So you are a
Manny Pacquiao fan and you are 100% certain he is not just
going to beat Miguel Cotto, but he is going to absolutely crush
him! Well, Manny Pacquiao fans, I've got news for you.
You are not just wrong, you are dead wrong! I realize that
Manny Pacquiao is one of the most popular fighters on the
planet, but after having spoken with plenty of his fans, I
have realized that so many of you are Manny Pacquiao fans,
but not fans of boxing. You only watch one fighter and only
know what you read and believe what you want to believe.
However, before
I start getting to the point of why I believe Cotto will win
this fight let me give you a small run down of the Pacman's
career. He was already a star in the Philippines before he
ever stepped on U.S. soil, and when he came to America to
challenge for Lehlonolo Ledwabas' IBF super bantamweight
title, he was unknown to most North American fight fans.
Pacquiao took
the fight on two weeks notice and surprised nearly everyone
in attendance when he stopped Ledwaba in the 6th
round. The only faces that did not seem surprised or shocked were
those of Manny Pacquiao and his trainer, Freddie Roach.
After the Ledwaba fight, everything just seemed to fall in place for
Pacquiao, including an 11th round destruction of Marco Antonio
Barrera. If people were not paying attention before the
Barrera fight, they certainly were now. After the
fight with Barrera, Pacquiao hit a small road bump in Juan
Manuel Marquez. Well, I guess you could call it more than a
small road bump. Pacquiao looked unbeatable in the first
round, flooring Marquez three times, leading most to believe
the fight would be over before it even started. Well, to
fight fans delight, the fight had indeed started and Marquez
took control of many of the rounds. He took so much
control
that despite the three knockdowns in the first round, the
fight was ruled a draw. To this day many still believe
Marquez should have been awarded the decision.
After the draw
with Marquez, Pacquiao went back home to the Philippines and
fought Fahsan 3K Battery. A fight back home seemed to be
just what Pacquiao needed, and he didn't disappoint his
fans, scoring a 4th round TKO. Pacquiao was Sates bound
again, this
time to fight Erik Morales. The fight itself was exciting,
with both men giving and taking from the other, but Morales
gave a lot more and took a lot less en route to a unanimous
decision victory. The loss to Morales seemed to have been a huge
turning point in Pacquiao's career. After the defeat to
Morales, he came
back in vengeance mode, stopping Morales twice and scoring
decision victories over Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez. But
what really got the fans excited were his victories over
Oscar de la Hoya and Ricky Hatton. “The Golden Boy” quit on
his stool and The “Hitman” was made into a target.
I understand why people back Manny Pacquiao.
He
is one of the best fighters in the world today, and while he always
entertains the fans, the truth of the matter is that
"entertaining the fans" is not always enough. Miguel Cotto
has also been considered one of the best and like Pacquiao
he too has fought the best. The difference in the
competition, however, is huge. While Pacquiao was racking up
wins against the likes of Morales and Barrera, Cotto was winning against good fighters and
bigger fighters. Let's not forget Miguel Cotto is the bigger
man who has been fighting bigger men. Cotto has wins
over Shane Mosley, Zab Judah and Paul Malignaggi. Cotto's only
loss came to the potentially loaded hands of Antonio
Margarito, in a fight where Cotto took extensive damage, and
a fight that many believe might have taken a big part of Miguel Cotto.
I am not buying into the,
"I believe Cotto
will once again rise to the top of boxing when he steps into
the ring with Manny Pacquiao on November 14th."
Another note to the Manny Pacquiao fans, please stop
comparing Miguel Cotto to Ricky Hatton, they are nothing
alike and you will witness that soon enough, when you see Cotto
bang Pacquiao's body and head like a drum. Cotto can
take a punch, he proved that against Margarito, and I'm
willing to bet he can take whatever Manny Pacquiao is going
to dish out and unlike Ricky Hatton, Cotto will be dishing
it right back.
My prediction for the fight goes as follows:
Miguel Cotto will simply be too much for Manny Pacquiao. His
size and strength advantage alone will give Pacman fits and
what is going to happen when Pacquiao lands flush shots on Cotto and
nothing happens? Jumping up in weight classes will finally
catch up with Manny Pacquiao on November 14th and
when the fight is over and it's Miguel Cotto's hand that is raised
in victory, please don't make excuses, just remember
I told you so.
Bye, bye.....