Pacquiao v. Cotto: Points To Ponder
November 10th, 2009
By Caesar Almase: So many articles and news feeds have been written about this great fight, that a person really has to do some thinking if he is going to come up with any new or, as yet, unacknowledged points to ponder. As a fan of boxing in general and Manny Pacquiao specifically, I have read and watched a great deal of the media coverage, and there are a few things I haven’t seen discussed. Being a Manny guy, I’ll try to be as neutral in my analysis as possible, but please take my thoughts with that grain of salt.
Point two: Miguel Cotto will not be able effectively adjust to Manny’s style. Miguel has never faced anyone who fights with an in-out, side-to-side style, and who takes full advantage of his fast hands and feet like Manny. Granted, Malignaggi, Zab Judah, and Shane Mosley have fast hands, and Miguel was able to beat them to the punch and counter effectively. However, no one has faster hands than Manny, and more importantly, no one moves around the ring like him. The three aforementioned fighters stood in front of Miguel and didn’t operate at angles. Moreover, all three were deficient in some way that Manny is not: Malignaggi lacked power, Judah lacked heart, and Mosley lacked skill. This last statement is open to debate, but no one should argue that Mosley is well past his prime, while Manny is still in his. Manny has evolved into the most dynamic fighter in any weight class—he stays in constant motion, making his opponents tentative and wondering where he will be next. Miguel will make adjustments as the fight progresses, but it will probably not be enough and will come too late.
Three, the pressure on Miguel will affect his fight strategy and could be a factor in a knockout. Although he is bigger, stronger, and the belt holder, very few people think Miguel will win. He has taken all-comers in his weight division and, except for Margarito, has beaten them all. Regardless of his stoicism, one has to think that all the disrespect being leveled against him as the underdog in this fight, has affected him, and perhaps positively. I think not. Miguel may be coming into this fight looking to prove something and if he loses the first few rounds, which is a very likely scenario, the pressure to reassert himself and to dispatch of the smaller man, could get the better of Miguel. He is, if nothing else, a proud Latino fighter full of machismo. I look for him to take more risks (and maybe resort to some dirt tactics) as the fight progresses, thereby opening himself up to cleaner shots, more sustained attacks, and ultimately a knockout. If he can take a page out of Marquez’s playbook, by staying patient and employing an overhand right, he could have some success. I just don’t see it playing out that way because Miguel will be more about brawling and less about timing the smaller fighter. Moreover the Marquez strategy would have limited success against this current version of Manny, as he doesn’t fight so straight up and toe-to-toe anymore.
This will be a very exciting fight, and the outcome is by no means a foregone conclusion. Miguel is a very skilled boxer and brings attributes—size and strength, which Manny will have to overcome like never before. Miguel is easily the most dangerous fighter Manny has ever faced, and the fight could end, or at least turn, very suddenly if Miguel can capitalize on a mistake. In the final analysis though, I think Manny will be too much for Miguel and an accumulation of power shots ends the fight in the 9th or 10th.
Tags: 34 Responses to “Pacquiao v. Cotto: Points To Ponder”
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ps cesar you failed in trying to be fair and unbaised keep trying.
ps it all comes down to this question if pacman can outbox cotto pac will win. know ask this question how many times has cotto been outboxed and has cotto faced any good fast boxers in the past. ansers cotto has only lost 1 fight and he wasnt outboxed in fact he was out punched by a puncher who probaly gave it his all to win but will never be the same after that fight and margarito at that point was considered one of the most hardest hitting welters. mosely zab judaw are not bad boxers in my book and no one would say that they are slow. know ask this ? has pacman been outboxed yes in his first fight wiht morales and allot of people would say he was beaten by marquez, another question; as hard as pacman hits does he hit as hard as margarito or clotey? i dont think so. does cotto hit harder than morales or marquez you bet considering the size deference cotto by tko around the 8 thru 10th rounds
if manuel is a pacman hater cesar is a pacman nuthuger
every fighter manny meets is dangerous.
that’s what makes it exciting.
next fight should be with paul williams for the jr middleweight belt. that’s should look like a huge mismatch which should be exciting and shocking.
I stopped reading also when he said that Mosley lack skills. When I read that I realize what the person who wrote this should be a fan of Manny and not a boxing fan… LOL
Me too I lost interest at “Mosely lacked skill” lol
I took that with alot of Salt dude!!!
As Much I would like to use the weight issue with Cotto I think is not going to hurt him much, by adding a few extra weeks to his Camp I think he should make the weight with no Problems, he was 146 lbs for Clottey and he wasn’t even trying to make 146lb and that was with a normal basic 8 weeks camp, I love Pacman but I love the sport of boxing more….the only way I see Pacman winning is by quick KO between 1,2 or 3rd or late 11,12 rd Stoppage but he’s not going to outbox Cotto…there’s no way….I see this being very Closed to the Mosley fight, with more power shots landed by both guys
Maybe there’s a very important fact this writer forgot to mention, Oscar didn’t landed anything that gave Pacquiao something to think about, and as we all know, there isn’t a single Miguel Cotto fight that his Opponent has walked away without a feeling how hard Cotto hits.
Even the only Man who has beat Cotto, Margarito waled away looking like he was in a real brawl. if there’s still people out there thinking this fight is going to be a Hatton Vs Pacquiao repeat they better think about it twice, Yes Pacquiao has a huge chance to win but isn’t going to be a walk in the park for either guy!
I will be laughing at how so many supposedly knowledgeable boxing writer are writing off Cotto. I see this as one of his easiest fights. No one would dear put Pacman and Cotto in the same ring two years ago. Yes many outgrew his frame. But Cotto’s boxing strategy,smarts and power will have Manny lost in the ring. I would never like to see many hurt since he is a nice guy but i really think this will be day he goes down horribly.
The bias comes through regardless of how hard you tried. Nobody here is fooled. As far as I am concerned there is only one way Manny can win. That way is on the scales. The question really is how much will getting down to 145 Lbs hurt Cotto?
I really don’t see how you can compare Cotto to De La Hoya and not compare Pacquiao to any of Cotto’s previous opponents, going on to say that Cotto has not though anyone like Pacquiao. Laughable.
Saying Malignaggi, Zab Judah and Shane Mosley are fast but not as fast as Pacquiao? I could say De La Hoya doesn’t control the pace of a fight or move around the ring like Cotto. De La Hoya was past his prime in much the same way you say Mosely was.
You tried to be unbiased but it still shines through. Nice try though.
Does anybody know if they are showing this fight in Germany?
pacman vs. cotto, an even fight in my opinion. It will answer the question, will speed defeat power or power defeat speed. It is beyond question what each fighter brings to the table, pac has speed but cotto has power, cannot wait to see the fight! this is will be one of the greatest fights ever because each one has a 50/50 chance of winning. goodluck to both fighters and let’s wish that our $50 bucks will be worth it not like the mayweather v. marquez snoozer.
oh eto na naman tayo mga bobo’t mga gago…ang tanong eh tatama ba si cotto? iniisip niyo na sa lahat ng bitawang suntok ni cotto eh groggy na si pacman? hay naku putangina nakakagigil kayo mga bobo… pagkatapos ng laban na yan malamang magleave kayo lalo nayang si manuel perez.. as I’d mention, cotto’s face will brutally rip at 4th rd. then 7-9rds cotto will be dead.. dead, meaning no life… “bangkay na” sa tagalog.
decent, again i see everyone up in arms trying to find a measuring stick for speed in which case let me help you : guest is on the right track, get in the ring with them cos all this talk of comparisons of speed are not going to amount to anything.
Manny is super fast and likes his flurries, some claim he doesn’t lose balance as much now when he throws power punches as he used to but i think he does.
Something i think isn’t mentioned enough regarding the fight is Manny’s ability to charge at you and at the moment of realizing he is going to collide with you he tucks in his head and voila! The result is a cut to the opponents eye! How many times has this royally screwed his opponents?
You want to talk of cotto’s low blows and dirty tactics but not mention that Manny gets away with life saving head butts during some of his biggest fights? The look on Marquez face in their second matchup after the head-butt says it all.
I stopped reading at “Mosley lacked skill”. This guy is Lex Luthor to Manuel Perez’s Superman. LMAO.
“However, no one has faster hands than Manny…”
^^ What are you smokin’ bro? Mayweather’s hands are just as fast (if not faster)
it’s almost an even fight. i think it’s 52-48 in favor of pacquiao but anything can happen so let’s just watch the fight and see what happens. may the best pac-man win.
mosley is a much better fighter than manny. Cotto is no de la hoya. Even if he is a natural lefty. His right hand sill packs a serious punch. Manny is going to have the hardest fight of his life. Cotto ko rnd 6
Your up Pacquiao’s arse u gimp. This wasn’t neutral at all. What about Cotto’s skills? Power, Heart, Chin, Good Adjustments e.g. The Mosley fight and his countless hammering of the body. I’m not saying this will be easy for Cotto because the judges will be against him from the first bell as it is well known in Vegas that they favour the popular fighter…e.g. Marquez v Pacquiao how did they score the fight 2 Manny? He got his arse tanned by Marquez. Also Manny will be hard 2 hit because of his excellent speed and footwork, but if Cotto can neutralise Manny’s speed and stay close 2 him when he’s running around the ring, then he’s almost a certainty but if he can’t then it could be Pacquiao’s night but he will NOT ko Cotto unless the ref stops the fight because of the cut above Cotto’s eye from the Clottey fight.
Saying Pacman is the smaller man is like saying Mike Tyson was a small heavyweight.
If I thought Cotto really had a chance at winning this fight, I would bet a ton of money on him, but I don’t, and I didn’t.
Instead, I have bet $6,500 on Pacman by KO spreading it amoung rounds 1 – 10. Maybe I will win, and maybe I will lose. However, I have put my money where my mouth is.
Cotto can win, Pacquiao can win. If Pac loses, he bit off more than he could chew. If Cotto loses, he lost to a blown up 106lbs fighter. WHat a loser.
Who is this? Manuel Perez competition.
What a piece of sh…t of article. Watch and lern on November 14 from a true champion. Cotto by KO in 9.
Manuel Perez for best sport writer. My papi his the best!!!
comparing pacman to mosley is ridiculous, lets not be stupid here, mosley is a much better fighter. That being said this fight could go either way, And I also have to agree with the comment above me, Morales and Marquez wobbled pacquiao, and those fighters don’t have nearly as much power as Cotto. If pacman loses his head and tries to slug it out like he usually does then he will find himself lying on the canvas.
This Article is a joke, You mention how fast pac is and how cotto will strugle with that. But you not mention that the same pac with the same speed was shake a few times by morales, marquez, and a few others. Even knock out in the past. With that saying, Cotto is 2 times better than morales and marquez so it wont be that hard for him to find pac, and i see it the other way i think cotto will be too much for pac.
VERY GOOD ARTICLE I APPLAUD U ON BEING HONEST BOTH WAYS UNLIKE THE HOMO PEREZ LOL.HE COMPARES MOSLEY JUDAH AND MALLINAGI SPEED TO THE PACMANS WHICH IS VERY UNTRUE AND STUPID TO COMPARE.PACQUAIO MOVES SIDE TO SIDE,HIS HEAD MOVEMENT IS INCREDIBLE AND I AGREE WIT U IN THE LONG RUN HE WILL BE TOO MUCH FOR COTT WHO IS A GREAT FIGHTER BUT MANNY IS JUST TOO SMART AND FAST AND IT WILL SHOW.HIS POWER WILL SHOW TOO,I BELIEVE IN THE LATER ROUNDS 9 OR 10 THE PACMAN WILL BE TOO MUCH FOR COTTO.
If you had not wrote in the beginning of the article that you are a Pacman fan, and to take your ‘thoughts with a grain of salt.’ I probably would have discontinued reading about halfway through.
Good read though. Lets hope you follow this one up with an article pointing out what Cotto can bring to the table. I think a couple of writers on this website forget that, not everyone who visits the site is a hardcore fan. Casual fans no doubt check it out, maybe to look at upcoming bouts or to learn more about the boxers, not just biased articles by writers trying to point out flaws in one boxer.
Good to hear a decent article.
Not bad, Caesar Almase. I don’t agree but appreciate that you support your opinion with sound logic. Thanks
horrible analysis everyone is underestimating miguel cotto. cotto by ko 7th
First I kinda hesitated to come in here because I might ended up reading a one sided article again from Mr. Perez. Surprisingly though not all writers in this website is like that. I’m not saying all I wanted to read is anything positive about Pacquiao, but I strongly feel Manny is the underdog coming into the fight. Thanks for some enlightenment regarding the other speedy fighters that Miguel fought before. Nice read!
I think as an admitted Pacfan, your analysis of things to come at fight night cannot hide your bias for pacman but it also show your reservation that somehow cotto may snatch the night from your idol. Fair enough unlike Mr. Perez.