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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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 Predictions : Ex-Champs Pick Cotto Over Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines - Former WBO lightwelterweight champion Kendall Holt and former IBF lightwelterweight titleholder Paul Malignaggi are on the record for picking Miguel Cotto to beat Manny Pacquiao in their scheduled 12-round bout for the WBO welterweight crown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Nov. 14.

Holt, who has knocked out Pacquiao victim David Diaz and Cotto victim Ricardo Torres, predicted the Puerto Rican will stop the Filipino icon in the ninth round.

“Cotto will end up stopping him because he’s too big and too strong,” said Holt, quoted by Joseph Santoliquito in The Ring Magazine. “Cotto has shown he can deal with the fastest fighters in the world, beating Zab Judah and Shane Mosley. Pacquiao beat a dried-up Oscar de la Hoya and Ricky Hatton was made for him. Pacquiao’s victories definitely fooled the general public.”

Malignaggi said Pacquiao “is definitely trying to bite off more than he can chew” in facing Cotto. The Brooklyn stylist lost a 12-round decision to Cotto three years ago and was halted by Hatton in 2008.

“I know (Pacquiao) beat Oscar but you can make the argument that Oscar was pretty shot by then,” said Malignaggi whose record is 26-3, with six KOs. “Cotto’s punches hurt, believe me I felt them. I don’t know if Manny can take that from such a bigger guy who’s close to the top of his game. Cotto wins by decision in a great fight.”

Size is the advantage that Cotto hopes to exploit in trying to repulse Pacquiao who has fought only two fighters weighing in at least 140 pounds – Hatton at 140 and De la Hoya at 145. Pacquiao has never weighed in more than 142 pounds for a bout and in his last outing against Hatton, tipped the scales at 138.

Cotto and Pacquiao agreed to fight at a catchweight limit of 145 pounds, two under the welterweight max of 147. The Puerto Rican has weighed in at least 146 for his last eight fights dating back to 2006. That makes him a legitimate or

natural welterweight, bigger and potentially stronger than Pacquiao. During the eight-fight stretch, Cotto lost only once to Antonio Margarito in a knockout whose integrity is now being questioned as the Mexican was found to use illegal hardening substances in his handwraps in his next bout against Mosley. The setback to Margarito is the only stain in Cotto’s record of 34-1, with 27 KOs.

Size makes a difference because theoretically, the bigger fighter should be able to withstand the power of a smaller opponent, not the other way around. Since power is one of Pacquiao’s assets, Cotto’s size may not make it a factor. At the same time, it’s a question mark if Pacquiao, being the smaller fighter, will be able to take Cotto’s power.

“Strength has always been integral to a fighter who, while the possessor of excellent boxing skills, relies on aggressive power, both in general and as a leveller when fights have been going against him,” wrote Glyn Leach, referring to Cotto, in Boxing Monthly Magazine.

Cotto’s power was evident in his jab when he outpointed Mosley in 2007 and his body punching when he halted Carlos Quintana for the vacant WBA welterweight title in 2006. The Puerto Rican’s power left jab and brutal body attack are the hallmarks of his offense.

Cotto, who turns 29 on Oct. 29, is a natural lefthander who sometimes, switch-hits to confuse his opponent. He moved from orthodox to southpaw and back in stopping Demetrio Ceballos in 2003. But Cotto has shown a vulnerability to the counter right hook by a southpaw. In 2005, he was wobbled and staggered by experienced lefthander DeMarcus Corley who used a counter right hook as his main weapon.

Pacquiao, of course, is a southpaw who is much more experienced than Cotto with 19 more fights under his belt.

Pacquiao’s record is 49-3-2, with 37 KOs.

One of Cotto’s trademarks is his resiliency. In 2004, he made key defensive adjustments in stopping Kelson Pinto. And against Torres in 2005, Cotto survived a second round knockdown to win in the seventh.

What may deter Cotto is the wear-and-tear factor. He has been involved in a lot more body-draining, bloody and gut-wrenching brawls than Pacquiao. Cotto went down twice in the Margarito fight and some experts insist he’s never been the same since the horrifying defeat. He barely beat Joshua Clottey in his last assignment, winning by a split decision, and finished the fight with a deep cut in his left eyebrow which was also torn apart by Margarito.

A downside to Cotto’s size advantage is he’s clearly slower than Pacquiao who will rely on his speed and mobility to strike his target from all angles. Cotto is easy to hit because he’s basically a plodder whose style of attack is marked by moving forward.

The match is expected to be a humdinger with Cotto fighting for respect and Pacquiao battling to make boxing history as the first fighter ever to capture seven world titles in different divisions with his 50th career victory.

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Roach Prediction : We will knock this guy out!

Well, it looks like old Nostradamus Freddie Roach is back to his predictions again, this time he’s saying that Manny Pacquiao will knock World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Miguel Cotto out on November 14th. In an article by Dennis Principe at Sports. Inquirer, Roach had this to say: “I picked him [Pacquiao] to win by decision, but until I started working him to this camp, the way he’s punching, his speed, we will knock this guy [Cotto] out.”

I really love the way Roach includes his name with the “we” part, as if he’ll be out there tagging Cotto as well. That’s funny. It won’t be any ‘we’ on November 14th. Pacquiao is going to be out there all by his lonesome facing Cotto and he’s going to have major problems. But I knew Roach was going to come back with a knockout prediction sooner or later. I was in disbelief when Roach started talking nice recently when he said that Cotto is a dangerous fighter and that the fight would go to a decision.
It almost seemed like Roach was trying to talk up the fight because almost no boxing fans were giving Cotto much of any chance against Pacquiao. Nothing has changed much since then, and here Roach is changing his tune by predicting a knockout win for Pacquiao. I’m wondering what Roach will say next. Maybe predict a 1st or 2nd round knockout, I guess.

He’s going to have to come up with something shocking to top his latest knockout prediction. All I can think of is he’ll say something like, “Manny is not only going to win, he’s going to flatten Cotto in the 1st round. How do you like them apples?” The media will eat it up like candy, of course. But there won’t be a knockout from Pacquiao’s side. There will be a knockout, but it will be Pacquiao who ends up getting taken out and Roach is going to end up with pie his face for his wrong prediction. I’m really looking forward to this so I can gloat and say I told you so.

I hear Pacquiao had some problems against his sparring partner Shawn Porter (10-0, 8 KO’s) in Pacquiao’s first day of sparring. I can’t say I’m surprised. Porter, a light middleweight, is fast and powerful and would probably wipe the deck with Pacquiao if the sparring went beyond three rounds. Porter’s the real deal. I don’t know that he’ll end up a champion in the light middleweight division because he’s only 5’7”, on the short side for a light middleweight, but he’s tough fighter.

I could see him beating Pacquiao up. I wonder how long he’ll last in the camp? If Roach lets him spar too much with Pacquiao, there probably won’t be enough left for Cotto to fight by November 14th. Look for Roach to start substituting the smaller, slower and weaker sparring partners, like Urbano Antillon, real quick rather than letting Porter beat up Pacquiao every day during training camp.

Roach: “Basically, we’re going to have a fast start and we’re not going to give [Cotto] any momentum.” It looks as if Roach is struck on the record of Pacquiao’s last fight against Ricky Hatton, and thinks Pacquiao can have the same kind of success if Manny bum rushes Cotto from the start of the fight. Sorry, that kind of approach won’t work against a talented fighter like Cotto.

It might work against a slower fighter such as Hatton, but not Cotto. If Pacquiao tries that approach, he’ll walk into a big right hand and get planted on the canvas on his backside. I really hope Pacquiao does try that aggressive style on Cotto, because Pacquiao will quickly find out that he doesn’t have the size or the power to be successful using that against a quality fighter like Cotto. That approach works against shot fighters and less talented ones, but it won’t work against Cotto.

Source

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

Cotto a Smart Boxer Says Roach

BAGUIO CITY – Freddie Roach admits Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto has lots in common with Briton Ricky Hatton.

Roach said both boasts of jaw-breaking left hooks, both are big and strong, ultra-aggressive and love to go to the body to soften up their foes.

There is one huge difference, though, Roach believes and this one makes Cotto a far more dangerous rival than Hatton for the 30-year-old Filipino fireball.

“Miguel Cotto is a lot smarter than Ricky Hatton,” said Roach, the celebrated trainer who arrived in the country on Tuesday to supervise Pacquiao’s training camp in preparation for the November 14 showdown with Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“Cotto’s got this great left hook and he’s smart,” noted Roach.

Hatton had been fancied as a true test for Pacquiao but the Filipino hardly broke out a sweat as he demolished the rugged Manchester native in less than two rounds, flattening him with a left to the jaw that remains a strong candidate for knockout of the year for 2009.

Roach said if Pacquiao thinks he is in for another easy stint, he could be terribly mistaken.

“It’ll be a tough fight for us,” said Roach, who will be here for a minimum of four weeks or a maximum of six depending on Pacquiao’s progress in training and promotional schedule.

During Roach’s first session with Pacquiao at the Shape Up Boxing Gym inside the Cooyeesan Hotel, the residence of Team Pacquiao for the entire duration of training camp, the 49-year-old Boston-born cornerman immediately fell in love over the amenities available at the gym as well as its overall appearance.

“Whoever built this gym did a great job,” said Roach, who owns and operates the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California, best-known as the home of boxing’s best pound-for-pound.

Meanwhile, Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum is arriving on October 1 to check on the progress of Pacquiao’s preparation for Cotto, whose World Boxing Organization welterweight crown will be on the line in the bout aptly dubbed Firepower.

Below is the tale of the tape of the fight.

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

Pacquiao Says He'll Win the Pacquiao-Cotto Fight

Manny Pacquiao says he prepared for any strategy that Miguel Cotto elects to use in their November 14th fight, saying “If I press the fight I’m sure he [Cotto] would run. And if I wait, he’ll come in. That is what will happen, if he either runs or takes the fight to me, it’s all right with me.” So in other words, Pacquiao sounds like he’s mad with confidence, bordering on someone that may have lost touch with reality.

To listen to Pacquiao talk, he looks to me be more than a little drunk on his past success from the Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton wins. I don’t what his sycophants have been doing in the Philippines, but it looks like they’ve been kissing Pacquiao’s backside 24/7 a little bit too much.

To hear Pacquiao tell it, he’s going to dominate Cotto, a bigger and stronger fighter, as if Pacquiao is fighting one of his super featherweight opponents. Pacquiao seems to forget that he hasn’t yet fought the best in the welterweight or even the light welterweight divisions.

If Pacquiao believes that Oscar De La Hoya was one of the best welterweights in boxing at the time that he fought him, then Pacquiao needs to have someone sit him down break the bad news to him about Oscar. De La Hoya wasn’t one of the best welterweights or one of the best light middleweights at the time that Pacquiao got to him. De La Hoya may have been ranked high by the sanctioning bodies, but that doesn’t mean anything.

If you have put De La Hoya in with someone like Alfredo Angulo and James Kirkland, Oscar would have been massacred even worse than what Pacquiao. Of course it would be worse, those fighters could punch a hole through a wall and would make quick work of De La Hoya, and especially Pacquiao.

Okay, so De La Hoya was like a mummified fighter that was still there in body but his ability had left him a long time ago before Pacquiao decided to fight him. The same goes for Hatton. He had been showing cracks in his game since he was defeated by Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2007.

Besides that, look at the fighters that Hatton had chose to fight since beating Kostya Tszyu in 2005: Carlos Maussa, Luis Collazo, whom he beat by a questionable 12 round decision, Juan Urango, Jose Luis Castillo, Mayweather, Juan Lazcano and Paulie Malignaggi. Out of all those names, I consider only the fight against Mayweather as a true world class opponent.

Hatton somehow conveniently missed fighting top light welterweights during that time like Timothy Bradley, Kendall Holt, Marcos Maidana, Victor Ortiz, Junior Witter, and Ricardo Torres. It looks like Hatton was steering away from the most dangerous fighters in the division for the most part and taking on easier opponents.

Okay, so the win over Hatton is no big deal because he hadn’t proven that he was still among the best in the division in the past three years. He was riding along on his past resume alone rather than still proving that he was the best.

So based on Pacquiao’s actual experience against fighters in the light welterweight and welterweight divisions, Pacquiao is essentially coming into his November 14th fight zero experience against top level opposition from what I could see. This is why it seems so weird to see Pacquiao talking as if he can walk on water and move mountains. Pacquiao needs to cringe and show some fear because Cotto is the best fighter, aside from Juan Manuel Marquez, that Pacquiao will have faced in his career.

Source : An article written by Manuel Perez for BoxingNews24.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.

Pacquiao-Cotto Predictions

Here are some of the predictions of journalists, boxers and trainers regarding Pacquiao-Cotto Fight that will happen live on November 14 at Las Vegas Nevada.

BOXING JOURNALISTS

"Right now I slightly favor Pacquiao to win by decision."
- Doug Fischer, Ring Magazine

"I think Pacquiao will win the fight for one overriding reason: talent."
- Michael Rosenthal, Ring Magazine

"I’ll go with Manny in a close fight."
- Kevin Iole, Yahoo Sports

"In the end, Pacquiao seems likely to prevail."
- Ron Borges, The Sweet Science

"It would be a mighty shock if Pacquiao KO'd Cotto fast. But maybe we should be used to "Pac-Man" sending us shockwaves by now."
- James Slater, East Side Boxing

"I would be mightily impressed to see Megamanny stop Cotto."
- Michael Marley, Boxing Confidential

"Do you really think the pound for pound best fighter in the world need the WBO welterweight belt to prove he is the best? He is already the best!"
- Allan Tolentino, 8 Count News

"It seems to me that some people might accept nothing less than Pacquiao time traveling and fighting Sugar Ray Robinson at this point."
- Sa Christ, Bad Left Hook

"I think THE Pacquiao will once again prove his doubters wrong."
- Ben Thompson, Fight Hype

"Pac-Man is probably the better fighter anyway and beats Cotto via TKO late."
- Paul Uphan, Seconds Out

"I will be tipping Pacquiao when they time comes."
- Greg Juckett, Seconds Out

"I’d probably choose Pacquiao to win."
- Michael Norby, Seconds Out

"I don’t see the challenge in a fight with Cotto, but rather another easy way out for Pacquiao."
- Manuel Perez, Boxing News 24

"Manny will knock Cotto out inside of 6 rounds at any weight."
- Greg Leon, Boxing Talk

"I think Pacquiao wins."
- Ryan Burton, Boxing Talk

"It’s a safe bet that Pacquiao will find it and crack it."
- Michel Joseph, Boxing Talk

"Pacquiao TKO11"
- Reggie Jay, Doghouseboxing

"It's a bad mix for Cotto no matter where it occurs on the scale. I'll take Pacquiao in 10."
- Lyle Fitzsimmons, Sports Network

"I heavily favor Pacquiao in this bout."
- Tim Starks, The Queensberry Rules

"Pacquiao has the potential of completely dominating and dismantling Cotto."
- Teddy Atlas, ESPN


BOXERS AND TRAINERS

"Pacquiao. From the very first round the advantage would be Pacquiao.”
-Antonio Margarito

“I think Pacquiao is a quick starter, and if I had to lean toward a fighter, I would say Pacquiao."
- Floyd Mayweather Jr.

“Basically, I see Cotto busted up. I don’t think his face is gonna hold up through 12 rounds of the fight."
- Bernard Hopkins

“Pacquiao will win.”
- Mike Tyson

"I believe that Pacquiao should put him on the canvas in five or six rounds."
- Marquez's trainer Nacho Beristain

"Cotto keeps coming, this other kid Pacquiao, is so good, so slick. I think Pacquiao is the best fighter right now.”
- Muhammad Ali's trainer Angelo Dundee

"All of these guys underestimate Pacquiao thinking he's the small man. When I met Pacquiao, I wasn't saying how does this guy make welterweight? I was saying how in the hell was he making 130 and 135? Pacquiao is a big dude."
- Mosley's trainer Naazim Richardson

"We are going to knockout Cotto."
- Freddie Roach


The trainers and journalists have spoken. What about you? Discuss below.

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.

Source

--- 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.

Source