Marshall N. B., BoxingNewsWorld.blogspot.com
Pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao will meet tough guy Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand Garden, Las Vegas. Boxing fans all over the world can expect an exciting fight as both fighters are known to carry lots of “FIREPOWER” each time they step inside the boxing ring. The fight will be contested at a catch-weight of 145 pounds, 2 pounds below the maximum weight limit for welterweight.
I asked many boxing scribes on who will win between Pacquiao and Cotto a few days ago and here’s what they said:
Vivek Wallace – East Side Boxing, Examiner, 8-Count News
“3 Points in my mind solidify who will win this fight.”
“First, I ask myself who the biggest punchers Pacquiao has ever been hit over the course of 12 rounds by, and there - Marquez, Morales, and Barrera. Neither in which has punching power even remotely close to Cotto's.
“Second, then I take myself back to the Pacquiao/Hatton pre-fight training session where a good friend of mine was a sparring partner (whose name I rather not publish w/out his consent). According to him and SEVERAL other sources, there was a growing concern of Pacquiao being hurt to the body, referenced in statements of his like "don't let this f**ker touch your body, Manny"!”
“Third, the final thing that comes to mind is the strategy Roach/Pacquiao have planned to attempt to hurt Cotto to the body. That strategy worked well for Margarito, but the only type of fighters who were ever able to bother Cotto were the ones who could force him backwards and eat his shots while landing to the body.”
“To bring my three points full circle, Pacquiao has NEVER faced a fighter with this type of power, wherein none of us would argue that Cotto hasn't, being that he took shots from Mosley, Judah, and Clottey, as well as possibly a glove-loaded Margarito for 11 rds. And to use a strategy that would require him (as a man with shorter reach) to try to get close enough to land to the body, there's no way he can go without being hurt to the body or up top. Personally, I see this as a revisit to the Margarito/Cotto fight, with Cotto being the "Margarito", walking down the man who most fans wanted to see win and stopping him late.”
(Cotto – 1: Pacquiao – 0)
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Vivek Wallace is a huge boxing fan born and raised in Miami, Florida. An avid student of the game, Vivek spends a countless amount of hours in the still of the night breaking down fight footage which thoroughly accounts for his ability to lay out visual words from an unseen perspective. Vivek has done past work in the world of boxing for various new sources, to include the Moffat County Newspaper, Most Valuable Network, the Examiner, 8 Count News, and most recently Eastside Boxing. Vivek is also in the midst of a 3 year run covering the NBA's Miami Heat. Aside from sports journalism, Vivek is a former U.S. Marine, and a Father of two; son, Vivek II (3), and daughter, Shrijani Shanti (6mos).
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Jake Donovan – Boxing Scene
“As much as Cotto brings to the table, the fight the network executives truly desire is Mayweather-Pacquiao. That makes it an uphill battle for Cotto right off the bat, who may very well have to score a knockout in order to earn a draw. People question whether or not Pac can handle a welterweight punch, and whether or not his own speed and power is enough to keep a relentless Cotto at bay long enough to avoid the incoming. My guess is yes to both parts. (I say) Pacquiao in a close, perhaps controversial, decision.”
(Cotto – 1; Pacquiao – 1)
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Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
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Chris Parry – Vancouver Sun
“Pacquiao for the win. Why? Because let's face it, Cotto is there to give him something to swing at while we wait the interminable amount of time it'll take for the promoters of the world to get off their ass and set up Pacquiao-Mayweather. Boxing is Pacquiao and Mayweather, and everybody else is just target practice (or in Floyd's case, ducking and weaving practice).”
(Cotto – 1; Pacquiao – 2)
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Charles White – East Side Boxing
“Cotto-Pacquiao is a fight I am most interested in myself as I can't decide on who will win this fight. My instincts tell me to go with Cotto as he is the naturally bigger man and despite what people seem to think, he is far from damaged goods. Cotto still has many more good fights to go before anybody should ever label him as damaged goods. He has that wicked jab, but then again, Pacquiao is quite effective in getting under those jabs with his movement. This is a tough fight to predict, so for now I am just going to say may the best man win.”
(Cotto – 1; Pacquiao – 2)
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Paul H. Burbridge – East Side Boxing
“This is a much closer fight than people think and I believe it could go either way. I don't see this as a walk in the park for Manny because of the caliber of Miguel Cotto. I think this is going to be a whole new experience for Pacquiao but one he definitely has the ability to win. In my eyes this is his biggest test and to a certain extent will define his career. A win and people MUST acknowledge him as one of the top 5 fighters of all time. A loss will diminish that top 5 G.O.A.T ranking but he should still end up sharing a table with Roberto Duran and Julio Cesar Chavez. No shame there!”
“I’ve written about this fight extensively and I believe this is absolutely a pick em’ fight. Manny has once again proven to me that he fears no man and will fight whoever they put in front of him. I love him for that but I also think this fight has all the trappings of an upset. My mind says that Manny will win but my gut tells me that Cotto can pull this off. The reasons are that Miguel Cotto’s a patient, calculated and extremely strong fighter who looks like he walks around somewhere in the 160 lb range. Their physical dimensions are very similar but I believe that’s somewhat misleading. But, that’s only part of it. I don’t think Cotto wins this fight because he’s bigger I think he wins this fight because he’s the better technician who thinks his way through when faced with adversity. Even when he was taking an inhuman pounding from Margarito he still showed incredible decision making abilities in taking a knee.”
“He probably extended his career by doing so.”
“While Manny has extremely fast hands and has shown excellent power all the way up to 140 lbs I think he’ll have to rely on boxing technique here to be successful and I just don’t know if he can be the boxer for an entire 12 rounds. I don’t believe he’s as effective fighting backwards and suspect that he may find himself in a bit of a style conflict which will obviously benefit Cotto. Miguel Cotto has shown the ability to stalk his opponents as well as counter punch and I believe that gives him a huge advantage. In his last 5 fights he’s shown a great deal of versatility against some excellent fighters. I also think too much has been made of his deterioration from the Margarito fight. While I obviously think it’s had an impact I don’t think it’s ruined him.”
“This fight may boil down to who can hurt who. If Miguel Cotto can’t hurt Pacquiao which is a possibility then I think Manny out works him and wins a decision. If Cotto can hurt Pacquiao which I suspect he can and is able to make Manny shift his style throughout the fight then I think Miguel either stops him late or bangs out a decision. I’m just not all that confident that Pacquiao truly has the kind of power needed to get the KO here especially when you consider who Cotto has been in with and how he’s done against those bigger fighters.”
“As I said earlier this is a pick em’ fight and it wouldn’t surprise me one way or the other. Both guys are more than capable of winning this fight.”
“But if I had to pick one, something keeps telling me that Miguel Cotto will find a way to pull the upset.”
“Cotto by late round TKO!”
(Cotto – 2; Pacquiao – 2)
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Chris Robinson – Examiner (Miami Boxing Examiner)
“That (Cotto-Pacquiao) fight is extremely hard to call. At first I liked Cotto but have started to lean towards Pacquiao as of late. I think he will get off to a fast start and catch the early momentum of the bout.”
(Cotto – 2; Pacquiao – 3)
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Frank Gonzalez Jr. – East Side Boxing, Doghouse Boxing
“On paper, this is another Pay Per View mismatch. Cotto should be the favorite--but, Cotto has demonstrated a downward slide in his last two fights, not because he lost to Margarito or won a close one over Clottey, but because Cotto twice showed his stamina isn't very good in the late rounds and when his stamina goes, so goes his defense, which relies on movement."
“The beginning of this fight is crucial for both guys. Manny is as good as he's been billed to be and if he comes in with a good game plan, he will check Cotto quickly and test that chin. If Cotto is good early, Manny needs to take him into deep waters and see if Cotto starts to fade late and then pounce on him and win by KO. Manny has the speed and will have the power to floor the bigger Cotto, whose chin is not his best feature. But Cotto is the better boxer and ring technician via his mobility.”
“The way I see it, this will be a competitive fight for the first seven or eight rounds, then Pacman will either force Cotto into exchanges where his speed will be the difference.”
“If Cotto comes in great shape, ready to go 12 rounds strong, he should be able to out box the smaller Pacquaio and win a decision. But Pacman is a smart offensive fighter who notes opponent’s tendencies. Expect Manny to find and exploit whatever flaw Cotto presents.”
(Cotto – 2; Pacquiao – 4)
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Ronan Keenan – The Sweet Science
“Pacquiao is justifiably the betting favorite. His speed should prove the decisive factor.”
(Cotto – 2; Pacquiao – 5)
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Vikram Birring – Doghouse Boxing
“Manny Pacquiao will defeat Miguel Cotto, and for one reason: speed. Speed kills. What you can't see is the punch that will leave you seeing stars. Ask Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Oscar De La Hoya, and Ricky Hatton. Cotto won't know what to do when the windmill of punches come at him, and probably will still be wondering what happened after the fact.”
(Cotto – 2; Pacquiao – 6)
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Ken Hissner – Doghouse Boxing, Fighters of Faith
“Sooner or later Pac Man will run into the wrong fighter and it could be Cotto. I look for a good fight here with Pac Man winning a decision.”
(Cotto – 2; Pacquiao – 7)
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Doveed Linder – Boxing Talk
“I favor Pacquiao's speed and skills over Cotto's size and strength. Plus, I believe the wars with Margarito and Clottey have taken a toll on Cotto, where Pacquiao has remained unscathed in his last three fights. Cotto has a tendency to bust up when he gets hit, and I think Pacquiao's straight left hand and relentless punch output will get to him. Both guys are warriors and it's a tough fight, but I think Pacquiao will win a decision, if he doesn't stop him late.”
(Cotto – 2; Pacquiao – 8)
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Tony Nobbs – East Side Boxing, The Fist
“Cotto wil have succes with body punching but will be caught out by Manny's speed. Right hooks and left hands hurt the Peurto Rican but Cotto hangs tough and rallies in the mid rounds until a shot of lightning similar to the one that finished Ricky Hatton, ends it in the seventh.”
“PACMAN WIN KO RD 7 COTTO”
(Cotto – 2; Pacquiao – 9)
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Darren Nichols – Boxing Talk
“I'm going Cotto by late KO. This fight is what Pacquiao-De La Hoya should have been. A strong body puncher going up against a quick dynamo like Pacquiao. Cotto will definitely be flustered by Pacquiao's speed since he has never fought anyone as quick as Pac-Man (No, Mosley is not as quick as Pacquiao), but like in all his fights, Cotto will quickly adapt to set up his punches and end it by the 11th.”
(Cotto – 3; Pacquiao – 9)
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David Tyler – Doghouse Boxing
“Pacquiao by KO in the late rounds. Cotto appears to have stamina problems which will be his downfall.”
(Cotto – 3; Pacquiao – 10)
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Michel Joseph – Boxing Talk
“Manny Pacquaio will have his toughest fight since tangling with Juan Manuel Marquez, no question about it. In Miguel Cotto, he is fighting a very skilled, well groomed, boxer/puncher who like Bernard Hopkins isn't superb in anything, but very, very, good in everything he does. Cotto has fought bigger and stronger men then Pacquaio - such as Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley, and the biggest men Pacquaio has fought were washed up (Oscar de la Hoya) and defensively flawed (Ricky Hatton). If you looked at these facts, it would probably make most people lean toward Cotto. However, that is not the whole picture. The other relevant facts are this: Cotto has not looked the same since his fight with Margarito, he seems a bit worn down. I almost get the sense just from watching him that his punch resistance has diminished somewhat as well. Just a gut feeling. Pacquaio certainly is the better athlete, the faster athlete, and the better trained fighter. Though he's not going to roll through Cotto the way he did Hatton - who by the way just woke up - I can see Pacqauio's ability to dart in and out of danger while still doing damage being a real problem for Cotto. I see Pacquaio scoring either a late round KO or a UD over a very game Cotto who will have a hard time establishing any kind of consistent rhythm against the fleet footed, power punching speedster from the Philippines.”
(Cotto – 3; Pacquiao – 11)
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Zachary Levin - Fight Beat
“Hard to pick against Manny, but I expect it to be the toughest test of his career. Speed and energy will be the difference.”
(Cotto – 3; Pacquiao – 12)
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Zachary Levin is the Editorial Advisor at FightBeat.com. He has written boxing pieces for Boxing Digest, CyberBoxingZone, BoxingTalk, MaxBoxing, and The Sweet Science. You can find samples of his writing (on boxing and many other subjects) at ZacharyLevin.com and/or ZacharyLevin.net.
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Michael Rosenthal – Ring Magazine
“I think Pacquiao beats Cotto because of his ability and speed. Cotto will give Pacquiao a tougher time than Diaz, De la hoya and Hatton gave him but Pacquiao will wear him down with his movement and quickness. I look for a late knockout or one-sided decision.”
(Cotto – 3; Pacquiao – 13)
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Michael Rosenthal is an associate editor of The Ring magazine and also covers boxing for Yahoo Sports. He used to write for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
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Frank Lotierzo – The Sweet Science
“I'm leaning towards Pacquiao because Cotto is on the decline and the fact that he has to come in at 145. I'm not big on Pacquiao and could see changing my mind as the fight draws closer.”
(Cotto – 3; Pacquiao – 14)
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Frank Lotierzo has been considered by some boxing insiders to be one of the sport’s best fight analysts. His work has appeared in Fight Game, Boxing-Illustrated, and Uppercut magazine. Prior to his career as a writer, Mr. Lotierzo hosted Toe-To-Toe on ESPN Radio and trained at Joe Frazier's Gym in Philadelphia under the tutelage of the legendary George Benton. Between 1977-82, he had over 50 fights as an amateur and pro in the middleweight division.
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Don Stewart – Reading Eagle, Ring Magazine
“I like Manny by decision. Cotto's speed and toughness will make this a competitive fight, but Manny is sharper and more confident at this stage in their respective careers. Though I've never been sold on Cotto's chin, I don't see Manny scoring the KO. On the flip side, I think Manny has showed that he can take a good shot at these higher weights. I can see Manny leading early, Cotto coming on during the middle rounds, then Manny taking the late rounds. It should be a great fight.”
(Cotto – 3; Manny – 15)
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Bernard Fernandez – Philadelphia Daily News, The Sweet Science
“Cotto in a squeaker. He's a natural welterweight, fairly close to the smaller Manny in ability. Size and strength play a factor. To coin a phrase from the great Cornelius Ryan war novel, fighting at welter, for Manny, is going a bridge too far.”
(Cotto – 4; Manny – 15)
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A native of New Orleans, Fernandez has been at the Philadelphia Daily News for the last 24 1/2 years, and covers boxing and Penn State football for the paper. His late father, Bernard "Jack" Fernandez Sr., was briefly a pro welterweight who fought twice on Archie Moore undercards in 1944. Fernandez’ stature among his peers is considerable. He served as president (five terms) of the Boxing Writers Association of America (succeeded recently by longtime BWAA vice president Jack Hirsch). The winner of 1998 BWAA Nat Fleischer Award for excellence in boxing journalism was inducted into the Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005, and was the first media person selected.
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Tom Donelson – Black Athlete Sports Network
“Pacman wins over Cotto.”
(Cotto – 4; Manny – 16)
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Geoff Poundes – Ringside Report
“For once I'm finding it very difficult to decide. It's a brave man who calls against Manny Pacquiao these days, and I'm worried by the problems Cotto had with the speed of Clottey. I'm concerned that Manny's training camp has not been as smooth as could have been, and reports coming out saying he's not in the best shape. It was a mistake not to stick to Roach's plan of training in the US, and for this reason I'm going to pick Cotto, but only by a marginal decision.”
(Cotto – 5; Manny – 16)
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Lyle Fitzsimmons – The Sports Network
“I'm a Cotto fan, but I like Pacquiao to win the fight. I think he's too quick, so he'll be able to use combinations and also avoid the sort of sustained punishment that normally serves Cotto well in wearing his opponents down. Pacquiao TKO 10.”
(Cotto – 5; Manny – 17)
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Lyle Fitzsimmons is an award-winning 20-year sports journalist, a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, Contributing Boxing Editor of The Sports Network, and a frequent contributor to Stone Cold Sports on the MVN Network (stonecoldsports.com) and several sports radio talk shows throughout the U.S.
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Yero Moody – East Side Boxing
“Cotto v. Pacquiao will prove to be very interesting fight. Pacquiao will have to be elusive while landing effective shots. Cotto will have to use his size and power advantage to slow Pacquiao down. In the end, Pacquiao will prove to be too fast and too accurate for Cotto to slow down. Cotto seems to fade in the later rounds and this will play into the hands of Pacman. Pacquiao by TKO in the late rounds!”
(Cotto – 5; Pacquiao – 18)
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Adam Pollack – Cyber Boxing Zone, Author of ‘John L. Sullivan: The Career of the First Gloved Heavyweight Champion’, ‘In the Ring With James J. Corbett’, and ‘In The Ring With Bob Fitzsimmons’
“Pac man will likely win because he's faster and has the southpaw edge, and Miguel is no great defensive specialist. Cotto is physically stronger though, so the real issue in this fight is how well Pacquiao does when he gets hit by Cotto, who has really heavy hands and will hit Pac harder than he has ever been hit, especially at this bigger weight, at which Cotto is a natural. Still, Pac is quite sharp right now, so I'm picking him to get the job done.”
(Cotto – 5; Pacquiao – 19)
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Adam Pollack is a prolific boxing historian and author. He is also a practicing criminal defense attorney in Iowa City, IA. He is a staff writer for Cyberboxingzone.com, chair of USA Boxing's Rules and Regulations Committtee, chair of USA Boxing's Judicial Committee and a member of its Women's Task Force. He is also a boxing coach for the ICOR (Iowa City/Coralville) Boxing Club and attorney living in Iowa City, Iowa.
To date, Adam has published four books, John L. Sullivan: The Career of the First Gloved Heavyweight Champion, In the Ring With James J. Corbett, In The Ring With Bob Fitzsimmons, and his latest publication, In the Ring With James J. Jeffries.
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David Greisman - The Keene Sentinel, Boxing Scene
“Cotto-Pacquiao is a pick'em fight. Pacquiao is ascendant and transcendant. People seem to use Cotto's victories against him, be it his win over Shane Mosley or his win over Joshua Clottey, guys who are two of the best welterweights out there. Had Cotto started off slowly and battled back to win, rather than have the fight go the opposite way (like it did against Mosley), there'd be far less criticism.”
“I remember Cotto being just as fast, if not faster, at times, than Mosley. I also remember Cotto being vulnerable to fast shots, like he was against Zab Judah.”
“Pacquiao is smaller, but that can be both an advantage and a disadvantage.”
“I don't know. I just don't know. I hate to cop out. But I just cannot predict a winner in this fight, and that's why this is the fight I've most looked forward to this year.”
(Cotto – 5; Pacquiao – 19)
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Ramon Aranda – 411mania
“I think at this point in their careers, Manny is just too quick and gifted for Cotto. Sure, Cotto is the natural welterweight but the size disparity isn't that great. That's not to say Cotto can't win it but he's shown various kinks in his armor since his loss to Antonio Margarito and I'm not sure he's fully recovered yet.”
(Cotto – 5; Pacquiao – 20)
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David Mayo – Grand Rapids Press, The Sweet Science
“Cotto by KO 7: If anyone had asked two years ago, I would've picked Cotto to knock out Pacquiao without hesitation. A lot has happened since then, most notably, as pertains this fight, the disturbing beating Cotto took from Antonio Margarito. I question whether he's the same fighter he was before and his style is conducive to early professional burnout. Nevertheless, this is an opportunity for Cotto to recapture past glory. He is easily the biggest puncher Pacquiao ever faced and shouldn't get overwhelmed early, like Ricky Hatton, or be quite as diminished as Oscar De La Hoya. Pacquiao's whirlwind style can not be discounted and the fight is a virtual toss-up, as opposed to the roughly 5-2 odds favoring him, but that style also leaves him open for Cotto's counter hook. There's some question as to whether Cotto can land it but I think he will eventually, and can stop Pacquiao when he does.”
(Cotto – 6; Pacquiao -20)
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A vast majority of the scribes who participated in my poll think that Manny Pacquiao will win on Nov. 14. Do you agree?
Marshall N. B.
Boxing Fan
(Many thanks to all the scribes who gave their opinion.)
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