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

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!!!”

Cotto's Key to Victory

If Miguel Cotto (34-1, 27 KO’s) wants to beat Manny Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KO’s) on November 14th, he’s going to have to make a point to rough Pacquiao up early and often and make it tough for the smaller fighter. Pacquiao will come in at pretty much the same weight as Cotto at the weigh-in, but by the time the fight takes place, you can expect that Cotto will have a 10 to 15 pound weight advantage over Pacquiao.

That extra weight can be a key asset for Cotto, because he’ll be able to use his extra size to toss the little Pacquiao around the ring in close, and shove him off balance so that Cotto can get an extra shot in here and there. It may sound like dirty business, but so what?

It’s boxing and the whole sport is filled with fighters trying to get over on each other in some way or another, whether it is fights being held at catch weights or fighters trying to wrestle on the inside. The point is Cotto needs to take advantage of his own assets in this fight.

Pacquiao will have the advantage of the catch weight, which will probably leave Cotto weaker than he usually is. Besides that, Pacquiao will also have the advantage in hand speed and mobility. But what Cotto has in the experience of having faced bigger punchers than Pacquiao and will likely be able to take Pacquiao’s shots without being hurt by them.

This should allow Cotto to take more chances than a smaller fighter like Ricky Hatton or a badly weight drained one such as Oscar De La Hoya. So for Cotto to take full advantage of all the things that he has going for him, he needs to use his size by being rough as he can to show the smaller Pacquiao what happens when he fights a bigger fighter that’s not old and weight drained like De La Hoya.

Perhaps Cotto might want to throw some elbows, low blows and perhaps a nice head butt to get Pacquiao’s attention and make him cautious about wanting to stray to close with his wild charges. I would never want Cotto do something like this, but if he did, I guess I wouldn’t mind very much.

People are best at remembering things when there’s pain involved. That’s a fact of life. Unless you straighten someone out when they’re doing something wrong, the action tends to continue. This is why Cotto needs to teach Pacquiao that he can’t come rushing him like he does against his lesser opposition.

When Pacquiao gets in close, maybe give him a tap below decks to get his attention and make him think twice about coming in like a wild man. Once Pacquiao has a few reminders of what happens when he comes in aggressively, he’ll likely be on his best behavior and be like school child ready to take instructions from Cotto.

From there, Cotto can easily manage Pacquiao by beating him down with his jab and right hand. Cotto should be able to keep the shorter Pacquiao at the end of his jab without getting hit because Pacquiao’s reach is short and limited.

Once Pacquiao gets in close, that’s where Cotto needs to make him pay by turning it physical and putting Pacquiao off his game. It won’t be hard because Pacquiao won’t have the size or the experience against a similarly talented fighter. Pacquiao has built up his reputation as of late by beating Hatton and De La Hoya, and I see both wins as totally overrated and without value.

SOURCE : The Key to Victory : Cotto Needs to Rough Pacquiao Up by Manuel Perez for Boxing24News24.com

Pacquiao-Cotto Fight : Cotto Needs to KO Pacquiao

This Pacquiao-Cotto Fight article was written by Manuel Perez for BoxingNews24.com.

Read the whole article below.

I’m really looking forward to November 14th, so that WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto can knock Manny Pacquiao down a peg or two. This guy needs be stopped pronto. I was comfortable with Cotto giving Pacquiao a slow methodical beating for 12 long rounds, but now I prefer that Cotto get rid of Pacquiao as soon possible, preferably in the 1st or 2nd rounds. Pacquiao needs to stopped.

Think of it this way: If Pacquiao were to win the fight, we’d probably be seeing a future of him continuing to fight catch weight bouts again fighters that would have little choice but to have their titles on the line or risk being stripped of their titles by the sanctioning bodies.

That’s what happens when you get a fighter that gets too powerful for their own good. They can throw their weight around and make things happen. You know and I know that any close decisions involving Pacquiao very likely go to him, just as was the case in his fight with Juan Manuel Marquez last year. Who in their right mind saw Pacquiao winning that fight. And that’s what I’m talking about. Unless Cotto stops Pacquiao now, he’s going to have too much power for his own good.

I don’t know how Pacquiao got popular because he doesn’t deserve it my view. It was the wins over Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton that did it for him. Before that, Pacquiao was just a fighter like anyone else. He won some fights and then would lose some others. But once he got the wins over De La Hoya and Hatton, suddenly Pacquiao has acquired a lot of popularity. And I don’t see that as good thing. I think it’s time that Pacquiao lose and be brought down to earth.

I want to see him get knocked out, because when you have a popular fighter like him, there’s too much wriggle room for the judges to give him a decision unless Cotto knocks him five or six times in the fight. We’re talking about a popular fighter here. Boxing is known for this kind of thing.

That’s why Cotto has to take Pacquiao apart and make sure that there’s no chance that Pacquiao and get a decision awarded to him unjustly. Because, believe me, if Pacquiao wins by another controversial decision, there’s probably next to no chance that Cotto will get a chance to get a rematch.

If you don’t believe me, just look at Marquez. He’s still waiting for a rematch a year and half later after his controversial loss to Pacquiao. And you know what? Marquez is probably going to wait a lot more longer for a fight against Pacquiao. My guess is probably never.

Source : Cotto Needs to Knock Pacquiao Off His High Horse

Cotto a Shot Fighter?

By Dave Lahr: Although Miguel Cotto is still winning his fights, he didn’t exactly impress in his last fight against Joshua Clottey in June. There are people who feel that Cotto hasn’t been the same since being beaten by Antonio Margarito last year. To be sure, Cotto didn’t look like his old self in defeating Clottey by a 12 round split decision win. Cotto fought as if he was unsure of himself after getting cut by Clottey.

Some of that appeared to be Cotto being worried about the cut, but the other part looked as if Cotto was tiring out and on the verge of quitting.

Cotto didn’t quit and stuck it out, but it looked for like for a moment there that Cotto was ready to go out on his feet. With that in mind, it’s not exactly the best of timing that Cotto is facing an opponent as dangerous as Manny Pacquiao off of a performance like the last one.

Pacquiao is in the prime of his career and is looking better than he ever has. It would seem that Pacquiao are going in different directions right now. Cotto may be sinking at small angle, but he appears to be a bit on the downward slide.

Whether that was just a momentary appearance because of his tough fight with Clottey is unclear. But Cotto’s going to have to look more impressive than he did against Clottey if he wants to come out victorious against Pacquiao on November 14th.

Cotto will have to be prepared to fight his heart out if he wants to win this fight because he can’t afford to slip mentally in this fight or be concerned about a cut. If he gets cut, Cotto is going to have to be prepared to fight that much harder if he wants to win the fight. The good news is that Pacquiao doesn’t hit as hard as Margarito with every punch.

Pacquiao can punch plenty hard when he puts all his energy into his shots, but he can’t fire off one big shot after another with the same kind of power that Margarito can on a consistent basis without tiring out or leaving himself open. Cotto will have to be better at covering up and making sure that he doesn’t get nailed by Pacquiao’s right hooks and straight left hands.

Cotto likely won’t be able to change his stamina problems too much for his fight with Pacquiao. But Cotto can work on his defense and try to block some more shots. I don’t know that Cotto is a shot fighter, but I think he didn’t react well when he was taking punishment at the hands of Clottey in his last fight.

Cotto lucked out in a way in that fight because Clottey stopped punching as much in the later rounds and gave Cotto a break to get his act together. Pacquiao, for his part, probably won’t lessen up on his attacks and will keep Cotto under a constant level of pressure.

Freddie Roach will be able to detect whether Cotto is tiring in the later rounds and will give Pacquiao instructions to go after him. Pacquiao is quite adept at following instructions from his corner and will tirelessly follow whatever advice that Roach gives him. This is why Cotto will have to pace himself and cover up well so that Pacquiao can’t batter him to pieces late in the fight.

As for whether Cotto is shot or not. It’s still too early to tell. He’s certainly not fighting at the level he was before his loss to Margarito, I can say that much for him.

Source : Boxing News

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.

Pacquiao-Cotto Fight Opinion

Recently, I've placed an article saying that Pacquiao-Cotto fight will not be a title match. Now, I've got this article from examiner.com written by Dennis Guillermo saying that Pacquiao doesn't need Cotto or his belt. What do you think?

Read the rest of the article below.

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 his 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? 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. 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 for him. 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".