Photo credit: Naoki Fukuda – By Liam Santiago: The extra two pounds that Manny Pacquiao demanded Miguel Cotto took off had a huge impact on the result of their bout. Cotto looked so drained. As I watched at the weigh in, I changed my mind as to who I thought would win. Cotto looked like a lollypop, he had zero energy and the Pacquiao camp had planned for this, in my opinion. Pacquiao did not beat Miguel Cotto last night. He beat a ghost of Miguel Cotto.
One thing we do know is Miguel Cotto was shot going into this fight. The Margarito bout finished him off. That coupled with Pacquiao’s weight demands left him with absolutely no chance of winning. However, Cotto did dominate the first round. What the Pacquiao camp would do well to remember is weight draining opponents, like Cotto was, can have a serious affect on the fighter’s long term health. It is all well and good getting the opponent to drain himself but this can lead to horrific injuries. I believe a prime Cotto, at 147 pounds would destroy Pac-Man early on.
Although Cotto took a beating, he showed he has more guts and more of a heart than Manny Pacquiao will ever have. He did not roll on the floor for ten minutes like Pacquiao did when he was knocked out years ago. He fought on through the blood and showed he has the heart of a lion.
I really do wish Pacquiao would stop weight draining every single opponent he faces. He is actually quite a good fighter so he should drop that act. Would he beat the likes of Cotto without draining them? No. Of course he wouldn’t. But he could leave the ring with his head held high, something he could not do last night.
I said before the fight that if Cotto loses I would quit my job. Wrong again. If only Pacquiao did not beat such a weight dead, shot fighter, I would walk away. But, the way I see it is he did not beat Cotto, he beat a ghost of Cotto. Not only did Pacquiao drag Cotto down from his usual welterweight limit, he also forced him to put his title on the line. What is boxing coming to.
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