Cotto is too dangerous for Pacquiao now

By Boxing News - 08/06/2012 - Comments

Image: Cotto is too dangerous for Pacquiao nowBy Chris Williams: I’m going to make a prediction and I’m dead certain that’s going to come true. Manny Pacquiao will not be fighting Miguel Cotto next on November 10th. Cotto won’t get the fight and will be bypassed for a lesser threat and a lighter puncher like Tim Bradley.

I think it’s probably unanimous that the boxing world wants to see Pacquiao fight Cotto again rather than Juan Manuel Marquez or Bradley, but guess what? That’s not likely to happen. I can see the future right now in my head and I see Pacquiao sitting down with Bob Arum and saying no to his aging promoter when he mentions Cotto’s name for November 10th. Pacquiao took a lot of punishment in his win over Cotto in 2009, and that was Pacquiao at the very prime of his career when he was still able to move around the ring at high speeds and fight for three minutes of every round.

Sadly, that Pacquiao is long gone and the what’s left is a slow, plodding fighter that fights flat-footed and only fights in brief spurts near the ends of every round. It’s like he thinking about the rest he’s going to get and then he unloads with a flurry of shots. Cotto may not have great stamina himself, but he’s capable of fighting three hard minutes for eight solid rounds before he tanks.

If Cotto has the now stationary Pacquiao in front of him for eight rounds, he’s going to tear the Filipino apart. Seriously, Cotto will do some serious damage to Pacquiao before he gasses out and I don’t see there being anything left of Pacquiao by the time Cotto does tire out. Even a tired Cotto is still capable of outworking Pacquiao with the way he fights now.

Like I said, Cotto will not be the one that gets selected this week by Pacquiao. It’s going to be a lighter puncher and very likely Bradley. I don’t see Pacquiao even facing Cotto next April, which is when Arum wants Pacquiao to fight again after the November date.



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