Source: Sky Sports
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Monday 16 November 2009
Mayweather talks up Pacquiao fight
CNN
Floyd Mayweather Jr. has said he is ready to make the big-money fight with newly crowned WBO welterweight world champion Manny Pacquiao happen.
After victory in Las Vegas over Puerto Rico's Miguel Cotto on Saturday, Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach said the "whole world" now wanted to see a fight with Mayweather.
Reacting to the proposition the undefeated 32-year-old, who formerly held the WBC title at welterweight, told British broadcaster Sky Sports: "If he wants to fight Floyd Mayweather all he has to do is step up to the plate."
The twice-voted Ring magazine fighter of the year added that he felt Pacquiao's approach was one-dimensional but the Filipino would be a favorite with the crowd.
"The thing is with Pacquaio I don't see any versatility as a fighter; he's a good puncher but just one-dimensional. Is Pacquiao the greatest?
If he wants to fight ... all he has to do is step up to the plate
"The world's going to go 'wow' if Floyd Mayweather gets beaten. That's what everyone is looking to see.
"If I beat Manny Pacquaio do you know what they are going to say? 'You are supposed to beat him, you are Floyd Mayweather, you are the bigger man'. If I knock him out they'll say 'you're supposed to knock him out he's been knocked out before'.
"I'm in a no-win situation and when I beat him no one is going to be surprised because he's been beaten before; whatever I do to Pacquaio has been done before - he's been beaten on three occasions. And if I knock him out I don't want the world shouting because he's been knocked out twice before."
If the fight goes ahead it is expected to challenge the mark set by Oscar De La Hoya's bout with Floyd Mayweather for the most profitable in history.
Money generated from pay-per-view subscriptions earned the two fighters an estimated combined total of $77 million in 2007.
Mayweather, whose nickname is "Money," said: "If I go out and make $60-75 million in one night; come on - I'm not losing."
Source: edition.cnn.com
***
Floyd Mayweather Jr. has said he is ready to make the big-money fight with newly crowned WBO welterweight world champion Manny Pacquiao happen.
After victory in Las Vegas over Puerto Rico's Miguel Cotto on Saturday, Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach said the "whole world" now wanted to see a fight with Mayweather.
Reacting to the proposition the undefeated 32-year-old, who formerly held the WBC title at welterweight, told British broadcaster Sky Sports: "If he wants to fight Floyd Mayweather all he has to do is step up to the plate."
The twice-voted Ring magazine fighter of the year added that he felt Pacquiao's approach was one-dimensional but the Filipino would be a favorite with the crowd.
"The thing is with Pacquaio I don't see any versatility as a fighter; he's a good puncher but just one-dimensional. Is Pacquiao the greatest?
If he wants to fight ... all he has to do is step up to the plate
"The world's going to go 'wow' if Floyd Mayweather gets beaten. That's what everyone is looking to see.
"If I beat Manny Pacquaio do you know what they are going to say? 'You are supposed to beat him, you are Floyd Mayweather, you are the bigger man'. If I knock him out they'll say 'you're supposed to knock him out he's been knocked out before'.
"I'm in a no-win situation and when I beat him no one is going to be surprised because he's been beaten before; whatever I do to Pacquaio has been done before - he's been beaten on three occasions. And if I knock him out I don't want the world shouting because he's been knocked out twice before."
If the fight goes ahead it is expected to challenge the mark set by Oscar De La Hoya's bout with Floyd Mayweather for the most profitable in history.
Money generated from pay-per-view subscriptions earned the two fighters an estimated combined total of $77 million in 2007.
Mayweather, whose nickname is "Money," said: "If I go out and make $60-75 million in one night; come on - I'm not losing."
Source: edition.cnn.com
***
The next megafight? Mayweather vs Pacquiao
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Pacquiao’s granite chin makes Mayweather fight a tough call
By Patrick Johnston, REUTERS Blog
Manny Pacquiao produced another sublime performance in his destruction of Miguel Cotto on Saturday but it was not his fast hands and flashy combinations that grabbed me about his victory, instead it was the Filipino’s granite chin.
We all knew about the attacking ability that Pacquiao had but his ability to walk through the punches of Cotto, a natural welterweight who thought he would have too much power for the man who began at flyweight, was impressive.
Cotto couldn’t keep the 30-year-old southpaw away.
The Puerto Rican looked like a holiday maker desperately, and unsuccessfully, swatting at a fly. The combinations didn’t stop coming from Pacquiao and in truth the fight should have been stopped before the 12th such was the one-sided nature of this lopsided contest.
The poor state of Cotto’s face at the end of the fight said it all.
Pacquiao’s seventh title at an unprecedented seventh weight now leaves him as the sports pound-for-pound king. The Filipino’s promoter Bob Arum, who worked with Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler, described him as the best fighter he had ever seen, however there is one more fight out there for him.
A bout with American Floyd Mayweather Jr is the fight the world wants to see before the Pac Man hangs up his gloves and takes up his career in politics, singing or whatever avenue he chooses. But how will that fight turn out?
I always believed Mayweather’s defensive skills would see him overcome Pacquiao if the two ever fought but after watching the Pac Man on Saturday I am not convinced.
Cotto is a fighter renowned for slowing down opponents and fighting them at his pace but Pacquiao was relentless for 12 rounds, didn’t let him dictate and just kept pressuring him.
Mayweather is of course a better fighter than Cotto but can he stop the Filipino? I’m not so sure.
Source: blogs.reuters.com
***
Manny Pacquiao produced another sublime performance in his destruction of Miguel Cotto on Saturday but it was not his fast hands and flashy combinations that grabbed me about his victory, instead it was the Filipino’s granite chin.
We all knew about the attacking ability that Pacquiao had but his ability to walk through the punches of Cotto, a natural welterweight who thought he would have too much power for the man who began at flyweight, was impressive.
Cotto couldn’t keep the 30-year-old southpaw away.
The Puerto Rican looked like a holiday maker desperately, and unsuccessfully, swatting at a fly. The combinations didn’t stop coming from Pacquiao and in truth the fight should have been stopped before the 12th such was the one-sided nature of this lopsided contest.
The poor state of Cotto’s face at the end of the fight said it all.
Pacquiao’s seventh title at an unprecedented seventh weight now leaves him as the sports pound-for-pound king. The Filipino’s promoter Bob Arum, who worked with Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler, described him as the best fighter he had ever seen, however there is one more fight out there for him.
A bout with American Floyd Mayweather Jr is the fight the world wants to see before the Pac Man hangs up his gloves and takes up his career in politics, singing or whatever avenue he chooses. But how will that fight turn out?
I always believed Mayweather’s defensive skills would see him overcome Pacquiao if the two ever fought but after watching the Pac Man on Saturday I am not convinced.
Cotto is a fighter renowned for slowing down opponents and fighting them at his pace but Pacquiao was relentless for 12 rounds, didn’t let him dictate and just kept pressuring him.
Mayweather is of course a better fighter than Cotto but can he stop the Filipino? I’m not so sure.
Source: blogs.reuters.com
***
Manny Pacquiao lands a left on Miguel Cotto
(Source: http://gulfnews.com/polopoly_fs/manny-pacquaio-and-miguel-cotto-1.527740!image/171606305.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_475/171606305.jpg)
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Talk turns to Manny Pacquiao fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
By Jeff Haney, Las Vegas Sun
Grandiose pronouncements were uttered about when and where negotiations would begin for a proposed fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Boxing insiders were speculating about the contentiousness and hostility those talks would breed.
Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, avoided the conjecture.
He was already getting down to the nitty-gritty.
“The whole world wants to see the Mayweather fight,” Roach said after Pacquiao stopped Miguel Cotto in a dominating performance Saturday night at the MGM Grand. “Let’s fight Mayweather.”
The framework has been created for the potential 2010 showdown. In one corner, there’s Pacquiao, the speedy and explosive southpaw with his own particular brand of genius for launching punches from ungodly angles. In the other, there’s Mayweather, the tactical virtuoso and modern-day Sugar Ray Robinson, Willie Pep or Pernell Whitaker — depending on who’s making the comparison.
Roach sees it in simpler terms. If Pacquiao-Cotto was speed against power, then Pacquiao-Mayweather is exciting against boring, scintillating against sleep-inducing.
“You’ve got an exciting fighter in my guy against a boring guy in Mayweather,” Roach said. “That’s what we’ll have to do to beat him. Engage him.”
Mayweather Jr. wasn’t around Saturday night, so it was up to Floyd Mayweather Sr., who assisted in his son’s preparations for his most recent fight, against Juan Manuel Marquez, to address the Pacquiao bout.
Big Floyd did not disappoint: Cotto was not “the Cotto of old” Saturday, he said. His son would beat Pacquiao in a breeze, and the fight is hardly worth taking. In fact, a more competitive matchup would pit Floyd Sr. himself, age 57, against Pacquiao.
Informed of his comments, Roach responded with an obscenity.
Ah, Freddie Roach mixing it up with the Mayweather Bunch. This will be the gift that keeps on giving. Abundantly.
•••
Here’s a telling illustration of the complete control Pacquiao exerted over Cotto: With the give-and-take between the two men in the first three rounds, the fight had the makings of a classic. But it turns out Pacquiao, temporarily going rogue against the game plan he and Roach had developed, had made a conscious decision to test the limits of Cotto’s power.
“I wanted to get hit,” Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 knockouts) said. “When I started controlling the fight, I got aggressive and made more pressure.”
By the middle rounds, Pacquiao was battering Cotto (34-2) with shots he did not see coming.
A dazed Cotto spent much of the seventh and eighth rounds reeling backward in the ring.
Referee Kenny Bayless halted the fight 55 seconds into Round 12. Roach said if he had been running Cotto’s corner, he would have thrown in the towel in the ninth round, during which Cotto was spitting blood.
After earning a title in his seventh weight class, Pacquiao said the welterweight division is as high as he expects to go.
“This is the last weight division I am going to fight,” he said. “I am pretty sure the Filipino fans are very happy for the victory I have given them.”
•••
Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, the promoter of the fight, has spoken of a renaissance in boxing’s popularity in recent years and the role Pacquiao has played in it.
Roach, who has trained Pacquiao for eight years, said he doesn’t have the luxury of stepping back and looking at the big picture.
“I’m too caught up in the day-to-day,” Roach said. “I just do what I like to do. I like my job. That’s why I train mixed martial arts guys with no fear. I like training them, too. If you want to be a better fighter, no matter what sport it is, I’ll do it. I think there’s room for all sports and a good fight is a good fight.”
Arum, for his part, warned against reading too much into any theory about a “rebirth” of boxing.
“Don’t be defensive,” he said. “Boxing never left. People realize now what a great sport it is and what enthusiasm there is and always has been for the sport.”
Source: lasvegassun.com
Manny Pacquiao, right, is sent to a neutral corner by referee Kenny Bayless after Miguel Cotto goes down in the fourth round.
Grandiose pronouncements were uttered about when and where negotiations would begin for a proposed fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Boxing insiders were speculating about the contentiousness and hostility those talks would breed.
Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, avoided the conjecture.
He was already getting down to the nitty-gritty.
“The whole world wants to see the Mayweather fight,” Roach said after Pacquiao stopped Miguel Cotto in a dominating performance Saturday night at the MGM Grand. “Let’s fight Mayweather.”
The framework has been created for the potential 2010 showdown. In one corner, there’s Pacquiao, the speedy and explosive southpaw with his own particular brand of genius for launching punches from ungodly angles. In the other, there’s Mayweather, the tactical virtuoso and modern-day Sugar Ray Robinson, Willie Pep or Pernell Whitaker — depending on who’s making the comparison.
Roach sees it in simpler terms. If Pacquiao-Cotto was speed against power, then Pacquiao-Mayweather is exciting against boring, scintillating against sleep-inducing.
“You’ve got an exciting fighter in my guy against a boring guy in Mayweather,” Roach said. “That’s what we’ll have to do to beat him. Engage him.”
Mayweather Jr. wasn’t around Saturday night, so it was up to Floyd Mayweather Sr., who assisted in his son’s preparations for his most recent fight, against Juan Manuel Marquez, to address the Pacquiao bout.
Big Floyd did not disappoint: Cotto was not “the Cotto of old” Saturday, he said. His son would beat Pacquiao in a breeze, and the fight is hardly worth taking. In fact, a more competitive matchup would pit Floyd Sr. himself, age 57, against Pacquiao.
Informed of his comments, Roach responded with an obscenity.
Ah, Freddie Roach mixing it up with the Mayweather Bunch. This will be the gift that keeps on giving. Abundantly.
•••
Here’s a telling illustration of the complete control Pacquiao exerted over Cotto: With the give-and-take between the two men in the first three rounds, the fight had the makings of a classic. But it turns out Pacquiao, temporarily going rogue against the game plan he and Roach had developed, had made a conscious decision to test the limits of Cotto’s power.
“I wanted to get hit,” Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 knockouts) said. “When I started controlling the fight, I got aggressive and made more pressure.”
By the middle rounds, Pacquiao was battering Cotto (34-2) with shots he did not see coming.
A dazed Cotto spent much of the seventh and eighth rounds reeling backward in the ring.
Referee Kenny Bayless halted the fight 55 seconds into Round 12. Roach said if he had been running Cotto’s corner, he would have thrown in the towel in the ninth round, during which Cotto was spitting blood.
After earning a title in his seventh weight class, Pacquiao said the welterweight division is as high as he expects to go.
“This is the last weight division I am going to fight,” he said. “I am pretty sure the Filipino fans are very happy for the victory I have given them.”
•••
Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, the promoter of the fight, has spoken of a renaissance in boxing’s popularity in recent years and the role Pacquiao has played in it.
Roach, who has trained Pacquiao for eight years, said he doesn’t have the luxury of stepping back and looking at the big picture.
“I’m too caught up in the day-to-day,” Roach said. “I just do what I like to do. I like my job. That’s why I train mixed martial arts guys with no fear. I like training them, too. If you want to be a better fighter, no matter what sport it is, I’ll do it. I think there’s room for all sports and a good fight is a good fight.”
Arum, for his part, warned against reading too much into any theory about a “rebirth” of boxing.
“Don’t be defensive,” he said. “Boxing never left. People realize now what a great sport it is and what enthusiasm there is and always has been for the sport.”
Source: lasvegassun.com
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Pacquiao vs. Mayweather is hot topic
By STEVE CARP , Las Vegas Review-Journal
While having his bloody right ear drained in the postfight locker room Saturday night, Manny Pacquiao could probably still hear the chants of the sellout crowd that wants him to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. next spring.
The question is whether Mayweather was listening, too.
Or will it take the sound of coins -- millions of them -- for Mayweather to hear the demand that he fight Pacquiao in a battle of boxing's greatest pound-for-pound champions this decade.
Pacquiao made boxing history at the MGM Grand, earning a 12th-round technical knockout over Miguel Cotto before a packed house of 16,160 to become the first man to win seven world championships in seven weight classes.
After taking Cotto's WBO welterweight title and sending him to University Medical Center, Pacquiao addressed his own future. He said if Mayweather wants to fight him, fine. If not, he'll find someone who's willing to fight.
"I'll have Bob Arum negotiate my next fight," Pacquiao said of the Top Rank chairman. "I'll fight whoever wants to fight me."
Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, said: "It's a fight the world wants to see. I think a fight with Mayweather would be good for boxing. That's probably the biggest pay-per-view event. But we'll make the best fight that's out there."
Arum said he would love to make a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight. But not if Mayweather's demands are unrealistic.
"It depends on what we can get Mayweather for," Arum said. "But we're not going to do negotiations through the newspapers."
That's not stopping the papers and Internet sites from fueling the rumor mill. One report has a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight headed to the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium. There has been speculation the fight could be held at the new Yankee Stadium. Even in Las Vegas, where the MGM Grand would figure to have first crack given its relationship with Pacquiao, there's talk of trying to stage the fight at Sam Boyd Stadium.
Stadium director Daren Libonati said he has talked to Arum about using Sam Boyd and putting perhaps as many as 50,000 in his venue for Pacquiao-Mayweather.
"If you've got the magic of the city, why settle for 15,000 when you can bring 40,000 or 45,000?" Libonati said. "It would be an incredible experience for Las Vegas to host this fight."
Another rumor has Mayweather demanding a 65-35 split of the purse, which has no basis for fact; Mayweather's co-managers, Al Haymon and Leonard Ellerbe, haven't even talked to anyone, especially Arum.
Team Pacquiao had a little fun running with the bogus report.
"If Mayweather wants a 65-35 split, he's not going to get that," Roach said.
Arum shot back, "We'll offer him that split," to which Roach responded, "Yeah, we'll offer him 35 (percent)."
It was easy to joke Saturday in the aftermath of such a one-sided victory. Pacquiao, true to his humble roots, paid tribute to Cotto's courage and called him his most difficult opponent to date. Pacquiao knocked him down twice.
"Cotto was very tough," Pacquiao said. "He's strong. He had heart."
Cotto was treated for cuts and bruises at UMC. He was on his way home to Puerto Rico on Sunday, facing an uncertain future. Pacquiao's future is clearer, despite not knowing his next opponent. Roach said Pacquiao is not without options aside from Mayweather.
"I love a challenge and Manny loves a challenge. I hope (a Mayweather fight) happens," Roach said. "But if it doesn't, there are other fights out there. He could fight (Juan Manuel) Marquez again. He could fight (Edwin) Valero. He could fight the (Shane) Mosley-(Andre) Berto winner. Those are all potential good fights."
Arum said he thinks he could sell a third Pacquiao-Marquez fight in the spring, perhaps in March.
"I think that's a very good fight," Arum said. "Marquez has a style that gives Manny problems, and their first two fights were sensational."
The first two Pacquiao-Marquez fights were at 125 and 129 pounds respectively, The first, in 2004, ended in a draw. The second, in 2008, saw Pacquiao win a 12-round split decision. Arum said a third fight would probably be at 140 pounds. Pacquiao said he has no intentions of fighting beyond welterweight, so he could easily fight at 140. That's how much he weighed when he knocked out Ricky Hatton in May.
"Marquez probably deserves a rematch," Roach said. "I would like that fight just to shut Marquez up."
But Mayweather is the preferred target at this point for Team Pacquiao.
"Floyd's very good at what he does," Roach said. "He's a cagey guy. But he's fragile, and we have the speed to deal with his speed. He's had two rotator cuff surgeries on his left shoulder. His hands are brittle. I think he would have a hard time dealing with Manny."
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.
Source: lvrj.com
***
While having his bloody right ear drained in the postfight locker room Saturday night, Manny Pacquiao could probably still hear the chants of the sellout crowd that wants him to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. next spring.
The question is whether Mayweather was listening, too.
Or will it take the sound of coins -- millions of them -- for Mayweather to hear the demand that he fight Pacquiao in a battle of boxing's greatest pound-for-pound champions this decade.
Pacquiao made boxing history at the MGM Grand, earning a 12th-round technical knockout over Miguel Cotto before a packed house of 16,160 to become the first man to win seven world championships in seven weight classes.
After taking Cotto's WBO welterweight title and sending him to University Medical Center, Pacquiao addressed his own future. He said if Mayweather wants to fight him, fine. If not, he'll find someone who's willing to fight.
"I'll have Bob Arum negotiate my next fight," Pacquiao said of the Top Rank chairman. "I'll fight whoever wants to fight me."
Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, said: "It's a fight the world wants to see. I think a fight with Mayweather would be good for boxing. That's probably the biggest pay-per-view event. But we'll make the best fight that's out there."
Arum said he would love to make a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight. But not if Mayweather's demands are unrealistic.
"It depends on what we can get Mayweather for," Arum said. "But we're not going to do negotiations through the newspapers."
That's not stopping the papers and Internet sites from fueling the rumor mill. One report has a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight headed to the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium. There has been speculation the fight could be held at the new Yankee Stadium. Even in Las Vegas, where the MGM Grand would figure to have first crack given its relationship with Pacquiao, there's talk of trying to stage the fight at Sam Boyd Stadium.
Stadium director Daren Libonati said he has talked to Arum about using Sam Boyd and putting perhaps as many as 50,000 in his venue for Pacquiao-Mayweather.
"If you've got the magic of the city, why settle for 15,000 when you can bring 40,000 or 45,000?" Libonati said. "It would be an incredible experience for Las Vegas to host this fight."
Another rumor has Mayweather demanding a 65-35 split of the purse, which has no basis for fact; Mayweather's co-managers, Al Haymon and Leonard Ellerbe, haven't even talked to anyone, especially Arum.
Team Pacquiao had a little fun running with the bogus report.
"If Mayweather wants a 65-35 split, he's not going to get that," Roach said.
Arum shot back, "We'll offer him that split," to which Roach responded, "Yeah, we'll offer him 35 (percent)."
It was easy to joke Saturday in the aftermath of such a one-sided victory. Pacquiao, true to his humble roots, paid tribute to Cotto's courage and called him his most difficult opponent to date. Pacquiao knocked him down twice.
"Cotto was very tough," Pacquiao said. "He's strong. He had heart."
Cotto was treated for cuts and bruises at UMC. He was on his way home to Puerto Rico on Sunday, facing an uncertain future. Pacquiao's future is clearer, despite not knowing his next opponent. Roach said Pacquiao is not without options aside from Mayweather.
"I love a challenge and Manny loves a challenge. I hope (a Mayweather fight) happens," Roach said. "But if it doesn't, there are other fights out there. He could fight (Juan Manuel) Marquez again. He could fight (Edwin) Valero. He could fight the (Shane) Mosley-(Andre) Berto winner. Those are all potential good fights."
Arum said he thinks he could sell a third Pacquiao-Marquez fight in the spring, perhaps in March.
"I think that's a very good fight," Arum said. "Marquez has a style that gives Manny problems, and their first two fights were sensational."
The first two Pacquiao-Marquez fights were at 125 and 129 pounds respectively, The first, in 2004, ended in a draw. The second, in 2008, saw Pacquiao win a 12-round split decision. Arum said a third fight would probably be at 140 pounds. Pacquiao said he has no intentions of fighting beyond welterweight, so he could easily fight at 140. That's how much he weighed when he knocked out Ricky Hatton in May.
"Marquez probably deserves a rematch," Roach said. "I would like that fight just to shut Marquez up."
But Mayweather is the preferred target at this point for Team Pacquiao.
"Floyd's very good at what he does," Roach said. "He's a cagey guy. But he's fragile, and we have the speed to deal with his speed. He's had two rotator cuff surgeries on his left shoulder. His hands are brittle. I think he would have a hard time dealing with Manny."
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.
Source: lvrj.com
***
Manny Pacquiao throws a right at Miguel Cotto's face
(Source: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/11/15/article-0-0738EA0E000005DC-729_468x312.jpg)
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Good and Bad News for Boxing: Only One Pacquiao
By Howard Chua-Eoan, New York Times
When the sixth round ended, Manny Pacquiao did a half-pirouette toward his corner, raised his eyebrows like a happy emoticon and beamed a smile that couldn't be hidden by all the blood in his mouthpiece. Everyone who saw it knew that he knew, at that very moment, that he was going to win the fight. Not that his partisans had any doubt. The MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas roared like never before. "Let's Go Manny!" reverberated again and again as they demanded that their champion finish off his opponent and win glory for the Philippines.
The 12-round welterweight battle between Pacquiao and Miguel Angel Cotto of Puerto Rico had been one of the most anticipated in recent boxing history, a sport that has been in short supply of anticipation lately. And it did not disappoint, what with the momentum the zero-to-hero legend of Pacquiao. Indeed, Cotto, the reigning welterweight champion, was pegged as the 5-1 underdog two days before the fight; but he came in with the power everyone expected him to deliver. Most unofficial scorers gave him the first round.
But he was still up against Pacquiao, the phenom from the Philippines, who had risen through several weight classes in boxing to win six different titles in as many divisions. At the end of the night, Pacquiao had his seventh. After the referee stopped the fight in the 55th second of the 12th and final round, Pacquiao became the new welterweight champion of boxing by TKO. He had knocked down Cotto in the third and fourth rounds, even as the Puerto Rican had traded tough blows to the head and body with him throughout the early going. By the end of the sixth, however, after Pacquiao's punches came at him from unexpected places, Cotto saw his power diminish, his defenses came down and his face became the recipient of so many blows that his handsome face was unrecognizably swollen by the time the fight was over. Cotto spent the last couple of rounds dancing away from Pacquiao who at times simply dropped his arms in frustration that no fight was going on.
Nevertheless, the ferocity of most of the fight lived up to its promise, with Cotto valiantly persevering into the final round even though his corner had advised throwing in the towel at the end of the 11th. It was a celebration for Vegas, which saw large community of immigrant Filipinos buoyed by hundreds who had flown in from the Philippines to cheer their champ. The city had already been abuzz with Pacquiao's presence the week before. But Pacman, as he is called by his fans, was a cross-over hit too. In the world capital of gambling, almost everyone, from cab drivers to bartenders to street people, was talking about the big fight — and why Pacquiao was going to take it. "I know I'm Puerto Rican," said one woman on the plane over from New York, "But I love the Pacman." The rowdy rivalry between the two island peoples (appropriately abbreviated P.R. vs. R.P., Puerto Rico versus the Republic of the Philippines) did its fair share to rev up excitement in a town that is used to ethnic marketing (note the billboards for visiting superstars from South Korea, north Africa and Israel, alongside those of Bette Midler and Carrot Top). On fight night, national flags were worn as athletic costumes, though the big money men were still accompanied by towering escorts in body-tight metallic lamé and slave-ankle stilettos. Some traditions never change.
The fight has boxing fans hungry for more — which is good news for the sport's promoters. The trouble, however, is that they only have one Manny Pacquiao to go around. The roster of exciting talent is very thin. The two matches before the main event in Vegas had interesting names in them (Julio Cesar Chávez Jr., son of the famous Mexican fighter, was in one; Yuri Foreman, a Belarussian-born Israeli boxer now living in Brooklyn, was in another) but they were anemic — and not just in comparison to the electric battle between Cotto and Pacquiao. For now, the Filipino fighter says he is going to spend time with his family. He is also probably going to try his hand at politics again. So boxing, besieged by the continuing rise of Mixed Martial Arts, may need more saviors quickly.
Source: time.com
When the sixth round ended, Manny Pacquiao did a half-pirouette toward his corner, raised his eyebrows like a happy emoticon and beamed a smile that couldn't be hidden by all the blood in his mouthpiece. Everyone who saw it knew that he knew, at that very moment, that he was going to win the fight. Not that his partisans had any doubt. The MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas roared like never before. "Let's Go Manny!" reverberated again and again as they demanded that their champion finish off his opponent and win glory for the Philippines.
Manny Pacquiao battles it out Miguel Cotto during their WBO welterweight title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada November 14, 2009. Steve Marcus / Reuters
The 12-round welterweight battle between Pacquiao and Miguel Angel Cotto of Puerto Rico had been one of the most anticipated in recent boxing history, a sport that has been in short supply of anticipation lately. And it did not disappoint, what with the momentum the zero-to-hero legend of Pacquiao. Indeed, Cotto, the reigning welterweight champion, was pegged as the 5-1 underdog two days before the fight; but he came in with the power everyone expected him to deliver. Most unofficial scorers gave him the first round.
But he was still up against Pacquiao, the phenom from the Philippines, who had risen through several weight classes in boxing to win six different titles in as many divisions. At the end of the night, Pacquiao had his seventh. After the referee stopped the fight in the 55th second of the 12th and final round, Pacquiao became the new welterweight champion of boxing by TKO. He had knocked down Cotto in the third and fourth rounds, even as the Puerto Rican had traded tough blows to the head and body with him throughout the early going. By the end of the sixth, however, after Pacquiao's punches came at him from unexpected places, Cotto saw his power diminish, his defenses came down and his face became the recipient of so many blows that his handsome face was unrecognizably swollen by the time the fight was over. Cotto spent the last couple of rounds dancing away from Pacquiao who at times simply dropped his arms in frustration that no fight was going on.
Nevertheless, the ferocity of most of the fight lived up to its promise, with Cotto valiantly persevering into the final round even though his corner had advised throwing in the towel at the end of the 11th. It was a celebration for Vegas, which saw large community of immigrant Filipinos buoyed by hundreds who had flown in from the Philippines to cheer their champ. The city had already been abuzz with Pacquiao's presence the week before. But Pacman, as he is called by his fans, was a cross-over hit too. In the world capital of gambling, almost everyone, from cab drivers to bartenders to street people, was talking about the big fight — and why Pacquiao was going to take it. "I know I'm Puerto Rican," said one woman on the plane over from New York, "But I love the Pacman." The rowdy rivalry between the two island peoples (appropriately abbreviated P.R. vs. R.P., Puerto Rico versus the Republic of the Philippines) did its fair share to rev up excitement in a town that is used to ethnic marketing (note the billboards for visiting superstars from South Korea, north Africa and Israel, alongside those of Bette Midler and Carrot Top). On fight night, national flags were worn as athletic costumes, though the big money men were still accompanied by towering escorts in body-tight metallic lamé and slave-ankle stilettos. Some traditions never change.
The fight has boxing fans hungry for more — which is good news for the sport's promoters. The trouble, however, is that they only have one Manny Pacquiao to go around. The roster of exciting talent is very thin. The two matches before the main event in Vegas had interesting names in them (Julio Cesar Chávez Jr., son of the famous Mexican fighter, was in one; Yuri Foreman, a Belarussian-born Israeli boxer now living in Brooklyn, was in another) but they were anemic — and not just in comparison to the electric battle between Cotto and Pacquiao. For now, the Filipino fighter says he is going to spend time with his family. He is also probably going to try his hand at politics again. So boxing, besieged by the continuing rise of Mixed Martial Arts, may need more saviors quickly.
Source: time.com
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Battered by Pacquiao, Cotto was carried back to dressing room
By Michael Marley, Examiner.com
LAS VEGAS—Gallant warrior and consummate gentleman Miguel Cotto won’t be spouting any classless excuses for losing to an all time ring great named Manny Pacquiao.
Don’t look to hear expect the not so fine whine of “he never hurt me” Oscar de la Hoya.
Don’t the nonsensical patter of Ricky “I was leading in round two by a country mile” Hatton.
No, the proud Puerto Rican has shown undeniable grace in a crushing defeat by acknowledging the superior talent of and his complete domination by Da Pacman.
One boxing figure who was hard by Cotto’s dressing room in the bowels of the MGM Grand Garden Arena told me late on Sunday that he witnessed the poignant sight of Cotto’s return from the ring after referee Kenny Bayless did what Cotto’s corner should have done earlier.
Bayless wrapped a protective arm around the Battered Boricua and called the beatdown off at the 55 second mark of the 12th and final round.
“Miguel could not walk under his own power when they got backstage,” the witness told me.
“It was a sad sight, seeing Cotto totally beaten and being held up by members of his team. He was so banged up that he needed guys on both sides to almost carry him back to the locker room.”
Cotto was then rapidly taken to a local hospital for a complete medical checkup.
That was wise considering that Pacman had hammered him all over the ring for 33 minutes plus 55 seconds including knockdowns in rounds three and four.
Cotto has always won with class and he loses the same way.
A toast to a true sportsman and a fighter whose heart is beyond question.
Don’t cry for him, Boricuas.
Miguel Cotto came to win and he never quit.
He done you and your island's stories boxing tradition proud.
It just happened to turn out that he was a good fighter, an Alfredo Escalera, fighting a truly great one such as Alexis Arguello.
Source: examiner.com
***
LAS VEGAS—Gallant warrior and consummate gentleman Miguel Cotto won’t be spouting any classless excuses for losing to an all time ring great named Manny Pacquiao.
Don’t look to hear expect the not so fine whine of “he never hurt me” Oscar de la Hoya.
Don’t the nonsensical patter of Ricky “I was leading in round two by a country mile” Hatton.
No, the proud Puerto Rican has shown undeniable grace in a crushing defeat by acknowledging the superior talent of and his complete domination by Da Pacman.
One boxing figure who was hard by Cotto’s dressing room in the bowels of the MGM Grand Garden Arena told me late on Sunday that he witnessed the poignant sight of Cotto’s return from the ring after referee Kenny Bayless did what Cotto’s corner should have done earlier.
Bayless wrapped a protective arm around the Battered Boricua and called the beatdown off at the 55 second mark of the 12th and final round.
“Miguel could not walk under his own power when they got backstage,” the witness told me.
“It was a sad sight, seeing Cotto totally beaten and being held up by members of his team. He was so banged up that he needed guys on both sides to almost carry him back to the locker room.”
Cotto was then rapidly taken to a local hospital for a complete medical checkup.
That was wise considering that Pacman had hammered him all over the ring for 33 minutes plus 55 seconds including knockdowns in rounds three and four.
Cotto has always won with class and he loses the same way.
A toast to a true sportsman and a fighter whose heart is beyond question.
Don’t cry for him, Boricuas.
Miguel Cotto came to win and he never quit.
He done you and your island's stories boxing tradition proud.
It just happened to turn out that he was a good fighter, an Alfredo Escalera, fighting a truly great one such as Alexis Arguello.
Source: examiner.com
***
Manny Pacquiao battles it out with Miguel Cotto
(Source: http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2009/0911/a_pacquiao_1114.jpg)
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Pacquiao delivers hits outside the ring as well
By Bob Velin, USA TODAY
LAS VEGAS — Less than two hours after rearranging the face of Miguel Cotto in a 12-round masterpiece that became his record seventh world title in his seventh different weight class Saturday night, Manny Pacquiao was serenading the media.
Literally.
Pacquiao, wearing a fedora to help cover the bandage wrapped around his right ear — the only visible sign of wear and tear above his neck — talked about how this was one of the toughest fights of his career. In the next breath, breaking into a wide smile, he said he needed to hurry to get to his next gig a few blocks away at Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino to sing eight songs with his band.
The Filipino superstar obliged when someone asked him to sing a few bars, and he brought down the house with his acappella version of Dan Hill's Sometimes when we Touch.
Pacquiao had sung a hit song a few hours earlier, too, when he destroyed Cotto with a relentless barrage of power punches that went on nearly the full 12 rounds inside the sold-out and raucous MGM Grand Arena.
The fight was mercifully stopped by referee Kenny Bayless 55 seconds into the 12th round, as Cotto's face was beaten to a bloody pulp, and whose eyes were nearly swollen shut.
The fight was still up for grabs after the first four or five rounds as the fighters exchanged punches. Then Pacquiao's blinding speed and power took over, and he showed why he's the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He threw 780 punches and connected on 336, according to compuBox, nearly twice as many punches landed as Cotto's 172.
"Manny's just unbelievable," Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach said. "The first couple rounds he had me worried, he wasn't following the gameplan," said Roach. "Toward the end of the second round he started getting into the program, and made it look easy after that."
Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) said he was measuring Cotto's power over the first three rounds, because all he heard before the fight was that Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs) was bigger and stronger. "I just wanted to let him know during the fight who's going to be stronger," he said.
Cotto's trainer, Joe Santiago, in Cotto's corner for only the second fight, sure found out in a hurry.
"He hit harder than we expected and he was a lot stronger than we expected," Santiago said.
Santiago tried to stop the fight after the 11th round, but Cotto would have none of it. He went out for the 12th, his face a bloody mess. His wife and son left ringside after the ninth round, then accompanied him, along with several other family and team members, to the hospital later for an examination.
My health comes first," he said after the fight. "But I feel great, a little swollen, but that's all.
"Manny Pacquiao is one of the best boxers I ever fought."
Pacquiao and Roach addressed the fact that during the fight, Pacquiao often found himself on the ropes, a seemingly inviting target for Cotto's powerful body punching and damaging left hooks.
Said Roach: "I yelled at him every time, 'why are you fighting his fight? We're giving this guy an opportunity to bang the body and use his left hook.' And Manny said, 'I can handle it.' I said, 'well, show me.' And he did."
Said Pacquiao: "Sometimes I stayed on the ropes trying to control the fight. Sometimes it really hurt, but trying to control the fight, it's a mind (game). Pretending that you weren't hurt. But, it really hurt."
After the fight, Top Rank's Bob Arum, who promoted many of Muhammad Ali's fights, called Pacquiao the greatest fighter ever, better even than Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler.
Pacquiao was embarrassed by the comparison. "I'm just doing my job to give a good fight in every fight I've had in my boxing career," he said. "And that's my goal, to give enjoyment to all those people who are always watching us."
Talking about his history-making seventh title in seven different weight divisions, Pacquiao said, "Even to myself, it's unbelievable. I can't believe it. But I say nothing is impossible if you believe in God. Keep praying and nothing is impossible."
So what's next for Pacquiao? The crowd let him know that the only logical choice was undefeated Floyd Mayweather, chanting "We want Floyd! We want Floyd!"
Since they have no intention of going up another notch in weight, "unless it's the right opponent," Roach said, Mayweather would seem like the only target left to conquer.
"I want to see him fight Mayweather," Roach admitted.
For now, Pacquiao will spend a few days resting in the U.S., then head back to the Philippines, where he is running for Congress. The election is next April.
"The next time he fights, he might be Congressman Manny Pacquiao," Roach said. "But I think he could be a better (ambassador) for his country as a boxer than a politician."
Source: usatoday.com
***
LAS VEGAS — Less than two hours after rearranging the face of Miguel Cotto in a 12-round masterpiece that became his record seventh world title in his seventh different weight class Saturday night, Manny Pacquiao was serenading the media.
Literally.
Pacquiao, wearing a fedora to help cover the bandage wrapped around his right ear — the only visible sign of wear and tear above his neck — talked about how this was one of the toughest fights of his career. In the next breath, breaking into a wide smile, he said he needed to hurry to get to his next gig a few blocks away at Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino to sing eight songs with his band.
The Filipino superstar obliged when someone asked him to sing a few bars, and he brought down the house with his acappella version of Dan Hill's Sometimes when we Touch.
Pacquiao had sung a hit song a few hours earlier, too, when he destroyed Cotto with a relentless barrage of power punches that went on nearly the full 12 rounds inside the sold-out and raucous MGM Grand Arena.
The fight was mercifully stopped by referee Kenny Bayless 55 seconds into the 12th round, as Cotto's face was beaten to a bloody pulp, and whose eyes were nearly swollen shut.
The fight was still up for grabs after the first four or five rounds as the fighters exchanged punches. Then Pacquiao's blinding speed and power took over, and he showed why he's the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He threw 780 punches and connected on 336, according to compuBox, nearly twice as many punches landed as Cotto's 172.
"Manny's just unbelievable," Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach said. "The first couple rounds he had me worried, he wasn't following the gameplan," said Roach. "Toward the end of the second round he started getting into the program, and made it look easy after that."
Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) said he was measuring Cotto's power over the first three rounds, because all he heard before the fight was that Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs) was bigger and stronger. "I just wanted to let him know during the fight who's going to be stronger," he said.
Cotto's trainer, Joe Santiago, in Cotto's corner for only the second fight, sure found out in a hurry.
"He hit harder than we expected and he was a lot stronger than we expected," Santiago said.
Santiago tried to stop the fight after the 11th round, but Cotto would have none of it. He went out for the 12th, his face a bloody mess. His wife and son left ringside after the ninth round, then accompanied him, along with several other family and team members, to the hospital later for an examination.
My health comes first," he said after the fight. "But I feel great, a little swollen, but that's all.
"Manny Pacquiao is one of the best boxers I ever fought."
Pacquiao and Roach addressed the fact that during the fight, Pacquiao often found himself on the ropes, a seemingly inviting target for Cotto's powerful body punching and damaging left hooks.
Said Roach: "I yelled at him every time, 'why are you fighting his fight? We're giving this guy an opportunity to bang the body and use his left hook.' And Manny said, 'I can handle it.' I said, 'well, show me.' And he did."
Said Pacquiao: "Sometimes I stayed on the ropes trying to control the fight. Sometimes it really hurt, but trying to control the fight, it's a mind (game). Pretending that you weren't hurt. But, it really hurt."
After the fight, Top Rank's Bob Arum, who promoted many of Muhammad Ali's fights, called Pacquiao the greatest fighter ever, better even than Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler.
Pacquiao was embarrassed by the comparison. "I'm just doing my job to give a good fight in every fight I've had in my boxing career," he said. "And that's my goal, to give enjoyment to all those people who are always watching us."
Talking about his history-making seventh title in seven different weight divisions, Pacquiao said, "Even to myself, it's unbelievable. I can't believe it. But I say nothing is impossible if you believe in God. Keep praying and nothing is impossible."
So what's next for Pacquiao? The crowd let him know that the only logical choice was undefeated Floyd Mayweather, chanting "We want Floyd! We want Floyd!"
Since they have no intention of going up another notch in weight, "unless it's the right opponent," Roach said, Mayweather would seem like the only target left to conquer.
"I want to see him fight Mayweather," Roach admitted.
For now, Pacquiao will spend a few days resting in the U.S., then head back to the Philippines, where he is running for Congress. The election is next April.
"The next time he fights, he might be Congressman Manny Pacquiao," Roach said. "But I think he could be a better (ambassador) for his country as a boxer than a politician."
Source: usatoday.com
***
Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto trade blows
(Source: http://www.doghouseboxing.com/Media/ReM_Manny_Pacquiao_Cotto_GV.jpg)
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Pacquiao prays for fellow boxer
The Straits Times
LAS VEGAS (Nevada) - MANNY Pacquiao says when he was just 18-years-old a boxer on the undercard of one of his fights got into trouble in the ring and ended up dying in his arms.
The seven-time champion Pacquiao was reminded on Saturday of the incident that took place just over a decade ago when Filipino bantamweight Z Gorres was hospitalised on Friday with a serious head injury following his victory over Juan Melendez of Colombia.
'I pray to God for his recovery and I am very sorry for him and his family,' said Pacquiao, prior to his 12 round technical knockout of Miguel Cotto in a WBO welterweight title fight at the MGM Grand hotel.
The 27-year-old Gorres, who was fighting on a smaller Las Vegas card, was hurt in the last half minute of his fight Friday at nearby Mandalay Bay hotel.
Pacquiao's trainer and former boxer Freddie Roach said the Filipino superstar understands the risks whenever he steps in the ring. 'He told me this is what we do. This is what we signed on for,' Roach said of Pacquiao.
Gorres had undergone surgery on Friday night to reduce swelling to the head and is expected to be in hospital for the next few days. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on Sunday that Gorres was in stable condition after undergoing treatment for a subdural hematoma. -- AFP
Source: straitstimes.com
LAS VEGAS (Nevada) - MANNY Pacquiao says when he was just 18-years-old a boxer on the undercard of one of his fights got into trouble in the ring and ended up dying in his arms.
The seven-time champion Pacquiao was reminded on Saturday of the incident that took place just over a decade ago when Filipino bantamweight Z Gorres was hospitalised on Friday with a serious head injury following his victory over Juan Melendez of Colombia.
'I pray to God for his recovery and I am very sorry for him and his family,' said Pacquiao, prior to his 12 round technical knockout of Miguel Cotto in a WBO welterweight title fight at the MGM Grand hotel.
The 27-year-old Gorres, who was fighting on a smaller Las Vegas card, was hurt in the last half minute of his fight Friday at nearby Mandalay Bay hotel.
Pacquiao's trainer and former boxer Freddie Roach said the Filipino superstar understands the risks whenever he steps in the ring. 'He told me this is what we do. This is what we signed on for,' Roach said of Pacquiao.
Gorres had undergone surgery on Friday night to reduce swelling to the head and is expected to be in hospital for the next few days. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on Sunday that Gorres was in stable condition after undergoing treatment for a subdural hematoma. -- AFP
Source: straitstimes.com
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Pacquiao-Mayweather match must be made
By Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports
LAS VEGAS – Just minutes after Manny Pacquiao had violently turned Miguel Cotto’s face into raw hamburger, the chant rose up from the stands of the MGM Grand Garden Arena:
“We want Floyd.”
Pacquiao had delivered a systematic demolition job of Cotto, winning the World Boxing Organization welterweight title via 12th round TKO with round after round of devastating shots against a bigger, stronger man.
It was the second electrifying boxing performance of the fall. The first was Floyd Mayweather Jr’s 12-round decision over Juan Manuel Marquez in September. That fight broke the rare 1 million pay-per-view bar, a number that will likely be exceeded by this fight too.
So now the stage is set for a super fight that could set box office records – Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. It’s the dream bout between the two best pound-for-pound champions in the sport, hopefully sometime in 2010.
“If Floyd Mayweather wants to fight Manny Pacquiao he knows who to call,” said Bob Arum, the CEO of Top Rank Boxing, the promotion which handles Pacquiao.
Within minutes, Ross Greenberg, the head of HBO Sports said he had spoken to Richard Shaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, which represents Mayweather.
“Richard told me point blank, Bob Arum will be getting that call Monday,” Greenberg said. “He plans on meeting next week with Bob to make the Mayweather fight.”
There will, no doubt, be posturing and preening and negotiating over the split. There are no small egos in this battle; no small checks, either.
“Benjamin Franklin is the most important personality [in the negotiation],” said Greenberg, whose company would handle the pay-per-view. “His face, multiplied by 15 million brings people to the table. Each guy needs to look at the big picture and the big picture is a boat load of cash and a fight too important for the sport.”
Greenberg said the 2007 fight between Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya resulted in an $80 million purse.
“Is this one smaller?” Greenberg said, shaking his head. “Bigger.”
For boxing fans who care little about who gets more of the final millions and just want to see two legendary fighters in the prime of their careers, this will be a tantalizing wait.
“I think that is the fight the world wants to see,” Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, said.
Pacquiao’s performance here was a thing of beauty, the continuation of a run of brilliance. He chopped a big, powerful opponent down with a combination of speed, smarts and toughness to take shots of his own.
He didn’t shy away from leaning on the ropes and mixing it up with Cotto because he said he wanted to prove he can fight a physical fight and was tired of hearing about Cotto’s supposed strength.
“I yelled at him every time, why are you fighting his fight?” Roach said. “Manny says, ‘I can handle it.’ I said, ‘Well, prove it.’ And he did.”
Post-fight, Cotto was sent to a local trauma unit. Pacquiao performed an eight-song set with his band at an outdoor concert at Mandalay Bay.
The night left little doubt about his genius.
Pacquiao, 30, who has won titles in a record six or seven weight classes (depending on which version of history you believe), said his 5-foot-6 frame can’t handle a weight higher than 145, so he’s running out of challengers.
The only real one left is Mayweather, 32, the 5-foot-7 welterweight who presents his own combination of historic quickness, boxing smarts and defensive skills.
Likewise, Pac-man is about the only real threat to Mayweather, who has dominated boxing in putting together a 40-0 record. Nearly two years ago, Mayweather was so bored from the lack of challengers, he retired for a stretch.
In his absence, Pacquiao rose, defeating both De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton in a much more brutal manner than Mayweather did. Now it’s Pac-man (50-3-2) who many call the pound-for-pound king, a fictional title that Mayweather insists is still his.
Now they can prove it.
Both are known for their ability to throw and land punches from unusual angles, from avoiding contact and for making each punch count. It would be speed against speed, true boxer against true boxer, two all-time greats, lined up and ready.
Each fighter’s colorful entourage had already started the debates and trash talk.
Floyd Mayweather Sr. launched into a circular rant that essentially accused Pacquiao of being on HGH. “I’ve been in boxing since I was 15 years old, I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said of Pacquiao’s new-found size and chin. Not that Senior said it would matter if Manny fought his son.
“When it’s time for us to fight, I’m going to show you all who the master is,” Mayweather Sr. said.
For good measure Mayweather Sr. claimed Roach was only a great trainer because he has a great fighter.
“Tell him to go [expletive] himself,” Roach said.
Roach said the game plan against Mayweather is obvious, catch him if you can.
“Mayweather is a very defensive fighter,” Roach said. “He doesn’t like to engage much. You have to pressure him. I think we have the hand speed to do that. We’d have to set traps for him and fight every minute of every round. I hear he [trains like] a machine too. I’d like to see who lasts longer.”
Roach also feels that with the chin Pacquiao showed against Cotto, that forcing the action against the softer hitting Mayweather won’t present a risk.
“Floyd can’t break a nail, he hurts his hands all the time,” Roach said. “He can’t knock Manny Pacquiao out.”
Pacquiao said he was taking a vacation and would fight whoever Arum set up for him. Mayweather Jr. did not attend the fight even though he lives in Las Vegas. His father said he did watch at home though and the loquacious boxer would have plenty to say in the future.
No one doubts that one.
And for once, it seems that boxing’s suicidal politics and factions won’t stand in the way of the fight everyone wants to see.
Pacquiao vs. Mayweather. See you in 2010.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
***
.jpg)
LAS VEGAS – Just minutes after Manny Pacquiao had violently turned Miguel Cotto’s face into raw hamburger, the chant rose up from the stands of the MGM Grand Garden Arena:
“We want Floyd.”
Pacquiao had delivered a systematic demolition job of Cotto, winning the World Boxing Organization welterweight title via 12th round TKO with round after round of devastating shots against a bigger, stronger man.
It was the second electrifying boxing performance of the fall. The first was Floyd Mayweather Jr’s 12-round decision over Juan Manuel Marquez in September. That fight broke the rare 1 million pay-per-view bar, a number that will likely be exceeded by this fight too.
So now the stage is set for a super fight that could set box office records – Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. It’s the dream bout between the two best pound-for-pound champions in the sport, hopefully sometime in 2010.
“If Floyd Mayweather wants to fight Manny Pacquiao he knows who to call,” said Bob Arum, the CEO of Top Rank Boxing, the promotion which handles Pacquiao.
Within minutes, Ross Greenberg, the head of HBO Sports said he had spoken to Richard Shaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, which represents Mayweather.
“Richard told me point blank, Bob Arum will be getting that call Monday,” Greenberg said. “He plans on meeting next week with Bob to make the Mayweather fight.”
There will, no doubt, be posturing and preening and negotiating over the split. There are no small egos in this battle; no small checks, either.
“Benjamin Franklin is the most important personality [in the negotiation],” said Greenberg, whose company would handle the pay-per-view. “His face, multiplied by 15 million brings people to the table. Each guy needs to look at the big picture and the big picture is a boat load of cash and a fight too important for the sport.”
Greenberg said the 2007 fight between Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya resulted in an $80 million purse.
“Is this one smaller?” Greenberg said, shaking his head. “Bigger.”
For boxing fans who care little about who gets more of the final millions and just want to see two legendary fighters in the prime of their careers, this will be a tantalizing wait.
“I think that is the fight the world wants to see,” Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, said.
Pacquiao’s performance here was a thing of beauty, the continuation of a run of brilliance. He chopped a big, powerful opponent down with a combination of speed, smarts and toughness to take shots of his own.
He didn’t shy away from leaning on the ropes and mixing it up with Cotto because he said he wanted to prove he can fight a physical fight and was tired of hearing about Cotto’s supposed strength.
“I yelled at him every time, why are you fighting his fight?” Roach said. “Manny says, ‘I can handle it.’ I said, ‘Well, prove it.’ And he did.”
Post-fight, Cotto was sent to a local trauma unit. Pacquiao performed an eight-song set with his band at an outdoor concert at Mandalay Bay.
The night left little doubt about his genius.
Pacquiao, 30, who has won titles in a record six or seven weight classes (depending on which version of history you believe), said his 5-foot-6 frame can’t handle a weight higher than 145, so he’s running out of challengers.
The only real one left is Mayweather, 32, the 5-foot-7 welterweight who presents his own combination of historic quickness, boxing smarts and defensive skills.
Likewise, Pac-man is about the only real threat to Mayweather, who has dominated boxing in putting together a 40-0 record. Nearly two years ago, Mayweather was so bored from the lack of challengers, he retired for a stretch.
In his absence, Pacquiao rose, defeating both De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton in a much more brutal manner than Mayweather did. Now it’s Pac-man (50-3-2) who many call the pound-for-pound king, a fictional title that Mayweather insists is still his.
Now they can prove it.
Both are known for their ability to throw and land punches from unusual angles, from avoiding contact and for making each punch count. It would be speed against speed, true boxer against true boxer, two all-time greats, lined up and ready.
Each fighter’s colorful entourage had already started the debates and trash talk.
Floyd Mayweather Sr. launched into a circular rant that essentially accused Pacquiao of being on HGH. “I’ve been in boxing since I was 15 years old, I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said of Pacquiao’s new-found size and chin. Not that Senior said it would matter if Manny fought his son.
“When it’s time for us to fight, I’m going to show you all who the master is,” Mayweather Sr. said.
For good measure Mayweather Sr. claimed Roach was only a great trainer because he has a great fighter.
“Tell him to go [expletive] himself,” Roach said.
Roach said the game plan against Mayweather is obvious, catch him if you can.
“Mayweather is a very defensive fighter,” Roach said. “He doesn’t like to engage much. You have to pressure him. I think we have the hand speed to do that. We’d have to set traps for him and fight every minute of every round. I hear he [trains like] a machine too. I’d like to see who lasts longer.”
Roach also feels that with the chin Pacquiao showed against Cotto, that forcing the action against the softer hitting Mayweather won’t present a risk.
“Floyd can’t break a nail, he hurts his hands all the time,” Roach said. “He can’t knock Manny Pacquiao out.”
Pacquiao said he was taking a vacation and would fight whoever Arum set up for him. Mayweather Jr. did not attend the fight even though he lives in Las Vegas. His father said he did watch at home though and the loquacious boxer would have plenty to say in the future.
No one doubts that one.
And for once, it seems that boxing’s suicidal politics and factions won’t stand in the way of the fight everyone wants to see.
Pacquiao vs. Mayweather. See you in 2010.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
***
Manny Pacquiao knocks Miguel Cotto down
(Source: http://image3.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID739/images/pacquaioknocksdowncotto(JaeCHong).jpg)
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Izenberg: In taking down a bigger opponent, Manny Pacquiao morphs from Mighty Mouse into Godzilla
By Jerry Izenberg/Columnist Emeritus, The Star-Ledger
LAS VEGAS — So what did Manny Pacquiao achieve on Saturday night beyond winning his seventh title in seven different weight classes to catapult himself to a place where no fighter had ever gone?
He brought boxing back into the newspapers, back onto the television and back into an unbroken chain of conversations across America from its office water coolers and its neighborhood saloons.
Yankee Stadium and the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium are now talking about outdoor championship fights with guess who as the magnet that will pack them in.
The face of all of boxing is indelibly stamped with that of Manny Pacquiao today. And if you try to sketch-in the face of the man who will become the other half of the equation that could bring the sport — and the crowds — and the money back to a prominence that used to be trumpeted by names like Ali, Tyson and Sugar Ray Robinson, it takes on the image of Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Together they could restore the kind of magic and drama that just a week ago nobody thought was possible. They could be the twin genies of Ali and Frazier and the rivalry that will never fade into obscurity.
Manny Pacquiao is the Merlin who set up this situation by unleashing the final ingredient into a night filled with Filipino and Puerto Rican flag-waving, roars that shook down thunder from the very rafters of the building and with a final coda of agreement among both sets of highly partisan groups that on this night they had seen the very best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet and his name is Manny Pacquiao.
There had been a thought among many (not including the town’s linemakers who had Manny as a powerful 3-1 favorite) that perhaps Manny had let his reach exceed his grasp by agreeing to fight a bigger and, most thought, stronger opponent as his litmus.
But Miguel Cotto never had a chance.
So this is the way the dream ended for Miguel Cotto on Saturday night. From the fifth round on, he was able to throw fewer than 10 power punches per round. That’s like trying to stop a swarm of killer bees with a feather duster. He was trying to survive on legs that had begun to look like twin pillars of wet spaghetti. And it kept on getting more and more hopeless. He was all alone on a rapidly melting ice floe while the cuts that looked like small tributaries at the beginning of round 12 had turned part of his face into a crimson mask.
And through those final seconds, from every corner of the MGM Grand Arena, a one-word chant told the entire story:
‘‘Maanny..MaannyÂ…Maanny.’’
Back in the Philippines, it was would have translated into a single Tagalog phrase:
‘‘Manny, mabuhay ka’’ (Long live, Manny Pacquiao)
Here in Gomorrah-by-the-Desert, it was a tribute to the oldest of gambler’s adages:
‘‘The race (or fight) may not always go to the army with the most guns — but that sure as hell is the way to bet.’’
This wasn’t just a great welterweight fight here at the Grand Garden. What it was, was a coronation. Manny Pacquiao morphed from Mighty Mouse into Godzilla on the strength of a single, dramatic evening. In a field of contenders and pretenders, he now shines above them all like the Hope Diamond atop a landfill of broken cheap wine bottles.
The Star-Ledger card gave Cotto only two of the 11 rounds preceding the stoppage. When Kenny Bayless, the referee, stepped in to stop it 55 seconds into the 12th round, it was an act of mercy, certifying reality. Pacquiao floored Cotto twice. He took away his legs. He took away his will. He neutralized every weapon that Cotto had brought to the battle. He was equally deadly with either hand.
And he exhibited the kind of domination over Cotto that reaffirmed a mantra that thousands of trainers know is a rock solid proposition:
Speed will always defeat power if the speed is consistent.
Pacquiao was a whirlwind that turned the underdog’s first-round hope into pure disaster. The plan had been repeated by Freddie Roach, Manny’s trainer, until it sounded like a boxing catechism:
‘‘Stay off the ropes. Don’t let your back touch them. Make this a dead-center of the ring fight and it will be easy.’’
In the very first round Manny let it happen. It was the only time all night. But there he was back on the ropes and Cotto was on him. He had driven Pacquiao there with his jab, which had been surprising effective. He threw the hook. Manny slipped it and soon after the bell rang.
Cotto had won the round. But the near miss had jarred Pacquiao’s memory and that memory had won him the fight.
Manny had never again come even close to ceding the geography of the ring. It became his territorial imperative. With no place left him from which to counter punch (Cotto’s strength), Pacquiao took advantage of every angle, took advantage of his spectacular hand speed and took advantage, well, of Miguel Cotto.
He dropped him in the third round and again in the fourth. The first cut began to leak midway through the scheduled 12-rounder. In Cotto’s corner, Joe Chavez, his cut man, began to earn his salary. By the ninth round, everyone in the joint knew the fight was over. In the 11th, Cotto began to run and Pacquiao picked him off again and again at his leisure.
At the start of the 12th, a single right hand opened the bigger of the two cuts. Bayless did not wait.
He jumped in and put his arms around Cotto and ended it — much to both corners’ relief.
It was a for Pacquiao a declaration and a challenge.
The ball is in Floyd Mayweather’s court now.
Source: nj.com
***
LAS VEGAS — So what did Manny Pacquiao achieve on Saturday night beyond winning his seventh title in seven different weight classes to catapult himself to a place where no fighter had ever gone?
He brought boxing back into the newspapers, back onto the television and back into an unbroken chain of conversations across America from its office water coolers and its neighborhood saloons.
Yankee Stadium and the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium are now talking about outdoor championship fights with guess who as the magnet that will pack them in.
The face of all of boxing is indelibly stamped with that of Manny Pacquiao today. And if you try to sketch-in the face of the man who will become the other half of the equation that could bring the sport — and the crowds — and the money back to a prominence that used to be trumpeted by names like Ali, Tyson and Sugar Ray Robinson, it takes on the image of Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Together they could restore the kind of magic and drama that just a week ago nobody thought was possible. They could be the twin genies of Ali and Frazier and the rivalry that will never fade into obscurity.
Manny Pacquiao is the Merlin who set up this situation by unleashing the final ingredient into a night filled with Filipino and Puerto Rican flag-waving, roars that shook down thunder from the very rafters of the building and with a final coda of agreement among both sets of highly partisan groups that on this night they had seen the very best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet and his name is Manny Pacquiao.
There had been a thought among many (not including the town’s linemakers who had Manny as a powerful 3-1 favorite) that perhaps Manny had let his reach exceed his grasp by agreeing to fight a bigger and, most thought, stronger opponent as his litmus.
But Miguel Cotto never had a chance.
So this is the way the dream ended for Miguel Cotto on Saturday night. From the fifth round on, he was able to throw fewer than 10 power punches per round. That’s like trying to stop a swarm of killer bees with a feather duster. He was trying to survive on legs that had begun to look like twin pillars of wet spaghetti. And it kept on getting more and more hopeless. He was all alone on a rapidly melting ice floe while the cuts that looked like small tributaries at the beginning of round 12 had turned part of his face into a crimson mask.
And through those final seconds, from every corner of the MGM Grand Arena, a one-word chant told the entire story:
‘‘Maanny..MaannyÂ…Maanny.’’
Back in the Philippines, it was would have translated into a single Tagalog phrase:
‘‘Manny, mabuhay ka’’ (Long live, Manny Pacquiao)
Here in Gomorrah-by-the-Desert, it was a tribute to the oldest of gambler’s adages:
‘‘The race (or fight) may not always go to the army with the most guns — but that sure as hell is the way to bet.’’
This wasn’t just a great welterweight fight here at the Grand Garden. What it was, was a coronation. Manny Pacquiao morphed from Mighty Mouse into Godzilla on the strength of a single, dramatic evening. In a field of contenders and pretenders, he now shines above them all like the Hope Diamond atop a landfill of broken cheap wine bottles.
The Star-Ledger card gave Cotto only two of the 11 rounds preceding the stoppage. When Kenny Bayless, the referee, stepped in to stop it 55 seconds into the 12th round, it was an act of mercy, certifying reality. Pacquiao floored Cotto twice. He took away his legs. He took away his will. He neutralized every weapon that Cotto had brought to the battle. He was equally deadly with either hand.
And he exhibited the kind of domination over Cotto that reaffirmed a mantra that thousands of trainers know is a rock solid proposition:
Speed will always defeat power if the speed is consistent.
Pacquiao was a whirlwind that turned the underdog’s first-round hope into pure disaster. The plan had been repeated by Freddie Roach, Manny’s trainer, until it sounded like a boxing catechism:
‘‘Stay off the ropes. Don’t let your back touch them. Make this a dead-center of the ring fight and it will be easy.’’
In the very first round Manny let it happen. It was the only time all night. But there he was back on the ropes and Cotto was on him. He had driven Pacquiao there with his jab, which had been surprising effective. He threw the hook. Manny slipped it and soon after the bell rang.
Cotto had won the round. But the near miss had jarred Pacquiao’s memory and that memory had won him the fight.
Manny had never again come even close to ceding the geography of the ring. It became his territorial imperative. With no place left him from which to counter punch (Cotto’s strength), Pacquiao took advantage of every angle, took advantage of his spectacular hand speed and took advantage, well, of Miguel Cotto.
He dropped him in the third round and again in the fourth. The first cut began to leak midway through the scheduled 12-rounder. In Cotto’s corner, Joe Chavez, his cut man, began to earn his salary. By the ninth round, everyone in the joint knew the fight was over. In the 11th, Cotto began to run and Pacquiao picked him off again and again at his leisure.
At the start of the 12th, a single right hand opened the bigger of the two cuts. Bayless did not wait.
He jumped in and put his arms around Cotto and ended it — much to both corners’ relief.
It was a for Pacquiao a declaration and a challenge.
The ball is in Floyd Mayweather’s court now.
Source: nj.com
***
Manny Pacquiao puts Miguel Cotto to the canvas in the 3rd round
(Source: http://www.doghouseboxing.com/Media/ReM_Manny_Pacquiao_Cotto5_G.jpg)
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Pacman eyes Floyd feast
By Niall Hickman, Daily Express
MANNY Pacquiao has only Floyd Mayweather Jnr in his sights after dismantling Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas yesterday with a performance of near perfection.
Filipino legend Pacquiao destroyed Cotto for round after round and mercifully referee Kenny Bayless pulled the bloodied and battered Puerto Rican out of the fight in the final round.
Pacquiao has now stopped Oscar de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Cotto in his last three bouts to become a seven-weight world champion and now all that remains is for him to take on Mayweather, widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound boxer.
‘Pacman’, who took Cotto’s WBO welterweight crown, said: “I’ll rest up and then think about the next fight, but obviously everyone is talking about Mayweather.
“I think we have to fight, there is no doubt about that. It is the fight the whole world wants to see, the best against the best. It needs to take place next year and I am sure he will want to fight me as much as I want to fight him.” Pacquiao delivered arguably the most awesome display of his stellar career in dethroning Cotto, who came into the ring clearly the bigger man but with nothing like Pacquiao’s stunning accuracy and speed.
Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach was furious that Cotto’s corner did not pull him out of the fight several rounds before the stoppage as the battle increasingly became a one-sided affair.
Roach said: “What I saw out there was a disgrace and Cotto should have been taken out of the fight three rounds earlier than the referee did it. It was one-way traffic and getting worse by the minute.
“They should not have let him take that beating because it will be worse for him in the future.”
Roach had a point as Cotto was a beaten man well before the end, even though he battled throughout the one-sided encounter and caught Pacquiao on numerous occasions. The difference was that Pacquiao’s detonating punches had an impact, but he walked through anything and everything Cotto could throw back.
Cotto started strongly, using his extra weight to gain a slight advantage, but a flash knockdown early on was a warning that this was not going to be his night.
As the bout wore on Cotto’s face started to lacerate and Pacquiao, who was strong at the end of every round, took control.
Pacquiao said: “It was the hardest night of my career. I hit Cotto with everything but he would not go down. It was a great performance from him but I think the referee was right to stop it.”
Source: express.co.uk
***
MANNY Pacquiao has only Floyd Mayweather Jnr in his sights after dismantling Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas yesterday with a performance of near perfection.
Filipino legend Pacquiao destroyed Cotto for round after round and mercifully referee Kenny Bayless pulled the bloodied and battered Puerto Rican out of the fight in the final round.
Pacquiao has now stopped Oscar de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Cotto in his last three bouts to become a seven-weight world champion and now all that remains is for him to take on Mayweather, widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound boxer.
‘Pacman’, who took Cotto’s WBO welterweight crown, said: “I’ll rest up and then think about the next fight, but obviously everyone is talking about Mayweather.
“I think we have to fight, there is no doubt about that. It is the fight the whole world wants to see, the best against the best. It needs to take place next year and I am sure he will want to fight me as much as I want to fight him.” Pacquiao delivered arguably the most awesome display of his stellar career in dethroning Cotto, who came into the ring clearly the bigger man but with nothing like Pacquiao’s stunning accuracy and speed.
Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach was furious that Cotto’s corner did not pull him out of the fight several rounds before the stoppage as the battle increasingly became a one-sided affair.
Roach said: “What I saw out there was a disgrace and Cotto should have been taken out of the fight three rounds earlier than the referee did it. It was one-way traffic and getting worse by the minute.
“They should not have let him take that beating because it will be worse for him in the future.”
Roach had a point as Cotto was a beaten man well before the end, even though he battled throughout the one-sided encounter and caught Pacquiao on numerous occasions. The difference was that Pacquiao’s detonating punches had an impact, but he walked through anything and everything Cotto could throw back.
Cotto started strongly, using his extra weight to gain a slight advantage, but a flash knockdown early on was a warning that this was not going to be his night.
As the bout wore on Cotto’s face started to lacerate and Pacquiao, who was strong at the end of every round, took control.
Pacquiao said: “It was the hardest night of my career. I hit Cotto with everything but he would not go down. It was a great performance from him but I think the referee was right to stop it.”
Source: express.co.uk
***
Miguel Cotto bloodied after fighting boxing's best Manny Pacquiao
(Source: http://www.doghouseboxing.com/Media/ReM_Manny_Pacquiao_Cotto6_G.jpg)
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Pacquiao-Mayweather a Match Made in Heaven (or Yankee Stadium?)
By GREG BISHOP, New York Times
LAS VEGAS — Three hours after Manny Pacquiao dispatched Miguel Cotto on Saturday night to capture his record seventh title in seven weight divisions, he jogged onto the stage at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Pacquiao wore a bandage over his right ear, which had been drained, a fedora and the smile of a man who had just made at least $13 million and boxing history. But while Pacquiao and his band launched into “La Bamba,” the boxing world had already turned toward his next potential fight, a sure blockbuster if it happens against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
“I get chills just thinking about it,” said Ross Greenburg, president of HBO Sports. “The reality is there’s only one fight to be made. We’ve waited a long time to get one of this magnitude.”
With the undefeated Mayweather and an international superstar in Pacquiao, the biggest draws in boxing, Greenburg said the bout would deserve a “Super Bowl-type stage.” That presents an enticing option, as early as next May — Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees are interested in hosting a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight next spring, according to a person in baseball who spoke on the condition of anonymity because a deal had not been completed. There have been no formal discussions, and there will not be before an agreement is reached between the fighters, but high-ranking Yankees employees have told boxing officials of their interest.
The Yankees held a news conference for Pacquiao and Cotto this fall, part of the effort to showcase the Stadium as a multipurpose site. Yankee Stadium has three times the capacity of the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the site for the Pacquiao-Cotto fight, which holds just over 17,000.
Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, said he believed Pacquiao and Mayweather would sell out Yankee Stadium. “That’s a fight the world wants to see,” he said.
Still, obstacles remain.
Mayweather used to fight for Top Rank Boxing, but when he left he said that Bob Arum, Top Rank’s chairman, shortchanges his fighters for money and opportunity. Arum did not hide his dislike for Mayweather on Saturday, but said personal feelings would not interfere with business.
Considered the best in boxing until he retired for more than a year, Mayweather made serious money after leaving Top Rank, in bouts against Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Juan Manuel Marquez. The Marquez fight surpassed one million pay-per-view buys, according to HBO, fueling Mayweather’s contention that he remains the biggest draw.
Early projections for the Pacquiao-Cotto fight, which ended with a 12th-round technical knockout, suggest pay-per-view buys in the 1.3 million to 1.4 million range. A fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather would likely surpass that, which would rank it among the most viewed bouts in boxing history.
“No matter who Manny fights right now, he’s going to draw a big crowd,” said Bruce Trampler, Top Rank’s matchmaker. “That’s the difference between these guys. Floyd needs a Manny. He needs a De La Hoya, a Hatton. And that’s no disrespect to Floyd. But one guy is an attraction and the other is a good draw.”
Perhaps. But boxing optimists hope that how the fighters would split the money will matter less than their interest in the total pot, which would be well into the tens of millions.
Arum said he planned to begin discussions Monday with Richard Schaefer, the chief executive of Golden Boy Promotions and the promoter for Mayweather’s last three fights. But the solution seems obvious at the outset, although in boxing, obvious does not always translate to a deal.
“There’s too much in the pot,” Greenburg said. “There’s too much of an opportunity here. Just take that big wad of money, all those millions, and split it down the middle.”
Greenburg labeled the likelihood of Pacquiao’s meeting Mayweather as great. He compared the level of interest in that fight to those staged in the 1980s by Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns and Marvin Hagler.
Still, the possibility exists that either fighter, or both, could schedule another bout before they face each other. Greenburg called that prospect ridiculous and said just thinking about it made him ill. But as recently as last month, Roach said he wanted to fight Marquez, who had a controversial loss to Pacquiao.
As evidenced against Cotto, Pacquiao keeps improving and winning in punishing and dramatic fashion. Roach has developed Pacquiao into a devastating finisher. Pacquiao declined Saturday to compare himself to other boxing greats, but Roach did not hesitate, labeling Pacquiao “the greatest fighter of his era, for sure, 100 percent.”
That said, should Pacquiao and Mayweather never square off, their legacies will not be complete, Greenburg said.
“Pacquiao’s place in history is rising on a daily basis,” he said. “But he can only complete it by taking that next step. And it’s an obvious next step. Until he beats Floyd Mayweather, his legacy’s not cemented. And the same goes for Floyd, against Pacquiao.”
Michael S. Schmidt contributed reporting from New York.
Source: nytimes.com
***
LAS VEGAS — Three hours after Manny Pacquiao dispatched Miguel Cotto on Saturday night to capture his record seventh title in seven weight divisions, he jogged onto the stage at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Pacquiao wore a bandage over his right ear, which had been drained, a fedora and the smile of a man who had just made at least $13 million and boxing history. But while Pacquiao and his band launched into “La Bamba,” the boxing world had already turned toward his next potential fight, a sure blockbuster if it happens against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
“I get chills just thinking about it,” said Ross Greenburg, president of HBO Sports. “The reality is there’s only one fight to be made. We’ve waited a long time to get one of this magnitude.”
With the undefeated Mayweather and an international superstar in Pacquiao, the biggest draws in boxing, Greenburg said the bout would deserve a “Super Bowl-type stage.” That presents an enticing option, as early as next May — Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees are interested in hosting a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight next spring, according to a person in baseball who spoke on the condition of anonymity because a deal had not been completed. There have been no formal discussions, and there will not be before an agreement is reached between the fighters, but high-ranking Yankees employees have told boxing officials of their interest.
The Yankees held a news conference for Pacquiao and Cotto this fall, part of the effort to showcase the Stadium as a multipurpose site. Yankee Stadium has three times the capacity of the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the site for the Pacquiao-Cotto fight, which holds just over 17,000.
Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, said he believed Pacquiao and Mayweather would sell out Yankee Stadium. “That’s a fight the world wants to see,” he said.
Still, obstacles remain.
Mayweather used to fight for Top Rank Boxing, but when he left he said that Bob Arum, Top Rank’s chairman, shortchanges his fighters for money and opportunity. Arum did not hide his dislike for Mayweather on Saturday, but said personal feelings would not interfere with business.
Considered the best in boxing until he retired for more than a year, Mayweather made serious money after leaving Top Rank, in bouts against Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Juan Manuel Marquez. The Marquez fight surpassed one million pay-per-view buys, according to HBO, fueling Mayweather’s contention that he remains the biggest draw.
Early projections for the Pacquiao-Cotto fight, which ended with a 12th-round technical knockout, suggest pay-per-view buys in the 1.3 million to 1.4 million range. A fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather would likely surpass that, which would rank it among the most viewed bouts in boxing history.
“No matter who Manny fights right now, he’s going to draw a big crowd,” said Bruce Trampler, Top Rank’s matchmaker. “That’s the difference between these guys. Floyd needs a Manny. He needs a De La Hoya, a Hatton. And that’s no disrespect to Floyd. But one guy is an attraction and the other is a good draw.”
Perhaps. But boxing optimists hope that how the fighters would split the money will matter less than their interest in the total pot, which would be well into the tens of millions.
Arum said he planned to begin discussions Monday with Richard Schaefer, the chief executive of Golden Boy Promotions and the promoter for Mayweather’s last three fights. But the solution seems obvious at the outset, although in boxing, obvious does not always translate to a deal.
“There’s too much in the pot,” Greenburg said. “There’s too much of an opportunity here. Just take that big wad of money, all those millions, and split it down the middle.”
Greenburg labeled the likelihood of Pacquiao’s meeting Mayweather as great. He compared the level of interest in that fight to those staged in the 1980s by Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns and Marvin Hagler.
Still, the possibility exists that either fighter, or both, could schedule another bout before they face each other. Greenburg called that prospect ridiculous and said just thinking about it made him ill. But as recently as last month, Roach said he wanted to fight Marquez, who had a controversial loss to Pacquiao.
As evidenced against Cotto, Pacquiao keeps improving and winning in punishing and dramatic fashion. Roach has developed Pacquiao into a devastating finisher. Pacquiao declined Saturday to compare himself to other boxing greats, but Roach did not hesitate, labeling Pacquiao “the greatest fighter of his era, for sure, 100 percent.”
That said, should Pacquiao and Mayweather never square off, their legacies will not be complete, Greenburg said.
“Pacquiao’s place in history is rising on a daily basis,” he said. “But he can only complete it by taking that next step. And it’s an obvious next step. Until he beats Floyd Mayweather, his legacy’s not cemented. And the same goes for Floyd, against Pacquiao.”
Michael S. Schmidt contributed reporting from New York.
Source: nytimes.com
***
Freddie Roach transformed Manny Pacquio into a fighting machine
(Source: http://beta.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/00012/PACQUIAO_COTTO_BOXIN_12512e.jpg)
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Boxing: Pacquiao savagery paves way for Mayweather super-fight
By Steve Bunce, The Independent
It was gruesome to watch in the end as Manny Pacquiao's punches distorted Miguel Angel Cotto's bloody and bloated face for far too long on Saturday night in the MGM ring, Las Vegas.
The referee, Kenny Bayless, finally stepped in after just 55 seconds of the 12th and last round to end a fight that Cotto's cornermen should have stopped a few rounds earlier. The endgame was a savage reminder of just how brutal boxing can be, and also a gentle reminder that behind Pacquiao's expert soundbites, smiles and political ambitions he is a vicious little fighter.
Pacquiao won the World Boxing Organisation welterweight title and collected something called the World Boxing Council's Diamond belt. In reality fighters with Pacquiao's brilliance make a mockery of the men with VIP passes, slick suits and fake smiles who leap into the ring to wrap their baubles across the chests of champions at the end of fights.
The fight was always going to be memorable and it had nothing to do with the tacky leather belt that Cotto entered the ring to defend and everything to do with both his bravery and Pacquiao's extraordinary talents. Pacquiao has now picked up belts in six different weight categories of varying quality from the multitude of sanctioning bodies. Right now Pacquiao is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and probably the people's champion and both mythical titles carry more respect than any belt.
There is thankfully a true super-fight for Pacquiao on the horizon in the shape of unbeaten Floyd Mayweather, a fighter of undoubted excellence inside the ropes but questionable ability to maintain a respectable lifestyle away from boxing. Little Floyd, as he is known, is 40 and zero in fights, not a champion at the moment, but he has held belts at five weights and beaten the best in the business during the last decade. The pair share several opponents including Oscar De La Hoya, who Pacquiao forced to quit and Mayweather narrowly beat on points, and Ricky Hatton, who was stopped in 10 by Mayweather and left unconscious in two by Pacquiao.
Making a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight happen will be extremely difficult for Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum and Richard Schaeffer, who appears to have been given the task by Mayweather, because of the huge sums that both boxers will demand. It will take skill and patience to put in place a fight that will break all existing financial records.
However, Pacquiao will now concentrate on winning a seat in the Philippines congress for General Santos City next May and in theory he may take his eye off the fight to begin another career that many expect to end in a run for the presidency. "I don't like Mayweather and he doesn't like me, but I can do a deal with Richard," claimed Arum. "Richard and I can negotiate tough and fight hard, but he is a good businessman and I trust him."
The thinking before Saturday's fight was that May next year would suit everybody, but with Pacquiao pursuing his political ambitions it now looks far more likely that September will become the date. Mayweather, who has only fought once since beating Hatton in December 2007, is considering a 10-round fight in January.
There were still some bold whispers in secret chambers late in the Las Vegas night that a March date, instead of May, could be found for a showdown. Boxing is a slow business when a big fight is on the agenda of the stubborn men that run the sport and March seems far too optimistic, even though Schaeffer announced that he would fly in late this week to begin talking. A March fight would have to be announced by the end of the month to allow the full marketing process to gloriously unfold, and traditionally nothing ever tries to fight Father Christmas, not even Pacquiao.
It is a pity really that so many people are understandably looking to the future and the Mayweather fight, because Saturday's performance by Pacquiao was breathtaking. He firmly established his credentials as a modern great, a fighter who has risen through the weights from world champion at flyweight 10 years ago, to the finest boxer in the world eight weights above and two stone heavier.
It was not as one-sided as Cotto's battered face suggests and Pacquiao needed to have the blood drained from his swollen right ear and was clearly exhausted at the end. Cotto, meanwhile, accepted the intervention and in many ways firmly closed the book on those in the business that questioned his heart after Antonio Margarito stopped him last year. Cotto will consider his future, but beatings like this ruin careers and it would not be a surprise if he walked away.
Cotto was dropped for the first time in round three and went down heavily in round four, just at a point when he had decided that playing safe was not going to help him. Pacquiao takes tremendous risks in fights by standing close to fearsome punches, but his speed gives him an edge and that is exactly what happened against Cotto.
It was a joy to watch it unfold, to watch Cotto run out of ideas and slowly take a career-ending beating from a master. That might sound cold, but that is what makes boxing work and there were moments when both fighters were at the very edge of their own abilities; they are rare in prizefights and demand to be cherished.
The end came too late, but then it is often said that the bravest men in the boxing ring are the cornermen and Cotto's posse certainly qualified for that dubious title on Saturday night.
It was over after a moment of mercy from Pacquiao, who looked at referee Kenny Bayliss and appeared to say something, and just a few seconds later, after one more left crunched into the side of Cotto's jaw, it was stopped. Boxing has a new modern master in Pacquiao, a tiny man in many ways who can now walk with the giants of the ring.
Kings of the ring: Bunce's legends
1 Muhammad Ali Won Olympic gold, had 25 world title fights, regained the heavyweight title three times and took part in some of sport's biggest events. He was a pro from 1960-1981 and won 56 of his 61 fights.
2 Sugar Ray Robinson Had 25 world title fights, held titles at two weights and would have held more in the modern era because there are more divisions. Pro from 1940-65 and won 175 of 202 bouts.
3 Sugar Ray Leonard Won Olympic gold, had 13 world title fights and held titles at five different weights. Was involved in major wins in great fights. A pro from 1977-1997 and won 36 of 40 fights.
4 Roberto Duran Had 22 world title fights, he is adored by the old school, held genuine titles at four different weights and once knocked out a horse! A pro from 1968-2001, he won 103 of 109 fights.
5 Manny Pacquiao Held a version of the world title at six weights from flyweight to welterweight and had 13 world title fights. A pro since 1995, he has won 50 of 55 fights.
Ferocious Filipino: Pacquiao's titles
*WBC World Flyweight Champion Beat Chatchai Sasakul, 4 Dec 1998.
*IBF World Super-Bantamweight Champion Beat Lehlohonolo Ledwaba by TKO, 23 June 2001.
*WBC World Super-Featherweight Champion Beat Juan Manuel Marquez by decision, 15 March 2008.
*WBC World Lightweight Champion Beat David Diaz by TKO, 28 June 2008.
*IBO World Light-Welterweight Champion Beat Ricky Hatton by KO, 2 May 2009.
*WBO World Welterweight Champion Defeated Miguel Angel Cotto by TKO on Saturday.
The new WBO world welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao's quickest knockout victory occurred on the 24 April 1997 in Makati City, Philippines, where the Filipino boxer demolished Wook-Ki Lee just 64 seconds into the first round.
Source: independent.co.uk
***
It was gruesome to watch in the end as Manny Pacquiao's punches distorted Miguel Angel Cotto's bloody and bloated face for far too long on Saturday night in the MGM ring, Las Vegas.
The referee, Kenny Bayless, finally stepped in after just 55 seconds of the 12th and last round to end a fight that Cotto's cornermen should have stopped a few rounds earlier. The endgame was a savage reminder of just how brutal boxing can be, and also a gentle reminder that behind Pacquiao's expert soundbites, smiles and political ambitions he is a vicious little fighter.
Pacquiao won the World Boxing Organisation welterweight title and collected something called the World Boxing Council's Diamond belt. In reality fighters with Pacquiao's brilliance make a mockery of the men with VIP passes, slick suits and fake smiles who leap into the ring to wrap their baubles across the chests of champions at the end of fights.
The fight was always going to be memorable and it had nothing to do with the tacky leather belt that Cotto entered the ring to defend and everything to do with both his bravery and Pacquiao's extraordinary talents. Pacquiao has now picked up belts in six different weight categories of varying quality from the multitude of sanctioning bodies. Right now Pacquiao is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and probably the people's champion and both mythical titles carry more respect than any belt.
There is thankfully a true super-fight for Pacquiao on the horizon in the shape of unbeaten Floyd Mayweather, a fighter of undoubted excellence inside the ropes but questionable ability to maintain a respectable lifestyle away from boxing. Little Floyd, as he is known, is 40 and zero in fights, not a champion at the moment, but he has held belts at five weights and beaten the best in the business during the last decade. The pair share several opponents including Oscar De La Hoya, who Pacquiao forced to quit and Mayweather narrowly beat on points, and Ricky Hatton, who was stopped in 10 by Mayweather and left unconscious in two by Pacquiao.
Making a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight happen will be extremely difficult for Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum and Richard Schaeffer, who appears to have been given the task by Mayweather, because of the huge sums that both boxers will demand. It will take skill and patience to put in place a fight that will break all existing financial records.
However, Pacquiao will now concentrate on winning a seat in the Philippines congress for General Santos City next May and in theory he may take his eye off the fight to begin another career that many expect to end in a run for the presidency. "I don't like Mayweather and he doesn't like me, but I can do a deal with Richard," claimed Arum. "Richard and I can negotiate tough and fight hard, but he is a good businessman and I trust him."
The thinking before Saturday's fight was that May next year would suit everybody, but with Pacquiao pursuing his political ambitions it now looks far more likely that September will become the date. Mayweather, who has only fought once since beating Hatton in December 2007, is considering a 10-round fight in January.
There were still some bold whispers in secret chambers late in the Las Vegas night that a March date, instead of May, could be found for a showdown. Boxing is a slow business when a big fight is on the agenda of the stubborn men that run the sport and March seems far too optimistic, even though Schaeffer announced that he would fly in late this week to begin talking. A March fight would have to be announced by the end of the month to allow the full marketing process to gloriously unfold, and traditionally nothing ever tries to fight Father Christmas, not even Pacquiao.
It is a pity really that so many people are understandably looking to the future and the Mayweather fight, because Saturday's performance by Pacquiao was breathtaking. He firmly established his credentials as a modern great, a fighter who has risen through the weights from world champion at flyweight 10 years ago, to the finest boxer in the world eight weights above and two stone heavier.
It was not as one-sided as Cotto's battered face suggests and Pacquiao needed to have the blood drained from his swollen right ear and was clearly exhausted at the end. Cotto, meanwhile, accepted the intervention and in many ways firmly closed the book on those in the business that questioned his heart after Antonio Margarito stopped him last year. Cotto will consider his future, but beatings like this ruin careers and it would not be a surprise if he walked away.
Cotto was dropped for the first time in round three and went down heavily in round four, just at a point when he had decided that playing safe was not going to help him. Pacquiao takes tremendous risks in fights by standing close to fearsome punches, but his speed gives him an edge and that is exactly what happened against Cotto.
It was a joy to watch it unfold, to watch Cotto run out of ideas and slowly take a career-ending beating from a master. That might sound cold, but that is what makes boxing work and there were moments when both fighters were at the very edge of their own abilities; they are rare in prizefights and demand to be cherished.
The end came too late, but then it is often said that the bravest men in the boxing ring are the cornermen and Cotto's posse certainly qualified for that dubious title on Saturday night.
It was over after a moment of mercy from Pacquiao, who looked at referee Kenny Bayliss and appeared to say something, and just a few seconds later, after one more left crunched into the side of Cotto's jaw, it was stopped. Boxing has a new modern master in Pacquiao, a tiny man in many ways who can now walk with the giants of the ring.
Kings of the ring: Bunce's legends
1 Muhammad Ali Won Olympic gold, had 25 world title fights, regained the heavyweight title three times and took part in some of sport's biggest events. He was a pro from 1960-1981 and won 56 of his 61 fights.
2 Sugar Ray Robinson Had 25 world title fights, held titles at two weights and would have held more in the modern era because there are more divisions. Pro from 1940-65 and won 175 of 202 bouts.
3 Sugar Ray Leonard Won Olympic gold, had 13 world title fights and held titles at five different weights. Was involved in major wins in great fights. A pro from 1977-1997 and won 36 of 40 fights.
4 Roberto Duran Had 22 world title fights, he is adored by the old school, held genuine titles at four different weights and once knocked out a horse! A pro from 1968-2001, he won 103 of 109 fights.
5 Manny Pacquiao Held a version of the world title at six weights from flyweight to welterweight and had 13 world title fights. A pro since 1995, he has won 50 of 55 fights.
Ferocious Filipino: Pacquiao's titles
*WBC World Flyweight Champion Beat Chatchai Sasakul, 4 Dec 1998.
*IBF World Super-Bantamweight Champion Beat Lehlohonolo Ledwaba by TKO, 23 June 2001.
*WBC World Super-Featherweight Champion Beat Juan Manuel Marquez by decision, 15 March 2008.
*WBC World Lightweight Champion Beat David Diaz by TKO, 28 June 2008.
*IBO World Light-Welterweight Champion Beat Ricky Hatton by KO, 2 May 2009.
*WBO World Welterweight Champion Defeated Miguel Angel Cotto by TKO on Saturday.
The new WBO world welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao's quickest knockout victory occurred on the 24 April 1997 in Makati City, Philippines, where the Filipino boxer demolished Wook-Ki Lee just 64 seconds into the first round.
Source: independent.co.uk
***
Manny Pacquiao lands a right at Miguel Cotto
(Source: http://media2.newsobserver.com/smedia/2009/11/15/00/259-APTOPIX_Pacquiao_Cotto_Boxing.sff.embedded.prod_affiliate.156.jpg)
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Pacquiao-Mayweather Would Be a Modern-Day Ali-Frazier
By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
LAS VEGAS -- The superlatives ran rampant during the aftermath of Manny Pacquiao's brilliantly violent beatdown of Miguel Cotto on Saturday night in an MGM Grand Garden Arena packed to its rafters with more than 16,200 fans.
Having witnessed the Filipino superstar's array of speed, athleticism and durability used to batter senseless the Puerto Rican warrior before their fight was stopped 55 seconds into the 12th round, promoter Bob Arum declared Pacquiao "the best fighter that I've ever seen -- and that includes Muhammad Ali, and Sugar Ray Leonard, and Marvin Hagler."
Ross Greenburg, head honcho of sports programming at HBO, told reporters it is time for Pacquiao to face unbeaten, pound-for-pound rival, Floyd Mayweather, in a "Super Bowl" type of matchup whose modern-day significance would rival Ali-Joe Frazier.
In fact, the crowd, in unison, chanted, "We want Floyd," during the fight's immediate conclusion.
"Floyd believes that he's the best in the world. And having witnessed Manny's performance tonight, and having seen what Manny has done against both [Oscar] De La Hoya and [Ricky] Hatton, it's clear that Manny has an argument," said Greenburg, who already has set up a meeting for Monday between Arum and Richard Shaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, representing Mayweather.
"Shaefer said that he would begin negotiating with Bob on Monday. And we have to settle it in the ring. What's most important is to seize the opportunity right now," said Greenburg. "This fight is huge, and I don't know if the sky is the limit. This is on the Super Bowl level, and it should be treated that way. We have to do it the right way and take it to another level."
Pacquiao floored Cotto twice and lost maybe one round in the fight on the way to earning the WBO welterweight (147 pounds) title. In the process, "The Pac-Man" became the first fighter to earn a seventh belt in as many different weight classes.
Pacquiao addressed the post-fight media wearing a full white gauze wrapping around his head. His badly swollen right ear had to be drained of liquids as a result of punishment received during the fight, and he was bruised beneath both eyes.
"I think this was one of the toughest fights in my boxing career. I took a lot of punches from Cotto -- my eyes, my ears," said Pacquiao, who began his career as a 106-pound, 16-year-old with a four-round decision over Edmund Enting Ignacio in January 1995 and earned his first world title with an April 1999, fourth-round knockout of Gabriel Mira at 112 lbs.
"I don't want to compare my achievements to Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard. I'm just doing my job to give the people a good fight," said Pacquiao. "My goal is to give good enjoyment to those people who are watching us."
The victory was the 50th for Pacquiao against three losses and two draws, and the 11th straight since losing a unanimous decision to Erik Morales in March of 2005.
During that stretch, the 30-year-old Pacquiao has eight knockouts, including four consecutively. That spree include those against David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, respectively, in nine, eight and two rounds.
And Pacquaio's run includes having twice avenged the loss to Morales, whom he stopped in 10, and, three rounds, in January and November 2006.
It also includes 12-round triumphs over Mexican legends Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez, as well as an eighth-round knockout of Jorge Solis, who entered their matchup unbeaten at 33-0-2, with 24 knockouts.
Against Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs), Pacquiao yet again displayed balance and a wizardry that allowed him to punch from awkward angles, even as some critics questioned his ability to carry his two-fisted power against a champion who represented the largest and strongest man he had ever faced in the ring.
Pacquiao, who fought Cotto at a catchweight of 145 pounds, weighed in at 144 -- his highest since the 142 against De La Hoya, as well as 138 against Hatton.
Still, Pacquiao was able to floor Cotto during each of the third and fourth rounds, respectively, with a right hand to the temple and a brutal left uppercut.
"Manny proved that he can punch with any 147-pounder in the world," said Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach. "Manny has great power and speed. I think that he proved everything tonight."
Earlier, Pacquiao had dominated Cotto in the ninth round where, at one point, there was an unanswered 10-punch combination as well as a three-punch series that nearly floored Cotto again.
Referee Kenny Bayless appeared ready to step in at that point, and Roach, for one, believes that he or Cotto's cornerman, Joe Santiago, should have.
"In round nine, Miguel was ready to give up. He was in retreat mode and wasn't trying to win the fight anymore," said Roach. "I mean, when you're not trying to win the fight anymore, and you're out there bleeding to death, and you see his face is bloody like that -- come on."
Pacquiao left Cotto's face a mass of welts, bruises and cuts, including a deep, laceration around his left eye from which blood flowed like a river.
Cotto apparently nearly remained on his stool following the 11th round, but changed his mind and tried to finish the fight before Bayless mercilessly put his arms around the beaten man and waved an end to it.
During the furious back-and-forth early rounds, however, Pacquiao said that he "wanted to measure" Cotto's strength as a challenge to the pre-fight notion that he -- as the smaller man -- couldn't withstand what Cotto had to offer.
"The first three rounds, I was measuring his power. That's why I didn't move. It hurts, and he's strong. But I pretended that I wasn't getting hurt by his punches, and I made it," said Pacquiao.
"Before the fight, there was talk that he was going to be bigger, and that he was going to be the stronger man in the ring. So I was like, 'Okay, we will see,'" said Pacquiao. "And I was trying to fight toe-to-toe, because I wanted to prove that I was stronger."
Roach said that Pacquiao "was hurt once" during the fight, "in the third round."
"Third round, coming off of the ropes in my corner, he got nailed with a left hook. Miguel was coming out low from a crouch and he threw a half-uppercut, half-hook, and he caught Manny and you saw him shake just a bit," said Roach.
"I told Manny, 'Next round, stay the hell off of the ropes.' I yelled at him and said, 'Why are you fighting his fight? You're giving the guy an opportunity to bang the body and use that left hook,'" said Roach. "'That's someplace that you don't want to be.' And Manny says, 'I can handle it,' and he did."
After taking what Cotto had to offer, Pacquiao said "I felt like after the third or fourth round, I had him."
A crossover star in America, Pacquiao has been featured in ESPN's Body Issue, graced the cover of Time Magazine, and been the subject of a five-page feature story in the New York Times.
Pacquiao was a knockout on a recent edition of Jimmy Kimmel Live, and was the only athlete among 18 recipients of this year's Gusi Peace Prize, bestowed upon him for his humanitarian efforts in disaster relief during two recent typhoons in the Philippines.
Pacquiao is in the midst of filming a movie, WaPak Man, about a super hero whose powers rival that of Super Man and Spider Man.
And his stock is only rising, even as he remains humble against the praise.
"When I think about what I've achieved right now, it's unbelievable. But I don't want to compare my achievement to any fighter. We just did our best in boxing," said Pacquiao. "I always thank God for the physical ability that he gives to me. As long as you believe in God, nothing is impossible."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
***
LAS VEGAS -- The superlatives ran rampant during the aftermath of Manny Pacquiao's brilliantly violent beatdown of Miguel Cotto on Saturday night in an MGM Grand Garden Arena packed to its rafters with more than 16,200 fans.
Having witnessed the Filipino superstar's array of speed, athleticism and durability used to batter senseless the Puerto Rican warrior before their fight was stopped 55 seconds into the 12th round, promoter Bob Arum declared Pacquiao "the best fighter that I've ever seen -- and that includes Muhammad Ali, and Sugar Ray Leonard, and Marvin Hagler."
Ross Greenburg, head honcho of sports programming at HBO, told reporters it is time for Pacquiao to face unbeaten, pound-for-pound rival, Floyd Mayweather, in a "Super Bowl" type of matchup whose modern-day significance would rival Ali-Joe Frazier.
In fact, the crowd, in unison, chanted, "We want Floyd," during the fight's immediate conclusion.
"Floyd believes that he's the best in the world. And having witnessed Manny's performance tonight, and having seen what Manny has done against both [Oscar] De La Hoya and [Ricky] Hatton, it's clear that Manny has an argument," said Greenburg, who already has set up a meeting for Monday between Arum and Richard Shaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, representing Mayweather.
"Shaefer said that he would begin negotiating with Bob on Monday. And we have to settle it in the ring. What's most important is to seize the opportunity right now," said Greenburg. "This fight is huge, and I don't know if the sky is the limit. This is on the Super Bowl level, and it should be treated that way. We have to do it the right way and take it to another level."
Pacquiao floored Cotto twice and lost maybe one round in the fight on the way to earning the WBO welterweight (147 pounds) title. In the process, "The Pac-Man" became the first fighter to earn a seventh belt in as many different weight classes.
Pacquiao addressed the post-fight media wearing a full white gauze wrapping around his head. His badly swollen right ear had to be drained of liquids as a result of punishment received during the fight, and he was bruised beneath both eyes.
"I think this was one of the toughest fights in my boxing career. I took a lot of punches from Cotto -- my eyes, my ears," said Pacquiao, who began his career as a 106-pound, 16-year-old with a four-round decision over Edmund Enting Ignacio in January 1995 and earned his first world title with an April 1999, fourth-round knockout of Gabriel Mira at 112 lbs.
"I don't want to compare my achievements to Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard. I'm just doing my job to give the people a good fight," said Pacquiao. "My goal is to give good enjoyment to those people who are watching us."
The victory was the 50th for Pacquiao against three losses and two draws, and the 11th straight since losing a unanimous decision to Erik Morales in March of 2005.
During that stretch, the 30-year-old Pacquiao has eight knockouts, including four consecutively. That spree include those against David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, respectively, in nine, eight and two rounds.
And Pacquaio's run includes having twice avenged the loss to Morales, whom he stopped in 10, and, three rounds, in January and November 2006.
It also includes 12-round triumphs over Mexican legends Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez, as well as an eighth-round knockout of Jorge Solis, who entered their matchup unbeaten at 33-0-2, with 24 knockouts.
Against Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs), Pacquiao yet again displayed balance and a wizardry that allowed him to punch from awkward angles, even as some critics questioned his ability to carry his two-fisted power against a champion who represented the largest and strongest man he had ever faced in the ring.
Pacquiao, who fought Cotto at a catchweight of 145 pounds, weighed in at 144 -- his highest since the 142 against De La Hoya, as well as 138 against Hatton.
Still, Pacquiao was able to floor Cotto during each of the third and fourth rounds, respectively, with a right hand to the temple and a brutal left uppercut.
"Manny proved that he can punch with any 147-pounder in the world," said Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach. "Manny has great power and speed. I think that he proved everything tonight."
Earlier, Pacquiao had dominated Cotto in the ninth round where, at one point, there was an unanswered 10-punch combination as well as a three-punch series that nearly floored Cotto again.
Referee Kenny Bayless appeared ready to step in at that point, and Roach, for one, believes that he or Cotto's cornerman, Joe Santiago, should have.
"In round nine, Miguel was ready to give up. He was in retreat mode and wasn't trying to win the fight anymore," said Roach. "I mean, when you're not trying to win the fight anymore, and you're out there bleeding to death, and you see his face is bloody like that -- come on."
Pacquiao left Cotto's face a mass of welts, bruises and cuts, including a deep, laceration around his left eye from which blood flowed like a river.
Cotto apparently nearly remained on his stool following the 11th round, but changed his mind and tried to finish the fight before Bayless mercilessly put his arms around the beaten man and waved an end to it.
During the furious back-and-forth early rounds, however, Pacquiao said that he "wanted to measure" Cotto's strength as a challenge to the pre-fight notion that he -- as the smaller man -- couldn't withstand what Cotto had to offer.
"The first three rounds, I was measuring his power. That's why I didn't move. It hurts, and he's strong. But I pretended that I wasn't getting hurt by his punches, and I made it," said Pacquiao.
"Before the fight, there was talk that he was going to be bigger, and that he was going to be the stronger man in the ring. So I was like, 'Okay, we will see,'" said Pacquiao. "And I was trying to fight toe-to-toe, because I wanted to prove that I was stronger."
Roach said that Pacquiao "was hurt once" during the fight, "in the third round."
"Third round, coming off of the ropes in my corner, he got nailed with a left hook. Miguel was coming out low from a crouch and he threw a half-uppercut, half-hook, and he caught Manny and you saw him shake just a bit," said Roach.
"I told Manny, 'Next round, stay the hell off of the ropes.' I yelled at him and said, 'Why are you fighting his fight? You're giving the guy an opportunity to bang the body and use that left hook,'" said Roach. "'That's someplace that you don't want to be.' And Manny says, 'I can handle it,' and he did."
After taking what Cotto had to offer, Pacquiao said "I felt like after the third or fourth round, I had him."
A crossover star in America, Pacquiao has been featured in ESPN's Body Issue, graced the cover of Time Magazine, and been the subject of a five-page feature story in the New York Times.
Pacquiao was a knockout on a recent edition of Jimmy Kimmel Live, and was the only athlete among 18 recipients of this year's Gusi Peace Prize, bestowed upon him for his humanitarian efforts in disaster relief during two recent typhoons in the Philippines.
Pacquiao is in the midst of filming a movie, WaPak Man, about a super hero whose powers rival that of Super Man and Spider Man.
And his stock is only rising, even as he remains humble against the praise.
"When I think about what I've achieved right now, it's unbelievable. But I don't want to compare my achievement to any fighter. We just did our best in boxing," said Pacquiao. "I always thank God for the physical ability that he gives to me. As long as you believe in God, nothing is impossible."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
***
Manny Pacquiao celebrates his magnificent victory over Miguel Cotto
(Source: http://www.chippewa.com/content/articles/2009/11/15/ap/sports/box_pacquiao_cotto.jpg)
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No More Arguments: Pacquiao Deserves Crown After Throttling Cotto
By Nancy Gay, FanHouse
LAS VEGAS -- There is no more debate. No one can question the boxing dominance of Manny Pacquaio, not after yet another devastating defeat of another of the sport's greats. Pacquaio's relentless speed, even at his heaviest weight ever, was absolutely too much for WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto.
Pacquaio won his unprecedented seventh world title in seven different weight classes Saturday night with a one-sided, 12th-round TKO over Cotto with 55 seconds remaining at a sold-out (16,200) MGM Grand Garden Arena, where a ticket couldn't be had for weeks.
No wonder. Fight fans eagerly anticipated this matchup, wondering if Pacquaio's incredible speed, which has seen him rise magnificently to titles from 112 pounds and now to welterweight, would be too much for Cotto to handle. Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs), one of Puerto Rico's most revered sports legends, came into this bout with only one blemish on his record: the controversial blood-soaked beating he sustained 15 months ago at the hands of Antonio Margarito.
But Cotto now becomes the latest top boxer to succumb to the speed of Pacquaio (50-3-2, 38 KOs), who took down David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton to set up this challenge against a pure welterweight who figured to outweigh him by 15 pounds at the opening bell.
Whether this leads to the obvious next chapter -- a welterweight matchup against Floyd Mayweather Jr. -- is probably up to Mayweather. He'll duck as long as possible. But Pacquiao is eager to see that fight happen, and he knows that it won't be easy to put together.
"My job is to fight in the ring and that's for Bob Arum to negotiate that fight," Pacquaio said. "For now, I don't know. I'm going to take a vacation and spend time with my family."
He deserves it, after nearly ending this fight in the opening round.
"In the first round, I'm looking for a knockout shot," Pacquaio said, "and that's why I didn't throw a lot of punches. Last minute, I hit him with a right hook. I heard he was bigger than me, stronger than me, so I wanted to fight toe to toe."
That they did. In the early round, Cotto's strength and power took some toll on Pacquaio. But that would soon diminish.
"We knew how tough he is. We knew he would counter," said Pacquiao, who took more punches early in this fight than he typically does, and emerged with a red welt under his right eye. "Yeah, we tried our best in the last round to knock him out. I thought in the 11th round they were going to stop the round. I was surprised he continued to fight through 12 rounds."
The beating became so one-sided, Cotto's wife and son left ringside in the eighth, unable to watch anymore. Cotto came away with cuts across his eyes, his nose bloodied, and nursing a tender left shoulder which left him wincing to the touch.
When it was over, Cotto's mother tenderly kissed her son's hands and fingers after his cornermen removed the wraps.
"I didn't see where the punches were coming from, and I didn't protect myself from his punches," said Cotto, who said he will continue to fight (and not retire) even though his father and many in his corner begged him not to continue after the 11th round.
"I'm very proud of what I did in the ring," said Cotto, who turned 29 on Oct. 29. "I've fought everybody."
Freddie Roach once again had Pacquiao honed to perfection for this challenge. He was disappointed to see his fighter pushed against the ropes too many times but couldn't find much fault with the outcome.
"Manny's hand speed was too much," Roach said. "Manny's in-and-out motion was too much. Cotto was better than we thought, he had better hand speed than he had against (Joshua) Clottey. But once we saw him backing up, I knew the fight was over."
Cotto's trainer, Joe Santiago, who had been criticized for being too inexperienced for a bout of this magnitude, was surprised by what he saw. "He hit a lot harder than we expected," Santiago said of Pacquaio. "He was a lot stronger than we expected."
Cotto's strength and weight advantage showed in the opening round. Cotto was clearly the aggressor, attacking Pacquaio's jab with power punches. Both fighters stayed in the center of the ring, and Cotto seemed eager to set the tone.
But Pacquaio came out more aggressively in the second, slipping uppercuts and combinations to counter Cotto's stand-and-deliver style.
Early in the third, a right hook by Pacquaio sent Cotto reeling for the fight's first knockdown, but the Puerto Rican answered with a straight right that rattled the challenger. Cotto scored again with a left jab that went straight to Pacquiao's chin.
In the fourth, Pacquaio's superior speed dominated the round, as did Pac-Man's left jab and combinations that overwhelmed Cotto's power punches. The champion managed to maneuver Pacquiao into the ropes, where Roach didn't want his guy to be caught.
But Pacquaio responded with a flurry of punches, including a devastating left uppercut with 10 seconds remaining in the fourth round that tagged Cotto square to his chin and rocked his head back for a second knockdown.
The two fought to a near-draw in the fifth round, but Cotto emerged with his face marked red and looking spent in his corner afterward. The final 10 seconds saw Pacquaio attack Cotto with a flurry of punches that may have sent the Puerto Rican to the canvas had he not been against the ropes.
By the sixth and seventh rounds, it was clear Cotto had lost much of the power behind his punches that earlier had done so much damage. His face, marked by tiny cuts, was red and swollen. Cotto stayed squarely in Pacquaio's face, but the Filipino went after him relentlessly.
Almost nothing missed -- Pacquaio scored with hooks, uppercuts, straight left hands. By the ninth round, Cotto was in retreat, trying to hold onto what power he had left and backing up more. It was the critical round: Cotto's face finally opened and began to bleed. Referee Kenny Bayless paused to examine the wounds near Cotto's nose and on his left eyelid, but let the two continue.
After the 10th, with their fighter bleeding profusely from his nose and left eyelid, Cotto's corner asked him if he wanted to continue. He told them yes.
By then, it was just a matter of when it would end for Cotto, and how. The champ stood in bravely, but by the end of a one-sided 11th round, Cotto was asking his corner if the fight was over yet. He was mangled and a mess.
The left uppercut, Pacquaio's staple punch, finally took down Cotto less than a minute before the final bell.
The final Punchstat numbers showed Pacquiao dominating in total punches thrown, 780 to 597, punches connected (335-172) and power punches connected: a devastating 275 to 93.
Cotto walked to his team bus with his wife and children, but was taken to Las Vegas' University Medical Center trauma unit to undergo a full body scan.
Pacquaio, looking refreshed in the post-fight news conference, said he would perform eight songs at an outdoor concert. One man in the hospital, the other making music. That's the state of boxing now, until Pacquaio gets his shot at Mayweather.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
LAS VEGAS -- There is no more debate. No one can question the boxing dominance of Manny Pacquaio, not after yet another devastating defeat of another of the sport's greats. Pacquaio's relentless speed, even at his heaviest weight ever, was absolutely too much for WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto.
Pacquaio won his unprecedented seventh world title in seven different weight classes Saturday night with a one-sided, 12th-round TKO over Cotto with 55 seconds remaining at a sold-out (16,200) MGM Grand Garden Arena, where a ticket couldn't be had for weeks.
No wonder. Fight fans eagerly anticipated this matchup, wondering if Pacquaio's incredible speed, which has seen him rise magnificently to titles from 112 pounds and now to welterweight, would be too much for Cotto to handle. Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs), one of Puerto Rico's most revered sports legends, came into this bout with only one blemish on his record: the controversial blood-soaked beating he sustained 15 months ago at the hands of Antonio Margarito.
But Cotto now becomes the latest top boxer to succumb to the speed of Pacquaio (50-3-2, 38 KOs), who took down David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton to set up this challenge against a pure welterweight who figured to outweigh him by 15 pounds at the opening bell.
Whether this leads to the obvious next chapter -- a welterweight matchup against Floyd Mayweather Jr. -- is probably up to Mayweather. He'll duck as long as possible. But Pacquiao is eager to see that fight happen, and he knows that it won't be easy to put together.
"My job is to fight in the ring and that's for Bob Arum to negotiate that fight," Pacquaio said. "For now, I don't know. I'm going to take a vacation and spend time with my family."
He deserves it, after nearly ending this fight in the opening round.
"In the first round, I'm looking for a knockout shot," Pacquaio said, "and that's why I didn't throw a lot of punches. Last minute, I hit him with a right hook. I heard he was bigger than me, stronger than me, so I wanted to fight toe to toe."
That they did. In the early round, Cotto's strength and power took some toll on Pacquaio. But that would soon diminish.
"We knew how tough he is. We knew he would counter," said Pacquiao, who took more punches early in this fight than he typically does, and emerged with a red welt under his right eye. "Yeah, we tried our best in the last round to knock him out. I thought in the 11th round they were going to stop the round. I was surprised he continued to fight through 12 rounds."
The beating became so one-sided, Cotto's wife and son left ringside in the eighth, unable to watch anymore. Cotto came away with cuts across his eyes, his nose bloodied, and nursing a tender left shoulder which left him wincing to the touch.
When it was over, Cotto's mother tenderly kissed her son's hands and fingers after his cornermen removed the wraps.
"I didn't see where the punches were coming from, and I didn't protect myself from his punches," said Cotto, who said he will continue to fight (and not retire) even though his father and many in his corner begged him not to continue after the 11th round.
"I'm very proud of what I did in the ring," said Cotto, who turned 29 on Oct. 29. "I've fought everybody."
Freddie Roach once again had Pacquiao honed to perfection for this challenge. He was disappointed to see his fighter pushed against the ropes too many times but couldn't find much fault with the outcome.
"Manny's hand speed was too much," Roach said. "Manny's in-and-out motion was too much. Cotto was better than we thought, he had better hand speed than he had against (Joshua) Clottey. But once we saw him backing up, I knew the fight was over."
Cotto's trainer, Joe Santiago, who had been criticized for being too inexperienced for a bout of this magnitude, was surprised by what he saw. "He hit a lot harder than we expected," Santiago said of Pacquaio. "He was a lot stronger than we expected."
Cotto's strength and weight advantage showed in the opening round. Cotto was clearly the aggressor, attacking Pacquaio's jab with power punches. Both fighters stayed in the center of the ring, and Cotto seemed eager to set the tone.
But Pacquaio came out more aggressively in the second, slipping uppercuts and combinations to counter Cotto's stand-and-deliver style.
Early in the third, a right hook by Pacquaio sent Cotto reeling for the fight's first knockdown, but the Puerto Rican answered with a straight right that rattled the challenger. Cotto scored again with a left jab that went straight to Pacquiao's chin.
In the fourth, Pacquaio's superior speed dominated the round, as did Pac-Man's left jab and combinations that overwhelmed Cotto's power punches. The champion managed to maneuver Pacquiao into the ropes, where Roach didn't want his guy to be caught.
But Pacquaio responded with a flurry of punches, including a devastating left uppercut with 10 seconds remaining in the fourth round that tagged Cotto square to his chin and rocked his head back for a second knockdown.
The two fought to a near-draw in the fifth round, but Cotto emerged with his face marked red and looking spent in his corner afterward. The final 10 seconds saw Pacquaio attack Cotto with a flurry of punches that may have sent the Puerto Rican to the canvas had he not been against the ropes.
By the sixth and seventh rounds, it was clear Cotto had lost much of the power behind his punches that earlier had done so much damage. His face, marked by tiny cuts, was red and swollen. Cotto stayed squarely in Pacquaio's face, but the Filipino went after him relentlessly.
Almost nothing missed -- Pacquaio scored with hooks, uppercuts, straight left hands. By the ninth round, Cotto was in retreat, trying to hold onto what power he had left and backing up more. It was the critical round: Cotto's face finally opened and began to bleed. Referee Kenny Bayless paused to examine the wounds near Cotto's nose and on his left eyelid, but let the two continue.
After the 10th, with their fighter bleeding profusely from his nose and left eyelid, Cotto's corner asked him if he wanted to continue. He told them yes.
By then, it was just a matter of when it would end for Cotto, and how. The champ stood in bravely, but by the end of a one-sided 11th round, Cotto was asking his corner if the fight was over yet. He was mangled and a mess.
The left uppercut, Pacquaio's staple punch, finally took down Cotto less than a minute before the final bell.
The final Punchstat numbers showed Pacquiao dominating in total punches thrown, 780 to 597, punches connected (335-172) and power punches connected: a devastating 275 to 93.
Cotto walked to his team bus with his wife and children, but was taken to Las Vegas' University Medical Center trauma unit to undergo a full body scan.
Pacquaio, looking refreshed in the post-fight news conference, said he would perform eight songs at an outdoor concert. One man in the hospital, the other making music. That's the state of boxing now, until Pacquaio gets his shot at Mayweather.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
Manny Pacquiao lands a left at Miguel Cotto
(Source: http://gulfnews.com/polopoly_fs/manny-pacquaio-and-miguel-cotto-1.527740!image/171606305.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_475/171606305.jpg)
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