Cotto – Pacquiao, A Fickle Sport
November 16th, 2009
by Stephen McGrath: Manny Pacquiao started his career at 106lbs. For his latest bout against Miguel Cotto he weighed 144lbs, which is an incredible 38lb increase over his eventful fourteen year professional career. Pacquiao is the first boxer to win seven world titles in seven different weight classes. The much anticipated fight with Miguel Cotto was said by many boxing experts to be a ‘step too far’ for Manny, with Cotto’s natural size advantage being the defining factor of the result – in favour of Cotto.
After watching Cotto outclass and Humiliate Antonio Margarito for the first six rounds of their fight I concluded that he was destined to be the pound-for-pound king. He showed great movement, brilliant speed, fight-changing power, set with an impressive pace. But Margarito absorbed those punches and was relentless in his approach to wear Cotto down, displaying something of a granite chin, and stopping Cotto in the 11th round. Cotto’s face was badly swollen and bloodied and Margarito was crowned as welterweight champion of the world. Margarito in his next fight was badly beaten and stopped by Shane Mosely in round nine despite being exposed with illegal handwraps after the bout. That has been subject to much speculation on the rapid decline of Cotto. Mosely, however – is a former opponent and victim of Cotto, which attests to the fickle nature of the sport.
The average weight of Miguel Cotto since joining the welterweight division is: 146.5lbs.
The above data rules any chance of Cotto being ‘weight-drained’ coming in to fight Manny Pacquiao as simply untrue. Especially given that his average weight as a light-welterweight was: 139.6lbs. So coming in at 145lbs to fight the apparently much smaller Manny Pacquiao is ruled generally meaningless.
Cotto won the first round of their fight on Saturday night. He landed the more telling punches and moved well around the ring leaving Pacquiao relatively inactive and tentative. Round two was going just the same with Pacquiao looking somewhat confused with the situation, and a sense of concern was felt from his fans. Then around the last minute of round two Manny Pacquiao started to let his shots go and they rained on Cotto with the same ease and sting his fans have come to expect from him.
By round three Pacquiao had found his game-plan and was dominating the younger Cotto with his fast blistering hands and awkward unorthodox style. Constantly moving in, offloading three, four, five shots, moving out of range, then following Cotto as he retreated, catching him off balance. Cotto was put on the canvas in round three by a right hook. Only his gloves touched the floor and he didn’t look to be hurt. He recovered quickly, and although Cotto’s confidence seemed to be leaving him he finished the round relatively well. Half way through round four Pacquiao was throwing flurries of stinging shots, jolting Cotto’s head back on several occasions. Pacquiao placed himself against the ropes to bring Cotto on to him in taunting fashion, but Cotto was mainly unsuccessful in his attempts to hurt Pacquiao, despite landing a decent right hand. Cotto then came forwards throwing a combination of punches and Pacquiao countered well and caught Cotto with a powerful left uppercut and he hit the canvas quite heavily and looked hurt. Taking the eight-count, Pacquiao then backed Cotto up and caught him again with a couple of strong shots, and then the bell sounded, no doubt to the relief of Cotto.
In rounds five and six, Cotto started well but could not establish anything significant to hurt the Filipino man. Pacquiao then outclassed, out-punched, and out-moved the champion. Any shots that got through from Cotto unfazed Paquiao, proving that Manny Pacquiao has adapted to his new weight in all aspects rather than just punching hard. Rounds seven, eight, and nine told that the fight was likely to get stopped early as Cotto looked to survive rather than win the fight. His face was badly swollen and blood covered his face, resembling a similar sight to the Margarito defeat. His corner should have had the compassion to step in at this point to tell their fighter that his time is over for now. Sadly, Cotto continued with little chance of winning the fight, and more time to get hurt.
In round ten Cotto started to box better and displayed his warrior mentality despite being hunted down by the Filipino man. After a better but still negative round ten for Cotto, round eleven was a relief to see Cotto able to move around more to avoid being hit so often. Cotto was backed in to a corner and whilst under fire from Pacquiao, he caught the Filipino with a strong left hook, slightly hurting Pacquiao. This merely proved that Pacquiao can absorb punches at welterweight rather than any sudden success from Cotto coming into action.
Coming in to round twelve, and losing all but the first round, Cotto looked dejected and wanted to avoid as much punishment as possible. Pacquiao was still walking forwards with his gloves high and close, looking fresh and confident. It would have been nice to see Cotto ‘make the bell’, but Kenny Bayliss waved the fight off at 2:06 of round twelve after Pacquiao landed a hard right hand.
When a warrior like Cotto will not quit, his corner or ‘team’ are there to step in and save their man for better days, but they failed to do so and Cotto should now consider the people involved around his career. Cotto can still be considered one of the top modern fighters, but like several others, has just been unlucky to get caught up in Pacquiao’s reign as a super-champion. A fight with Ricky Hatton would be a great match-up, propelling one’s career and no doubt finishing the others. I’d favour Cotto if that fight was signed. Whilst Cotto looks to rebuild himself once again, Pacquiao can look to Floyd Mayweather for his chance to reveal the best pound for pound king. It would be a great fight, but I can’t see Floyd willing to risk his unbeaten record any time soon.
Let’s remember that the fighters respect each other, and we can do the same on this website.
May the best man win
Tags: 52 Responses to “Cotto – Pacquiao, A Fickle Sport”
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Take a series of blood test Pacman and prove you are not juicing. However, there are other types of blood doping, some more effective than EPO. Victor Conte, of BALCO infamy, developed and helped create PEDs. He also helped athletes schedule their use of PEDs to avoid detection. He told Doghouseboxing.com, “’blood testing for the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight is…important for detecting possible blood doping or use of EPO…measuring hematocrit levels (percentage of red blood cells to total whole blood volume) is very important. For example, even without a positive urine test for EPO, cyclists are temporarily suspended for two weeks if their hematocrit is greater than 50%. An elevated hematocrit can provide a significant advantage to a fighter by enhancing oxygen uptake and utilization. This would benefit a fighter during training and especially during the later rounds of fights.’”
If his unbeaten record is gone so is he…that is why he is so overprotective of his record because that’s the only thing he has! He knew for a fact the danger in facing Manny so he has to make the most out of it! Because if he losses to Manny…nobody and nobody wants to fight him anymore! Gone is his bargaining power..So it is either he retires again or fight for a much lower prize money.
Hmm, steroids…
If Pac is on steroids, then isn’t it also possible that Mayweather is on steroids as well? He moved up from 130 to 150 and retained all of his speed and power. Dude looked like Hulk Hogan next to Marquez in their September fight. How about Mosley? oh wait…
just let manny have his glory he is an awsome fighter, they all have the same “supplements” available to them so every fighter is even. and any way hard work and skill cant be injected!
what about Mayweather? nobody is bashing him when Shane called him out FIRST after that Marquez circus …. also his dad? what a work of art .. moves from one paycheck to another then if they lose, he bashes them … talk about loyalty. If Pacman beats Mayweather, will he bash is own son also?? hmmm …. Perez = Santiago = James = Jseaport (same person = same idea = LOSER)
L1NKS, your wasting your breath (or typing) to these ingorant fools.
GUEST,
I see what u sayin about Perez. He seems to hate Manny. But Paul Williams clearly stated that he will fight any welterweight at 147. And let’s not forget that after the Hatton/Manny fight Shane Mosley stated that he would even come down to 140-145 to fight Pacman, but Roachs camp wanted no parts of Shane.
Jseaport – This is Perez we are talking about, the most biased writer ever.
Williams is not a welterweight no more, he’s comfortable at light middle/middleweight. Mosley is also a lot bigger than Manny. Pacquiao knows and has said his limit is 147, he can’t take on everyone no matter what people say. Manny would have a better chance against Mosley in my opinion, but it looks like it is Mayweather next.
I believe Manny is good, but how come u PacFans never comment when Perez or anyone else talks about how he would be defeated by Paul Williams or Shane Mosley? Because you know he would be defeated!
Truth be told, Pacquiao has not beaten anybody with name that hasn’t been softened by somebody else or by Father Time.
Like Dela Hoya, that was Cotto’s shell out there on Nov 14. No bulk, no confidence, no pop after three rounds. Margarito’s ghost thrives in his psyche.
Pacquiao is good, but to call him ATG is stretching it too far. Reserve that lunacy for Arum.
cool – I’m a big fan of Pacman, but he has 5 legitimate world title wins. Yes on paper he has just won his 7th world title, this is why everyone is throwing it around. Read the following article and make your mind up yourself – http://www . proboxing-fans . com / before-pacquiao – cotto – how – many – of – mannys – championships – are – legitimate _ 110909 /
obviously there are no spaces, but I am unsure whether links are allowed on this website.
I am sure if he was on steroids – drug testing would have proved that by now – ya know???
Talk is cheap, especially when they were all speculations (steroids, etc..)Pacman beat them all. The 7th title is undeniable and unparalled. Pacman now belongs to boxing “greatness”. That’s fact and reality. Period!
Don’t know why there are a lot of Pacman bashers … these people have no idea how to box, all talk … they think they are better than those who actually DO! They think they are experts but guess what? THEY ARE ALL LOSERS .. Pacman has remained the WINNER … so go ahead and keep bashing him … Pacman will continue to do his thing (WIN) and your boys will continue to do their thing (LOSE with excuses). Kudos to Cotto (he is the only one who did not whine or give any excuse). You should all be ashamed … it is not you who are in the ring losing .. and you have all these excuses … Just keep your thoughts to yourself or prove it in the ring .. oops I guess you can’t do it .. LOSERS!!!
Now this is a pro article!!! non-bias and the facts just as they happend!
faith… and by faith alone why manny won every fight.Even though the fighter is much bigger than manny, it’s his “faith” and “will” to win makes him a winner.
james uses steroid that is why he have a tiny D*ck. ahahaha
forget Manny vs Floyd,Manny will go for 8th titles,he will fight Yuri Foreman first,then Floyd
@ the people who think Pacquiao’s on steroids
1. The body’s metabolism slows down as you get older, thus you are able to build more muscle. FACT!
2. The moron that said Pacquiao matured at 122lbs. The body doesn’t atrophy in the 30’s. FACT!
Now please know your biology before putting out ridiculous statements!
NOW THATS HOW TO WRITE AN ARTICLE
Mayweather has no chance against Pacquiao but he’s a tad more guapo than pacquiao
james well known fact steriods slow you down and take stanima away you go and watch your growth harmone ufc fighters rolling round hugging each other
guys.
all top athletes in todays day and age use something to inhance there performance. dont just accuse pac of it they ALL do it.
boxing,swimming,baseball,rugby,soccer,nfl.
its all there in front of our eyes, its just that we have grown accustomed to what we percive as natural
i just realized.. i know joe santiago, cotto’s trainer, is inexperienced.. but can you really blame him for not saying anything? there was no way to stop pacman and it’s hard to come up with a game plan to beat him. even mayweather sr, odlh, jmm, hatton, put them all in cotto’s corner, they wouldnt be able to come up with any strategy. pacman is the real deal, 100% and even floyd jr knows that.
Let us give some respect to the writer of the this article, Mcgrath. Noticed how balanced his views are. As for Liam and Perez, people like them inspire manny pacquiao. Were it not for them, pacquiao would have no reason to strive to perfection. Their views are noted by team pac and are important to them. that is why pacman went to the ropes on purpose and show the world he can take a welter weight punch because of what these two guys said. let perez and liam look the other way. Kudos to you Mcgrath. MABUHAY KA MANNY PACQUIAO AT ANG BUONG SAMBAYANANG PILIPINAS.
Liam Santiago and Manuel should be kicked out with their b.s. writings! I will not visit this website again if these two a —- will still write
articles.
Dan Ambrose and Eric klein – please wake up and fire this two a —–!
@ Liam Santiago
Please stop posting. You have to keep your word like a real man. Stop writing articles! Unless this is your livelihood then you are excuse. Just like other haters out there who has too much excuses like steroids.
Maybe James is the one using steroids…filipinos don’t use steroids…we are not americans. Save it James.
Here comes the excuses from the leaf blower guys
Her comes the excuses from the leaf blower guys
@ manuel perez
Millions of people witnessed the “slaughter” of once champions in the hands of Pacquiao. All the veteran boxing writers/experts and commentators agree that Pacquiao may be one of the best in boxing history. Your opinion against Manny Pacquiao is extremely insignificant.
@James:
Pacquaio has evolved into a more skilled fighter through the years. He was a one dimensional fighter years back with just one arsenal – his left hook. Through roach’s training and with Pacquiao’s discipline, Manny’s skills became more robust and has added a flare via a powerful right hook. Adding weight and strentgh is very possible without the use of steroids. I’ve seen a lot of MMA fighters go from 180 lbs. to 205 in just a year. (ex. Anderson Silva) I think we just need to honor the accomplishment of this humble figter from the Philippines instead of maligning the integrity of his wins. He has made his country proud and the boxing industry exciting once again.
the steroids that you are talking about is called “SINAING”. that’s a hot and steaming white rice.try it, it’s good and undetectable!! HA_HA!!!
how did you people missed at the end of 10th rd. cotto is telling his corner to stop the fight already. he is quitting how can you say he is a brave warrior. wake up!!!!!
Filipinos can’t afford steroids, too expensive…maybe chicken adobo. “same effect”.
Pacman haters i dare you to try it!
james, steroids does not teach boxing skills, what sport did you play “chess?”.Funny moron.
A winner has no excuses. Cotto is a winner in a true sense of the word. If you get beat, it does not mean you are not a winner. If you face the best fighters, you are already a winner. Floyd is undefeated but so is Julio Cesar Chavez. Undefeated does not make you great. Ali is not undefeated but he is the greatest. And so is Sugar Ray Leonard and Robinson. Manny should stay humble and true to himself and I only wish that he would follow in cotto’s footsteps and fight the best fighter, win or lose. That is how you measure greatness. That is how you get the respect of the boxing community. Cotto will go down as a great welterweight. Mayweather will go down as an undefeated welterweight because he never fought the best fighters of his time. Floyd doesn’t get it. That is why everybody hates this guy. His claim to greatness is his undefeated record and time and time again, people say that is not what makes you great. It’s the fights that you fight, the best fighters of you time, like Hagler and Hearns and Leonard and Duran. Like Cotto and like Pacquiao.
Some People could not still accept this fact…he’s on steroids..blah..blah…blah…I bet you if he was born and raised here in the US …it will be a different story….this is of epic preportions…and one of a kind…let’s give credit where credit is due….even to go as far as comparing him to old all time greats…what ifs..let’s look at the present and deal with it.So much bias and excuse…This is plain talent at its best..
PACQUIAO HIT SO HARD AND FAST THAT IT AFFECTED SANTIAGO’S TAKE ON REALITY! YOU’RE TOO OLD TO BE LYING!
YOU PAChaters just shut up!!!! you have no knowledge of boxing at all you are just plain stupid stop writing and shut the hell up!!!
I told you guys from the very start you will eat your vomits and look what happen cant swallow it because its like your brain and its full of S..T!!!!
Cotto gracefully accepted his defeat. He did his best on this fight. It just he lost to a fighter who is one of the best of all time… so Liam Santiago and Manuel Perez… if the fighter himself acknowledged what he encountered… it’s time to listen.
Stephen is much better and more knowledgeable boxing reporter than Liam and Perez who are both zero knowledge about boxing.
james=another pacman heater
James – Pacman’s maturation was never 122LBs 6 years ago as suggested, he was always a lot bigger than people thought. The tale of the tapes show except waist, there was no significant differences between him and Cotto.
Pacman was draining his body for the weigh in during his 126/130 fights, his fightnight weights were up as high as 146, only a few pounds lighter than his fightnight weight now.
He is performing better as he is not draining himself as much for the weigh in – that’s all – no suggestion of steroids…..
Stephen truly watched the fight and speak the truth.Unlike Liam and Perez didn’t watch the fight at all.They are both HATERS AND JEALOUS of PACQUIAO’S accomplishments in boxing history.Good job STEPHEN!!
of course every one will be destroyed if they come to pacman’s way because manny is great, you guys don’t think any excuses it simple manny did his homework that’s why he got the best style that nobody did before…all make some excuses but just imagine cotto personally said manny is the great fighter of all time, so why some of you still doubful…to sum it up — pacman really is the man!
that’s it guys —
liam santiago and manny perez can learn from much from mcgrath on how to analyze and write. those 2 guys need to do their homework and use their coconut more, rather than risk looking like idiots trying to sell their twisted opinions. most of the time they’re just using this website for personal attacks rather than true sports writing.
ps. quicker than Cotto, Hatton, DeLaHoya of course. Not quicker than Pacman:)
Pacman was absolutely brilliant, and I too don’t think 2 pounds would have changed much. But in my opinion they should have let it go at 147, simply to take the amunition out of some peoples mouths.
Coming back to fight there were two deciding factors imo. a/ if Pacman can take a punch at this weight b/ if he’ll carry his power up to welter. Positive answer to both this questions sealed the deal. Cotto did hit him, but Pacman simply walked through it. And when Pacman hit Cotto, he felt it right away. The fight for me was a foregone conclusion in round 3. I’m a huge, huge fan of both after that. Especially Cotto’s, who simply refused to give in.
As per who’s the most dangerous for Pacman in welterweight, besides Floyd I stick to the same guy I mentioned a few times in the past: Mosley. It doesn’t mean that I’m 100% for Sugar beating Pacman – no way. It’s highly competitive, and there is a huge chance Pacman would outbox him. Why Mosley? Simply: he’s quicker, he can take enormous punch and shake it off, and he punches hard as hell. We all knew Cotto is submittable, as it was done before (by much bigger man than Pacman of course, but still he was damaged before). I’d love Shane to get this chance but he simply won’t. This fight is far less marketable than Floyd, which I really hope will happen. I’ll be rooting for Pacman and hoping he’ll be the 1-st one to beat Floyd, but I give Floyd and edge (my completely personal opinion).
That’s a fair point James, but it’s just speculation really. And it’s certainly not scientifically impossible, but rare that boxers adapt to weight increase.
DECENT ARTICLE MANNY DESERVES ALL THE CREDIT AFTER THIS, IT SCARY HOW STRONG HE LOOKED AND THE WAY HE WAS BULLYING COTTO LATE IN THE FIGHT.I CAN SEE WHY MAYWEATHER IS MAKING ALL THESE EXCUSES I THINK THERES AN ELEMENT OF DOUBT CREEPING IN HIS MIND WHETHER HE CAN BEAT MANNY, BUT EVENTUALLY I BELIEVE HE WILL TAKE THE FIGHT COS OF THE MEGA PAY DAY.
Mr. Manuel Perez,
Please join Liam Santiago in the reality show “The Biggest Loser”
Your lying tongue is “also” 2 lbs. heavy to win you that title – The Biggest Loser!
ahahahaha. Ahohohoho.
Christmas is so early in November I am having so much fun with the 2 of you.
Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha ahahahahahahahaha.