Photo credit: Naoki Fukuda – By Peter Wells: Manny Pacquiao once again proved to the world who is the number 1 in boxing, by stopping WBO Welterweight champion of the world, Miguel Cotto. Cotto was once again left in a gruesome state bleeding from the nose, and cuts over his left eye and under his right eye, plus the swelling. It was always going to be a bit messy, but it wasn’t as close as some people might have expected. Cotto was already well down on the scorecards when he was finally stopped by Kenny Bayliss about a minute into the last round.
Round-By-Round:
Round 1: Cotto landed two jabs early, while Pacquiao floated around the ring throwing shots, trying to get through the high guard of Miguel. Both fighters got through with hard shots, and it already looked like we could be ready for a war, not a demolition.
10-9 Cotto
Round 2: Cotto started strong stomping forward throwing one-twos at Manny but Manny was unloading with combinations himself. Manny and Miguel trade many times this round, Pacquiao starts to get confident and unloads with a four punch combination which shakes Cotto, but Miguel keeps lurking forward, great round.
10-9 Pacquiao
Round 3: Manny rushes in early and gets caught on the chin by a stiff left jab, Manny lands a quick left-right before adding a stinging right hook on the chin of the champion, and Cotto goes down, a flash knockdown has Cotto taking a count, very early in the fight. Pacquiao tries to engage, but Cotto turns him around against the ropes, Cotto looks shocked by Manny’s speed but is able to catch him more than any fighter has since moving from Super Featherweight, then Miguel snaps Pacquiao’s head back with a perfect uppercut in a 3 punch combination.
10-8 Pacquiao
Round 4: Cotto has Pacquiao back straight away. Manny comes back in the middle of the round throws a huge never ending combination, but Cotto fights back turning it into a war. Manny lies on the ropes as Cotto fires away to the body before snapping Manny’s head back with a left down the middle, this is exactly what Freddie Roach told Pacquiao not to do. Pacquiao trades blows with Cotto once again, and catches Miguel with a short, sharp left hook which sends Cotto down again. After a round that Cotto was winning he is now going to lose two consecutive 10-8 rounds in a row. Cotto’s eye’s are very swollen and has a small nick under his right eye.
10-8 Pacquiao
Round 5: Pacquiao starts strong, Cotto looking a little bit tired, but late in the round Cotto sends Manny’s head creaking back with another solid uppercut, then gets through with a solid left after a strong combination.
10-9 Cotto
Round 6: Pacquiao started the round on the front foot, not moving backwards at all, and then Manny backs Cotto onto the ropes while unloading a barrage of punches. Near the end of the round Manny shakes Miguel with a huge left hook and almost has Cotto down for a third time. Big round for Manny.
10-9 Pacquiao
Round 7: Pacquiao starts fast landing a sharp right hook, the combinations keep coming from Manny and Cotto despite looking lighter on his feet has no answer to the super speed of Pacquiao, Miguel looks better at the end of the round getting through with a few punches, but just not enough.
10-9 Pacquiao
Round 8: Pacquiao keeps Cotto backing up in a less dominant round; Cotto seems troubled by the bad swelling over his eyes.
10-9 Pacquiao
Round 9: Pacquiao once again kept the pressure on shaking Cotto early before landing a tone of punches. Manny opened a tiny, but nasty cut on the right side of Miguel’s forehead, and the blood started to dribble out of a cut over Cotto’s left eye. At the end of the round, his corner told him they’d give him 1 more round.
10-9 Pacquiao
Round 10: Pacquiao started slower this round and didn’t seem to have the same kick, but was far from done, Cotto got through a few times but the fight was now completely one sided. Miguel’s cut over his left eye is starting to pour down his cheek, but his corner still won’t stop it.
10-9 Pacquiao
Round 11: It was now looking just like Cotto-Margarito, blood pouring from Cotto’s eye, nose and mouth, and was being caught on the ropes soaking up too much punishment; it has to be stopped surely.
10-9 Pacquiao
Round 12: Miguel Cotto looks exhausted and a beaten man, Pacquiao had Miguel on the ropes again, and Kenny Bayliss did the right thing and stepped in to stop the fight. Cotto went over to congratulate Manny.
It is a horrible thing to see, for a great fighter like Cotto to be demolished like that, so bad that some couldn’t bare to watch any more of it, including Miguel’s girlfriend and eldest son who left their seats at the end of the 10th round. It was a fight that should have been stopped after about 8 rounds, and it turned into a savage beat down, and will Cotto ever recover again. As for Manny, there is a fight the whole world wants to see, and that has to be Pacquiao vs Mayweather, it would be the biggest fight since Tyson-Holyfield I, maybe bigger, and Manny’s legacy will carry on forever.
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