had to be with Bernabe just as his managers were with him throughout his early years. He allowed me to go in the end as Bernabe wouldn’t go to Las Vegas without me. That meant arriving a day after the press conference.”

Koncz was also chastised for throwing in the towel in the sixth round to save Juanito Rubillar from further punishment in his WBA lightflyweight title fight against Giovanni Segura in Mexico last July.

“What fans don’t know is I spoke to Juanito in between rounds and asked him if he was okay, if he could continue the fight despite a bad beating,” said Koncz. “He didn’t answer me. I asked him during at least two timeouts. His trainer (Erbito Salavarria) wanted him to go on but I felt it was enough punishment.”

Although Rubillar took the fight on two days notice, he bankrolled close to P1 Million as a late substitute for Sonny Boy Jaro who now faces Segura in Mexico for the WBA title next month.

Source: Philstar.com

Mayweather Sr: Manny only fights Cotto-like fighters

2009-08-17T07:07:00.000-07:00

In a recent interview by doghouseboxing.com with trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr., he was asked where Manny Pacquiao is on his own pound for pound list. He said Lil Floyd is the best. Juan Manuel Marquez is the second reason why Lil Floyd chose to hight him. Hmm. The old trainer, who three to four months ago claimed that Ricky Hatton will destroy Pacquiao is still discrediting the Pacman. He was also asked if Cotto is in his list and he answered yes, until he fights Pacquiao. The good trainer admitted that he knows Pacquiao would beat Cotto, because the latter is a come-forward fighter which kind of fighter Manny would only fight. Old Floyd may be experiencing some memory loss when he uttered those words. Who has more quality and hall of famer opponents, Manny or his son Floyd Jr.? He may have fogotten the likes of Barerra, Morales, Marquez, the bigger Oscar dela Hoya among others.

To check out the whole story, go to doghouseboxing.com.

Pacquiao lethal left holds key vs Cotto

2009-08-14T20:23:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines - The punch very similar to the one that brought Ricky Hatton down for good may yet again be the key when Manny Pacquiao fights the younger, bigger but slower Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14.

This was the observation made by Pacquiao’s former business manager, Rod Nazario, who had the pound-for-pound champion as special guest yesterday at his Wild Card Gym in Parañaque.

Pacquiao, despite his very hectic schedule, visited the gym, where he also trained for some of his recent fights, for the ninth anniversary celebration of the television boxing program In This Corner.

“I’ve watched Cotto’s recent fights, and remember this, Manny,” Nazario said as the boxer he used to handle listened. “Cotto has the tendency to drop his right hand as he launches an attack.”

Nazario told Pacquiao that “a short and crisp left” could be the key.

“Like in the Hatton fight, you didn’t have to go after him. All you needed was wait before you could throw that short left,” said Nazario who, despite his medical condition, still came to see the Hatton fight in Las Vegas last May.

Nazario pulled off a big surprise when he gifted Pacquiao with a rare 1856 chess set, made in Russia, which he bought in an antique store in Orlando for $1,050. Pacquiao, a chess buff, said he’d have a special chess board of narra wood with ivory trimmings made.

“Hindi ka na mananalo sa akin (This time you can’t beat me),” Pacquiao told Nazario who, this early, had announced that next year’s In This Corner party will be held at The Manila Hotel.

Nazario is part of the original Team Pacquiao, along with Moy Lainez, Lito Mondejar and Gerry Garcia. Together, they also helped put up the Blow By Blow program that lasted six years until 2000, and then In This Corner.

Pacquiao said Cotto will stake his WBO welterweight crown when they clash at the catchweight of 145 lb.

Pacquiao arrived past noon and went straight to Nazario who was holed up in his office. He came on board his grey Porsche Cayenne and left more than an hour later on his black Hummer for Quiapo to resume shooting his new movie.

Pacquiao said he’s eager to start training for the Cotto fight set at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas but said he has to honor all his prior commitments, mostly showbiz related.

Pacquiao will be in the US for the launch of the press tour that will take him and Cotto to New York’s Yankee Stadium on Sept. 10, Cotto’s hometown in Caguas, Puerto Rico on Sept. 12, and the AT&T Park in San Francisco the following day.

Pacquiao, who will grace the Giants-Dodgers game in San Francisco, said he’d fly back to Manila after the press tour, and should immediately start his training, most likely in Baguio City.

Then after a week or two, Pacquiao will move somewhere outside of the US to resume his training, probably in Mexico or Canada, and will be in Los Angeles or Las Vegas for the final push.

Pacquiao said he stayed up so late Thursday night as he joined the officers of the USS George Washington, the world’s largest warship, which is docked off Manila Bay, just behind the SM Mall of Asia.

Pacquiao toured the 18-storey ship that carries more than 60 fighter planes and a crew of 5,000 at around 6 p.m. Then he had dinner with AFP and US military officials at Mandarin Hotel.

Source: Philstar.com

Pacman to Mexico?

2009-08-14T20:13:00.000-07:00

Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum said Mexican president Felipe Calderon will roll out the red carpet for Manny Pacquiao if the Filipino pound-for-pound king decides to spend the first half of his training camp in the world-famous resort city of Cancun in the Yucatan Peninsula. Arum said Calderon will be on hand to welcome Pacquiao, who has a scheduled Nov. 14 fight with Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao has been advised to train outside the US to avoid paying millions of dollars in taxes after it was discovered that he has surpassed the allowed number of days for non-residents the last three years.

An IRS provision called the Substantial Presence Test has been explained fully to Pacquiao and the fighter has trained his sights on the Bahamas, Vancouver, Canada and Mexico as candidates to host the first four or five weeks of training camp.

Pacquiao told Fightnews and Manila Bulletin during a visit to his ailing former chief handler Rod Nazario on Friday that he will fulfill his promotional obligation by going on a four-city press tour that kicks off at Yankee Stadium in New York on Sept. 10. The following stops will be San Juan in Puerto Rico on the 12th, San Francisco on the 13th and Los Angeles on the 14th.

After the press tour, Pacquiao, 30, said he will likely return to the Philippines to train possibly in Baguio City before deciding where to set up camp with Freddie Roach, his training assistants and sparring partners.

Pacquiao told Nazario, who hosted a party in celebration of the ninth anniversary of the popular weekly show In This Corner, that Cotto is a dangerous opponent although those who were in attendance, including long-time supporters Moy Lainez, Gerry Garcia and Lito Mondejar erupted in laughter when the lethal-hitting lefty delivered those words.

Nazario was Pacquiao’s business manager from 1995 until 2005 and it was the boxing old-timer who made it possible for Pacquiao to make his US debut in June 2001.

Source: Fightnews.com

Is he admitting defeat?

2009-08-13T00:36:00.000-07:00

Miguel Cotto has been very vocal about his clash with the pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and it's playing a big role in the on-going drama particularly on whether he will put his WBO Welterweight title on the line.

Some people construed Cotto's position as having admitted defeated when he is not willing to put his belt at stake as if he knows Pacquiao is getting it after the fight.

Just recently, Cotto made another statement that brought up such thought that he has admitted defeat. He has expressed his intentions to retire from boxing after a couple of years to spend more time with his family. While this is a good move, I don't think this is the right time to make such statements, just a few months before his mega fight with the best boxer in the world.

He may have accepted the fight to finally earn what superstars are earning to support his plans of leaving boxing after a couple of years. That is a bright move. But you can not take away the fact that people may perceive it differently. You can not blame people to think that he is admitting defeat.

Click here for more about the Cotto's statement...

WBO? WBC? or IBA?

2009-08-11T06:58:00.000-07:00

Interestingly, the very main issue surrounding the fight between the best boxer in the world Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto on November 14, 2009 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas was the belt. Manny wants Cotto's WBO belt at stake.

During this drama, the WBC came up with a special belt for catchweights called Diamond Belt. It was made for great fights made at a catchweight. Some reports said this may be the kind of belt to be on the line in Pacquiao's fight with Cotto.

And just recently, one report says that the IBA is interested to sanction the fight since no certain belt is at stake yet.

This adds another spice and drama to an already much-talked about fight, possibly the biggest fight of the year.

Read here for more about the story.

Miguel Cotto: "I am not Felix Trinidad"

2009-08-10T23:57:00.000-07:00

Source: Boxingscene.com

After hearing several comments from people comparing him to another Purto Rican great Felix Trinidad, Miguel Cotto who is penciled to fight Manny Pacquiao on November 14, 2009 at teh MGM Grand in Las Vegas finally speaks out and said, he is not Felix Trinidad, in any way, in and out of the ring.

Read here for more...

Roach Speaks (On Pacquiao vs Cotto, Mayweather, and more)

2009-08-10T23:52:00.000-07:00

Source: DogHouseBoxing.com

Freddie Roach, called by some as the Wizard of Wildcard speaks in a recent interview by David Tyler of DogHouseBoxing.com.

Check out what he had said about Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto, Mayweather and more.

Read here for more...

Cotto-Pacquiao tickets and title? We've got answers

2009-08-10T20:10:00.000-07:00

Source: ESPN

Since the day the Miguel Cotto-Manny Pacquiao showdown was announced in late July, I have been inundated with questions about when tickets will go on sale for the Nov. 14 superfight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and how much will they cost. I've also been asked repeatedly about whether Cotto's welterweight title will be at stake.

Now, I have the answers.

Top Rank announced Monday that tickets for the fight -- dubbed "Firepower" -- will go on sale Monday, Aug. 17 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.

They are priced at $1,000, $750, $500, $300 and $150 (not including applicable service charges). Ticket sales in the $1,000, $750, $500 and $300 ranges are limited to 10 per person. The $150 tickets are limited to two per person, with a total ticket limit of 12 tickets per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 or go to www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs) and Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs) will meet at a contracted maximum weight of 145 pounds. There has been quite a bit of discussion about whether Cotto's WBO welterweight title will be on the line.

Arum certifies it: Pacquiao-Cotto for WBO crown, 145 pound limit

2009-08-10T08:48:00.001-07:00

Paymaster Bob Arum is so concerned about the continuing brouhaha over the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto super bout that he is sunning himself in the South of France.

I spoke to Arum Sunday night as he was visiting South African business mogul Sol Kerzner,

Earlier this past week, Arum did some hiking in Aspen.

While much of Pacland and Cottoland has been in turmoil about whether the Puerto Rican’s WBO welterweight title strap will be on the line and what the contractual weight agreement will be,

Arum says everyone should take a sip of a good French wine and maybe a chill pill.

According to Uncle Bob, negotiations, misunderstandings and controversy attendant to that the foregoing are all ancient history now.

Arum expects to have contracts signed by both challenger Pacman and champion Cotto by Tuesday which is Aug. 11.

Tickets for the mega bout at the MGM Grand will go on sale, Arum told me, on Aug, 17. The general public only has a shot at about 3,000 unspoken for tickets.

“Everything has been decided and agreed to,” Arum said. “Cotto is defending the title and the weight limit be 145 pounds,. There are no disagreements or problems. Now, everything is cleared up.”

Arum’s friend, Kerzner, is hoping that Pacquiao will choose to begin his training for the Cotto bout at his Atlantis Resort in Nassau, Bahamas.

Arum said that decision--Bahamas, Vancouver or Mexico--will be solely made by Pacquiao.

Coach Freddie Roach has suggested that his charge start training in the leafy, cool climes of Baguio, Philippines, where the elevation goes up to 5,100 feet.

Source: Examiner.com

Emmanuel Steward: "I can help Cotto knock Pacquiao out"

2009-08-07T01:18:00.001-07:00

The good trainer Emmanuel Steward, in a recent report, told that he thinks Cotto has what it takes to knock Pacquiao out. He said this wishing that Cotto's camp would contact him and hire him as the the WBO champ's head trainer for his upcoming fight with pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao.

We know Steward as a good trainer but as a credible source of prediction, I don't think so. He has predicted Manny to get knocked out by Oscar dela Hoya last year. He also said Hatton's strength would be too much for Pacquiao, that Manny's speed is enough to make the fight a toss up, but he believed Hatton would win by points against Pacman. All his predictions or perceptions on both fights were completely opposite to what really happened after the fight.

This made me think that whatever he says about Cotto knocking out Pacquiao, it doesn't worry me or anyone I suppose. He may be a good trainer, but he has been underestimating Pacquiao's skills.

Or was he just throwing some baits to get a job from Cotto? It has been rumored that Steward might be tapped to help Cotto in his fight against Pacquiao.

For more about the news, click here.

TOP 5 ADVANTAGES: MANNY PACQUIAO [49 wins, 3 losses, 2 draws]

2009-08-07T00:49:00.000-07:00

1. History is on the line. Motivation. He is not called "The People's Champ" for nothing. Pacquiao will be fighting for his country again, and attempt to do what no one in the history of boxing has ever done. Call him Lance Armstrong or Michael Jordan. Along with Manny, only Oscar "The Golden Boy" de la Hoya has won six titles in six different weight classes. A win over Cotto will make Pacquiao the only fighter in history to win an unprecedented seven belts in seven weight classes.

2. Faster hands. This everyone knows. Both throw combinations. Cotto's combos are heavier. Manny's combos are quicker. Additionally, I attribute Manny and Cotto to be on par in terms of footwork. The Puerto Rican is an effective footwork tactician in the ring and understands spacing and cornering.

3. Cotto's historically open defense. This makes the Puerto Rican susceptible to straight lefts. However, this may not be as important factor in the fight as Pacman fans would readily assume. Cotto will be working on tightening up his defense. Specifically, his gloves can be close together, protecting his cheeks and temples, while his elbows tend to be spread apart. That forms a triangular shape that makes Cotto vulnerable to a quick jab from the shorter Pacquiao, similar to what happened to de la Hoya last December 6. Cotto has to tighten up that opening or he'll be eating straight lefts. Worse for him, Roach might concoct a nasty "upper cut cocktail special" for Cotto to drink all night, and get drunk to.

4. Venue. Manny will have his legions in Las Vegas. Cotto enjoys a home court advantage in New York. This fight is at the MGM Grand. Chants of Manny, Manny, Manny!!! will be ringing in people's ears before and during the fight. Pacman will raise his gloves signaling the start of the war.

5. Stamina. Pacquiao should only hold a slight edge here come fight night. Cotto tends to slow down later in the rounds, a reflection of the energy he expends on his power punches during the beginning and toward the middle of a fight. Manny, on the other hand, is one of the most conditioned fighters in the sport - along with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Shane Mosley. Surely that is why Cotto is starting his training over three months prior to the fight. Cotto should, to an extent, negate most of this advantage.

Source: Examiner.com

TOP 5 ADVANTAGES: MIGUEL COTTO [34 wins, 1 loss]

2009-08-07T00:46:00.000-07:00

1. Manny Pacquiao is shooting movies, tv shows, and commercials. Miguel Cotto has been in training for nearly a week, three months in advance of the November 14 showdown. (It is important to note, however, that the Puerto Rican is no longer working with his regular trainer.)

2. Cotto has fought, and beaten, bigger (as well as fast) opponents. Antonio Margarito stood at 5'11" with a 73" reach, compared to Manny's 67" reach. Granted, Cotto lost at the hands of what now appears to be suspect gloves of Margarito. Shane Mosley, Carlos Quintana, Joshua Clottey, Zab Jjudah, Ricardo Torres. These were all impressive conquests by the Puerto Rican. Cotto out-boxed the speedy and powerful Mosley, and outclassed the quick Judah.

3. Pacquiao is training outside of the U.S. for at least half of his training regimen. Due to taxation rules in the United States, it appears Manny will have to temporarily set up quarters in Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, or possibly the Philippines, in order to train against Cotto. The Filipino is superstitious and typically prefers the same routine prior to a fight. Water and air quality differs by country. The food intake can also provide a variation in diet. (For instance, mango in Mexico is vastly different from mango in the Philippines.) Weather and dietary differences can provide for bodily adjustments. The Pacific Northwest and Vancouver, Canada, for instance, is famous for its constant rain and inclement weather. Could this induce cold and flu symptoms?

4. Size. While Cotto is at best only an inch taller than Manny, the Puerto Rican will enter the ring approaching 160 lbs., a middleweight size. Thomas Hearns, the taller, lanky fighter with legendary power fought many of his battles at welterweight, but then faced Marvin Hagler who fought at a more comfortable, bigger weight. A smaller fighter with explosive tendencies can find out that the bigger opponent is used to that kind of power - as Hearns found out when Hagler adjusted well during the fight. Manny will enter the ring closer to 149 lbs. Cotto has gone face to face with the likes of Antonio Margarito, who could fight at junior middleweight or middleweight if he wanted to.

5. Ability to trap and corner his opponent. The Joshua Clottey and Zab Judah fight reveals Cotto's brilliant ability, skill, and power to constantly pressure his foe, and force his opponent into the ropes or with his opponent's back against the corner. Cotto unloads power combinations when he successfully traps his opponent, and the Puerto Rican has the footwork to effectively cut off the ring. Even when Clottey blocked Cotto's relentless barrage, he became noticeably worn down.

Source: Examiner.com

Steward sees tough Pacquiao-Cotto fight

2009-08-05T19:19:00.000-07:00

ONE of boxing’s legendary trainers sees a tough fight between pound-for-pound king Manny ‘PacMan’ Pacquiao and World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Miguel Cotto.

In an interview with eastsideboxing.com, Emmanuel “Manny” Steward said it’s unfair to give the Filipino boxing icon a clear edge over Cotto when they square off on November 14 in Las Vegas.

While Cotto was not impressive in his last fight against challenger Joshua Clottey, Steward said the latter is actually a tough fighter who could have given welterweight legends Thomas Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard a rough time in the ring.

“Based on Miguel having such a tough fight there [against Clottey] and Manny looking like a million dollars knocking out Ricky Hatton and Oscar [dela Hoya], that’s why the odds are totally going out of proportion and I don’t think that’s a fair assessment. I see it [Pacquiao-Cotto] as almost a toss-up fight, myself,” Stewards was quoted as saying.

The legendary trainer said a lot of people are actually underestimating Cotto’s size advantage over the Filipino, explaining that the champion from Puerto Rico is a natural welterweight.

Steward also said Pacquiao is a natural junior lightweight or lightweight, which puts the Filipino boxing icon at a disadvantage over Cotto. The Puerto Rican has been listed at 5’7” while Pacquiao is 5’6”.

However, Pacquiao has won the admiration of Steward, who has trained legendary champions like junior welterweight Aaron Pryor and heavyweights Evander Holyfied and Lennox Lewis, and multi-weight titleholders Hearns and De La Hoya. He presently trains heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.

“He [Pacquiao] has the instincts of a fighter, the balance, the timing, the stamina—everything—and it’s just natural. He’s a fighter! If anyone was ever born to be a fighter, it would be a guy like him or [Roberto] Duran, but he’s better because he has great rhythm, and his defense and timing are a lot better than people think,” he said.

COTTO WEAKNESSES

Steward also said that Cotto has weaknesses in defense, which can cause trouble for the Puerto Rican.

“His defense right up the middle—he has absolutely no defense for that, because his gloves are so wide, and fighters can punch right between his gloves,” the legendary trainer said.

He said that if Pacquiao is able to penetrate Cotto’s defense and hit the Puerto Rican at will, the Filipino has a chance to win their showdown.

“I think he [Cotto] should not fight with his defense being the way it has been before,” Steward said.

The Pacquiao-Cotto fight has been pegged at a catch weight of 145 pounds, or two below the welterweight limit. Freddie Roach, the Filipino’s trainer, would not allow his fighter to battle Cotto at 147 pounds because the Puerto Rican would have a big weight and size advantage on fight night.

“Freddie knows that Manny is really not a true welterweight, and that’s why he’s [Freddie] trying to at least get some kind of equilibrium in those fights by making the opponents come down in weight as close to Manny as they can for balance,” Steward said.

Source: ManilaTimes.net

Cotto looking for lefty sparmates

2009-08-05T19:17:00.000-07:00

Tapping and finding sparring partners who are mirror-images of Manny Pacquiao will be the key to victory for Miguel Cotto when he faces the Filipino icon on November 14 in Las Vegas.

Cotto chief trainer Joe Santiago told the newspaper El Nuevo Dia that they are on the lookout for southpaw sparring partners who they plan to bring to Tampa, Florida, for the crucial phase of training camp.

“We will try to get left-handed and short boxers with good hand speed (like Pacquiao). This is the key to victory,”

Santiago said as he was presiding over Cotto’s first training session on Monday in Puerto Rico.

Cotto said he felt great after his light training, something that was not the case in the past.

“I feel very well, thanks to God. Better than when I began in previous occasions,” said the 28-year-old Cotto, who will report to the gym three times a week in the next two weeks in time for the arrival of conditioning coach Phil Landman.

While Cotto is already in training mode, Pacquiao appears to be taking it nice and easy and it seems the 30-year-old four-division champion will only get to put on a pair of gloves after the four-city promotional tour being arranged starting on September 10.

Even if Pacquiao is still fulfilling his obligations and not opting to show up at some private gym in Manila, the fighter remains on track in the proposed eight-week training camp that will be supervised by Freddie Roach in a venue to be determined in the next few weeks.

By the time the press tour makes its final stop in Los Angeles on September 14, Pacquiao can still afford to take a day or two off before hooking up with Roach to God knows where.

Being eyed to host Pacquiao’s first half of training camp are the Bahamas, Vancouver, Mexico and even the Philippines.

Source: mb.com.ph

Cotto trains, Pacquiao shoots movie

2009-08-04T20:52:00.001-07:00

As Manny Pacquiao spends most of his time shooting a movie due for release in the December film festival, Miguel Cotto kicked off his training on Monday (Tuesday in the Philippines) in his native Puerto Rico, a sign that the shaven-skulled banger knows the caliber of his Filipino opponent.

Cotto, 28, actually began his day by running for 40 minutes, according to the Puerto Rican newspaper Primera Hora, before proceeding to the Abner Cotto Gym in Aguas Buenas, where a sizable number of his supporters were on hand to see him work out for the first time since beating Joshua Clottey last June in New York.

While Top Rank promotions is still connecting all the dots as to the penciled November 14 fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Cotto is making the most out of his available time by preparing himself for the onset of training camp proper in Tampa, Florida.

In the coming weeks, Cotto will be heading to the gym two or three times a week under the strict supervision of chief trainer Joe Santiago, whose target is “equality preparation” for Cotto.

Santiago said training will be handled well to guarantee that all the hard work in the gym won’t go down the drain.

Cotto also did his part in making sure he is in terrific shape heading into training camp, stressing that even while on vacation, he did not allow himself to physically go out of shape.

As for Pacquiao, who plans to start training camp in mid-September, the days ahead are loaded with numerous showbiz commitments since he intends to finish the shooting of his movie by the time he heads to the US on September 8.

Even the site of Pacquiao’s training camp remains a mystery as of this time since the 30-year-old pound-for-pound king hasn’t made up his mind where to train alongside Freddie Roach.

Top Rank head Bob Arum is offering the Bahamas, while Pacquiao lawyer Franklin Gacal is training his sights on Vancouver in Canada. Other possible sites include Mexico and the Philippines.

“It’s all up to Manny,” said Arum, who has informed Team Pacquiao that if they plan to hold training camp in the US, they have to pay millions of dollars in taxes owing to an IRS regulation called the Substantial Presence Test.

Source: Mb.com.ph

Cotto opens camp!

2009-08-04T18:26:00.001-07:00

WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto had his first day of training for his ‘Firepower’ super fight against Manny Pacquiao on November 14. Miguel began his training camp in the Abner “Pin” Cotto Boxing Gym in Aguas Buenas. He will be training three days a week to establish a pre-training condition until his physical trainer Phil Landman arrives in Puerto Rico on August 22 to begin full training sessions on Monday, August 24.

Source: Fightnews.com

KO gloves eyed by two fighters

2009-08-03T19:41:00.000-07:00

If there is one thing that both Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto would readily agree on, it would be the size of the gloves that will be used in their November 14 showdown.

Pacquiao will wear the 8 oz gloves to maximize the power behind those iron-clad fists, while Cotto should also do the same as he had done in the past.

"Both are punchers and they'll be wearing 8 oz gloves in the fight," said Pacquiao lawyer Franklin Gacal on Monday.

Pacquiao had used 8 oz when he fought Oscar De La Hoya at welterweight (147 lbs) and Ricky Hatton at super-lightweight (140 lbs) although there is a stipulation in the state of Nevada that 10 oz gloves will be strongly pushed for those fighting at lightweight (135 lbs) and higher.

Pacquiao’s awesome power was very evident against Hatton, who fell flat on his back after taking a bout-ending left to the chin in the second round.

However, the Nevada commission allows the use of 8 oz if both camps agree to use the lighter kind of gloves. Nevada had enforced the 10 oz gloves rule after a spate of ring deaths some years back in the lightweight division.

The past few weeks, the people of Pacquiao and Cotto have been exchanging barbs as regards to the finer points of the fight contract.

The issue of weight and status of the fight (title or non-title) being penciled for the MGM Grand in Las Vegas have apparently been settled although there are still cries from Cotto's camp in the Puerto Rican media that belies claims by Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum that everything has been taken cared of.

Citing that contracts have yet to be signed, Gacal still believes there is still enough time to iron out the kinks since the proposed start of the four-city promotional and press tour will only begin on September 10.

The World Boxing Organization (WBO) has declared that Cotto's welterweight crown will be on the line even though the agreed catch weight if 145 lbs.

Pacquiao and Cotto are known for their heavy hands.

The Filipino has a 49-3-2 win-loss-draw card with 37 knockouts (68 percent), while the Puerto Rican has a 34-1 mark with 27 knockouts (77 percent).

Source: mb.com.ph

Manny nearly pulls out of Cotto fight

2009-08-03T19:15:00.001-07:00

MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao came close to pulling the plug on Miguel Cotto if not for the assurance by promoter Bob Arum that the Puerto Rican will stake his World Boxing Organization welterweight title at a catchweight of 145 lb on Nov. 14.

Pacquiao’s lawyer, Franklin Gacal, yesterday said they were already preparing an official statement saying they will have to start looking for another opponent after reports said Cotto was not willing to stake his 147 lb title.

The reports quoted Cotto as saying he will only stake his WBO title if the fight is held at 147 lb, the welterweight limit, and that the 28-year-old champion was not willing to pay WBO the $150,000 sanctioning fee.

“Bob Arum told us not to believe everything that’s being reported. Then he assured me that Cotto will put his WBO welterweight title on the line -- at 145 pounds,” said Gacal from Gen. Santos City yesterday.

“We have to take Mr. Arum’s word on that,” added Gacal.

The Pacquiao lawyer said with the weight issue practically settled, now comes the money issue, although he said both camps have had an agreement regarding the purse sharing.

But Gacal did not give out the details, only saying that a 65-35 sharing in favor of Pacquiao should be the “worst-case scenario” for the Filipino pound-for-pound champion and today’s main attraction in boxing.

Gacal is hoping that the fight contract for Pacquiao vs Cotto be signed as soon as possible so both boxers can start focusing on what they have to do on the ring than on the negotiating table.

Reports said Cotto is scheduled to start working out today in Puerto Rico, while Roach wants Pacquiao to start limbering up before the press tour set on the second week of September.

“We were almost ready to issue a statement that we’ll start looking for a new opponent because of all those talks that Cotto wants Pacquiao to go up to 147 before he stakes his crown,” said Gacal.

Gacal, however, did not mention the boxer they had in mind in case the Cotto fight was scratched. It could be Shane Mosley, who’s offering Pacquiao everything but the kitchen sink, or someone else.

And that could even be Floyd Mayweather Jr., whom trainer Freddie Roach described as “the easiest fight of the three.”

Mayweather, who retired almost two years ago but is slated to return to the ring in September against Juan Manuel Marquez, another fighter drooling over Pacquiao.

The fight was supposed to be held in July but a rib injury sustained by Mayweather in training, coupled by poor ticket sales, led to a cancellation, and a new date on Sept. 19.

Source: Philstar.com

Unpredictable

2009-07-31T20:17:00.001-07:00

Recently, we have heard and read several news about the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight. Unfortunately, after we heard the news that both parties have agreed on a catch weight of 145 pounds which we thought was the only thing that was preventing the fight to happen after the Pacquiao camp initially demanded Cotto to go down to 143 pounds. We know the fight contract isn't signed yet.

Why? Not because of the purse. Cotto knows Pacquiao has to get the lion's share. Despite getting 30-35 percent of the share, he is about to get his biggest payday in his entire career.

But, what is really hindering the Pacman from signing the contract?

The WBO belt to be on the line.

Yes, this is what every member of the Pacquiao camp, wants reason why they are pushing for a Cotto fight. The fact that Cotto holds a world title (WBO) gives Manny a big chance to make history, to be the only boxer ever to win world titles in 7 weight division.

Why Cotto does not want to put his belt at stake?

I don't agree with Bob Arum that Cotto doesn't want to pay $150,000 sanction fee to the WBO. Cotto's camp are taking this situation to their advantage trying to steal the wheels from Manny Pacquiao and wish to dictate terms. I was not surprised when I heard Cotto's camp demanding Manny to fight Cotto at 147 pounds if he really wants the title.

What would be Manny's reaction to this. Although he has heard it, I am sure he would consider a lot of things before he decides whether to counter or bite.

If he counters, what would be his option? Best option, I meant.

For me, Manny should let Cotto know who the face of boxing is. Time to consider Shane Mosley's offer to fight Manny at 144 with the former's belt on the line.

With all these dramas and twisting stories from both Pacquiao's and Cotto's camp, the fight is not yet sure to happen. Until the contract is signed, everything can happen. It is very unpredictable.

Is Pacquiao-Cotto Going to Be Called Off?

2009-07-31T20:15:00.001-07:00

There's been an "official" announcement of the Manny Pacquiao/Miguel Cotto fight (tentatively scheduled for Nov. 14 in Las Vegas) from Bob Arum, but as yet there's been no press conference to announce the fight. What's more, it seems like the negotiation for the fight is still playing out in the media between the two camps, begging the question, "Is this fight a done deal or not?"

The latest issue to hit the headlines concerns the question of Miguel Cotto's WBO welterweight title and whether it would be up for grabs in a fight with Pacquiao. Reason would tell you that it wouldn't be, because the Pacquiao fight has been set at a catch-weight of 145 pounds, two pounds shy of the welterweight limit. After Arum brushed off concerns about the title question last week, Cotto stated his case earlier this week, saying, "If Pacquiao wants the fight to be for the title, it will have to be at 147 pounds... My decision is final and firm."

But Pacquiao's camp is equally insistent that the fight remain at 145 with the title at stake. "We don't need the fight if the title is not on the line," Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer, told The Manila Bulletin. "I want Manny to do this for a reason. I want Manny to win seven world titles. Titles are overrated but I would like to see Manny do this."

Of course, if Pacquiao and company are so adamant that the title be at stake in this fight, why didn't they raise the issue before the fight was "officially" announced to the media by the promoter of both fighters?

Well, according to Pacquiao's lawyer, Franklin Gacal, you'll have to ask the promoter about that. "I don't know why Bob made the announcement when in fact we haven't seen the contract," Gacal said.

Dah... what? They haven't seen the contract? Then what the hell is going on here exactly? How could this fight be a done deal when one fighter's camp claims not to have even seen the deal?

There are three possible answers to that question, all of which seem plausible to me:

1. They have seen the deal but are acting like they haven't to get what they want.

2. They have seen the deal but for whatever reason have decided that they don't want the Cotto fight and therefore are using this issue as the excuse to back out.

3. They haven't seen the deal – Arum's announcement was premature, a tactic to try and bully the Pacquiao camp into a fight that he desperately wants them to take.

Or it could be some combination of points one and three, although I confess that I'm really wondering about point number two. The reason I'm wondering about that is this: Who the hell cares about a WBO belt? I understand that Freddie Roach is starting to think about Pacquiao's place in history and everything, and an unprecedented seven world titles would be nice on that count, but still, I just don't believe that they care about it that much. Not to mention the fact that, hey, the fight's at 145 pounds. Cotto's right – that's not a welterweight fight and it shouldn't be sanctioned as such. It's true that the belts mean less than the fake gold they're made out of at this point, but nevertheless, if we start completely throwing the weight divisions out the window in this sport, we're looking at utter chaos.

And I suspect Freddie Roach knows that. I can only imagine the venom that would pour forth from him if he were on the other side of the argument. Cotto is well within his rights to stand his ground on the title question, and based on his comments yesterday, Roach is willing to scotch the fight if he does. Could that possibly be just for the honor of competing for the WBO welterweight crown?

I can't see it, myself. Maybe Pacquiao's team is just beating its chest a little to get this concession out of Cotto, but something tells me that he's not going to back down. Cotto is an old school guy, and though Roach is quick to point out that Pacquiao doesn't need Cotto, I don't think Cotto feels a tremendous need for Pacquiao either. Cotto sells out the Garden when he fights a no-name like Josh Clottey. He's not making Pacquiao money, but he's doing just fine for himself, and there are other big fights out there for him.

Which leads me to believe that if Pac Man Incorporated is going to hold the line on this issue, then the fight is off. And if that happens, never in a million years would anyone be able to convince me that the reason for that was the precious WBO title.

Source: SportingNews.com

Cotto now dictating terms on Pacquiao

2009-07-31T16:54:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines - It seems that Miguel Cotto is the one dictating on Manny Pacquiao when it should be the other way around.

First, he got the Filipino pound-for-pound champion to agree to the catchweight of 145 lb, and now, the Puerto Rican champion is saying he’d only stake his WBO welterweight crown if Pacquiao climbs to 147.

Pacquiao, through his lawyer Franklin Gacal, said weeks ago that the fight is off if Cotto insists on 145 lb, and said he wants the younger, bigger but not necessarily stronger champion to go down to 143.

But somewhere along the way Pacquiao agreed at 145 lb, and the other day, upon realizing that there’s a chance for him to win an unprecedented seventh world crown in different weight classes, he said he wants Cotto’s title.

“We should be the one dictating the terms. We are the main attraction,” said Gacal, adding that if Cotto insists at 145 lb then they might consider Shane Mosley, the WBA weltweight champion, who would have been easier to deal with.

Mosley first said he’s willing to fight Pacquiao at 144 lb and stake his WBO crown, and days after he dangled another offer for him to fight Pacquiao at 140 lb for the Filipino’s IBO light-welterweight title he won over Ricky Hatton last May.

While they have agreed verbally on the fight to take place on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas, Pacquiao and Cotto have yet to sign the fight contract, and may take them a little more time to decide whether or not a title will be at stake.

Arum told The STAR Cotto doesn’t want to pay the WBO sanction fee of $150,000.

Source: Philstar.com

Pacquiao’s camp blames Arum for ‘no-title’ fiasco

2009-07-31T16:48:00.000-07:00

The insistence of Miguel Cotto not to put his world title at stake when he fights Manny Pacquiao is being blamed on Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum.

Pacquiao lawyer Franklin Gacal said on Friday that Arum's hasty decision to come out with an announcement about the Pacquiao-Cotto fight scheduled Nov. 14 in Las Vegas early last week could be one of the reasons behind the insistence of Cotto to stand firm on his decision not to stake the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight crown.

"I don't know why Bob made the announcement when in fact we haven't seen the (official) contract," said Gacal when asked about the other pertinent details of the contract.

Arum has both Pacquiao and Cotto under the promotional banner of Top Rank.

Cotto's decision not to risk the WBO 147-lb crown stems from the fact that the fight is going to be at a catch weight of 145 lbs and that during the negotiations, Team Pacquiao did not bother to raise the issue.

Cotto said he will only risk the WBO title if Pacquiao agrees to face him at 147 lbs.

"(My decision is) final and firm," Cotto told El Nuevo Dia in a story that appeared on the paper's July 31 issue. "The belt is not going to be on the line in the fight."

Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach, already panicky about the prospects of bringing Pacquiao somewhere else other than the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, was bothered when told about the development.

"The WBO should make it a title fight. We don’t need the fight if the title is not on the line," Roach told The Bulletin. "I want Manny to do this for a reason. I want Manny to win seven world titles. Titles are overrated but I would like to see Manny do this."

There's been no seven-division world champion in boxing and Roach is dead-sure Pacquiao will become the very first when he faces Cotto.

Pacquiao has won legitimate world titles at flyweight (112 lbs), super-bantam (122), super-feather (130) and lightweight (135), but was widely recognized as well when he beat Marco Antonio Barrera for the Ring magazine featherweight (126) crown and Ricky Hatton last May even if the Englishman, considered as the best in the division, held the fringe International Boxing Organization junior-welter (140) diadem.

Source: MB.com.ph

Face me at 147 for WBO title, Cotto tells Pacquiao

2009-07-31T01:57:00.000-07:00

MANILA -- Miguel Cotto said that he would only agree to stake his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title against Manny Pacquiao if they agree to fight at 147 pounds.

In a report by MB.com.ph (Manila Bulletin), Cotto said that Pacquiao would have to fight as a true welterweight if he wants the 147-pound title.

“If Pacquiao wants that the fight be for the title, (it) will have to be in 147 pounds. I won the title in that, the welterweight (division) and that is 147 pounds,” the Puerto Rican champion said in the report.

Should the WBO insist on making the Pacquiao-Cotto match a title match at 145 pounds, the Puerto Rican said he will not hesitate to surrender the title.

“The OMB (WBO) has the legal authority to dismiss me as champion and gladly I deliver them the title. (WBO president) PacoValccel, better than nobody, knows that the 145 pounds is not a division,” said Cotto.

Pacquiao is pushing to make his November 14 date with Cotto a title fight in his bid to become a seven-division champion.

“Sa pamamagitan ng pag-sanction ng WBO sa laban namin, mangyayaring magkaroon ako ng tsansa na maging isang seven-division champion, na hindi pa nangyayari sa kasaysayan ng boxing,” the Filipino boxing icon said in his column “Kumbinasyon” posted on Philboxing.com.

Pacquiao, the reigning IBO junior welterweight champion, is a former WBC lightweight champion, WBC Super Featherweight champion, IBF Super Bantamweight champion and WBC Flyweight champion.

He also won lineal championships in four weight classes, one of which was counted as a title he won over Marco Antonio Barrera.

Source: ABS-CBNNEWS.COM

Cotto wants fight with Pacquiao at 147lbs

2009-07-31T01:21:00.000-07:00

Miguel Cotto is willing to stake his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title against Manny Pacquiao.

With one major condition of course, that the fight has to be at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds.

“If Pacquiao wants a title for the fight, it will have to be at 147," Cotto declared from his hometown in Puerto Rico.

His offer is the latest plot twist in his scheduled November 14 showdown against the reigning pound-for-pound king and the six-division title holder Pacquiao.

The 12-round Pacquiao-Cotto match, which will be held in Las Vegas, is considered by many as the biggest bout in the final half of 2009.

Originally set at a catch weight of 145 pounds, Cotto was forced to set his own condition this time after Pacquiao insisted that the Puerto Rican’s WBO crown be put on the table.

Pacquiao’s suggestion was even backed by no less than WBO president Francisco Valcarcel, who was more than willing to sanction the match.

But Cotto, in an interview with Puerto Rican newspaper Primerahora, stressed the catch weight of 145 pounds doesn’t fall under any category in boxing. “The weight of 145 pounds is not a category."

He said since he won the title at 147 pounds, then Pacquiao should agree going up in weight if he wants the WBO title at stake.

Cotto acknowledged, however, that as the sanctioning boxing body, the WBO can strip him of his title if he refused to defend it.

“The WBO has the legal authority to dismiss me as champion. I have no problem with that," said the world champion, who is busy promoting his new line of clothing in Puerto Rico.

This developed as Cotto revealed he’s planning to go back to the gym next week and start to do some light work out.

Source: GMANews.TV

Pacquiao doesn't need Cotto or his belt

2009-07-30T23:58:00.000-07:00

Truth be told Manny Pacquiao does not need Miguel Cotto, nor his belt. Just based on both fighters' recent history, it should be Cotto crawling on all fours wanting to fight Pacquiao to revive his slumping career.

I don't know whether Cotto is posturing or is simply stubborn when he said he wouldn't put up his WBO welterweight belt against Pacquiao even if he had to vacate it. Fighting words from the gallant Puerto Rican, but why would Pacquiao care?

If that's the case then Cotto isn't really interested in the biggest payday and break of his career after all. If I was a Team Pacquiao adviser, I'd simply tell Manny to walk and explore his many other options.

Mosley is willing and waiting in the wings and would even go down to 140 and take 40% of the pot just to dance with Manny. Of course there's still the option of paying Marquez step-aside money as Floyd Mayweather Jr. himself suggested and get right down to business with "Money May". Or he can stay in his division and fight the winner of Timothy Bradley and Nate Campbell next week at the Agua Caliente Casino in Palm Springs. Call me T.I. because fact of the matter is Manny, "you can have whatever you like". Such are the rewards of being the best and most popular boxer in the planet. When Cotto actually locates his heart after Antonio Margarito beat the crap out of him and fighting the last four rounds of his controversial win against Joshua Clottey on skates, then he can start acting like a diva.

Really? He will vacate his title just so Pacquiao wouldn't be able to get a shot at it? That's simply disrespectful in my book. You wouldn't even give a much smaller person a shot at a belt he very well deserves if he beats you just because of two almost meaningless pounds? Even when it means you are to get the biggest payday of your career? Really?

Pacquiao did not invent title fights at a catch weight, in fact great boxers like Sugar Ray Leonard have done it before him in the past. The welterweight limit is from 141-147 pounds, the 147 is just the maximum weight they can come in at the weigh-ins. Realistically, Pacquiao is really that small compared to Cotto so the two pounds only makes it sensible. Just a year ago, even Bob Arum himself said imagining Pacquiao in the ring with Cotto was ludicrous and he simply could not see it happening. That was then, this is now. And now all of a sudden it's ridiculous for Pacquiao to ask for a title-fight for asking Cotto to come down 2 pounds?

Let's put things in proper perspective. Pacquiao does not need Cotto right now. Actually, Cotto is fortunate that he is getting all this attention and publicity after his ho-hum victories and devastating loss to Margarito. A lot of people even consider him damaged goods and actually lost to Clottey. That's not to say I agree with that, I personally feel Cotto is still one of the toughest fights for Pacquiao out there but it doesn't mean it's the best fight for him necessarily especially if it would be a beltless fight and if Cotto would go out of his way just to not make it a title-fight. Pacquiao can fight Mosley who is a better sell for American veiwers and Pay-Per-View buyers anyway. You also finally get to see Pacquiao fight an African-American boxer, one of the best at that, as some people have been clamoring for. I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record but Pacquiao got options... Pacquiao got options....Pac-paca-pac-pa-pac-pac got chiki-chiki op-tions... Pacquiao got op-o-o-options. Broken record, scratch, scribble, dice and transform it, whatever it takes to send the message. Got it? Good. (By the way shout out to my boy DJ QBert, one of the best skratch DJs to have ever lived)

Perhaps somebody whispered something behind Cotto's ear for him to be confident of whatever happens at the moment. It's almost as if he is willing to just finish up his contract with Top Rank against whoever and jump ship to Golden Boy where promised greener pastures await. It makes sense. De la Hoya could have very well guaranteed Cotto a shot at Mayweather or a rematch with Mosley with some serious dough in tow. Nobody really believes that all Cotto and De la Hoya did was a round of golf a couple of weeks ago.

That's besides the point however. Last time I checked, Pacquiao hasn't signed any papers to fight Cotto yet. Cotto is a good opponent but there are better options for Pacquiao out there if Cotto insists on playing hard-to-get. He can go for Mosley's belts at 143 if he wants to rather than negotiate with a fighter people consider as "damaged goods".

Source: dSource of Examiner.com

Fight at 147 lbs if Pacquiao wants title

2009-07-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

If Manny Pacquiao wants their November 14 fight to be a title fight, Miguel Cotto said the Filipino has to agree to meet him at the welterweight limit of 147 lbs.

In the event that the fight would get into trouble with the World Boxing Organization (WBO), the Puerto Rican reiterated that he is willing to vacate the throne.

“If Pacquiao wants that the fight be for the title, (it) will have to be in 147 pounds. I won the title in that, the welterweight (division) and that is 147 pounds,” Cotto told the Primera Hora newspaper yesterday during the launch of his clothing line.

Cotto, the reigning WBO welter champion, stressed that the issue of the title was not raised during the negotiations with the Pacquiao camp.

Top Rank head Bob Arum echoed Cotto’s statement.

“No,” said Arum, when asked if Pacquio’s people raised the matter of Cotto’s WBO title during the negotiations.

“The weight of 145 pounds is not a category. If the OMB (WBO) is having a problem with my decision (not to stake it), I will gladly hand over the title. I do not have problems with that,” said Cotto, who was represented during the negotiations by Gabriel Penagaricano, one of boxing’s premiere lawyers.

Source: mb.com.ph

Manny Pacquiao needs to clean his own house right now

2009-07-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

I don’t need HBO’s unofficial judge Harold Lederman to tell me who is ahead in the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto preflight fight.

I give the first round to the Boricua Bomber and his legal adviser, Gabriel Penagaricano Jr., by a 10-8 margin due to knockdowns.

Seriously, while all the controversy has pumped up Pacquiao-Cotto big time even before tickets go on sale, it has been strictly “Amateur Night in Dixie” for Team Pacquiao.

For a millisecond, let’s put aside the endless brouhaha about whether Cotto will risk his WBO welterweight crown against Megamanny and talk about other issues.

They are:

1. NO SIGNED CONTRACT: Meaning that the so called verbal agreements about a 145 pound weight limitation and anything else are not worth the paper they are not printed on. Let’s make it clear that Cotto is in the driver’s seat as the Pacman camp has poorly played its strong hand. You cannot blame Penagaricano from squeezing both promoter Bob Arum and Team Pacquiao like a lemon. No signed contract means no signed contract meaning that only spoken words have been exchanged here.

2.PACMAN MUST DROP HIS TWO POUND CRUTCH: This may have been Cotto’s two-pronged ploy from the get go, milking Arum for more dough in the bout contract and a new promotional contract or extension of same and also getting around the 145 pound limit insisted upon by Coach Freddie Roach and the other members of Pacman’s team.

3. PUTTING WBO PRESIDENT VALCARCEL’S HEAD IN A VISE: He lives in and practices law in San Juan. Do you think Paco wants to be the villain who strips an extremely popular Boricua of his title for not fighting top contender Pacman especially when he knows neither Cotto nor Manny have any particular loyalty to his Alphabet Group? (Kudos to Boxeomundial.com's Jose Martino for gleaning the fact that the WBO is insisting that Cotto pay a sanction fee ($150,000 cap) even if his bout with Pacman is a non title affair.

4. ARUM SHOULD HAVE PUT THIS BOUT TO BED BEFORE HIS HOLIDAY ROMP IN ITALY: I can understand a 77 year old rich guy taking a nice vacation with but couldn’t Todd duBoef, his stepson and Top Rank president, have tied up the loose ends here? I mean, was he just too busy with Latin Fury or inking heavyweight ne’er do well Samuel Peter? or maybe duBoef, an able fellow, was too swamped carving out a new or extended contract with Cotto.

5. DID MICHAEL KONCZ GET LOST IN AN AIRPORT: Is he Pac’s Man or Arum’s Main Main? They say no man can serve two masters. What is he doing messing around with undercard fighters when Manny’s business has not been properly handled? He may be from Canada but the Cotto camp has skated rings around him and MP lawyer Jeng “Jackal” Gacal.

Suddenly, having Sugar Shane Mosley “sitting in the on deck circle” (Arum’s exact words) does not seem so ludicrous or farfetched, does it?

And he not only willing but eager to take the short end of the financial stick and agree to a weight limit, or so he said, of 140 pounds.

Maybe it’s time for Pacquiao to clear out of the welterweight division entirely. And that includes the inevitable Floyd Mayweather Jr. megabout.

I know one true thing and that is Team Pacquiao needs a housecleaning and needs it now.

Otherwise, it will continue to be Amateur Night in Pacland.

Time to banish some of these Slumdog Millionaires, Manny.

Source: Michael Marley of Examiner.com

Roach advises Floyd: Don’t take Pacquiao fight

2009-07-30T02:32:00.000-07:00

Famed trainer Freddie Roach has dispensed Floyd Mayweather Jr. a piece of “advice” on a possible fight with Manny Pacquiao, one that the former pound-for-pound king certainly won’t like.

“Don’t take this fight! Even though this is the fight that all boxing fans want to see, it would not surprise me to see Mayweather fight Mosley instead of Manny,” he told Roach told David Tyler of DoghouseBoxing.com. “Why fight a guy you can’t possibly beat?”

The possible Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown is one fight most boxing fanatics would like to see as it will pit two of the most popular boxers today.

Roach said Mayweather won’t pose any problem against his prized ward.

“He presents no problem for Manny. He is too small and fragile for Manny. He doesn’t have the skills to hurt my fighter,” said the American trainer.

Mayweather is currently preparing for his comeback fight against Juan Manuel Marquez on September 20 while Pacquiao is arranging a match with Miguel Cotto.

Pacquiao’s trainer explained, “He is elusive but he can’t move his body. He is very quick with head movement. You break his body down, he has bad hands, bad ribs, bad knee and he’s had rotator cuff surgery.”

“Manny will be applying pressure from the beginning and never let up,” he said of what he thinks will happen in a Pacquiao-Mayweather clash.

“That’s exactly why Mayweather will be an easier opponent than Cotto or (Shane) Mosley or even Marquez. He will use both hands and he is certainly the faster fighter.”

How to beat Cotto
Roach revealed that in two week’s time, he will be laying out to Pacquiao his game plan in beating Cotto.

“In a couple of weeks I will be able to tell Manny how to beat Cotto and he will work on this strategy in the gym,” he said.

The awarded trainer is certain that Pacquiao will prevail in his next fight. But he needs to study more videos of Cotto “to see the fights where he was at his best.”

“This is the only way that I can study his strengths as well as his weaknesses,” reasoned Roach.

Cotto, who hails from Puerto Rico, is the World Boxing Organization welterweight champion. The bout’s catch weight, however, is 145 pounds. This is two pounds less than the welterweight limit of 147.

Pacquiao earlier said he is pushing for a title fight with Cotto, who refused to put his belt at stake because of the sanction fee involved.

Roach said that at present, Pacquiao “has lots of confidence and by that I mean he is not afraid to stand ‘toe to toe’ without backing out of an exchange.”

“Hard to believe but he now hits just as hard with the right hand as he does with his left hand,” he added. With a report from The Philippine Star.

Source: ABS-CBNNews.com

Pacquiao eager to be a seven-division champion

2009-07-30T02:10:00.000-07:00

Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao is eager to gun for another world title in an unprecedented seventh division against World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico in their Nov. 14 duel in Las Vegas.

The Pacman, the current International Boxing Organization and Ring Magazine light-welterweight champion, had previously owned titles at flyweight (World Boxing Council), super-bantamweight (International Boxing Federation), featherweight (Ring Magazine), super-featherweight (WBC), and lightweight (WBC) and another one would further cement his status among the sport’s elite.

The Pacquiao-Cotto fight is penciled at a catchweight of 145-lbs (two pounds below the welterweight class) but no less than WBO president Francisco Valcarcel himself said it could still be a WBO-sanctioned welterweight title fight, citing a similar precedent, the Oscar De La Hoya-Bernard Hopkins duel for the middleweight (160-lb) crown which was fought at 158-lbs.

“Let Manny fight for the title and if he wins, he will get the title as WBO Welterweight Champion of the World," Valcarcel said a recent interview by PhilBoxing.com.

So upon knowing the WBO’s position, Pacquiao has insisted on having Cotto stake his WBO 147-lb belt as he guns for more glory in possibly his last fight.

“Sa pamamagitan ng pagsanction ng WBO sa laban namin, mangyayaring magkaroon ako ng tsansa na maging isang seven-division champion, na hindi pa nangyayari kasaysayan ng boxing," Pacquiao wrote in his Kumbinasyon column for Abante and PhilBoxing.com.

Currently he shares the rare distinction of being a six-division champ with retired legend Oscar De La Hoya, whom Pacquiao disposed of in a non-title duel at 147-lbs last December. The "Golden Boy" held world titles in the super-featherweight, lightweight, light-welterweight, welterweight, junior middleweight, and middleweight wars.

“Magkakaroon ako ng tsansa na malampasan ang ganitong record (De La Hoya’s feat in six divisions)," said the Filipino ring icon.

Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, had earlier dismissed a title fight, reportedly saying “No one cares about a belt."

But Pacquiao has now instructed his lawyer, Jeng Gacal, to coordinate with Valcarcel and Arum to make the necessary arrangements, including payment of the $150,000 sanction fee, to make the Cotto gig a showdown for the latter’s welterweight strap.

“Binibigyang papuri ko ang WBO sa kanilang pagbigay ng espesyal na kunsiderasyon na ang labang ito ay para sa korona ni Cotto, ang pinakamagaling na welterweight sa mundo sa kasalukuyan," Pacquiao said.

As always, the 30-year-old dynamo is prepared to kill himself at the gym as he takes on Cotto’s tough challenge.

“Alam kong matinding pagsubok na naman ang nasa aking harapan at matinding ensayo na naman ang aking gagawin," he said, adding he’s inspired to plunge into serious training by September.

Source: GMANews.TV

Manny Pacquiao: Greatest Hits (HBO)

2009-07-30T00:16:00.000-07:00

Miguel Cotto: Greatest Hits (HBO)

2009-07-30T00:11:00.000-07:00

Pacquiao may train in Canada

2009-07-29T22:57:00.001-07:00

Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum is luring Manny Pacquiao to the Bahamas for the first half of his training camp for the November 14 duel with Miguel Cotto but the Filipino fighter might end up going to Canada, Mexico — or even the Philippines.

Owing to an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulation called the Substantial Presence Test, defined as a calculation that determines the resident or nonresident status of a foreign national for tax purposes in the US, Arum said Pacquiao has to spend the first four weeks of training outside US territory and the Bahamas, which is 45 minutes by air from Florida, turned out to be perfect choice.

“Manny’s going to love it there,” Arum said on Wednesday, stressing that a high-ranking executive of the high-end Atlantis Resort in the capital city of Nassau, is more than willing to host Pacquiao and his training team.

“The weather is similar to that of the Philippines and everything there will be first-class,” said Arum, who turned a bit annoyed when told about the possibility of Pacquiao opting to stay in the Philippines.

Arum said he can also train in Mexico but the language barrier might turn Pacquiao off.

“Manny has to be near the US because we will maximize the pay-per-view,” said Arum, noting that “it will all be up to Manny” to decide where to train.

Even chief trainer Freddie Roach is not leaning towards a training camp in the country “because of too many distractions.”

Pacquiao lawyer Franklin Gacal said Vancouver in Canada appears to be a good choice, not only because it is also near the US but because of the large number of Filipinos residing there as well.

Roach wants an eight-week training camp for the Cotto fight and regardless of where Pacquiao spends the first four weeks, they would resume training at the Wild Card in Hollywood a month before the bout.

Source: mb.com.ph

Who Really Has The Edge?

2009-07-29T07:35:00.000-07:00

Even before the fight was formalized and the contract was signed, boxing experts and ordinary fans have Manny Pacquiao as the betting favorite with a 2-1 advantage over Cotto in their scheduled fight on November 14, 2009 at MGM Grand in las Vegas. Despite Cotto being a natural welterweight and obviously the bigger man, many think that the superior boxing skills of Pacquiao highlighted by his blinding speed is enough to beat and even knock out Cotto.
Pacquiao's Head Coach Freddie Roach even predicted a knockout for Pacquiao. We all know how Roach fared with his previous fight predictions, particularly the last three fights of the Pacman. Also, this early, Roach has already outlined the strategies needed to work on during Pacquiao's training period that could possibly last from eight to tem weeks.
Expected to get the lion's share is Pacquiao who reportedly will get the better of a 65-35 live gate revenue share and 70-30 ppv share.
For boxing fans and those who care about Manny's legacy, the revenue share does not matter much than the honor it would give Pacman, an honor that would possibly make him the Greatest Fighter of All Time. Also, if the WBO belt being held by Cotto will be at stake, a won by Pacquiao would make him the only fighter to win world titles in seven (7) weight division.

WBO Title At Stake or Not?

2009-07-28T22:12:00.001-07:00

The recent issue surrounding the upcoming fight between No.1 Pound for Pound King Manny Pacquiao and WBO Welterweight Champion Miguel Cotto is whether the latter would stake his title or not. Pacquiao obviously wants the title to be on the line to chase history possibly to become the only boxer to win titles in 7 weight divisions. Currently, he is tied with Oscar dela Hoya as 6-division champions.
Filipinos want the title on the line. In a recent announcement made by Bob Arum, he said "nobody in the US cares whether the WBO title is on the line or not", which drew a lot of comments from the boxing world especially the Pacquiao fans.
Of course a lot of people care. Check out some articles regarding this issue.

Pacquiao's Army on the march for historic title bout - by Michael Marley of Examiner.com

WBO: Cotto can be forced to stake his belt - by Roy Luarca of Philippine Daily Inquirer

Cotto/Pacquiao: Many questions, no answers, no title....no fight? - by Vivek Wallace of Examiner.com

Pacman pushes for Cotto title fight

2009-07-28T21:57:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao wants Miguel Cotto’s belt.

“Let’s make it a title fight,” Pacquiao said yesterday during his visit to The STAR, referring to his Nov. 14 match with Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Questions about the fight being a non-title fight came up when Bob Arum announced last wek that Cotto doesn’t want to put his WBO welterweight crown at stake because he didn’t want to pay the sanction fee.

Pacquiao himself said a few days ago that the title was not part of the agreement made when the fight was sealed two weeks ago. No contract has been signed but Arum said very soon he’ll get things done.

But WBO president Francisco Valcarcel had been insisting that it should be a title fight even if the fight is to be held at a catch weight of 145 lb, two pounds short of the welterweight limit.

The WBO chief said the sanction fee could amount to more than $300,000, including those for the boxers and the promoter as well.

Pacquiao fans insist that the fight be for the title so the Filipino ring icon can go for a historic seventh world crown and add up to his flyweight, super-bantam, featherweight, super-featherweight, lightweight and light-welterweight.

“The people want this fight. And they want it to be a title fight. So, let’s make it a title fight,” said Pacquiao.

“I’m willing to pay the sanction fee. But I don’t know with Cotto. It seems that he doesn’t want to pay,” added the pound-for-pound champion.

His lawyer, Franklin Gacal, said he has informed Arum, the Top Rank president who has both Pacquiao and Cotto under his wings, of the plan to make it a title fight.

“To remove the cloud in the minds of some, and for the satisfaction of the greater majority of the boxing fans, Manny Pacquiao wants his November bout against Cotto to be a title bout,” said Gacal.

“I have already talked to Bob Arum about Pacman’s decision. I also relayed through a telephone conversation to the WBO president that the fight be sanctioned as a championship bout at a catch weight of 145 lb,” he added.

Gacal said if Cotto still refuses to stake his crown, it only means one thing.

“He’s afraid he’ll lose it,” said the lawyer.

Source: Philstar.com

Pacquiao vs. Cotto Updates

2009-07-28T21:49:00.001-07:00

Check out for more updates on the much anticipated match up and biggest fight in 2009, Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines vs. Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico on November 14, 2009 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

I will be posting some recent news and updates from different sources on here regarding the fight.

It's finally ON! This is definitely happening on November 14th. The only question now is whether Cotto's WBO belt is on the line.

PACQUIAO VS COTTO

Miguel Cotto's Training Video

Roach Won't Allow Cotto To Use Mayweather Trick

Latest Pound For Pound Ratings

Source: The Ring

1. Manny Pacquiao

Country: Philippines

Record: 49-3-2 (37 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #1 | Last Week: #1 | Weeks On List: 303

Titles: The Ring

2. Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Country: USA (Las Vegas, Nevada)

Record: 40-0-0 (25 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #2 | Last Week: - | Weeks On List: 1

3. Shane Mosley

Country: USA (Las Vegas, Nevada)

Record: 46-5-0 (39 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #3 | Last Week: #4 | Weeks On List: 35

Titles: WBA

4. Bernard Hopkins

Country: USA (Philadelphia, Pa.)

Record: 49-5-1 (32 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #4 | Last Week: #3 | Weeks On List: 172

5. Juan Manuel Marquez

Country: Mexico

Record: 50-5-1 (37 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #5 | Last Week: #2 | Weeks On List: 132

Titles: WBA, WBO, The Ring

6. Israel Vazquez

Country: Mexico

Record: 43-4-0 (31 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #6 | Last Week: #5 | Weeks On List: 112

7. Rafael Marquez

Country: Mexico

Record: 38-5-0 (34 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #7 | Last Week: #6 | Weeks On List: 70

8. Nonito Donaire

Country: USA (San Leandro, Calif.)

Record: 22-1-0 (14 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #8 | Last Week: #7 | Weeks On List: 21

Titles: IBF

9. Miguel Cotto

Country: Puerto Rico

Record: 34-1-0 (27 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #9 | Last Week: #8 | Weeks On List: 21

Titles: WBO

10. Celestino Caballero

Country: Panama

Record: 33-2-0 (23 KOs)

Ranking: This Week: #10 | Last Week: #9 | Weeks On List: 35

Titles: IBF, WBA

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Cotto fight my toughest test, says Pacquiao

PACQUIAO-COTTO PRESS-CON TOUCHES DOWN AT LA-LA LAND

Pacquiao has Cotto figured out

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Manny yields limelight to Cotto

Roach: Pacquiao too quick for Cotto

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Pacquiao, Cotto next up for '24/7' treatment

Photos: Pacquiao vs Cotto, Yankee Stadium Mega Gallery

Cotto declares Pacquiao’s style not his business

Pacquiao admits he’s far from fighting form

Pacquiao vs Cotto: Manny Begins The Hectic Tour

Pacquiao vs Cotto 24/7 Sneak Peek

Manny at the Piano

Pacquiao vs Cotto Official Press Tour Teaser

Pacquiao's Camp: Fernandez Approves Baguio City

Pacquiao to start promo tour for bout

Pacquiao is surely inspired by Sonsona's victory

Miguel Cotto – Adjustments, Set & Go!

Miguel Cotto's Work Out Videos

Who can stop Pacquiao's movements?

Ring Size Does Matter

If Miguel Cotto's shot, Manny Pacquiao will let us know