Manny Pacquiao will not be stronger says Miguel Cotto

WBO champion Miguel Cotto has dismissed claims that Manny Pacquiao will be stronger when the pair clash on November 14 in Las Vegas.

The Puerto Rican was calm and confident as he played down the threat of the Filipino superstar who is searching for his record breaking seventh world titles in seven divisions.

“He’s coming from a lower division,” said Cotto. “If they think they have more power than Miguel Cotto, they’re wrong.”

Pacquiao has demonstrated his hand speed and strength with his devastating second round knockout of Ricky Hatton in May, but Cotto maintained he is ready for whatever comes at him.

“I’m prepared for anything he can bring…I’m prepared for all that he can show me,” said Cotto whose only defeat was marred in controversy after suffering a head-butt followed by an investigation into opponent Antonio Margarito’s hand-wraps.

Cotto bounced back from the defeat, going on to outbox Britain’s Michael Jennings and win a close points decision in a hard fought battle against Joshua Clottey. As for how he will handle Pacquiao, Cotto underplayed the possibility of a KO victory.

“I never come out to knock out any fighter, but if I hit him pretty good, I’m going for it.” said the champion who has knocked out 27 of his 35 opponents.

For Cotto, success against Pac-Man would propel him to the top of the boxing pecking order and make him a household name. Despite being the underdog he remains positive he can achieve this: “I’m very confident that I’m going to come out with a victory that night.”

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What do you think? Will Cotto win this fight?

Mickey Rourke Prediction of the Pacquiao-Cotto Fight

HOLLYWOOD – Mickey Rourke has been a disciple of trainer par excellence Freddie Roach and is known chummy with boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao.

But when asked of his thoughts about Pacquiao’s 12-round title fight against Miguel Cotto for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight belt, the American actor and Academy award nominee said things are going to be even.

“It’s 50-50," Rourke shot back when pressed on who he favored to win the bout.

A one-time boxer in the early 90s who had no less than Roach for trainer, Rourke came over at the Wild Card gym here coinciding with the two-hour long media workout of the 30-year old Pacquiao.

The 57-year old Rourke, whose portrayal of Randy “The Ram" Robinson in the 2008 movie “The Wrestler" earned him an Oscar Best Actor nomination, shook hands and had a pleasant conversation with Roach, and later on, had a photo op with Pacquiao while the pound-for-pound king was in training.

But he appeared less gracious when his thoughts about the WBO championship fight were raised.

Rourke said Pacquiao beating Cotto is not as easy as learning A-B-C.

“I don’t think Cotto would be a walk in the park," said the veteran actor. “He’s gonna be strong. Cotto is the bigger fighter and a very good fighter."

However, one thing going for Manny, according to him, is the Filipino superstar’s vaunted speed.

“Speed would be able to offset Cotto’s power. Speed is more important than power. Manny has got to stay away from Cotto’s range since he (Cotto) can bang with both hands," Rourke said.

Rourke knows where he’s speaking from.

After briefly staying away from acting in 1991, Rourke relived his love for the sport of prizefighting by turning pro under Roach’s watchful eyes.

He was undefeated in eight fights with two of them ending up in draw.

“I would have lost if I haven’t had Freddie, coz my training habit wasn’t that good," he said of his short-lived boxing career.

Rourke would quit boxing soon after, giving to Roach all his equipment that can still be found now at the Wild Card gym.

“He’s my best friend. I wouldn’t be here now (Wild Card gym). He’s the one who brought me here," said Roach in acknowledging all the help Rourke did while the three-time Trainer of the Year was still starting off with his famous sweatshop at Vine St.

Given the chance, Rourke said he’s more than willing to accept a role should a Hollywood movie on Pacquiao be made.

And he already had an idea on who is he going to play.

“I would do the Freddie roach story but I would have to wait 20 years from now," he said, teasing Roach as being too old for him to play. SOURCE

Miguel is going to win the fight

HOLLYWOOD - Miguel Cotto’s camp declared that making the weight won’t be a problem for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion with his potentially explosive title showdown with Manny Pacquiao just around the corner.

The weight issue is actually of no concern for Cotto’s camp that trainer Joe Santiago is already predicting a victory for his Puerto Rican ward’s scheduled Nov. 14 slugfest against Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“We don’t doubt that Miguel is going to win this fight," said Santiago during Cotto’s media workout Tuesday (Wednesday Manilatime) at the Pound4Pound gym. “No matter what happens, we will win. We’ll have a big victory on the 14th (of November)."

Cotto’s chief trainer said the Filipino ring icon is definitely not cut out to fight at the 147 limit, where the Puerto Rican is definitely the man to beat.

At the most, Pacquiao’s perfect fighting weight is at super-featherweight, according to Santiago.

“Manny Pacquiao is a strong fighter at 130 pounds. He’s still not good in our division (147). No one is as big and strong as Miguel Cotto," said Santiago through his interpreter Brian Perez, the hefty, bosom buddy of the WBO title holder.

Pacquiao and Cotto will duke it out in a high-profile 12-round title bout, dubbed “Firepower" Saturday (Sunday Manila time) next week in a showdown to be fought at a catch weight of 145 pounds.

Cotto, a native of Caguas, Puerto Rico, has not fought below 147 pounds in the last three years, although he is considered as one of the elite fighters in the said division today.

In contrast, Pacquiao is fighting as a welterweight only for the second time in his illustrious career. His first attempt at the 147-pound class, however, ended up to be an enormous success as he had no less than the great Oscar De La Hoya for a victim, forcing the legendary “Golden Boy" from quitting on his stool just before the start of the ninth round, an embarrassing moment that eventually led to his retirement.

But Santiago would have none of the stuff, stressing that the De La Hoya Pacquiao had beaten was already at the end of his colorful career.

The Puerto Rican trainer even downplayed Pacquiao’s second round destruction of former two-time junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton in his last fight six months ago, pointing out that the popular Briton “doesn’t have any defense."

“Miguel Cotto is a different fighter," said Santiago in comparing his ward to the last two fighters Pacquiao defeated.

“He (Cotto) is at his prime and at his peak. So it’s going to be an interesting fight.

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Pacquiao versus Cotto: More Predictions from Mike Koncz

MANILA – Canadian adviser Mike Koncz has joined American trainer Freddie Roach and conditioning coach Alex Ariza in declaring that Manny Pacquiao will certainly knockout WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in the “Firepower” bout on November 14 in Las Vegas.

Koncz, however, thinks the KO will not come soon in the fight, contrary to what Roach has predicted.

“I believe it will happen but I don’t believe it will happen as quickly as in the [Ricky] Hatton fight,” Koncz told abs-cbnNEWS.com last week.

Pacquiao became the IBO/Ring Magazine light welterweight champion in May after stunning Britain’s Hatton with a 2nd round KO in the “Battle of the East and West.”

Roach told PhilBoxing.com that Pacquiao would KO Cotto in Round 1 if the Puerto Rican “doesn’t run.” Ariza, meantime, said the Filipino boxing superstar can KO Cotto “if he lands a shot” because of the immense power of Pacquiao’s punch.

“You know Cotto's a fighter in his prime. He's one of the best body punchers in the business, very strong,” Koncz said of the WBO welterweight champ.

“Certainly I believe Manny will prevail in the fight because his foot speed and his hand speed are just gonna be too much for Cotto,” he continued.

“But the knockout, I think so but I don’t think so [it will happen] until the later rounds.”

Pacquiao went to the United States Saturday night to wrap up his training there. Koncz said the pound-for-pound king will train in Los Angeles, California for two weeks.

Team Pacquiao will proceed to Las Vegas, Nevada on the Sunday before the fight to continue training.

A “very hectic schedule” awaits Pacquiao in Las Vegas, Koncz noted, as he is set to fulfill “contractual obligations” such as promoting the bout. – Report by Ma. Rosanna Mina, abs-cbnNEWS.com

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Cotto has strength and KO ability

In boxing, the attributes of a fighter’s physical strength and his knockout power are not necessarily one and the same.

Thomas Hearns, for instance, remains the prototype of a boxer who possessed one-punch knockout power yet often lacked the formidable body strength of his more muscle-bound opponents. Think of the electrifying knockouts he recorded against Pipino Cuevas and Roberto Duran — and by contrast, later in his career, the way Hearns was bullied on the inside on the way to losing a 12-round decision to Iran Barkley.

Other boxers from the same mold were, in reverse chronological order, the light heavyweight great Bob Foster and the hall-of-fame flyweight Jimmy Wilde.

The quintessential boxer with exceptional physical strength but modest knockout power against top-level opposition was probably Randall “Tex” Cobb, as illustrated by his inability to finish off an exhausted Earnie Shavers in 1980 (on the undercard of Hearns-Cuevas, coincidentally).

Also in this category were Evander Holyfield and fellow heavyweight Larry Holmes, who famously said: “I didn’t have the hardest punch in the world, but my punches were sharp and they were crisp — and if you took too many of them, you would be knocked out.”

In the most hotly anticipated fight of 2009, welterweight Miguel Cotto likely will have to synthesize those two qualities — strength and knockout ability — to score an upset victory against Manny Pacquiao on Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand.

Cotto, comfortable among the sport’s elite at 147 pounds for the past couple of years, steps down slightly to a “catch weight” of 145 for the bout. Cotto’s best hope is that his natural size advantage could neutralize the firepower of Pacquiao, who made his name in the sport’s lighter weight divisions before moving up to face bigger opponents such as Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton.

Dominant victories against those two men solidified Pacquiao’s reputation as perhaps the most crowd-pleasing and talented fighter in the sport.

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum has hyped the Nov. 14 showdown as potentially the No. 1 fight of the year (this is accurate) and even of the decade (well, it’s a good fight, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves).

For the ninth consecutive fight, Cotto is working with strength and conditioning coach Phil Landman, a fitness and nutrition expert from South Africa. Cotto began working with Landman when he moved up from the junior welterweight division to fight Carlos Quintana in 2006.

Cotto and Landman are preparing for the bout in Tampa, Fla., under head trainer Joe Santiago.

Landman is confident Cotto can put all of his skills together against Pacquiao.

“The best things with Miguel are with his strength and his speed, and the work we have done has shown, especially since he came up to the welterweight division,” Landman said. “We work on things in the gym to improve on his overall power and overall strength, and toward the end of the camp we will focus more on functional stuff, which is funneling that power and speed to work for him in that fight.

“That, along with conditioning, which I think will contribute to all of those things coming together to create a better puncher as well as a better boxer.”

Cotto, who owns the WBO welterweight belt, is coming off a split-decision victory against Joshua Clottey in June at Madison Square Garden. It was a brutal fight in which Cotto dropped Clottey in the first round, sustained a bad cut by his left eye via a head butt in Round 3, and weathered a furious rally by Clottey in the later rounds.

Team Cotto has dismissed concerns that the Clottey bout and his 2008 loss to Antonio Margarito, another savage fight, have taken a toll on Cotto.

“I commend him for coming in and fighting a tough guy like Clottey,” Landman said. “Getting a cut like he did in the third round, he never thought about quitting and he toughed it out for 12 rounds and he won the fight. I think you have to look at it from that perspective and give him credit for it.”

Arum used the opportunity to introduce another wrinkle to the buildup to Cotto-Pacquiao, which when it’s all said and done will feature more subplots than a Trollope novel: The fight could serve as a sort of acid test of Clottey’s abilities.

A tough welterweight, Clottey, who fights Quintana on Dec. 5 in Atlantic City, has yet to establish a foothold among boxing’s most respected world champions. If Cotto does beat Pacquiao, Clottey’s stock would surely rise.

“I would like to say that Clottey is one of the best welterweights out there,” Arum said. “For Miguel to come back after suffering that cut and to come back and pull out a victory, I think it shows that Miguel is back, but it also shows an absolutely brilliant performance.”

This is an article written by Jeff Haney for the LasVegasSun.com





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Penalosa's Pacquiao versus Cotto Preduction

MANILA – Filipino veteran prized fighter Gerry Peñalosa is certain that Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao will prevail in his Nov. 14 fight against Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico.

He said this after watching Pacquiao hold an intense workout at the Gerry Peñalosa Boxing Gym in Mandaluyong City on Monday.

“He was focused, determined and every inch the champion,” Peñalosa said of the pound-for-pound king in his Oct. 19 “Fearless” column on PhilBoxing.com.

He added that Pacquiao did not even look exhausted after training.

“I am every bit confident that the Pacman will devour Miguel Cotto... Manny might be the smaller guy but he was so fast,” he wrote.

Peñalosa even suggested changing the Pacquiao-Cotto fight title of “Firepower” to “The Quick and the Dead.” He continued, “Pacman is the quick one... can Cotto be the ‘dead’?”

Pacquiao left Baguio City on Sunday to continue his training in Manila as Typhoon “Ramil” is threatening to hit Northern Luzon this week.

Stronger than ever

“The People’s Champ” held a workout of more than two hours on Monday, spending 11 rounds in the mitts with Coach Freddie Roach.

ABS-CBN Correspondent Dyan Castillejo noted Pacquiao’s huge improvement since he began training in Baguio City.

He has new combinations plus great and swift movements. His punches even became stronger, especially his left and right hooks.

Pacquiao is also comfortable with his current weight of 149 lbs. This has also contributed to his ability to throw stronger punches these days.

Roach even told ABS-CBN News that his arm “really hurts” because Pacquiao hits so hard. “Manny will knock this guy out,” he said of his ward.

New exercises

Pacquiao, for his part, said: “Happy ako kasi naramdaman ko na malakas ako.”

He added that the routine of conditioning coach Alex Ariza, which included new exercises, really improved his skills.

He is now eating five times a day and his protein intake has been increased. “Eats a lot of fish, meat, veggies, recovery drinks,” noted Ariza.

Pacquiao is expected to continue training at the Gerry Peñalosa Boxing Gym while he is in Manila.

He said in his “Kumbinasyon” column that he will leave for the United States on Oct. 24 to train at Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Gym in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.

SOURCE : abs-cbnnews.com





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Pacquiao versus Cotto : Manny Pacquiao too sharp for Miguel Cotto says Castillo

MANILA, Philippines - Former two-time WBC lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo is convinced there’s nobody out there within weight range capable of beating Manny Pacquiao and that includes Floyd Mayweather Jr. whom the Mexican has faced twice.

It goes without saying that Castillo, now working as Pacquiao’s sparmate, is sure the Filipino icon will dispose of Miguel Cotto when they meet at a catchweight limit of 145 pounds for the WBO welterweight title at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Nov. 14.

Trainer Freddie Roach shared Castillo’s remarks the other day as he assessed the 35-year-old warrior’s performance in two sparring sessions in Baguio City so far. Castillo flew in from Los Angeles via Hermosillo, Mexico, with another sparmate Danny Escobar and arrived in Baguio City in former Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson’s private plane last Sunday.

Castillo’s style resembles Cotto’s and that’s why he was brought in to spar with Pacquiao. He turned pro in 1990 and won his first 18 outings, 13 inside three rounds. In 2000, Castillo wrested the WBC lightweight crown from Stevie Johnston on points then lost it in his fourth defense to Mayweather in a close encounter in April 2002. Castillo was decisioned by Mayweather in a rematch eight months later but regained the vacant WBC title on a 12-round verdict over Juan Lazcano in 2004. Castillo then repulsed challengers Joel Casamayor and Julio Diaz before yielding the throne to Diego Corrales in 2005. He knocked out Corrales in a rematch but was prevented from claiming the WBC belt because he weighed in 3 1/2 pounds over the limit.

Now a welterweight, Castillo has won four in a row, knocking out James Wayka, Roberto Valenzuela, Christian Solano and Carlos Urias and is hoping for another world title crack.


At first, Roach was unsure of what Castillo could bring to the table as a sparmate. But now, he likes what he sees in the rugged Mexican gladiator.

“He’s a genuinely nice guy,” said Roach. “He’s probably doing 70 percent of what he can do. But he’s adjusting and getting more comfortable. He’s looking for a comeback to the big time. I’m willing to help him although I don’t know if I’ll be in his corner for his next fight.”

Roach said Castillo has asked if they could work together in the gym.

“I told him to show up about an hour early before Manny comes to the gym and I could help him out,” said Roach. “That’s no problem for me.”

Roach said while he likes Castillo, he can’t be sure if he’ll draft the Mexican as a sparmate for Pacquiao’s next fight.

“It really depends on whom Manny fights next because I’ll want sparmates who resembles the style of his next opponent,” said Roach. “If it’s Mayweather, I don’t know if Castillo will fit in. But he might. Castillo has fought Mayweather twice so he knows his style and tendencies well. Castillo thinks Manny will beat the heck out of Mayweather because he hits harder and he’s a lot quicker.”

What has impressed Castillo is the uncompromising work ethic in Pacquiao’s training camp.

“Castillo was Julio Cesar Chavez’ long-time sparring partner and it felt good when he told me he’s never been with a team in camp that works harder than us,” said Roach. “That’s saying a lot because Castillo has a lot of experience behind him.”

Roach said it wasn’t difficult to lure Castillo to Baguio City.

“No, it wasn’t hard to get him,” said Roach. “He wanted the opportunity to work with Manny. Everybody does. He’s amazed at how hard we work in the gym, how hard Manny works.”

Roach said Pacquiao’s sparring partners are top-quality. Aside from Castillo, Pacquiao spars with unbeaten junior middleweight Shawn Porter. Escobar is on standby. Another sparmate Urbano Antillon of Mexico was scheduled to fly back to Los Angeles yesterday. When Pacquiao reports for work at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, Roach will likely recruit fresh sparmates including British world champion Amir Khan.

Porter, 21, was the US Golden Gloves champion in 2007 and fought over 200 amateur bouts. His pro record is 10-0 with eight KOs. Escobar, 20, is unbeaten in three bouts, all won by knockout in the first round.

In contrast, Cotto has been feasting on inferior sparring partners. He kicked out Francisco (El Gato) Figueroa after a week of sparring and has kept 37-year-old Fred Tukes and 25-year-old Kenny Abril. Figuero, 31, is coming off a knockout loss to Randall Bailey last April. Tukes has a 7-1-1 record, with five KOs, and is unbeaten in his last seven assignments but his age seems to be a liability. Abril has a 9-3-1 mark, with five KOs, and has won his last five. Figueroa, Tukes and Abril are, of course, all southpaws like Pacquiao.

Cotto will have completed 12 weeks of training when he climbs the ring to face Pacquiao. He began his camp in Puerto Rico and is now in Tampa, Florida. A legitimate welterweight, Cotto will trim down to 145 pounds to make the catchweight limit and may be burned out if he overtrains or is unable to naturally bring his weight down.

SOURCE





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Pacquiao versus Cotto Fight Predictions by Joe Santiago

Miguel Cotto's trainer Joe Santiago is under the impression that Manny Pacquiao is a blown-up featherweight. He says the streak of Pacquiao has been impressive so far, but everything will come to an end when Pacquiao steps in the ring with Cotto on November 14 in Las Vegas. He says Cotto's strength is going to be one the key factors in their victory.

"Manny Pacquiao is a blown-up featherweight. He started at 108-pounds and will now fight at 145. He's dared to go up and so far everything has turned out well for him but November 14 is a different story. We respect what he's done in boxing but on that day, Miguel is going to be the strongest man in the ring. That is going to be one the advantages in our favor," Santiago told El Nuevo Dia.

Santiago says they are not focusing on any of headlines regarding Pacquiao's late start in training or the internal problems between members of his team. He says the bad cut Cotto suffered above his left eye [against Clottey in June], which required 22 stitches, has presented no problems during camp.

"We heard they didn't start training, that there were problems in the training camp, but that is their problem. Everything is going very well with us. The work by the plastic surgeon was excellent and there have been no problems with the injury. I do not believe that is something that we have to be worried about. It's not the first time where Miguel was cut and none of those previous cuts have been re-opened [in a fight]," Santiago said.

Source

Pacquiao Versus Cotto Predictions

Here's Pacquiao versus Cotto fight prediction from Boxing24.com

Life, death, and taxes are the the only things certain in life. You can add in Manny Pacquiao beating Miguel Cotto into that equation as well. I have been thinking about this over the last few days, and I can’t think of any way Miguel Cotto defeats a motivated and determined legend like Pacquiao. He just does not have it in him. Now things could change like varibles that are out anybodys control. But if Manny Pacquiao is at his best, he will be defeat Miguel Cotto. Here are the reasons why.

Speed
Boxing is a speed sport. And Manny Pacquiao is the fastest fighter in the business. Cotto advocates will say their man has had success against Shane Mosley and Zab Judah, very fast fighters in their own right. But none of them have the consistent attack of Pacquiao. Plus remember Mosley landed 53% of his power shots against Cotto in their razor tight 2007 affair. If Manny lands at least 40% of his it will be lights out for Cotto. Not because Manny is neccessarily a harder puncher then Mosley. He is a more precise puncher then Sugar Shane. And speed and precision will equal the end of Cotto’s chances.

Style
Manny Pacquiao has the most difficult style to fight in boxing. First he is a left hander. Second he is an offensive minded left hander who can punch from all angles. Third he moves in and out better then anybody in recent memory. Judging from his recent fights, Miguel Cotto does not have the reflexes to keep up with Pacquiao’s pace. Cotto has had success against left handed fighters in the past, Zab Judah and Carlos Quintana. But Pacquiao is a whole different man. He doesn’t fight a safety first style like Quintana, and he does not make the mistakes Judah does.

Stamina
This is the main reason why Cotto will not beat Manny Pacquiao. And what I believe will be the determining factor in the fight. Cotto faded in all of his big fights. He faded against Shane Mosley, he faded against Antonio Margarito, and he faded against Joshua Clottey. What makes anybody think he will not do the same against a much more active Manny Pacquiao. Manny gets stronger as the fight goes on, evidenced by his performances with Erik Morales(2nd fight) and Marco Antonio Barrera. Cotto has a tendency to get on his bike in rounds 8 thru 12. You can’t do that against Pacquiao. He will be coming all 12 rounds with tremendous stamina. Cotto is not Julio Cesar Chavez, he won’t be in your face all night. After 6 rounds of trying to pressure Pacquiao he will revert back to trying to box, and it will not work.

Prediction
This is what WILL happen folks.(Some may think I am full of hot air, but talk to me after the fight)Cotto will come out strong, he will be the aggressor. Heck I think he may win 2 or 3 of the 1st 6 rounds. He is an excellent fighter and a great body puncher. I think he will get hurt in either round 7 or 8, maybe have a cut opened up. Pacquiao will begin to land at will, then by the 9th or 10th round it will be all she wrote. Pacquiao by 10th Round Stoppage.
Cotto fans there is a sliver of hope. Your man is the stronger and bigger fighter, and he has a great body attack. Consistent pressure is his only hope, but he is not capable of it for 12 full rounds. He is not the same fighter he was 2 years ago, and if he was I don’t think it would matter anyway. Unfortunately he is fighting Manny Pacquiao, the best fighter of his generation. This fight will turn out the same way the 2nd Erik Morales fight did, good action early, close rounds until like round 7 or 8 then Pacquiao will begin to dominate.

The only way Pacquiao loses this fight is if he doesn’t train properly and he isn’t ready fight night. But who thinks Freddie Roach or the Pacquiao team will let that happen? He won’t, Pacquiao will be ready and in shape. Michael Buffer will end the night by saying, “Winner and New WBO Welterweight Champion of the World, Manny Pacquiao!!!”

Roach : Pacquiao to Shutout Cotto

Manny Pacquiao's irradicable coach Freddie Roach admits Miguel Cotto is a tough opponent to knockout, thus ruling out an abbreviated win in their November 14 punch out at MGM's Grand Arena.

Asked by PDI's fight analyst Hermie Rivera why? The hall of fame trainer replied, "While Manny bested some near-greats previously, Manny will hit and run Cotto (ceaselessly), and box him inning-by-inning (scientifically). The end result will be a terrific 12-round victory."

Speed kills, so the pundits say.

Team Pacquiao knows this by heart. Make no mistake about it.

A caveat -- size and power can neutralize velocity.

"Cotto is the stronger and bigger fighter. And Miguel knows how to nullify speed. Look at how he beat Zab Judah and Shane Mosely," cautioned Roach.

"Anything's possible with Manny's unmatched work ethic."

FirePower: Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto" Primer

Boxing's media circus passed through the City By the Bay with an eclectic display of marketing skills.

Pound-for-Pound king Manny Pacquiao and Puerto Rico's Miguel Cotto donned San Francisco Giant's baseball jerseys and sounded like solid pitchmen atop the home team Giants' dugout.

And what a way to battle for the hearts and minds of the fans highlighting the fighters' extra-curriculars.

Pacquiao and Cotto played some baseball as little leaguers resulting in cross-over appeal.

Top Rank's Bob Arum is maximizing every available avenue in advertising.

"We have to be creative in promoting boxing. This could be the fight of the year. Heck, fight of the decade!"

"FirePower"---the World Boxing Organization welterweight championship will be held at MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas on Saturday, November 14. The fight is promoted by Top Rank in association with MGM Grand and Tecate is available on HBO Pay-per-view.

Source : PhilBoxing.com

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.

Roach Fight Prediction : Pacquiao versus Cotto

Freddie Roach is really starting to make a name for himself as a minor fight predictor. Having correctly picked a number of fights involving Pacquiao, Roach is now once again coming out with one of his predictions, seeing a knockout win for Pacquiao over Miguel Cotto on November 14th in their clash at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas.

Of course, picking Pacquiao to win isn’t as hard as it looks, because the Filipino’s opposition has been very beatable in the past two years, with fights against Oscar De La Hoya, David Diaz and Ricky Hatton. Together, Roach and Pacquiao got Cotto, 28, to agree to come in at a 145 pound catch weight for Manny’s their November.

Although it’s only two pounds, it may be just enough for Pacquiao to get the knockout victory that Roach so craves. One hopes that Roach isn’t putting his star fighter Pacquiao in a hard position where he feels obligated to go out and fulfill the Nostradamus of the boxing world by trying to take Cotto out.

Pacquiao doesn’t need that burden, and would be much better off if Roach kept his trap shut for a change. Pacquiao hasn’t beaten a quality fighter in quite some time, and it might be pushing him to ask that he try to knock Cotto out.

The Puerto Rican fighter might be compromised since being beaten badly in the 11th round by Antonio Margarito and battering in his fight with Joshua Clottey. But Cotto still has the power to knock Pacquiao out if the Filipino goes out looking for a stoppage win.

Pacquiao is fast, but he’s not very big and hasn’t had to slug it out with normal welterweights as of yet. I don’t count Hatton or De La Hoya, because those fighters were all but shot by the time that Pacquiao met up with them.

Roach feels that Pacquiao’s speed with be too much for Cotto, and that he will not be able to handle his speedy punches. Hatton had a problem with Pacquiao’s speed and was getting clobbered in the 1st round by Pacquiao’s fast shots. That may be the case for Cotto if Roach has his way. The difference in this situation is that Cotto hasn’t been knocked out like Hatton was.

Sure, Cotto took some knees against Margarito but he wasn’t on his back staring at the ceiling lights like Hatton was in his fight with Floyd Mayweather in last 2007. Cotto will be able to fire back with big shots unlike Hatton and the badly weight drained De La Hoya.

Cotto hits harder than both of them and harder as other victims of Pacquiao. Roach may be writing checks that Pacquiao can’t cash because he doesn’t have recent experience against a puncher like Cotto and Pacquiao may not be able to hurt him the same way that he was able to against the last two fighters that he met up with.

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--- Roach's prediction of the fight is very reliable. Remember Hatton-Pacquiao fight?

Pacquiao-Cotto Fight Predictions

Here's one prediction of Pacquiao-Cotto fight written by Recah Trinidad of Philippine Daily Inquirer that will happen in November 2009.

NO QUESTION ABOUT THE RESULT, Manny Pacquiao is sure to beat Miguel Cotto.

That was not Uncle Bob Arum pontificating on the forthcoming Pacquiao-Cotto fight at the MGM Grand.

That was Kobe Bryant making his prediction right here in Manila.

Remember, it was Arum who bravely branded the then a-building big bout a dead-even fight.

Now, it’s hard to determine if Arum had altered his view after Pacquiao agreed to a 145-lb catch weight in favor of Cotto.

Normally, Kobe’s slam-jam forecast should be rated as a bold prediction, which comes when you pick one fighter to stop a bigger foe.

But Bryant, a great admirer of his Pinoy fans, saw no hope whatsoever for a bigger Cotto upsetting the Pacman come Nov. 14 in Las Vegas.

A certified Pacquiao fan, Bryant says there’s no switching of allegiance now that he has also won over the Pacman, previously identified as a Boston Celtics follower, over to the Lakers side.

Money-wise, there’s no doubting the big winner.

Pacquiao will get a very wholesome slice of the cake.

Unconfirmed reports said the Pacman could pocket as much as 65 percent of the fight profit to Cotto’s 35.

There’s also the prospect of Pacquiao winning a seventh world title in seven separate weight divisions.

That would not only enhance Pacman’s pound-for-pound kingship.

That sublime possibility, a first double-seven by a world boxing great, should readily cement the Pacquiao legend.

But hold it, please.

What’s harder to determine now is whether or not Cotto can be of any help in pushing Pacquiao to the ultimate in his career.

Don’t get this wrong please.

By that, Cotto is not being lulled into performing like any of Pacquiao’s last three victims.

Remember the half-bouts, the punching picnics Pacquiao had against David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton?

What Pacquiao needs this time is a supreme challenge, which was nowhere near the ring post in his last three bouts.

Cotto should in fact be goaded to work extra hard and come at his very best.

The truth is that it would be another sham if Cotto, for example, shows up as shallow as he did in that contested split decision win over a plodder from Ghana.

Anyway, the good news is that Cotto has remained unfazed by Pacquiao’s startling ring achievements.

He seems singularly convinced he can beat Pacquiao.

But whether he would rely wholly on his fabled body punches, or try to outmuscle Pacquiao toe-to-toe, is hard to say.

The call of the hour is for Cotto to provide a truly classic challenge.

That way, he could also help bring out the all-time best from the Pacman.

Pacquiao, in return, should also be able to provide a gallant stand, an unforgettable classic performance in the niche of the Muhammad Ali conquest of Joe Frazier during the 1975 Thrilla in Manila.

Yes, there’s now the chance of Pacquiao fighting a fight that could be the epitome of his gift, craft and power.

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