By Manuel Perez: Former two time heavyweight champion George Foreman is picking World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Miguel Cotto to beat Manny Pacquiao this Saturday night at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to Sportinglife. Foreman says “I think there would have been a good opportunity for Pacquiao to win if he faced Cotto before he fought Clottey, but now Cotto is thinking defense,” Foreman said.

I agree with Foreman. Cotto is much more defensively minded now since the fight with Clottey and won’t be easily hit by Pacquiao on Saturday night. Foreman has a good eye for boxing talent and obviously can see how Cotto has adapted since the loss to Mexican warrior Antonio Margarito last year. Foreman says “I think Cotto is going to pull out a decision, and now because of the terrible beating he took against Margarito, he knows he can’t get into a knockout drag-out brawl. He’s going to be smarter and I think Cotto in a 12 round decision.”

I think Cotto can get involved in a brawl with Pacquiao and still win without too many problems. He has the bigger power, then tougher chin and is used to being hit by much harder punchers than little Pacquiao. Cotto stood up to Margarito’s punches for nine rounds before getting hurt in the 10th and stopped in the 11th.

Cotto also took Shane Mosley’s fast and powerful shots for 12 rounds and ended up beating him by a 12 round decision. I think Mosley hits harder than Pacquiao and is about as fast as him. Cotto has also stood up to the blazing shots from Zab Judah, and beaten him as well. Judah, when he fought Cotto, was as fast as Pacquiao. So you see, Foreman has it right, Cotto will win. I see it as a knockout, but I’m okay with Cotto beating Pacquiao by a one-sided 12 round decision. If it turns out that way, it will give Cotto more time to give Pacquiao a terrible beating and show to the boxing world who the superior fighter is.

I kind of hope it does last that long, but I can’t see it happening unless Cotto holds back with his power shots and purposely carries Pacquiao in this fight. I know Cotto won’t do that, because he’ll want to take Pacquiao out as fast as he can to prove Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, wrong. Roach has made the bold prediction that Pacquiao will knock Cotto out in the 1st round. It’s a silly prediction, and I don’t believe a word of it.

I just think that Roach needed to say something that he felt would shock Cotto and what’s more shocking than saying that he’ll be knocked out in the 1st round? Roach should have at least made himself seem more credible by picking the 5th or 6th rounds, because it’s hard to believe him when he’s making a prediction as crazy that.

It’s like saying that the diminutive Ricky Hatton has a better chin than Cotto. Does anyone believe that? If so, tell me in what fight did Cotto get knocked out in the 1st round or even hurt in the first five rounds?