Miguel Angel Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs) vs. Manny Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs)
Miguel Angel Cotto vs Manny Pacquiao - Pacquiao wins by TKO - read more here
Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao will fight current WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto at a catchweight of 145lbs on November 14 in the MGM Grand Las Vegas for the WBO Welterweight championship.
Manny Pacquiao
Pacquiao has the most dynamic offensive attack in boxing today. His darting in-and-out confuses opponents and before they know it the “PacMan” gets in four or five combinations before the opponent can react. Undoubtedly, Pacquiao will use this strategy against Cotto because the Puerto Rican holds an advantage if Pacquiao chooses to box inside.
Every time Pacquiao has gone up in weight it was expected that his opponents would be bigger and stronger than him but in his last two bouts that wasn’t the case. Pacquiao destroyed a bigger (yet shot) Oscar De La Hoya and devastated a rugged (looked shot) Ricky Hatton.
It is yet to be seen how Pacquiao’s knees will react after Cotto catches him with a solid welterweight punch. The 145lb catchweight should play into Pacquiao’s advantage because Cotto will have to drop two pounds and this runs the risk of dehydration.
Miguel Cotto
Cotto barely squeaked out a decision against the tough Joshua Clottey. Some say he looked shot but I disagree because Clottey is a solid fighter that gave Margarito and Judah problems. The good sign that came out of Cotto’s bout with Clottey is that he was able to adjust after receiving a gash above the eye. Cotto turned into a boxer-counterpuncher after blood was affecting his vision. He is able to adjust to any situation.
However, Cotto was still tagged in the face a lot by Clottey. Imagine what a faster Pacquiao would do to Cotto’s mug in five rounds.
Cotto is definitely a different fighter after losing to Margarito. Before losing to Margarito, Cotto handled fast opponents with ease as shown in his win over Shane Mosley but after the Margarito fight, Cotto couldn’t even handle the average hand speed of Clottey.
Against Pacquiao, Cotto shouldn’t be physical but box intelligently. Jab the living crap out of Manny Pacquiao and keep distance. The jab should disrupt any offensive rhythm from Pacquiao because in boxing timing is everything. Great timing can negate speed. Cotto has shown this ability in the past.
Pacquiao has a huge advantage in his corner with Freddie Roach while Cotto is still adjusting to his new trainer Joe Santiago. Cotto fired his longtime trainer and uncle Evangelista after the two had a disagreement during training camp.
It’s going to be a close fight but if the fight drags on for 12 rounds Cotto might pull off the upset.
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