By Manuel Perez: WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto (34-1, 27 KO’s) has a big surprise for Manny Pacquiao come November 14th. While almost everyone is underestimating Cotto and seeing Pacquiao as the winner of this fight, I think this is going to be an easy fight for Cotto. He’s going to put Pacquiao in his place by knocking him out and sending Pacquiao back to the lightweight division where he belongs.
It’s going to be hilarious to see this fight. I can see this fight ending quickly, really quickly in a round or two. Pacquiao looks confident coming off of his two wins over Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, and thinks that he’s the king of the hill because of those two empty victories.
That’s always how it goes. A fighter wins a couple of fights, starts believing that he’s invincible, and then gets put in his place when he goes a step too far by taking on a legitimate talent like Cotto. This is exactly what’s going to happen to Pacquiao.
Pacquiao is going to rush head first at Cotto in the opening rounds, trying to duplicate his wins over De La Hoya and Hatton. And it’s not going to work that way for Pacquiao. Cotto will stand his ground and meet Pacquiao with a straight jab and big rights that will stop Pacquiao in his tracks.
Immediately, Pacquiao will understand that he’s made a tragic mistake by fighting Cotto and will be in deep trouble. I don’t think that Pacquiao will ever get to a plan B, because he will be still too drunk on his success from the De La Hoya and Hatton bouts, and will stubbornly persist with going straight at Cotto, trying to knock him out.
I can see Roach pleading with Pacquiao in between rounds, telling him to “stay on the outside and use your jab. Don’t get close to Cotto. He’s too strong for you.” While Roach is telling Pacquiao this, Manny will probably be tuning him out while looking at himself in instant replays, like always, in the overhead projection screens in the arena.
Instead of giving Pacquiao a good slap in the head to snap him out of his reverie, Roach will keep uselessly barking at Pacquiao, with none of it sinking in. I wish it would be different, because I want this to be a competitive fight, but I don’t see how it can be.
Instead of getting the message that he just doesn’t have the power to slug with a tank like Cotto, Pacquiao will continue to go right at Cotto like a bull that has lot it’s marbles.
Cotto may have problems tiring in the later rounds, but if a fighter is crazy enough to go right at him during the first six rounds, they’re asking for it. In this case, Pacquiao make the mistake of trying to slug with Cotto, and end up paying for it.
I could see Pacquiao wanting to slug if he had beaten a good fighter in the past using this kind of approach. But all Pacquiao has to show for his recent wins or victories over De La Hoya and Hatton, and I don’t those guys.
Comments are closed.