The mere words have connotations that go back as far as the birth of mankind. Our history has proven that men have gone to war for just about anything. Wars have been fought for reasons as banal as the thought of being disrespected and of course there is, and always have been, wars fought in the name of God.

But major conflicts have arisen when countries battle each other over nationalistic pride and on this coming Saturday, November 14th, we will see two Gladiators enter the arena to fight for the pride of their respective countries.

Puerto Rico, the name conjures a mix of adjectives… beauty, music, beaches and boxing. The tiny island, a Commonwealth of the United Sates measures 100 x 35 miles (roughly the size of Connecticut) and has boxing coursing through its veins. Yes, other sports are popular on the island as well. Baseball, Basketball are played and followed with great passion, but nothing gets the blood of Boricuas going like a good fight.

The week before one of their best goes to battle is a frenzy, talk around the water cooler focuses on fight strategy, camp gossip and heated arguments as to who is the best fighter to ever come out of this small patch of land. Puerto Rican fighters carry the weight of their country on their shoulders when they go into the ring, all proudly wearing their Flag as a symbol of who they represent. The country stops the night of a fight, everything is focused around the battle.

The Island of Puerto Rico has produced many champions… Sixto Escobar, Carlos Ortiz, Jose Torres, Wilfredo Gomez, Wilfred Benitez, Tito Trinidad and the list goes on to name 62 fighters that have Puerto Rican roots and have won major or minor belts. All have gone to battle in the name of Puerto Rico and this next Saturday Miguel Cotto will enter the ring to fight for his people.

Boxing is also interwoven into life in the Philippines, and General Santos City on the island of Mindana, is home to the biggest star to ever come from the Island Nation. Manny Pacquiao is without a doubt the most famous person to ever come from Philippine soil though by no means the only champ produced here. Pancho Villa, Luisito Espinosa, Gabriel Elorde, Rolando Navarette and Gerry Penalosa have been a few of the many champions that have fought for Filipino pride. But no one has brought so much attention the Philippines as Manny.

To say Manny is loved by his people would be a huge understatement. Manny is seen as the embodiment of all that is good in the land of Pinoys. He has Godlike status and he also carries the weight of his land every time he enters then ring and each time he raises his hand in victory the collective pride of 92 million Pinoys shines like a beacon in the dark.

November 14th will mark the day these two island nations clash. As in times of old, a Warrior from each will fight in representation of his land. Only this time instead of the severed head of the defeated foe it will be the WBO Welterweight belt that is risen with pride.

This fight has all of the requirements to be Fight of the Year. In one corner you have Manny, an unorthodox bundle of focused energy. Charismatic, humble and amiable can effectively describe his personality, but in the ring he loses all pretensions and becomes a beast. On the other hand you have Miguel Cotto, the latest export from the boxing factory called Puerto Rico. He is quiet, introspective and humble, but as Manny, when he steps into the ring his alter ego takes over and with it his focus is to systematically beat down his opponent.

Both fighters have a lot going for them and it has been quite some time since I have been so on the fence, almost daily changing my mind as to who  will emerge victorious from this war.

The pound for pound Pinoy phenom called Pacman has an incredible arsenal of weapons at his disposal. Speed, bizarre angles, stamina and ferocity will be on his side. Manny does not overpower an opponent with one shot, but instead comes at you and comes at you and comes at you relentlessly,  battering his opponents with incredible speed and fluidity. He will bang away with one combination only to immediately come up with another one before his adversary has the opportunity to counter. Manny swarms from every conceivable angle, lurching and swinging away without much thought to things like foot placement or proper stance. He simply looks for opening and tries to connect with blinding speed.

Miguel Cotto however is no pushover, not by a long shot. The Boricua champion has superb conditioning, a devastating left hook and body banging abilities that are best in class in the sport of boxing. When Junito (as he is known in PR) hits you, you feel it, period. He will hunt his prey down, adapting to his opponent as the fight wears on. Systematically looking for deficiencies in his foes defense and once he finds them, BAM! he attacks. Cotto can hurt you with one shot and is a consummate finisher, one of boxing’s best. Once he senses his opponent is hurt he will look to take them out. Nothing personal, just the way he does business.

To sum up my thoughts on the battle… If Cotto can negate Manny’s speed, he will win the bout, but that is a very BIG IF! Cotto is no stranger to speed having bested Shane Mosley and Zab Judah, but Manny’s speed is another speed altogether. Manny will have to attack early as Cotto is known for his slow starts, he will have to come at him to try and overwhelm him with a multitude of shots from unexpected angles so that he can hurt him early and take him out. If the fight progresses Manny will have to deal with a Monster in that ring. Cotto will have to find a way to control the pace, to make Manny fight his fight. He will have to cut the ring and force the Filipino to bang with him, get him close enough to hurt him. Manny has never been in with a true welterweight in his prime, Cotto will cause him problems if he can connect and again that is a very BIG IF.

Many have doubts regarding Cotto, especially after his devastating loss to Antonio Margarito. That fight, controversial as it may have been due to the suspicion that Tony may have used plaster in his wraps, did in fact put a whole lot of hurt on the Puerto Rican champ. He was busted up, beat down and only the strongest can come back after such a defeat. The question of course is whether Cotto is ready. Is he mentally prepared to step into the ring for such a big fight? There are questions regarding his choice of trainer in Joe Santiago, his ability to make the catch weight of 145 and whether he has over trained for this bout.

The answers to all of the questions will come in 7 days when he steps through the ropes at the MGM Grand.
 

11-7-2009