Paulie Malignaggi's Pacquiao-Cotto Fight Prediction

MANILA, Philippines – He has yet to feel the power of Manny Pacquiao, but Paulie Malignaggi is convinced the Filipino superstar can’t measure up against Puerto Rican icon Miguel Cotto when they tangle on November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Malignaggi went as far as predicting that Cotto, who beat him by unanimous decision three years ago, would knock Pacquiao out and retain his World Boxing Organization welterweight crown.

In an interview with Rick Reeno of BoxingScene.com, Malignaggi paid tribute to Cotto’s strength by saying that he “hits like a beast.”

This despite Cotto’s inability to put him down when they tangled on June 10, 2006 at the Madison Square Garden in New York.

According to Malignaggi, the Puerto Rican (34-1 with 27 KOs) is simply “too big and too strong” for Pacquiao, the pound-for-pound king, who is a 2-1 favorite in early betting odds.

Unconvinced of Pacquiao’s punching power, Malignaggi even suggested that South African Joshua Clottey, who was narrowly beaten by Cotto last June 13, could also knock Pacquiao out.

Of course, Cotto is also convinced that Pacquiao doesn’t have the physical attributes to topple him even at the catch weight of 145 pounds.

In an interview with Puerto Rican newspaper Primera Hora on Friday, Cotto said his only concern about Pacquiao was his speed although he noted that he could neutralize it with a “good defense.”

Cotto, who started his preparations for the megabuck pay-per-view bout on August 3 in his hometown in Caguas, Puerto Rico, added that Pacquiao must look elsewhere if he wants an unprecedented seventh world title at 147 pounds.

The Pacquiao-Cotto showdown, which is also for the newly created World Boxing Council Diamond Belt, is already a guaranteed blockbuster with only a few $750 and $1000 tickets up for grabs.

To further drum up interest, chief promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank announced that Pacquiao and Cotto will embark on a four-city press tour starting on September 10 in New York, September 12 in Caguas, September 13 in San Francisco and September 14 in Los Angeles.

SOURCE : Cotto ‘victim’ predicts Pacquiao knockout

Paulie Malignaggi was born November 23, 1980. He is an American professional boxer from Brooklyn, New York. He is a former IBF junior welterweight champion. Prior to his fight against Miguel Cotto, Malignaggi's fight record was 21-0-0.