Teddy Atlas is a boxing trainer and expert commentator for ESPN. In 1997 he founded the Dr. Theodore Atlas foundation in memory of his late father. Let’s welcome Teddy back into the doghouse.
David Tyler – Hi Teddy, we need to discuss the Cotto/ Pacquiao bout this Saturday on HBO PPV.
Teddy Atlas – Dave, I thought that may be why you called. ESPN wanted me to cover that fight and I was supposed to go up to Bristol to do live in-round scoring. For the big fights they get spike traffic that comes over, like when I did the live in-round scoring of the Mayweather/ Marquez fight they found that a lot of people didn’t have the money to pay for the PPV event or they didn’t have HBO to catch the replay.. A lot of fans followed what I was doing by going to ESPN and monitoring my live in-round scoring of the fight. They wanted me to do that again but I’m supposed to go to Russia Monday to train Alexander Povetkin for a fight in early December. I was going to go over there and then come back for the Dr. Teddy Atlas Foundation annual dinner and then head back to training so I’m probably not going to be around for the big fight.
DT – Teddy, what does Manny Pacquiao have to do to win this fight?
TA – Well, first of all you always want to play to your strengths and you got to know what your strengths are and obviously you want to know where your flaws are and stay away from them. The Pacquiao strength is his speed and he is a southpaw. He wants to move to his right, behave like a southpaw and take advantage of being a lefty. Forcing Cotto to deal with angles and use his speed because he is quicker with his feet, his body movement, his hands, he must constantly be reminding himself that he is quicker with the feet, quicker with the body, quicker with the hands. He will need to box from the outside early on in the fight to establish a rhythm. Pacquiao seems to be the kind of guy that sets tones, he sets rhythms and when he gets into a good rhythm his offense flows like good music. I think he wants to get into that rhythm and I believe he wants to have good vision of his opponent so he can see if there is if there are remnants of the ghost of Margarito in the belfries so to speak. In the Clottey fight there certainly was and you could see it with the tentativeness of Cotto especially in the middle rounds. Clottey didn’t take advantage of it and I think that Pacquiao will be aware of that and if he sees some of the ghost of Margarito still hanging around then he might up the tempo a little bit. Cotto should know that he can’t match speed with Pacquiao so he will try to time him in spots. So Pacquiao should be aware of those spots and don’t give Cotto a chance to time him. Pacquiao likes to fight in and out and if he comes in from far enough distance then Cotto could time him so Pacquiao must be aware of this fact, so don’t give him that landscape.
DT – And Cotto……
TA – As for as Cotto, what are your strengths? Well you are the bigger man and one of the good ways to impose your bigness on somebody, so to speak, is to go to the smaller man’s body, that’s a great way of exploiting being bigger is to attack the smaller man’s body. He has a smaller body and you’ve got the bigger body. If you attack his body it provides dividends in other ways too. As the fight goes on it can take some of the speed away, take his wheels away, it can take some of his ability to be mobile. So there is no better way for a bigger man to take advantage of a smaller man than attack his body. Another thing is don’t get into a shootout and try to be Clint Eastwood out there. Don’t just go out there and shoot it out right away. You must have a plan, timing can negate speed, timing can defeat speed, it can take away speed, you must be aware of this, you’re definitely the slower guy but...
Please read the rest of this Interview at DoghouseBoxing.
I HATE to say I told you so, but David Haye did exactly as I predicted and played safe to emerge victorious over man mountain Nikolai Valuev on Saturday night.
In last week’s Ringside View I suggested he would avoid Valuev’s slow, yet heavy hands and dip in and out for a points win.
However, when the final bell rang, despite having the Bermondsey Bomber three rounds up, I thought the Russian would nick it.
Why? Well, as I said previously, not many title belts leave Germany by way of the judges’ scorecards.
But Haye (pictured right) managed to buck the trend (ask Robin Reid!) and in doing so became only the second former cruiserweight (200lbs) to become heavyweight world champion (Evander Holyfield was the first in 1990).
Haye was by far the better boxer on Saturday, but should have been far busier. The punch stats revealed he threw 143 shots and landed 98, around 68%
Valuev threw 390 and landed 64 – just 16%.
Haye was far too safety-conscious but will make a much better world champion than Valuev.
The latter is everything that’s bad about boxing. He is slow, cumbersome, boring, lacks charisma and has little ability.
Haye is fast, powerful, talks the talk and has plenty of talent, and he knows it.
He should have knocked the 36-year-old out but waited too long for it to come, and only in the 12th round did he display the strength that’s gained him 21 KOs in 24 bouts.
On that performance I’d fancy him to take out Wladimir Klitschko, the IBF and WBO king, within six rounds. However, brother Vitali is an altogether different proposition.
If Lennox Lewis could not put a dent in him then Haye won’t, and Dr Ironfist is far quicker and more productive than Valuev.
He is robotic but hits hard and would prove a stern test.
While fight fans in the U.S. were focused on both boxing and MMA telecasts on HBO and CBS this past Saturday night, Europeans were tuned into a heavyweight title match featuring David Haye (23-1, with 22 KOs) and Nikolay Valuev (50-2, with 34 KOs).
Haye, a former cruiserweight champion from London, England, stepped into the lion’s den of Nuremberg, Germany, to fight a man who outweighed him by a hundred pounds and out measured him in height by nine inches. The boxing match itself was a bit dreadful to watch, but the smaller man managed to escape with a majority decision in his favor. Although Valuev was not the best heavyweight in the world despite having a grip on the WBA belt, he was a top five guy, so the victory was meaningful and solidifies David Haye as a real player in the division.
Why is this important? Well, putting it mildly, boxing’s heavyweight division has been on a downward trajectory since the retirement of Lennox Lewis six years ago. Actually, a very good argument can be made that the sport’s longtime glamour division has been in freefall since Buster Douglas upended Mike Tyson back in 1990. That said, David Haye with his loud and abrasive, love him or hate him persona, represents the first heavyweight in a long time that anyone actually cares about seeing.
A major star in his native England, Haye has tremendous crossover potential in the United States. He is young, good looking, aims to knock people out, talks a lot of crap and proved against Valuev that he can back it up in the heavyweight division. Let’s face it. Americans are not looking to have tea or an enlightening conversation with the heavyweight champion of the world. In our minds, the baddest man on the planet is supposed to intimidate, take chances, get hit, talk a big game and leave opponents stretched on the canvas in spectacular style. David Haye could be that man, and the very possibility of that kind of champion materializing again is exciting.
To quote the comical former heavyweight Peter McNeely, the Klitschko brothers have wrapped the heavyweight division in their own “cocoon of horror” over the last six years, marked as a dreadful period of extremely boring title matches. While nobody can deny Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko are well-schooled boxers who have learned to use their superior size to the utmost advantage, neither brings an ounce of entertainment value to the sport. Watching a Klitschko fight is like having the life force sucked out of you, aging five years over the course of any of their fights. It is an unbearable experience when one considers what the heavyweight champion of the world once represented.
David Haye simply represents hope that we will one day soon witness a heavyweight champion who comes into each match with extreme confidence and very bad intentions for his opponents. First up is former heavyweight titlist John Ruiz whom Haye must fight before May of next year or risk having his own championship stripped away. Assuming he gets by the rugged former champion, the Klitschko brothers would likely be next, and fight fans can only pray for the beginning of an exciting era for heavyweight boxing.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Miguel Cotto oozed self-belief and poise on Tuesday after making his official arrival at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino where he will defend his WBO welterweight title against Filipino Manny Pacquiao.
The Puerto Rican, 34-1 (27 KOs), is the underdog for Saturday's scheduled 12-round bout but believes his power will prevail over Pacquiao's renowned hand speed.
"I'm prepared for the speed of Manny," Cotto told reporters while sitting on the edge of the MGM Grand ring.
"My hand speed is pretty equal to Manny's. But can Manny's power equal Miguel Cotto's on Saturday night? I am very calm. I have been doing this for many years."
A former WBO light-welterweight and WBA welterweight champion, Cotto said he had been energized by the success of his Florida training camp under new head trainer, Joe Santiago.
"The training camp we had, that's going to make the difference," he added.
Cotto was previously trained by his uncle, Evangelista, but the two fell out after a heated argument, paving the way for the 31-year-old Santiago to take over.
Although Pacquiao's outspoken trainer Freddie Roach has cast doubt on Santiago's experience, Cotto feels the change has been a very positive one.
INTERGRATED TEAM
"When you have good communication with all the members of your team, an integrated team, and they put their efforts together to really make Miguel Cotto the best Miguel Cotto he can be, it makes a very comfortable training camp," he said.
Pacquiao, (49-3-2, 37 KOs), was mobbed by more than 1,000 cheering fans on his arrival at the MGM Grand on Tuesday and is certain to attract most of the support at the 16,000-seat arena on Saturday.
Cotto, however, was unconcerned.
"On fight night it is going to be just Manny, Miguel Cotto and the referee inside the ring," said the Puerto Rican, who retained his WBO title with a split decision win over Ghana's Joshua Clottey in June.
"Nobody can come and give anything to Manny."
Cotto was also unfazed by suggestions he was being underestimated by the Pacquiao camp, which has been touting the possibility of a lucrative bout with undefeated American welterweight Floyd Mayweather Jr early next year.
"I'm focused on this fight," he said. "When I beat him this Saturday, he can think about whatever opponents he wants."
Manny Pacquiao, front left, of the Philippines, arrives with his entourage at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino on Tuesday ahead of his Saturday title fight against Miguel Cotto. By Isaac Brekken, AP
Manny Pacquiao will be looking to make history Saturday night when he takes on Miguel Cotto in a welterweight title fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The 29-year-old Filipino superstar, who made a grand entrance along with his opponent at the scene of the fight Tuesday afternoon to begin final preparations, hopes to become the first boxer to win titles in seven weight divisions. He has held title belts from 112 pounds to 140 pounds.
Saturday's bout (HBO pay-per-view, 9:30 p.m. ET) is considered a welterweight fight, even though it will be fought at a catch weight of 145 pounds, 2 pounds below the welterweight limit.
Cotto, however, has no intention of allowing himself to become Pacquiao's seventh victim. It is Cotto's WBO belt they're fighting for, and the three-time champion, known for his powerful body punching, has held a title every year since 2004.
"If he thinks he is going to win seven titles in seven weight divisions now, he has picked the wrong moment, the wrong fighter and the wrong opponent," Cotto said in a recent conference call. "If he thinks he is going to win the seventh title against Miguel Cotto, he is very wrong."
Yet despite the fact that Cotto, also 29, from Puerto Rico, is a natural welterweight, and Pacquiao started his career in 1995 at 108 pounds, Pacquiao comes in as a heavy favorite. He's listed at -350, meaning you need to place $350 to win $100.
Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs) is coming off a spectacular second-round knockout of Briton Ricky Hatton last May, while Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs) fought through a bad cut over his eye to win a split decision against African Joshua Clottey a month later.
The only loss of Cotto's career came in a brutal beating at the hands of Antonio Margarito in July 2008. But there's a cloud over Margarito's victory since he was discovered before his next fight to have hardened plaster in his gloves, was subsequently KO'd by Shane Mosley, and then suspended from fighting in the USA for at least a year.
Cotto is undeterred by the odds against him.
"I don't know anything about the betting business," he said. "I am just here to try and bring my best every day … and I am working to beat Manny. If the people bet for Manny, it's all right with me. All the people that are betting for Manny Pacquiao are not going to change the result of this fight."
Pacquiao's success against Mexican fighters has been well-documented. He was tagged as "The Mexican Assassin" after beating the best Mexican fighters of his era, including legends Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Berrera and Juan Manuel Marquez.
Cotto, however, says all that success means nothing against a fighter from Puerto Rico, which has its own proud boxing history, from world champions Wilfredo Benitez, Esteban DeJesus and Wilfredo Gomez to Carlos Ortiz and Felix "Tito" Trinidad.
"Different fighters and different styles, they had their moments with him," Cotto said of Pacquiao's Mexican opponents.
"It is going to be totally different with me. I have prepared myself for anything and everything that he brings. No matter who talks, or whoever says he is going to win, I know I am very confident that I am going to come out with a victory that night."
In preparation for this weekend's super fight between WBO welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto and world junior welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, Bad Left Hook will look back on the major title fight histories of both men.
This morning, we looked at Miguel Cotto. Now, a glance at Manny Pacquiao.
We are considering only fights for the Ring Magazine championships, as well as the titles of the WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF.
Really one of the more underrated wins of Pacquiao's long, amazing career. Sasakul was one of those Thai fighters whose resume wasn't the strongest in terms of opponents, but the man could certainly fight. After Pacquiao, he boxed another ten years (last fighting in November 2008), and never beat another major opponent. When interviewed by The Sweet Science, Sasakul remembered Pacquiao as the best puncher he ever faced:
TSS: You’ve fought in both boxing and Muay Thai and fought more than 150 times. Who would you rate as the best puncher you’ve faced?
Chatchai Sasakul: Manny Pacquiao!!! One good punch from him and I was out. He has very heavy hands.
TSS: What happened in that fight? You were schooling him until you got caught with a few good shots.
Chatchai Sasakul: I lost my focus I guess and he took advantage of it. I don’t remember much about that fight (laughing)!
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April 24, 1999: Manny Pacquiao TKO-4 Gabriel Mira (WBC Flyweight Title)
Go back and watch this fight now. It's amazing for a couple of reasons. First, even though he hadn't really developed his body and was but a 20-year-old kid at flyweight, it's hard to not notice that Pacquiao was huge as a flyweight. It's again more incredible to me that he won titles at flyweight than it is that he won the championship at 140 when I look at him now and look back at him then. The second amazing thing: How limited Pacquiao was. He was a totally one-handed fighter, pretty bad defensively, and just raw as all hell. Mira (19-7-1, 15 KO coming in) got Pacquiao in some early trouble, but was banged out in the fourth under a furious Pacquiao assault.
Singsurat was Pacquiao's last fight at 112 pounds, and for good reason. Singsurat ran Pacquiao ragged, never relented on pressure, and knocked him out with a third round body shot. Manny was awful in this fight. I don't think this loss really means much of anything anymore. In fact, I don't think any of Pacquiao's losses really mean much of anything anymore. Pacquiao skipped 115 and 118, going straight up to 122. If you really think about that, a full three-class jump seems crazy, but it wound up working out OK.
Pacquiao's true coming out party. On the Oscar de la Hoya-Javier Castillejo undercard, Pacquiao took on the South African titlist Ledwaba and ripped him apart. Ledwaba was never the same after the loss to Pacquiao, although to his credit he hardly went to fighting a bunch of bums or anything. He took over a year out of the ring after losing to Pacquiao, after having fought in both February and April of 2001 before meeting the rising Filipino slugger.
A really dirty fight, with Sanchez getting docked two points for low blows. The bout was stopped after six on a Pacquiao cut, caused by an accidental headbutt in the second round and made worse with another headbutt in the sixth. Without the two points for the low blows, Pacquiao would have been dealt a loss here. The scores after six were 58-54 Pacquiao, 57-55 Sanchez and 56-56. Even one of those points back would have given Sanchez a win.
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June 8, 2002: Manny Pacquiao TKO-2 Jorge Eliecer Julio (IBF Junior Featherweight Title)
"This is some prospect, Bobby. To me he's every bit as exciting as Prince Naseem Hamed." -- Jim Lampley, 2002
Pacquiao was featured on the Lewis-Tyson undercard with this fight, a pretty heavy beating of a veteran contender. Julio was on the downswing, having lost to Johnny Tapia and Adan Vargas in recent fights, and Pacquiao destroyed him. Julio would fight once more, losing a 10th-round TKO to Israel Vazquez in 2003.
We get into the meat of Pacquiao's title fight career after the jump.
The 27-year old Rakkiatgym was one of those Thai fighters who had no resume, had never beaten anyone, and never did beat anyone. Pacquiao knocked him down four times. There appears to be some sort of minor urban legend that Rakkiatgym died after the fight, but he, uh, did not. He fought on until 2006, when he lost to Valdemir Pereira.
Lucero was unbeaten. Three rounds later, he wasn't.
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November 15, 2003: Manny Pacquiao TKO-11 Marco Antonio Barrera (Ring Magazine Featherweight Championship)
Ring Magazine champion Marco Antonio Barrera was the favorite in this fight. Sure, Pacquiao had a chance, at least a puncher's chance, but the veteran, in-prime, established Barrera surely would be too wily for Pacquiao. After all, he'd kryptonited Hamed already, and beaten his rival Erik Morales.
Pacquiao had other plans. It was without question the worst beating Barrera ever took in his career (hopefully that won't change). His corner stepped in to stop the carnage in the 11th round. Pacquiao was leading 97-90 (twice) and 97-89 on the official scorecards.
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May 8, 2004: Manny Pacquiao D-12 Juan Manuel Marquez (Ring Magazine, IBF, WBA Featherweight Titles)
Marquez went down three times in the first round, but miraculously and courageously battled back to outbox Pacquiao for the majority of the last 11 rounds. It was an epic fight, heroic on Marquez's part, and was really the final time we'd ever see Pacquiao so outclassed for any real length of a fight.
March 15, 2008: Manny Pacquiao SD-12 Juan Manuel Marquez (Ring Magazine, WBC Junior Lightweight Titles)
Yep, it took four years and the same opponent for Pacquiao to fight for a recognized major title again. Another toe-to-toe battle that saw Marquez climb off the canvas and arguably beat Pacquiao. But Pacquiao won a contested split decision in a fight that would have been Fight of the Year in most years, but had to contend with the first two Vazquez-Marquez fights in 2008.
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June 28, 2008: Manny Pacquiao TKO-9 David Diaz (WBC Lightweight Title)
Pacquiao moved up to 135 pounds and put the leather to David Diaz, who gave it his all but was badly outclassed in speed. One of the popular quotes that has gone around since this fight, alleged to be such a mismatch and discredited by a few, is that David Diaz came closer to beating Pacquiao than would Oscar de la Hoya and Ricky Hatton. It's true, too.
Ricky Hatton was in shape, still in what should have been prime years, and hadn't taken too much punishment over his career. No, he didn't move his head like he should have, and the talk has always been that he just didn't follow Floyd Mayweather Sr.'s gameplan. But that takes nothing away from the one plain fact: Pacquiao ran Hatton over with brutal force, putting him on the canvas twice in the opening round and knocking him out near cold in the second round.
WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico makes his official arrival at the MGM Grand hotel-casino in Las Vegas, Nevada November 10, 2009. Cotto will take on Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on November 14. REUTERS/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus (UNITED STATES SPORT BOXING)
WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto talks to reporters at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada November 10, 2009. REUTERS/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus (UNITED STATES SPORT BOXING)
Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico answers a question from a reporter.
REUTERS/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus (UNITED STATES SPORT BOXING)
Miguel Cotto poses in front of a banner at the MGM Grand Garden. REUTERS/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus (UNITED STATES SPORT BOXING)
Miguel Cotto talks to reporters at the MGM Grand Garden
REUTERS/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus (UNITED STATES SPORT BOXING)
Boxing fans hold up a Puerto Rican flag
REUTERS/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus (UNITED STATES SPORT BOXING)
Head trainer Freddie Roach (L) accompanies boxer Manny Pacquio (2nd L) of the Philippines as he makes his official arrival at the MGM Grand hotel-casino in Las Vegas, Nevada November 10, 2009. Pacquiao will take on WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on November 14. REUTERS/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus (UNITED STATES SPORT BOXING)
Manny Pacquiao arrives with an entourage at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
Manny Pacquiao is flanked by boxing promoter Bob Arum and head trainer Freddie Roach. REUTERS/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus (UNITED STATES SPORT BOXING)
Manny Pacquiao talks with reporters at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino Tuesday. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
Manny Pacquiao is surrounded by photographers. REUTERS/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus (UNITED STATES SPORT BOXING)
Manny Pacquiao
REUTERS/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus (UNITED STATES SPORT BOXING)
Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines listens to a question from a reporter at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada November 10, 2009. REUTERS/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus (UNITED STATES SPORT BOXING)
Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines poses in front of a banner at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada November 10, 2009. REUTERS/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus (UNITED STATES SPORT BOXING)
Fans take photos as boxer Manny Pacquiao makes his official arrival at the MGM Grand hotel-casino in Las Vegas, Nevada November 10, 2009. REUTERS/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus (UNITED STATES SPORT BOXING)
Freddie Roach
REUTERS/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus (UNITED STATES SPORT BOXING)
Manny Pacquiao poses for fans and media during his grand arrival at MGM Grand Hotel on Tuesday. Pacquiao will face Miguel Cotto for the WBO welterweight title on Nov. 14, 2009 at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Manny Pacquiao made his grand arrival at the MGM Grand on Tuesday, marking the first time in the world champion’s career the Las Vegas ceremony didn’t take place at Mandalay Bay.
Although Pacquiao is known to be superstitious — he stays in the same hotel room at Mandalay Bay for each of his Las Vegas fights — head trainer Freddie Roach said Tuesday’s change wouldn’t throw off his fighter.
“He is superstitious, but stuff like that he doesn’t care about,” Roach said with a shrug.
“Of course,” he added, “He’ll still be staying in the same room.”
Pacquiao’s fans certainly had no trouble tracking him down, as they packed their way into the hotel’s lobby to catch a final glimpse of the Filipino before his WBO welterweight title fight with Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday.
By the time Cotto arrived 90 minutes later, the scene had noticeably died down a bit.
After months of promoting the fight with the reigning pound-for-pound king, however, Cotto says he’s used to Pacquiao’s crowd and that it hasn’t affected his mindset coming into the fight.
“I’ve known since we agreed to do this fight that it’s just going to be me and him in the ring,” Cotto said. “When we get in there, no one can help Manny. No one can hand him something to hit me with.
“I expected it to be like this. Everything Manny has, he has earned.”
Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KO) is seeking a world title in an unprecedented seventh weight class when he takes on Cotto (34-1, 27 KO) Saturday night.
He claimed his first on Dec. 4, 1998, when he defeated Chatchai Sasakul for the WBC flyweight title in his 25th professional fight.
As time progressed and opportunities at world titles in heavier weight classes continued to present themselves, Pacquiao transformed from the 105-pound fighter he started his career as to a legitimate welterweight contender.
A transformation of such magnitude actually, that he says he can barely recognize the kid he once was.
“I watch the tape when I was fighting at 105 pounds and I think, ‘I’m just a kid,’” Pacquiao said. “I think back to moving up to 108, then 112, 115, 118, up to welterweight — I can’t believe it. It’s just happened.”
In addition to world titles, another incentive for Pacquiao to move up in weight (at least initially) may have been a desire to stop cutting weight — a process Pacquiao admits was difficult in the early stages of his career.
“It was a struggle,” he said. “When I captured my first title in the flyweight division, I lost my belt because I didn’t make the weight. I decided after that fight to move up to 122 pounds.”
Cutting down won’t be an issue this week, as Roach said they’re feeding Pacquiao five times per day to keep the weight on.
According to his trainer, Pacquiao weighed 148 pounds Tuesday morning and will weigh-in right at 145 for the Nevada Athletic Commission on Friday.
“When he doesn’t have to miss a meal and can eat before weigh-in, which he’ll do twice, he’s happy,” Roach said. “He’ll weigh 149 to 150 pounds at most on fight night. I don’t like him gaining too much weight before the fight.”
While Pacquiao has shown the ability to maintain his speed no matter how much weight he adds, Roach said he believes this will be the last stop in his move up the weight classes.
“With the right opponent we could move up again,” Roach said. “But for top-level guys, I think this is it.”
The historical implications of Saturday night is enough that Pacquiao’s father, Rosalio, will travel to the U.S. from the Philippines to watch his son box live for the first time.
Pacquiao’s mother, Dionisia, saw her son live for the first time in May when he fought Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas.
“It is the first time my father is coming so I am very excited, he wanted to see this fight,” Pacquiao said. “This is a very important fight for me because I can do it, it’s going to be history in boxing. It’s an honor.”
As Manny Pacquiao squeezed into a bright red padded spandex leotard, complete with a yellow belt and matching goggles, the symbolism was as fitting as the outfit was ridiculous.
Who knows whether Pacquiao fully appreciated the comical nature of the scene, played out on a movie set a few months ago, yet one of the perks of being boxing’s premier superstar is that no one’s going to poke too much fun at you.
In any case, the casting of the fight game’s current favorite son as Wapakman, a Filipino film about a swashbuckling superhero, is especially fitting in the lead-up to his showdown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Saturday with Miguel Cotto.
The Pacquiao tale has always been one filled with intrigue and inspiration, how the boy from the back streets of a troubled city left home at 14 and sold fish and doughnuts to make ends meet before rising to the top of the toughest sport of all.
Yet after dismantling Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton in his past two fights, Pacquiao’s popularity has gone stratospheric. With his homeland of the Philippines recently ravaged by natural disasters in the form of typhoons, flooding and landslides, he has morphed from a source of pride to a symbol of hope, and taken on a status that borders on mythological.
Or superhuman.
In the absence of a public figure with sufficient gravitas or charisma to lift the spirits of a nation brought to its knees by corruption, poor governance and forces of nature, the citizens have instead turned to Pacquiao, with attention focused on his fight with Cotto like none of his previous 54 encounters.
The 30-year-old has become a cultural phenomenon, who can draw crowds of thousands simply to catch a glimpse of his face and whose freakish fighting abilities stop traffic, crime and the regular breathing patterns of a nation that turns hysterical when he takes to the ring.
However, while many love to portray the evolving Pacquiao story as an uplifting tour de force of humanitarianism and joy in the face of adversity, reality is somewhat different.
Suggestions that Pacquiao remains unaffected by the change in his life are wide of the mark, and the inevitability that his name, status and popularity would be hacked into by parasitic outsiders is already well underway.
It is not just fight week or fight month in the Philippines; this is fight season. Ever since Pacquiao vs. Cotto was announced in the summer, the excitement has been building to a crescendo.
In General Santos City, where Pacquiao grew up the son of a corn farmer, preparations to erect a giant screen which will broadcast the fight at a municipal gymnasium are already in the final stages.
In Baguio, the epicenter for the recent typhoon tragedy and where Pacquiao spent a large portion of his pre-bout training camp, the roads are still littered with boulders, mounds of garbage carrying the danger of dengue fever still line the streets, and landslide warnings serve as both threat and reminder.
Yet all talk is about a far away and unimaginable city in Nevada, a place few of these citizens could even dream of visiting, but where their hearts and hopes will live on Saturday.
In the capital of Manila, there is turmoil in Congress. Nothing unusual there, except that the pivotal argument this time is whether the decision of several key political figures to travel to Vegas for fight night is a negligence of power in these difficult economic and social times.
From the typhoon survivors to the wide-eyed dreamers of a better life, to the ambitious and ruthless politicos, it seems everyone in the Philippines shares a common thread. When things get tough, look to the Pacman.
“Manny’s countrymen love him and he is a great inspiration for his country,” trainer Freddie Roach said. “When the typhoon hit pretty hard, Manny went down there to help the people out and I asked him not to go because I thought it was dangerous. But it was his day off and he went and helped as much as he could.
Manny Pacquiao recently graced the cover of TIME's Asian edition. “He is so well-loved in his country and he wants to help the people and the people love him for that.”
An estimated 2,800 people lost their lives due to the effects of Typhoon Parma and Roach could see the mentally-draining effects of Pacquiao’s first trip to offer solace and aid to the survivors. He persuaded Pacquiao against a second visit, instead venturing to the stricken region himself to distribute more food and supplies and to deliver a message from the pound-for-pound king.
“I felt so bad to see what was happening,” Pacquiao said. “I do have to focus on my training because I have to prepare. But I try to help the people in my country as much as I can. It is very difficult for me but I have to focus on my fight because nobody can help me in the ring.
“I am not only fighting for me but I am also fighting for my country. It is my responsibility to focus on training. Of course I understand people want to take a picture and shake my hand because they are idolizing me and supporting me.”
Intensity was swiftly restored to the gym, and Pacquiao’s introverted demeanor means we will never know just how much extra purpose the plight of his fellow Filipinos affords him.
Freddie Roach is a meticulous man for whom distraction is an antithesis. Boxing is not so much the sweet science to the world’s top trainer, but rather more a never-ending labor of dissection and refinement that dominates his life and pushes the restrictions of Parkinson’s to the back of his mind.
Roach has worked with Pacquiao for eight years, building a bond of closeness and respect that has hewn tighter with each passing victory.
His methods have had to be adapted for Pacquiao over time. Simplicity and silence are impossible wishes with this boxer, who brings an enormous entourage of friends and family and a legion of patriotic fans wherever he goes.
Roach has put up with whatever extra-curricular activities Pacquiao has involved himself in until now. Yet patience may be wearing thin, on both sides.
“It is hard to imagine just how much people are obsessed with Manny Pacquiao in the Philippines,” said 19-year-old rising star Marvin Sonsona, already the WBO super flyweight champion. “He is an inspiration to everybody, and people want to know everything about his life. They can’t get enough.”
Things are getting complicated, with the intensity of the demands on Pacquiao’s time ever-increasing. One flashpoint was caught on the television cameras of HBO’s 24/7 documentary when Roach came up to Pacquiao in the middle of a meeting with influential politician Manuel Villar, and urged him to leave Baguio as the bad weather was closing in.
Villar, one of the richest men in the Philippines, is just one of countless heavy hitters who are keen to align themselves with the one-man publicity machine that is Pacquiao.
The problem Pacquiao has is that to many he is no longer a person or a fighter, but an ideological statement. It is an ideal of perfection that he can never hope to live up, to be everything to everyone. It must be remembered he is a human being, a fighter, from simple roots, not a magician.
All the magazine covers (he last week graced the cover of Asian TIME), Nike commercials and even lyrics about him in a Jay-Z rap song can’t change that.
In the Philippines, the small signs of a backlash are already there. Some fondly remember Pacquiao the out-and-out fighter, the simple man of simple taste, for whom the ring was all that mattered.
For those fight fans who have supported him from day one, the newer and more dubiously-motivated acquaintances are an annoyance, as is Pacquiao’s pandering to them. Even the fighter’s mother, Aleng Dionisia, who has become something of a celebrity herself, has been criticized for riding on the coattails of her son’s success by accepting roles in movies and on television.
“What really makes her, in the world of celebrity, a diamond in the rough?” asked a rather mean-spirited editorial in the Philippine Star newspaper. “Nothing, actually. She is not, by any stretch, pretty. She dances well but is not exceptional in it. Her singing does not make her stand out. And her humor is not something you have not heard elsewhere.”
Further focus will be on family matters for this fight as it will be the first time Pacquiao’s formerly estranged father, Mang Rosalio, will watch him in a major fight. The pair fell out when Pacquiao was a boy.
Even when camp shifted to Los Angeles and the more anonymous surroundings of the Wild Card gym in Hollywood, Calif., life was not free of distractions within Team Pacquiao.
Simmering resentment between physical trainer Alex Ariza and adviser Michael Koncz persists and Pacquiao even became embroiled in a domestic dispute between his assistant Winchell Campos and Campos’ ex-wife, who lives in an apartment Pacquiao owns.
The demands on Pacquiao’s time are not as extreme in California, but there was still an appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel Show and the thousands who come to the gym to catch a look on a daily basis.
Many of those same supporters will venture to Vegas this weekend, an invasion similar to that of Ricky Hatton’s marauding army of British fans.
None of the disruptions will matter if Pacquiao can do what he has managed so far, to keep his head straight and avoid a loss of focus against Cotto. The Puerto Rican is surely his toughest challenge to date, a naturally bigger man and a worthier foe than a shot De La Hoya or an overmatched Hatton.
Cotto is a genuine star, and there is strong feeling in boxing that his only defeat, to Antonio Margarito, was allegedly due to Margarito’s loaded gloves rather than a legitimate result. The Mexican was caught using illegal hand wraps in his next bout against Shane Mosley, and the way the blood gushed from Cotto’s face and how quickly it became swollen and misshapen suggests that foul play may have been at work.
In any case, the expectations Pacquiao has to live up to continue to grow, in keeping with the additional influences he must clear from his thought processes.
With a potential mega-fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. a possibility for next year, the stakes are set mightily high for Pacquiao. On November 14 the cape and goggles will be gone, but a superhuman performance will be demanded.
