Pacquiao Perfection?

During the undercards on Saturday night, Miguel Cotto sat ringside with his family, preparing for the inevitable battle that awaited. Hardening himself, the WBO welterweight champion probably didn't anticipate confessing to the world, “Manny is one of the best fighters of all time.”

The fight correctly dubbed “Firepower” became a firing squad for Pacquiao, and an utter cease-fire for the former champion Cotto. Pacquiao connected 49% of power shots, landing largely as he pleased throughout the fight. Cotto made it through the first round brilliantly, boxing and counter-punching effectively, keeping Pacquiao at a surprised distance with his solid jab. However, Pacquiao planted Cotto on the canvas in round three, distracting Cotto with a right hand feint, landing a straight left to the body, followed by a blinding right hook to Cotto's temple, finished with a left uppercut on the way down, just for good measure.

Against Freddie Roach’s advice, Pacquiao languished on the ropes a bit, testing Cotto's punching power. And that question seems to be answered: Manny Pacquiao can take the best punches from a full-fledged welterweight—he walked through the “stronger man's” best shots for twelve rounds. In the fourth round, Pacquiao landed a brilliantly placed left uppercut, penetrating Cotto's guard, his eyes rolling back as he stumbled to the canvas for the second time.
Cotto won round five with effective jabs and a measured attack, Pacquiao taking a rest after two consecutive 10-8 rounds. However, from round six on, Pacquiao controlled the fight, thrashing Cotto with blistering combinations from all angles. Pacquiao boxed on his toes beautifully early on and hunted flat-footed relentlessly to close the show. Pacquiao seemed to debilitate Cotto, the infamous body puncher, with every blow downstairs. In full retreat, the fight could have been justifiably called in the ninth round, Cotto back-pedaling from corner to corner, unable to adjust to the fight Manny dictated; Cotto’s wife and son left the arena before the bell ended the round.

Chief second Joe Santiago gave no technical advice to his fighter between rounds. Instead, a sense of mayhem and desperation ensued; Miguel even kissed his father between rounds, as if to say 'I will weather this...' But the Pacquiao-storm continued. Pacquiao grinned when hit flush by Cotto, beat his gloves together as he methodically stalked the defending champion, and often stopped in frustration, as if to say 'I thought this was a fight...' Even so, Cotto showed his true courage and warrior's heart as he stayed on his feet until Kenny Bayless waived the fight in the last round. Out-classed and aware of the outcome that loomed ahead, Miguel Cotto demanded to go out on his own terms.

In the aftermath of the most-anticipated fight of the year, a new welterweight champion has emerged. All questions regarding Pacquiao's previous victories over De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton should be laid to rest. All doubts regarding Manny's abilities against a legitimate welterweight champion have been undeniably removed. And the case for Pacquiao's pound for pound supremacy continues to solidify, a debate that Freddie Roach wants resolved in 2010.

Manny Pacquiao continues to exceed all expectations, winning a record-breaking and historical seven championship belts in seven different weight classes, solely responsible for carrying the hopes of a burdened nation, continually dominating bigger opponents in scintillating fashion. The popular question seems to be “Is Manny Pacquiao good enough to beat Floyd Mayweather?” But after making yet another career-defining emphatic statement in the middle of the ring, Pacquiao clearly states, “Is Floyd Mayweather good enough to beat me?” Fans of the Sweet Science eagerly wait with baited breath for the answer they deserve.

"Pac" Backpedaling

By nature, humans are brash and outspoken, boldly predicting what looms ahead with confident conviction. But time tends to clean the lens: hindsight provides 20/20 vision. And with that in mind, I thought back to the eager anticipation, the unwavering predictions from Manny Pacquiao's last two mega-fights--"contests" which are now brought into question, even disregarded after the impossible was accomplished.

Disclaimer: I am not denying that Oscar De La Hoya was weight drained on December 6th, 2008. However, we seem to forget the unanimous predictions that were shouted across the boxing board. Thomas Hauser, famous boxing writer and analyst, wrote "The disparity in weight between De La Hoya and Pacquiao has led to complaints that boxing's Golden Boy is buying a gold-plated mismatch. Oscar is in danger of being seen as a school-yard bully who, after having lost to fighters his own size, is now picking on tough little guys." Even fellow welterweights Paul Williams and Antonio Margarito blasted De La Hoya for fighting a lightweight, predicting a third round KO for the Golden Boy.

And now that the dust has settled and De La Hoya is throwing promotional punches full-time, the world seems to forget the way it was "supposed" to go. In factual comparison with all bias aside, Mayweather himself challenged a tough lightweight in Juan Manuel Marquez, at a catch-weight of 144 lbs (although Mayweather ignored the limit). With the blue-print of Pacquiao/De La Hoya scrapped and the finished product cemented, some were giving Marquez a fighting chance, largely due to his blood-and-guts wars with Pacquiao, the new Pound for Pound king.

But unlike the "Dream Match," the fight followed the predicted script, with the bigger and stronger Mayweather soundly beating a "tough little guy." Meanwhile, Mayweather's iconic rival went on to assassinate the bigger Hitman inside of two rounds. Roach predicted a KO inside of three rounds, which many scoffed at during the prelude to the fight. And although Manny was the betting favorite following his Goliath-like slaying of De La Hoya at 147 lbs, he was facing a prime RING champion in his own 140 lb weight class.

But boxing has no season, and as the fight calendar moves forward and new anticipations are found, fans tend to forget that Manny Pacquiao is defying the odds. De La Hoya writes in his exclusive RING blog that Pacquiao never hurt him with any punches, yet his swollen face and post-hospital visit beg to differ. And while Mayweather stays busy fighting radio DJ's like RA the Rugged Man, Pacquiao prepares for the fight of his career in Miguel Cotto. Much like his fight against the bigger and stronger Hatton, Pacquiao is already a 2-1 favorite over the bigger, stronger, prime, and natural welterweight. Some have stated in the aftermath that Pacquiao "cherry-picked" Oscar and Ricky, weight-drained and overrated, although both defeated foes were the one's to challenge the newly-crowned king. And in challenging Miguel Cotto, Pacquiao is doing what Mayweather should have done, and may be favored by odds-makers and sports-betters, but at least one boxing purist views this fight as even. Anyone who disagrees is seriously underestimating both warriors.

On the morning of November 15th, listen to the whispers around the boxing world. Will they say "Miguel Cotto was damaged goods," even after boldly predicting an end to Pacquiao's reign? Or will Cotto emerge victorious and restore logical thinking, executing the predicted-ending that was written off and forgotten after Pacquiao shocked the world? Maybe RA the Rugged Man can challenge the winner after his TKO of Mayweather. No matter the outcome, fight fans can rejoice, witnessing the best fight the best. All predictions, heated debates, and personal opinions aside, we should embrace the winner and finally give them the credit he deserves. If Pacquiao's hand is raised, we will know that Pacquiao bested a prime, welterweight champion, and all other squabbles about Oscar's weight and Hatton's lack of skills should be left behind. And if the Caguas Crusher celebrates in victory, he will have beaten Manny Pacquiao, the man that defied the odds. As fight fans of the Sweet Science, back-pedaling to excuses is trivial, yet some writers continue to live in the past. I for one am looking forward to the future, and an entire year of new anticipations to discover.

Worn with Pride.

We are ten days away from the fight of the year: Cotto vs. Pacquiao, November 14th. I recently ordered this shirt online (compliments of Ariel Payopay) to be worn on fight night. The bottom inside of the shirt flips up to read "VICTORY."

Pacquiao's keys to victory:

• constant in-and-out movement
• use uppercuts and angles to break the "ear-muff" defense
• fighting and counter-punching off the back foot early
• get Cotto's respect early, land blows often
• let Cotto assume the aggressor role, but jump on him when he starts to fade

Cotto's keys to victory:

• use the right hand lead followed by the left hook
• attack the body early and often
• use timing to offset speed (Mosley, Judah)
• use ring generalship to make Manny move
• find Pacquiao in the corner and against the ropes

In the last two mega-fights of Manny Pacquiao's career, I have always felt that twinge of uncertainty as the fight draws near...De La Hoya was a 2-1 favorite over the "little man," and while Hatton was the underdog, he blindly believed in his strength and power. And even though I feel confident that Pacman will make history that night, the looming size and natural weight of Cotto brings a shade of doubt; anything can happen in a fight.

I loved RA the Rugged Man's phone interview with Floyd Mayweather. Even though the interview was meant to get Money worked up, I loved how every question had no legitimate answer. Here is what we found out, compliments of Floyd Mayweather:

1. Weight doesn't matter in boxing (referring to Floyd choosing a chubby 36 y/o Marquez to move up and fight him)
2. Legacy doesn't pay the bills (referring to Floyd caring more about the payday than the quality of opposition, even though he maintains his mansion is paid in cash)
3. Boxing dies if I leave (maintaining that he alone is the star draw in the sport of boxing, despite the new-found fame and success of Manny Pacquiao)

Sergio Martinez vs. Paul Williams is a good secondary following another Pavlik pull-out. It would be sad if Kelly was stripped of his lineal titles in February if he doesn't make a defense...

I'm sick of Antonio Margarito even being mentioned. If he wants to fight, he should get in there with countryman Alfredo Angulo at 154 and find out how a proud Mexican warrior fights.

It's funny how Mayweather wants to be loved for his undefeated record, not his resume of opponents. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is undefeated. Need I say more?