The public perception is that the sport that gave us such icons as Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali is now passé. Perceptions can be wrong. According to Mark Taffet, HBO Sports senior vice president: "Attendance at live fights, television viewership, sponsorship, and activity on Internet platforms is stronger than it has been in five years." The September bout between Floyd Mayweather and Juan Manuel Márquez drew over one million buys on pay per view. And the clash on Nov. 14 between Manny Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 knockouts) and Miguel Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas is expected to do even better.
Bob Arum, a co-promoter of this event, explains: "Boxing has deep roots in expanding ethnic communities." Fights such Pacquaio vs. Cotto, between combatants from places with rich boxing histories, are like fistic world cup matches.
Mr. Cotto, 29, hails from Puerto Rico. Like Felix Trinidad and Wilfredo Gomez, Mr. Cotto, who fought in the 2000 Olympics for Puerto Rico, is considered a national treasure.
Widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound pugilist on the planet, Mr. Pacquiao's popularity among Filipinos is stratospheric. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo recently said: "Manny is a legend because of his great victories. They line up the streets just to see him and he really is an inspiration for them."
But the impish-looking fighter with the incandescent smile has won more than the hearts of his countrymen. This year, Time Magazine listed Mr. Pacquiao as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. The diminutive 30-year-old with Paul Bunyan calves has also cultivated a fervent base of supporters in the U.S.; he fights in an artful fury that even casual fans find enthralling.
Mr. Pacquiao, whom ring historian Bert Sugar refers to as the Evel Knievel of boxing for his ability to leap weight classes, has garnered titles in six weight divisions. This matchup, in which Mr. Cotto's World Boxing Organization welterweight title is at stake, will take place at the catch weight of 145 pounds.
Mr. Cotto has but one blemish on his record—a technical knockout in July 2008 at the hands of Antonio Margarito. However, moments before Mr. Margarito's next bout against Sugar Shane Mosley, the Mexican fighter's handwraps were found to contain a plaster-type substance. Many think it is unlikely that the Mosley bout was the first in which Mr. Margarito's gloves were loaded. Either way, Mr. Cotto absorbed a brutal beating, and there has been concern that it may have doused his gladiatorial fire. In his last outing, the Puerto Rican star survived a nasty gash to gain a split decision over Joshua Clottey. As boxing analyst Larry Merchant put it, "There is a lot at stake for Cotto in this fight."
When it comes to pugilism, the chiseled fighter has a refreshing purity of heart. As he walks into the gym, fans wave, reporters follow him around, but he goes through his drills as though no one else were there.
Like Oscar De La Hoya, Mr. Cotto is a converted southpaw. Hence, the explosive force in his left hook, which he specializes in delivering to the rib cage and loves to follow with a straight right to the head.
In his sparring sessions at Tampa Bay's Fight Factory, Mr. Cotto seemed in great condition but vulnerable to straight lefts from his southpaw sparring mates. And unlike Mr. Pacquiao, he is either on offense or defense—these two aspects of his martial art do not flow seamlessly together. Still, Mr. Cotto has excellent movement to both sides and is adept at suddenly trapping his foe in a corner and exacting a heavy price with his matchless body punching.
Sugar Shane Mosley, who in 2007 lost in a close decision to Mr. Cotto and hopes to meet the winner of this fight, told me: "Miguel is very tough and has shown that he can make big adjustments. He has done very well against quick and small lefties like Zab Judah and Carlos Quintana. He walks around 10 to 15 pounds heavier than Manny. I think he will be too big and strong for Pacquiao." The same, of course, was said before Mr. Pacquiao pummeled Messrs. De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton.
When a boxer moves up in weight class, the power of his punches usually diminishes dramatically. But so far Mr. Pacquiao has been the exception. Freddie Roach, his storied trainer, says: "If Cotto comes at Manny, it will be a quick knockout. Cotto has a great left hook, but take that away from him and he is very beatable. And we can take that away."
At a news conference, Pac-Man admitted, "I regard this as my toughest fight." He added, "I consider myself a student of boxing, a philosopher so to speak, and my philosophy is to keep learning."
In the past, Mr. Pacquiao has had a dangerous habit of throwing a flurry and then standing straight up in front of his foe. Mr. Roach has had success in having his charge dip and sweep to the right after he punches. He has also helped Mr. Pacquiao add a potent right hook to his arsenal. Still, Mr. Pacquiao's most important virtue is the speed with which he delivers his punches and steps in and out of range.
Unlike Mr. Cotto, Mr. Pacquiao has many distractions from the squared circle. He plays musical instruments, writes songs, sings, and is studying English. He recently earned his high-school diploma and is running for Congress in the Philippines. One has to wonder how he can stay focused on the bout.
Adding to such worries is the fact that Mr. Pacquiao began training for this fight in the Philippines, where two weeks into camp the typhoons struck. Mr. Roach said: "For the first three weeks we never missed a beat—even though Manny was very much involved in relief efforts, he always got his workouts in first. But when we moved from Baguio City to Manila, Manny had a terrible week. He was hounded by too many government officials and celebrities. And he just couldn't get all the suffering and sadness out of his mind." By all accounts, Mr. Pacquiao's training has been back on track. Alex Ariza, his conditioning coach, vowed: "Whatever happens there won't be any issue of his being in shape."
In a phone conversation after a recent workout, Mr. Pacquiao said: "The damage from the typhoons was horrible. I pray every day for guidance to be a humble and good person and to be able help my people." It is plain that Mr. Pacquiao believes the best way to help his people is to bring down the gritty and gifted Mr. Cotto.
—Mr. Marino covers boxing for the Journal.
Source: online.wsj.com
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