By Glen Anglin: I now think that in terms of career accomplishments, Pacquiao is the best fighter under welterweight in the last 50 years. Yes, that includes Duran. And Whitaker, Pryor, Arguello, Jones, Chavez, Sanchez, Lopez, Nelson, Gomez, or any other you can name; any small man since the 60’s. In terms of ring accomplishments, he outshines them all. He really is THAT good.
The way in which he dominated Diaz, ODLH, Hatton and Cotto is astounding. All of these men were naturally bigger framed and should have been stronger than Manny. Although I thought he had a decent chance to beat all of these guys I in no way thought that he would crush them.
The most amazing of the lot is of course the Cotto fight. Early on in this fight, Puerto Rican star landed good punches on Manny. Some were excellent jabs, and some were hard, flat-footed hooks to the head and body. Cotto was in the fight and doing well. During this timeframe and defying both common sense and corner instructions, Pacquiao backed into the ropes and actually INVITED the supposedly stronger Cotto to come in and hit him. Cotto would then oblige him by flurrying to the body and head. In return, Pacquiao would……………smile. Or goad Cotto to hit him more. When asked about this tactic after the fight, Pacquiao replied that he wanted to test Cotto’s vaunted power. Think about it, during the ostensibly biggest, most difficult fight of his career, Pacquiao spent a good portion of the first two rounds conducting an experiment. This was not rope-a-dope in order to exhaust an opponent. This was Pacquiao deliberately allowing Cotto to hit him in order to gather intelligence that would help him decide on his tactics for the rest of the fight. I guess it’s time to add ‘magnificent fighting brain’ on top of all the other Pacquiao attributes.
After fighting well in the first third of the fight, Cotto had the wind taken from his sails by two where-the-heck-did-that-come-from knockdowns and many other damaging, clean punches. Cotto began to swell, bleed and by the 9th round, run. It was obvious that he wanted NO PART of Pacquiao anymore as he was reduced to running away for fear of being blazed again and again by the Fantastic Fistic Filipino. Cotto is a terrific fighter and Pacquiao beat him like a rug, even toyed with him.
After the match, Pacquiao was his old smiling, sweet self. He did not bellow about his greatness or his accumulated wealth; instead he used his new English to sincerely praise Cotto’s strength and ability. When asked what he intended to do, he replied that he wanted to spend time with his family. Boxing needs more gentlemen like Pacquiao.
One like him is Miguel Cotto. Rarely have I seen a boxer man-up and talk freely about such a revealing defeat. Props to Cotto as a talented ring warrior and all around dignified, class act.
Surprisingly, the future of the Pacquiao career looks almost at exciting as the recent past! There are several potential intriguing matches that can be made. However I think that the two most difficult for Pacquiao at 147 pounds are Paul Williams and Floyd Mayweather. Williams, a tall perpetual punching machine may be able to out-bang Manny using his long arms and work rate. A full half-foot taller than Pacquiao, Manny would find it difficult to connect on the lanky, hyperactive Williams. (By the way, I think Williams can defeat anybody at 147).
Mayweather however presents a different challenge. In a gritty, toe-to-toe brawl, I think Manny would clean PBF’s clock. Here’s why: all of Manny’s previous larger opponents (Diaz, ODLH, Hatton, Cotto) attempted to come forward and impress their superior size and strength on him. They all employed the standard big man versus little man strategy: walk forward, fight big, make it a contest of physical strength. In turn, they were all beaten to a pulp by the smaller man. The same would happen in a punch-up with PBF. Manny’s hand and foot speed, herky-jerky upper body movement, unorthodox punching angles, and yes, hard chin, will give him the edge over the great PBF in this kind of fight. BUT, as we all know, Floyd will never be sucked into a real fight. PBF will not come to win the fight; he will come to edge the scoring. He is too smart to mix it up with Pacquiao. This kind of match, in which PBF excels, would be an unexciting chess match that would favor the exquisite skills of PBF. He will fight Pacquiao like he is cracking a safe, never deviating from his game plan, never taking chances. He will throw punches sparingly, flurry occasionally, lean back and roll his shoulders to avoid getting hit, and win rounds. In this way, he can get a decision win over Manny, much the same way he did with Marquez.
Finally, I want to address the ridiculous, infantile hatred of Pacquiao by far too many Latino fight fans. Of course the reason for this jealousy and hatred is obvious (Barrera, Morales, Diaz, Marquez, ODLH, Cotto), but for Pete’s sake, give it a rest. You only make yourselves look like pouting children pitching a fit because none of Manny Pacquiao’s matches end the way you want. I suggest you learn to face facts and deal with Pacquiao’s unmitigated greatness. It will be easier for you to sleep at night.
Let me conclude by saying I picked Cotto to win. I thought the fight was basically even, but that Cotto’s size and power would give Manny trouble. Boy was I wrong.
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