Watch Pacquiao versus Cotto Live and Free Viewing

Davao City (10 November) -- Comvalenyos are in for a treat-yet again! The much-anticipated Pacquiao-Cotto fight on November 15 will be seen live and free at the municipal gymnasiums all over Compostela Valley.

Gov. Arturo "Chiongkee" Uy bared this was made possible with the support of Sangguniang Panlalawigan headed by Vice Gov. Ramil Gentugaya, League of the Municipalities under Mayor Reynaldo Navarro, and Cong. "Way Kurat" Zamora and Cong. Bobong Amatong.

New Bataan, Mawab, Mabini, Laak, Maragusan, Monkayo, and Compostela will air the super fight at their respective municipal gyms. Nabunturan will air it live at the Assumption gym, Maco at Binuangan gym, and Pantukan at Cebulida gym.

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 is Ready

HOLLYWOOD – World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Miguel Cotto gets to show how ready he is for his Nov. 14 showdown against Manny Pacquiao by holding a media workout in this district of movies and stars Tuesday (Wednesday, Manila time).

The 28-year old Puerto Rican is arriving here from Las Vegas, Nevada where he had already been staying as early as the other day.

Cotto is scheduled to work out at the Pound4Pound gym in La Cienega Boulevard in El Segundo, California, where an open forum will first be held before the champion does his thing in the ring along with trainer Joe Santiago.

The Caguas, Puerto Rico native already broke camp in Tampa, Florida last week and arrived in Las Vegas the other day, two weeks before his highly-anticipated Nov. 14 showdown with the Filipino boxing superstar.

Reports coming from Las Vegas had it that Cotto appeared drained as he try to meet the 145-pound catch weight agreed upon for the welterweight bout dubbed “Firepower" promoted by Top Rank.

Under the fight contract, Cotto is bound to pay $1 million for every pound excess of the agreed catch weight. This will be the first time the Puerto Rican will be fighting below the welterweight limit (147 pounds) since 2006.

Pacquiao, meanwhile, holds his own public workout the following day (Wednesday, Thursday in Manila) at the Wild Card gym here, where he is in his final phase of an eight-week training that began at the Shape-Up gym in Baguio City, Philippines.

As Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs) does his media workout, the 30-year old Filipino ring idol (49-3, 37 KOs) will be sparring with regular sparmates Shawn Porter, Rey Beltran and Rashad Holloway also at the famed sweatshop owned by trainer Freddie Roach.

Pacquiao has already sparred close to 130 rounds and is expected to complete their target of 150 by the time his team departs for Las Vegas Monday next week.

Despite being a 2-1 underdog, two world champions are predicting a big win for Cotto.

Compatriots Juan Manuel Lopez and Carlos Quintana have it on record that the Puerto Rican native will be able to pull off an upset.

“Miguel has all the tools to beat Pacquiao," said Lopez, the reigning WBO super-bantamweight champion, in an interview by Primera Hora, a Puerto Rico-based newspaper.

The undefeated champion, however, stressed that should Cotto gets tired the way he did in his last fight against Joshua Clottey during their WBO championship at the Madison Square Garden, he can be in for a big trouble.

“In his last fight, Cotto was a bit tired in the end, and because Manny throws a lot of punches, that could make him tired. And if that happens, he will have problems," said Lopez.

But Quintana, whom Cotto beat via a fifth round technical knockout in a 2007 title fight, believes the champion’s strength will be too much to offset Pacquiao’s speed.

“Miguel is a welterweight with a lot of power and fast hands. Miguel has to make his fight. I don’t think Pacquiao will exchange punches with Cotto, who will win by either decision or knockout," he said.

SOURCE

Pacquiao versus Cotto : Miguel Cotto's Hunger is Rising

Trainer Joe Santiago says the hunger of Miguel Cotto is rising. He wants to prove his worth on November 14 when he defends his WBO welterweight title against Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Santiago says size will matter when Pacquiao tries to take his fighter's title.

"Pacquiao is a fighter who is from 130, 135-pounds, invading the welterweight division. He has done great things in boxing that can't be taken away from him. But he has never faced a natural fighter at 147 who is young and in his prime like Cotto," said Santiago to Primera Hora. "Miguel is very hungry for this fight and want to show not only the people of Puerto Rico but the world that he is the best pound for pound the world."

They have several strategies mapped out to fight Pacquiao's speed and tricky southpaw style. Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach claims to have found the crack's in Cotto's style. Santiago sends a message to Roach - "we found Pacquiao's cracks."

"In the same way that Freddie may have seen the weaknesses of Miguel, we know the weaknesses of Manny. If he doubts it, review the eighth round in the second fight with Juan Manuel Marquez," said Santiago.

"Not to compare Marquez with Cotto. There is no comparison. Cotto has more resources. He is a versatile fighter who knows boxing, know how to fight back, and can make adjustments on the fly. And during his career, as in the fight with Joshua Clottey, he overcome adversity to prevail."

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WATCH PACQUIAO - COTTO FIGHT ONLINE LIVE!!! 

Pacquiao's 3rd Appearance in HBO 24/7 Special

Part 1 of Pacquiao-Cotto Bout an HBO 24/7 exclusive is now available on HBO.com.

Making his third '24/7" appearance, Pacquiao is expected to surround himself with a familiar contingent of family and friends as he trains with trusted longtime associate Freddy Roach. HBO reality series newcomer Cotto, who never ducks a challenge, is taking on his biggest fight yet with trainer Joe Santiago as they seek to set a strategy to unseat the widely regarded pound-for-pound champ.

Click on the link below to watch it online...

PART 1

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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WATCH PACQUIAO - COTTO FIGHT ONLINE LIVE!!! 

Pacquiao versus Cotto Fight Undercard

LAS VEGAS, NEV. (October 9, 2009) – Undefeated No. 1 contenders JULIO CÉSAR CHAVEZ, JR. and YURI FOREMAN, plus three-time world champion DANIEL SANTOS add more Firepower to the blockbuster card headlined by the Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto welterweight championship, taking place Saturday, November 14 at the sold out MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with MGM Grand and Tecate, Fire Power: Pacquiao vs. Cotto will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT..

Chavez (40-0-1, 30 KOs), from Culiacan, Mexico, son of the legendary three-division world champion Julio César Chavez, stepped into the “family business” when he made his pro debut in 2003 at the age of 17, winning a four-round unanimous decision over Jonathan Hernandez in Culiacan. Known for an aggressive style and an arsenal that includes razor-sharp combinations and a wicked left hook, Chavez is the World Boxing Council’s (WBC) No.1-world-rated super welterweight contender. He has knocked out 75% of the opponents he has faced, including fellow contenders Ray Sanchez III, Jose Celaya and Tobia Lorgia in a 10-month span -- the last two in WBC Continental Americas championship fights. Sanchez, Celaya and Lorgia had a combined record of 75-4-1 and a winning percentage exceeding 93% when they fought Chavez. This year, Chavez knocked out Jason LeHoullier (21-1-1) in the first round and tagged previously undefeated Luciano Cuello (23-0) with his first loss, winning a unanimous decision. Chavez will be facing TROY ROWLAND (25-2, 7 KOs), of Grand Rapids, Mich., in a 10-round middleweight bout. Rowland, who has won 21 or his last 22 bouts, has a resume that boasts victories over Epifanio Mendoza (20-2-1), Kenny Ellis (33-5-2) and Andrew Council (31-7-3). Rowland enters this fight riding a four-bout winning streak, with two of those victories coming by way of knockout.

Santos (32-2-1, 23 KOs), of San Juan Puerto Rico, will be making the first defense of his World Boxing Association (WBA) super welterweight title, which he won last year with a sixth-round knockout of undefeated defending champion Joachin Alcine.

Santos won his first world title in 2000, knocking out defending World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Ahmed Katejev in the fifth round of their 2000 rumble. He successfully defended his title three times before vacating the title and capturing the vacant WBO junior middleweight title, knocking out former world champion Yori Boy Campas in the 11th round in 2002. Santos successfully defended that title four times during his three-year reign, including a 10-round technical decision over former world champion Antonio Margarito. Since losing the title to undefeated Sergei Dzindziruk, via a close decision in 2005, Santos has won all of his fights by knockout. Santos will be defending his title against No. 1 contender Yuri Foreman (27-0, 8 KOs), who was born in Belarus, raised in Israel and now lives in Brooklyn. The undefeated mandatory challenger is also a rabbinical student – a self-proclaimed “Talmud-studying boxer.” Foreman climbed up the ratings the old-fashioned way – by winning. With impressive victories over Anthony Thompson (23-1), and NABF super welterweight title victories over Andrey Tsurkan (25-2), Saul Roman (28-4) and James Moore (16-1), Foreman is on the cusp of realizing his dream – wearing a world championship belt around his waist.

Rounding out the televised undercard will be an exciting 10-round welterweight bout between ALFONSO GOMEZ and JESUS SOTO-KARASS. Gomez (20-4-2, 10 KOs), of Tustin Calif., is an alumnus of season one of “The Contender,” which aired on NBC. Gomez gained national notoriety with victories over Peter Manfredo, Jr. (21-0), and Ahmad Kaddour (18-1) and Jesse Brinkley (25-2) during the series. Since leaving “The Contender,” Gomez has gone 7-1-1 (6 KOs), including victories over former world champion Arturo Gatti and world title challenger Ben Tackie. His only loss during that span was to defending WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in April 2008. Soto-Karass (24-3-3, 16 KOs), of Los Mochis, Mexico, enters this fight riding a four-15-bout unbeaten streak which has propelled him to No. 5 and No. 7 in the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and WBC welterweight ratings, respectively. His resume boasts WBC Continental Americas welterweight title victories over former world champion Vince Phillips (48-10-1), Michel Rosales (16-0), and Chris Smith (21-4-1), and an NABF welterweight title victory over David Estrada (22-4).

The Pacquiao vs. Cotto pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $54.95, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View® and will be available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View®, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Pacquiao vs. Cotto fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.

HBO's® award-winning reality franchise “24/7” returns with an all new four-part series. “24/7 Pacquiao/Cotto” premieres Saturday, Oct. 24 at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT. The four-episode series chronicles the preparations and back stories of both fighters as they train for their Nov. 14 pay-per-view showdown.

SOURCE

Jose Luis Castillo as Pacquiao Sparring Partner

The 35 year old former lightweight Champion, Jose Luis Castillo of Mexico will be heading to Baguiao, Philippines to spar with Manny Pacquiao as a late replacement for Omar Henry who was considered a Cotto clone. Henry’s team could not come to an agreement with team Pacquaio so Castillo was called in to fill the void. Shawn Porter and Urbano Antillon have already sparred 12 rounds with the Pacman, Urbano will be leaving for the U.S soon to acclimate for his up coming fight.

“If he’s not in shape I’ll send him home right away,” Roach told The Philstar, Roach only wants competitive sparring for his fighter in prepartion for WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto of Caguas, Puerto Rico. Castillo whose best days are behind him, was known for his exciting war with the late Diego Corrales in which Castillo suffered a 10th round TKO loss in a back and forth battle. Castillo is also known for his controversial unanimous decision loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. a fight which many boxing fans believe Castillo had one. Pacquiao’s Baguiao training camp breaks on October 24, in which the Team will be flying back to Hollywood, California to finish off training.

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

Mayweather-Pacquiao After Mayweather-Marquez and Pacquiao-Cotto

Don’t look now, but a mega-buck fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. is reportedly looming in the horizon.

In the event both boxing superstars hurdle their respective coming fights, the path to a multi-million showdown is expected to be sealed and delivered in what could yet be the biggest ever fight in the rich history of prize fighting.

A highly-reliable source within the Pacquiao camp confirmed that the unbeaten Mayweather is now within the radar of the Filipino ring icon, provided of course, he gets past tough Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto in their WBO welterweight showdown on Nov. 14.

Mayweather also has to make his side of the bargain by beating durable Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez when they tangle next week in a 12-round non-title fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“Pag nanalo kami parehas ni Mayweather, kami na ang next na maglalaban," the source quoted Pacquiao as saying shortly after the small entourage of the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter arrived in San Francisco to promote his title fight with Cotto.

“May mga pag-uusap na," added the same source on the possibility of a mega-buck match to be held by 2010.

Cotto first

First things first, Pacquiao needs to concentrate on the 28-year-old Cotto, whom he considers as the biggest and hardest fight of his career.

“Focus muna tayo kay Cotto," the “Pacman" was quoted as saying.

Pacquiao is guaranteed to earn $13 million in the Cotto fight, plus a lucrative cut in the pay-per-view earnings.

The amount is expected to double in the event he collides with Mayweather, whose highly-anticipated match with the great Oscar De La Hoya in 2007 generated a record pay-per-view of 2.5 million buys.

A bronze medalist at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Mayweather is coming off a two-year retirement. He was generally regarded as the pound-for-pound best boxer in the world until he hung up his gloves in 2007.

Pacquiao’s eight-round demolition of De La Hoya last December was a big hit as well with 1.25 PPV.

Following a whirlwind promotion of his fight in Cotto’s hometown in Caguas, Puerto Rico, Pacquiao was flown in by Top Rank Promotions in Los Angeles, where the week-long, five city tour is expected to end Tuesday (Manila time).

He and Cotto dropped by the AT& T Park in San Francisco to hype the fight and at the same time, watch the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The two protagonists will meet each other for the last time at the Beverly Hills Hotel Monday (Tuesday in Manila) for the final conference of the press tour.

Source : GMANEWS.TV

Pacquiao-Cotto News : Both fighters back to their training camps

FILIPINO superstar Manny Pacquiao worked up a sweat at a local gym in Manila yesterday afternoon to start his preparation for his Nov. 14 fight with Miguel Cotto.

Pacquiao, who planed in on Thursday morning after a whirlwind five-city publicity tour for his upcoming bout with Cotto, reportedly trained for a little over an hour and complained of the heat inside the Wild Card Fitness Gym in Paranaque, which is owned by his former long-time business manager Rod Nazario.

Pacquiao, however, impressed a local trainer who held the mitts for the boxing icon and indicated that he had never felt a punch so strong.

“His jab is just like the best punch of my welterweight boxer,” said Ericson Asilo in an interview with Fightnews.

Trainer Freddie Roach, according to the report, is scheduled to arrive in the Philippines next week to start the hard training with Pacquiao in Baguio.

The boxing icon is slated to leave for Baguio on board a private plane owned by one of his benefactors on Sunday morning in time for the start of his eight-week training camp on Monday.

Pacquiao has chosen the Cooyeesan Hotel, which also houses a well-equipped gym that the pound-for-pound fighter will use for four to five weeks. Buboy Fernandez, Pacquiao’s long-time training assistant, is now in Baguio and is ready to lend a hand on Roach in training Pacquiao.

“Everything is all ready,” Fernandez was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, sporting a new tattoo on his left shoulder, is scheduled to leave today for Tampa, Florida, where he’ll initiate the last and hardest phase of his preparation for November 14 collision in Las Vegas against Manny Pacquiao. Cotto is accompanied by his trainer José ‘Joe’ Santiago and the conditioning trainer Phil Landman.

Source : FightNews.com and GlobalNation.inquirer.net

Pacquaio Versus Cotto News : Pacquiao using Steroids?

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao has belied claims that he is using illegal supplements, including the banned substance steroids, to gain an unfair advantage in fights.

The accusation was made by flamboyant trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr., who worked the corner of Ricky Hatton for the bout with Pacquiao last May. Mayweather, in an interview with the Grand Rapids Press, said he believes the Filipino is taking illegal supplements.

“I believe he’s (Pacquiao) on some type of supplements. I’m convinced about a lot of (boxers),” the brash trainer said. “That’s what they’re (Pacquiao camp) doing right now. Everybody should be checked a little bit more thoroughly. Sometimes people know what’s going on but they ain’t saying anything.

Mayweather’s claims may have stemmed from the fact that he witnessed first hand how Pacquiao demolished Hatton easily during their fight — where the current pound-for-pound king’s speed was simply too much for the British slugger to handle.

But against his son Floyd Jr., the older Mayweather said Pacquiao will lose if ever they meet in the ring — steroids or none.

“I don’t think he can beat Lil’ Floyd with steroids in him or not,” he said. “He don’t have that kind of talent. He don’t have that kind of skill, whatever he has in him.”

Pacquiao, for his part, insisted he always fights cleanly, even stressing that he doesn’t know anything about steroids.

“I don’t even know how it looks and what color it is,” Pacquiao said in a TV interview shortly after arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport this morning (Sept. 17).

The IBO junior welterweight champion added that he has already instructed his lawyer, Jeng Gacal, to study any possible legal action they can take against Mayweather.

“We’re thinking of suing him (Mayweather) for what he said,” he added.

Pacquiao is back in the Philippines after wrapping up a back-breaking press tour that took him and upcoming opponent Miguel Cotto to five cities — New York, Caguas in Puerto Rico, and San Francisco, Beverly Hills and San Diego in California.

He, along with trainer Freddie Roach, will head to Baguio City tonight to kick-off his eight-week training camp.

Pacquiao and Cotto will slug it out on Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Source : Pacquiao denies Doping

Pacquiao vs Cotto My Biggest Test Says Pacquiao

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

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

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

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

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

"We also need to use our own advantage over Cotto," added the southpaw, who cemented his status as the sport's premier fighter with a stunning second round knockout of Britain's Ricky Hatton in May to claim the IBO light welterweight crown.

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

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

"It's going to be a much more tactical fight than people think because he (Cotto) is a very smart fighter," Roach said. "It's who can implement their game plan and use it to the fullest advantage.

"I think this is going to be a 12-round fight, no knockout. This guy (Cotto) is very resilient. If a knockout comes, it comes but if you go out there looking for a knockout, you might get caught yourself. We have to be very tactical."

Gruelling win

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

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

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

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

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

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

The pay-per-view fight is projected to reach 71 million homes, according to organizers.

Source : ABSCBNnews.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

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

Who's the Boss?

An article was written by Eric Thomas for BoxingNews24.com about Manny Pacquiao's training schedule. From the looks of it, Pacquiao is not focusing much of its time to training.

Recently, Manny Pacquiao and his trainer Freddie Roach went head to head over where the training should take place for Pacquiao’s next bout against Miguel Cotto. Roach wanted the training to take place in Mexico, while Pacquiao preferred the same confines of the Philippines.

In the end, Pacquiao got his way and the fight will be taking place in Baguio, in the Philippines. Its unclear how Roach will take this, because he’s seems to have enjoyed his newfound popularity that he’s found because largely due to Pacquiao’s success in the ring.

Roach has seemed like the boss in their interactions with each other, at least in their training camps. However, with Pacquiao basically telling Roach where the training will be taking place, it looks as if Pacquiao is showing who the real boss is in this relationship. Roach is, in essence, an employee of Pacquiao and can be replaced at any time if Pacquiao sees fit.

Beyond the location of where the training camp was to take place, Roach and Pacquiao disagreed about when the training should begin. Roach wanted the training to start already, but Pacquiao was having none of it, saying that eight weeks was enough.

With Pacquiao throwing his weight around more and more, will this affect Roach and their upcoming training? Is their relationship starting to show cracks? It’s hard to tell at this point. It will be interesting to see how well the training camp goes because this isn’t a good start. Roach has a lot of pride, and is highly sought after by boxing’s best fighters. If things don’t work out with Pacquiao, Roach will have a soft landing regardless. The way I see it, Roach should swallow his pride and continue to ride the Pacquiao gravy train until the bitter end. Roach should stay until Pacquiao either dismisses him, retires or begins to get beaten up on a regular occasion.

Roach’s main focus should be on working with Pacquiao and trying to make him a better fighter. Let all the other stuff, such as training locations and future opponents be decided by Pacquiao and his paid advisers.

What do you think? Do you think Pacquiao can still win it?

source : Did Pacquiao put Roach in his Place?

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.