A fight with Manny Pacquiao has become boxing's version of the golden ticket — fame and fortune will come for his next opponent.
iguel Cotto looks destined to benefit from the Pacquiao bump next. Pacquiao was ringside as Cotto recently won a close split decision over Joshua Clottey.
Immediately following the fight, promoter Bob Arum intimated that Cotto-Pacquiao would likely happen this fall. The contracts have not been signed yet, but Arum is moving forward as if the fight will take place. Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach also seems pretty warm to the idea, but wants Cotto to come down to 144 or 143.
There's where the main problem lies with this bout. Roach has been adamant that he wants Pacquiao to continue fighting no higher than 143 or 144. It is debatable whether Cotto can make this weight safely. Cotto is rather large for a welterweight, and routinely comes in well over 160 on fight night.
When he was a junior welterweight, Cotto struggled for years to make the 140-pound limit, and it began affecting his performance then. He was hurt and dropped several times, most noticeable against Ricardo Torres who almost knocked him out. These performances were blamed on Cotto's inability to make the weight safely.
If you need another example of what can happen to a weight-drained fighter, look no further than Oscar De La Hoya. Against Pacquiao, De La Hoya weighed in at 145 but only put on two pounds by fight time. He was unable to rehydrate himself properly, and had to receive several IVs. In the December fight, a sluggish De La Hoya was dominated and stopped after eight one sided rounds.
If all parties agree and this fight is signed, it may be the weight that determines the outcome. If Roach has his way and Cotto has to boil himself down to 143, the fight may be won before the boxers enter the ring. Roach knows the further down in weight Cotto comes, the weaker he will be.
Pacquiao is quicker and might actually have more miles left in the gas tank. Cotto may be starting to show signs of wear and tear, while Pacquiao is looking better than ever.
At 147, this fight appears to be an almost even match. At 144, Pacquiao would seem to be the favorite. At less than 144, it could become another lopsided Pacquiao blowout.
Source: foxsports.com
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
WBO wants to make Manny as Cotto's mandatory
The World Boxing Organization (WBO) wants to accommodate filipino Manny Pacquiao in the first position in the rankings of the 147 pounds so the fight with Miguel Cotto will be for Cottos title for their scheduled fight on November 14.
"I've asked the committee to put Pacquiao at number 1, so that he is fighting for the title of Cotto," said Francisco "Paco" Valcarcel, president of the WBO, in an interview with Primera Hora.
"We discussed the matter with Bob Arum (promoter of Cotto) and he agreed to be a tite fight," he added.
However, Gabriel Peñagarícano Cottos advisor, said that the title is one of the points that are still being negotiated.
"The fight been for Miguel's title is still a thing to negotiate," said Peñagarícano.
"It will be one of the factors to consider while discussing all aspects of this fight. As saying that an agreement was signed, is not true. There are several things to discuss. All that is agreed is that the fight would be 145 pounds, "he added.
After winning via split decision to Joshua Clottey on June 13, negotiations for a clash between Cotto and Pacquiao are designed. The World Boxing Organization (WBO) to accommodate filipino Manny Pacquiao in the first position in the rankings of the 147 pounds as long as Miguel Cotto risks his title for teh fight scheduled for November 14.
Source: primerahora.com
Monday, June 29, 2009
Cotto is Tough Match for Pacquiao but Winnable - Freddie Roach
anny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao is a Filipino professional boxer, part-time actor and recording artist.
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Popular trainer Freddie Roach has admitted that Miguel Cotto is a tough fight for Manny Pacquiao but he said the fight is winnable.
Freddie Roach is now talking about the Pacquiao-Cotto match, an indication that the highly anticipated fight will indeed happen.
Yahoo news reports:
If Top Rank promoter Bob Arum succeeds in arranging the match between the pound-for-pound king and the Puerto Rican champion, the fight will take place on November 14 in Las Vegas. “The thing is, he's big and strong and he's young,” Roach said referring to Cotto. “I think it’s a hard fight for us, Cotto is a strong puncher.”
“It's a tough fight, but the way Manny is fighting right now, it's a very winnable fight for us,” he said.
Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Berestain, trainer of Juan Manuel Marquez predicts that Pacquiao will finish Cotto in six rounds.
"Cotto remained a little deteriorated after the fight that he had with Antonio Margarito. And to be up against Manny Pacquiao, with all due respect - since I respect and I admire Puerto Rican boxing, but I believe that Pacquiao should put him on the canvas in five or six rounds," he said.
Although Cotto is physically superior than the pound –for-pound king, Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach thinks that the fight is winnable. Cotto, who is bigger and taller than the pound-for-pound king, has just agreed to a catch weight of 144-145 as specified by Roach.
In the meantime, a draft copy of the contract for the Pacquiao-Cotto match has been forwarded to Team Pacaquiao by Promoter Bob Arum thru Michael Koncz, Pacquiao’s Canadian adviser.
It is expected that a contract for the staging of the fight between Pacquaio and Cotto will finalized in the next few days.
Source: digitaljournal.com
Vote up this image!
Popular trainer Freddie Roach has admitted that Miguel Cotto is a tough fight for Manny Pacquiao but he said the fight is winnable.
Freddie Roach is now talking about the Pacquiao-Cotto match, an indication that the highly anticipated fight will indeed happen.
Yahoo news reports:
If Top Rank promoter Bob Arum succeeds in arranging the match between the pound-for-pound king and the Puerto Rican champion, the fight will take place on November 14 in Las Vegas. “The thing is, he's big and strong and he's young,” Roach said referring to Cotto. “I think it’s a hard fight for us, Cotto is a strong puncher.”
“It's a tough fight, but the way Manny is fighting right now, it's a very winnable fight for us,” he said.
Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Berestain, trainer of Juan Manuel Marquez predicts that Pacquiao will finish Cotto in six rounds.
"Cotto remained a little deteriorated after the fight that he had with Antonio Margarito. And to be up against Manny Pacquiao, with all due respect - since I respect and I admire Puerto Rican boxing, but I believe that Pacquiao should put him on the canvas in five or six rounds," he said.
Although Cotto is physically superior than the pound –for-pound king, Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach thinks that the fight is winnable. Cotto, who is bigger and taller than the pound-for-pound king, has just agreed to a catch weight of 144-145 as specified by Roach.
In the meantime, a draft copy of the contract for the Pacquiao-Cotto match has been forwarded to Team Pacaquiao by Promoter Bob Arum thru Michael Koncz, Pacquiao’s Canadian adviser.
It is expected that a contract for the staging of the fight between Pacquaio and Cotto will finalized in the next few days.
Source: digitaljournal.com
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Roach wants to silence Pacquiao’s critics
MANILA, Philippines - In pushing for a showdown with Miguel Cotto, American trainer Freddie Roach apparently wants to silence critics of the one-sided win scored by Manny Pacquiao over Oscar De La Hoya.
Interviewed by the Inquirer, Roach said he wants his prized ward to battle a legitimate world welterweight champion who is at his prime and is not past the age of 30.
“When we fought Oscar before the fight they said he’s going to kill Manny and then afterwards they say he was old. So after we beat Cotto what are they going to say?” said Roach during an overseas telephone interview from his Wild Card Gym.
“So we’re going to beat another champion at that weight and that will be another achievement for Manny Pacquiao, another world title for the pound for pound king.”
The age factor is probably one of the reasons why Roach is seemingly disinterested in getting another world welterweight champion Shane Mosley as Pacquiao’s next opponent.
Mosley, 37, holds the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight crown in knocking out Cotto’s lone conqueror Antonio Margarito in the ninth round last January at the Staples Center.
The 28-year-old Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs), who holds a 12-round decision win over Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs), is the current World Boxing Organization (WBO) title holder. Cotto recently defended his crown with a close decision win over tough Ghanaian Joshua Clottey in New York.
“When we fought Oscar at 147 he was not the world champion. Cotto’s a world champion at 147 so he will definitely be our toughest fight to date,” said Roach “Shane lost to Cotto so who’s the better fighter? Style-wise Shane’s a little bit faster than Cotto. But either guy is fine.”
Source: inquirer.net
Interviewed by the Inquirer, Roach said he wants his prized ward to battle a legitimate world welterweight champion who is at his prime and is not past the age of 30.
“When we fought Oscar before the fight they said he’s going to kill Manny and then afterwards they say he was old. So after we beat Cotto what are they going to say?” said Roach during an overseas telephone interview from his Wild Card Gym.
“So we’re going to beat another champion at that weight and that will be another achievement for Manny Pacquiao, another world title for the pound for pound king.”
The age factor is probably one of the reasons why Roach is seemingly disinterested in getting another world welterweight champion Shane Mosley as Pacquiao’s next opponent.
Mosley, 37, holds the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight crown in knocking out Cotto’s lone conqueror Antonio Margarito in the ninth round last January at the Staples Center.
The 28-year-old Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs), who holds a 12-round decision win over Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs), is the current World Boxing Organization (WBO) title holder. Cotto recently defended his crown with a close decision win over tough Ghanaian Joshua Clottey in New York.
“When we fought Oscar at 147 he was not the world champion. Cotto’s a world champion at 147 so he will definitely be our toughest fight to date,” said Roach “Shane lost to Cotto so who’s the better fighter? Style-wise Shane’s a little bit faster than Cotto. But either guy is fine.”
Source: inquirer.net
Roach: Pacquiao must fight smart vs Cotto
American trainer Freddie Roach said Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao needs to engage world welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in an intelligent fight in order to win.
“Cotto's very strong, we have to fight a very intelligent fight,” said Roach in an interview over dzSR’s Sports Chat with Dennis Principe.
If Top Rank promoter Bob Arum succeeds in arranging the match between the pound-for-pound king and the Puerto Rican champion, the fight will take place on November 14 in Las Vegas.
“The thing is, he's big and strong and he's young,” Roach said referring to Cotto. “I think it’s a hard fight for us, Cotto is a strong puncher.”
Cotto, the reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion, is 28 years old while Pacquiao is already 30.
However, Roach said Pacquiao’s current fighting level puts the odds in their favor.
“It's a tough fight, but the way Manny is fighting right now, it's a very winnable fight for us,” he said.
When asked about Shane Mosley’s insistence on securing a fight with the pound-for-pound champion, Roach said Pacquiao stands to gain more in fighting Cotto.
“You had the Mosley-Cotto [fight], [so] who's the better fighter? You gotta say it’s Cotto because when they fought, Cotto won,” said the American trainer.
In November 2007, Mosley tried to wrest the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight title from Cotto but lost by a unanimous decision.
“So, style-wise Shane is probably a little faster than Cotto. [But] I think Mosley is just way overrated,” said Roach.
Earlier, revered boxing trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain said Pacquiao needs only six rounds to beat Cotto. He said Cotto lost the edge after receiving a brutal beating from Antonio Margarito last July.
"Cotto remained a little deteriorated after the fight that he had with Antonio Margarito. And to be up against Manny Pacquiao, with all due respect - since I respect and I admire Puerto Rican boxing, but I believe that Pacquiao should put him on the canvas in five or six rounds," he said.
Beristain, who crafted Pacquiao nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez into a technical fighter, said Cotto had a hard time beating Joshua Clottey.
"In the fight against Clottey, you could see some of the aftermath of what happened with Margarito. Clotty is not a top-level fighter, and nevertheless, in some moments, Cotto was put in predicaments and the punches were affecting him," he said.
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
“Cotto's very strong, we have to fight a very intelligent fight,” said Roach in an interview over dzSR’s Sports Chat with Dennis Principe.
If Top Rank promoter Bob Arum succeeds in arranging the match between the pound-for-pound king and the Puerto Rican champion, the fight will take place on November 14 in Las Vegas.
“The thing is, he's big and strong and he's young,” Roach said referring to Cotto. “I think it’s a hard fight for us, Cotto is a strong puncher.”
Cotto, the reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion, is 28 years old while Pacquiao is already 30.
However, Roach said Pacquiao’s current fighting level puts the odds in their favor.
“It's a tough fight, but the way Manny is fighting right now, it's a very winnable fight for us,” he said.
When asked about Shane Mosley’s insistence on securing a fight with the pound-for-pound champion, Roach said Pacquiao stands to gain more in fighting Cotto.
“You had the Mosley-Cotto [fight], [so] who's the better fighter? You gotta say it’s Cotto because when they fought, Cotto won,” said the American trainer.
In November 2007, Mosley tried to wrest the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight title from Cotto but lost by a unanimous decision.
“So, style-wise Shane is probably a little faster than Cotto. [But] I think Mosley is just way overrated,” said Roach.
Earlier, revered boxing trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain said Pacquiao needs only six rounds to beat Cotto. He said Cotto lost the edge after receiving a brutal beating from Antonio Margarito last July.
"Cotto remained a little deteriorated after the fight that he had with Antonio Margarito. And to be up against Manny Pacquiao, with all due respect - since I respect and I admire Puerto Rican boxing, but I believe that Pacquiao should put him on the canvas in five or six rounds," he said.
Beristain, who crafted Pacquiao nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez into a technical fighter, said Cotto had a hard time beating Joshua Clottey.
"In the fight against Clottey, you could see some of the aftermath of what happened with Margarito. Clotty is not a top-level fighter, and nevertheless, in some moments, Cotto was put in predicaments and the punches were affecting him," he said.
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Mad rush for Pacquiao
Bob Arum, arguably the world’s premier promoter, is one of the very least surprised why there is a mad rush to land a fight with Manny Pacquiao.
“They all want a taste of the money,” Arum told the Bulletin early this week when asked about why the likes of Shane Mosley and even his promoter Oscar De La Hoya have been making noise – and almost on their bended knees – appealing that a fight between Pacquiao and Mosley be staged instead of the one that is close to being done.
Arum said negotiations are underway – and proceeding smoothly – for Pacquiao to face Miguel Cotto, another Top Rank chattel like Pacquiao, on Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand with Pacquiao, it’s going to be like this in the future because Manny brings the money,” said the Hall of Fame promoter.
Arum said everything is about the money involved in a Pacquiao fight that makes seemingly level-headed men like Mosley suddenly go way over-the-top.
“They want to fight him because of the money (that comes with fighting Pacquiao),” Arum said.
Pacquiao stands to earn much more than what he got from fighting De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton when he tangles with Cotto.
Being the undisputed face of boxing, Pacquiao is a certified box-office and pay-per-view star and this is the main reason why Mosley, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez have been itching to be rewarded with a date with a Pacquiao fight, noted Arum, who inked Pacquiao to a lucrative contract in late-2006 following the Filipino’s twin demolition job on erstwhile Top Rank top talent Erik Morales.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao will get to see the content of Arum’s proposal for a Cotto fight when Canadian Mike Koncz arrives in Manila on Tuesday.
Koncz is one of Pacquiao’s advisers and he told this paper yesterday in an overseas call that the proposal is “reasonable” but it would be all up to Pacquiao to decide whether to accept it or not.
“I don’t want to negotiate in the media. What I’ll do is present this to Manny then we’ll see what happens next,” said Koncz, who met with Arum last weekend in Las Vegas.
Source: mb.com.ph
“They all want a taste of the money,” Arum told the Bulletin early this week when asked about why the likes of Shane Mosley and even his promoter Oscar De La Hoya have been making noise – and almost on their bended knees – appealing that a fight between Pacquiao and Mosley be staged instead of the one that is close to being done.
Arum said negotiations are underway – and proceeding smoothly – for Pacquiao to face Miguel Cotto, another Top Rank chattel like Pacquiao, on Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand with Pacquiao, it’s going to be like this in the future because Manny brings the money,” said the Hall of Fame promoter.
Arum said everything is about the money involved in a Pacquiao fight that makes seemingly level-headed men like Mosley suddenly go way over-the-top.
“They want to fight him because of the money (that comes with fighting Pacquiao),” Arum said.
Pacquiao stands to earn much more than what he got from fighting De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton when he tangles with Cotto.
Being the undisputed face of boxing, Pacquiao is a certified box-office and pay-per-view star and this is the main reason why Mosley, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez have been itching to be rewarded with a date with a Pacquiao fight, noted Arum, who inked Pacquiao to a lucrative contract in late-2006 following the Filipino’s twin demolition job on erstwhile Top Rank top talent Erik Morales.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao will get to see the content of Arum’s proposal for a Cotto fight when Canadian Mike Koncz arrives in Manila on Tuesday.
Koncz is one of Pacquiao’s advisers and he told this paper yesterday in an overseas call that the proposal is “reasonable” but it would be all up to Pacquiao to decide whether to accept it or not.
“I don’t want to negotiate in the media. What I’ll do is present this to Manny then we’ll see what happens next,” said Koncz, who met with Arum last weekend in Las Vegas.
Source: mb.com.ph
Cotto no pushover - Roach
MANILA, Philippines - Freddie Roach has started doing his homework in anticipation of a big match between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas.
The three-time Trainer of the Year told the Philippine radio program Sports Chat that Cotto, the WBO welterweight champion, is no pushover as others would think.
“He is a very strong fighter and puncher. We have to pay attention to that. That is my biggest worry,” he said of Cotto, who’s younger, taller and heavier.
Roach, the hottest trainer in the sport today, is not wasting time.
“We have to come up with a game plan to defeat this guy. I studied his fights last night. I’m going to see his previous fights and see if we could pick up some habits that we can take advantage of.”
Negotiations for the fight are on, and Top Rank’s Bob Arum, who handles both boxers, said it’s close to being sealed. He said it should be done next week.
Roach feels it’s just a matter of time before the fight is formalized, whether it’s held at 145 lb or less, and whether Pacquiao gets 65 percent or everything or more.
Pacquiao, at 30 two years older, should concentrate on the body if he wants to chop down Cotto early. Nacho Beristain, the Mexican trainer, believes that Cotto may go down in six rounds.
“Manny should take advantage of the body. He’s not strong to the body. He has a pretty good chin. He can take punches in the head. But I think we have to break him down in the earlier rounds and work at the body a lot,” said Roach.
Pacquiao was at ringside when Cotto survived Josh Clottey a few weeks ago at the Madison Square Garden, and he probably liked what he saw – a beatable 147 lb champion.
“I think it is a hard fight for us. But I think it is a winnable fight. I think Manny can now box him,” Roach said.
“Whether it is 143, 144 or 145 pounds, it does not matter. I have no problem with 145 pounds. Cotto is a welterweight champion of the world. When we fought Oscar (Dela Hoya) at 147, he was not a world champion. Miguel would be the toughest fight to date at least on paper.”
Another concern for Roach is what people might say after Pacquiao, who has won his last four fights in different weight classes, beats the Puerto Rican champ.
He said Dela Hoya was favored to win against Pacquiao but when the American legend lost in eight rounds people came up with excuses.
“They say he (Dela Hoya) is going to kill Manny. After the fight, they say he is old. After we beat Cotto, what are they going to say?,” Roach told Sports Chat.
Source: philstar.com
Roach: Pacquiao must fight smart vs Cotto
American trainer Freddie Roach said Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao needs to engage world welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in an intelligent fight in order to win.
“Cotto's very strong, we have to fight a very intelligent fight,” said Roach in an interview over dzSR’s Sports Chat with Dennis Principe.
If Top Rank promoter Bob Arum succeeds in arranging the match between the pound-for-pound king and the Puerto Rican champion, the fight will take place on November 14 in Las Vegas.
“The thing is, he's big and strong and he's young,” Roach said referring to Cotto. “I think it’s a hard fight for us, Cotto is a strong puncher.”
Cotto, the reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion, is 28 years old while Pacquiao is already 30.
However, Roach said Pacquiao’s current fighting level puts the odds in their favor.
“It's a tough fight, but the way Manny is fighting right now, it's a very winnable fight for us,” he said.
When asked about Shane Mosley’s insistence on securing a fight with the pound-for-pound champion, Roach said Pacquiao stands to gain more in fighting Cotto.
“You had the Mosley-Cotto [fight], [so] who's the better fighter? You gotta say it’s Cotto because when they fought, Cotto won,” said the American trainer.
In November 2007, Mosley tried to wrest the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight title from Cotto but lost by a unanimous decision.
“So, style-wise Shane is probably a little faster than Cotto. [But] I think Mosley is just way overrated,” said Roach.
Earlier, revered boxing trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain said Pacquiao needs only six rounds to beat Cotto. He said Cotto lost the edge after receiving a brutal beating from Antonio Margarito last July.
"Cotto remained a little deteriorated after the fight that he had with Antonio Margarito. And to be up against Manny Pacquiao, with all due respect - since I respect and I admire Puerto Rican boxing, but I believe that Pacquiao should put him on the canvas in five or six rounds," he said.
Beristain, who crafted Pacquiao nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez into a technical fighter, said Cotto had a hard time beating Joshua Clottey.
"In the fight against Clottey, you could see some of the aftermath of what happened with Margarito. Clotty is not a top-level fighter, and nevertheless, in some moments, Cotto was put in predicaments and the punches were affecting him," he said.
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
“Cotto's very strong, we have to fight a very intelligent fight,” said Roach in an interview over dzSR’s Sports Chat with Dennis Principe.
If Top Rank promoter Bob Arum succeeds in arranging the match between the pound-for-pound king and the Puerto Rican champion, the fight will take place on November 14 in Las Vegas.
“The thing is, he's big and strong and he's young,” Roach said referring to Cotto. “I think it’s a hard fight for us, Cotto is a strong puncher.”
Cotto, the reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion, is 28 years old while Pacquiao is already 30.
However, Roach said Pacquiao’s current fighting level puts the odds in their favor.
“It's a tough fight, but the way Manny is fighting right now, it's a very winnable fight for us,” he said.
When asked about Shane Mosley’s insistence on securing a fight with the pound-for-pound champion, Roach said Pacquiao stands to gain more in fighting Cotto.
“You had the Mosley-Cotto [fight], [so] who's the better fighter? You gotta say it’s Cotto because when they fought, Cotto won,” said the American trainer.
In November 2007, Mosley tried to wrest the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight title from Cotto but lost by a unanimous decision.
“So, style-wise Shane is probably a little faster than Cotto. [But] I think Mosley is just way overrated,” said Roach.
Earlier, revered boxing trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain said Pacquiao needs only six rounds to beat Cotto. He said Cotto lost the edge after receiving a brutal beating from Antonio Margarito last July.
"Cotto remained a little deteriorated after the fight that he had with Antonio Margarito. And to be up against Manny Pacquiao, with all due respect - since I respect and I admire Puerto Rican boxing, but I believe that Pacquiao should put him on the canvas in five or six rounds," he said.
Beristain, who crafted Pacquiao nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez into a technical fighter, said Cotto had a hard time beating Joshua Clottey.
"In the fight against Clottey, you could see some of the aftermath of what happened with Margarito. Clotty is not a top-level fighter, and nevertheless, in some moments, Cotto was put in predicaments and the punches were affecting him," he said.
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
Friday, June 26, 2009
Roach Outlines Cotto's Strengths And Weaknesses Against Pacquiao
Freddie Roach gives initial indications on how to beat Cotto in a recent interview with Sports Chat. The three-time trainer of the year awardee also shares his concerns for Manny and his preferred weight for his fight against the Puerto Rican Star.
"Whether it is 143, 144 or 145 pounds , it does not matter. I have no problem with 145 pounds" answered Freddie when asked by Dennis Principe about his preferred catch-weight for the November fight.
"Cotto is a welterweight champion of the world. When we fought Oscar at 147, he was not a world champion. Miguel would be the toughest fight to date at least on paper. I think it is a hard fight for us. But I think it is a winnable fight. I think Manny can now box him" said Roach, who developed Pacquiao from a one-dimensional to a two-fisted fighter.
Freddie acknowledges the strengths of Cotto by saying that he " is a very strong fighter and puncher. We have to pay attention to that. That is my biggest worry. We have to fight an intelligent fight which Manny is capable of doing. We have to come up with a game plan to defeat this guy. I studied his fights last night. I'm going to see his previous fights and see if we could pick up some habits that we can take advantage of."
But Roach is also quick to point out some initial flaws of Miguel physically. He thinks that Pacquiao " should take advantage of the body. he's not strong to the body. He has a pretty good chin. He can take punches in the head. But I think we have to break him down in the earlier rounds and work at the body a lot. "
Roach is fully aware that every victory that Manny have is always watered down by experts with many excuses. Once again, he pointed out that Miguel is big, strong and young. When Pacquiao fought Oscar, "they say he is going to kill Manny. After the fight, they say he is old. After we beat Cotto, what are they going to say? We are going to beat a world champion and it's going to be another achievement for Manny Pacquiao. Another world title for the pound for pound king."
Source: digitaljournal.com
"Whether it is 143, 144 or 145 pounds , it does not matter. I have no problem with 145 pounds" answered Freddie when asked by Dennis Principe about his preferred catch-weight for the November fight.
"Cotto is a welterweight champion of the world. When we fought Oscar at 147, he was not a world champion. Miguel would be the toughest fight to date at least on paper. I think it is a hard fight for us. But I think it is a winnable fight. I think Manny can now box him" said Roach, who developed Pacquiao from a one-dimensional to a two-fisted fighter.
Freddie acknowledges the strengths of Cotto by saying that he " is a very strong fighter and puncher. We have to pay attention to that. That is my biggest worry. We have to fight an intelligent fight which Manny is capable of doing. We have to come up with a game plan to defeat this guy. I studied his fights last night. I'm going to see his previous fights and see if we could pick up some habits that we can take advantage of."
But Roach is also quick to point out some initial flaws of Miguel physically. He thinks that Pacquiao " should take advantage of the body. he's not strong to the body. He has a pretty good chin. He can take punches in the head. But I think we have to break him down in the earlier rounds and work at the body a lot. "
Roach is fully aware that every victory that Manny have is always watered down by experts with many excuses. Once again, he pointed out that Miguel is big, strong and young. When Pacquiao fought Oscar, "they say he is going to kill Manny. After the fight, they say he is old. After we beat Cotto, what are they going to say? We are going to beat a world champion and it's going to be another achievement for Manny Pacquiao. Another world title for the pound for pound king."
Source: digitaljournal.com
Miguel Cotto says that in two weeks the fight against Pacquiao will be confirmed
San Juan, Puerto Rico. - The world champion Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto said today that in next the two weeks the negotiations for their fight of the 14 of November against the Philippine Manny Pacquiao will be confirmed, which will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“The negotiations will take between week and a half to two weeks, and have to do besides the economic thing, with the weight in which we will fight”, it attended Cotto, WBO Welterweight Chamption.
The Boricua, with 34-1 record, the past maintained Tuesday that would not have problem in lowering of the 147 pounds (67 kilos) to the 145 pounds (66 kilos) for their fight against Pacquiao, known as the “Pacman”.
Pacquiao, with 49-3-2 record, never has realised a combat in the 147 pounds, although in their fight against the American-Mexican Oscar Dela Hoya last December 6, 2008, it was in the 145 pounds.
The fight between Cotto and Pacquiao could break the records of attendance, as well as the prices of transmission.
Nevertheless, the Puerto Rican boxer emphasized that the marks “will decide the public”.
The fight in addition will be the one of greater inactivity for Cotto since the past 14 of June overcame by divided decision the Ghanaian Joshua Clottey and to retain its title.
Cotto, however, did not dare to respond if he would be ready to fight today against Pacquiao.
“The fight is not right now, but in November, reason why I must be preparation”, indicated when attending the camping of summer “Policamp of San Juan”, in which to employees children of and agent of the Police of Puerto Rico participate, where he would speak on the feeding adapted in the children.
“I believe that they are the future of this country and we must build so that they can create good habits”, Cotto expressed on the matter.
Source: telemundopr.com
Pacquiao Will Knock Cotto Out in Six, Says Beristain
One of the best trainers in the sport, Ignacio "Nacho" Beristain, said Manny Pacquiao will stop Miguel Cotto within six rounds. The Cotto-Pacquiao bout is being lined up for November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, with the catch-weight of 145-pounds being likely. Beristain trained Juan Manuel Marquez for both bouts with Pacquiao, and trained Oscar De La Hoya for last year's career-ending loss to Pacquiao.
Beristain says Cotto has not looked the same since last July's knockout loss to Antonio Margarito. He said Cotto was not himself in the recent fight with Joshua Clottey, where Cotto won a close split decision.
"Cotto remained a little deteriorated after the fight that he had with Antonio Margarito and to be up against Manny Pacquiao, with all due respect - since I respect and I admire Puerto Rican boxing, but I believe that Pacquiao should put him on the canvas in five or six rounds," Beristain told Primera Hora.
He said Cotto may have made too many changes, and combined with the beating from Margarito, could be a dangerous combination for the fight ahead.
"In the fight against Clottey, you could see some of the aftermath of what happened with Margarito. Clotty is not a top-level fighter and nevertheless, in some moments Cotto was put in predicaments and the punches were affecting him," Beristain said.
"Before he was a fighter with good technique, fast and well cared for, but he doesn't seem like himself. He changed his coach, changed some of his habits and catches more punches. I do not believe that it would very advisable to take a fight like this after changing his main trainer. A fight with Pacquiao is serious thing. You have to be well prepared. The fight with Pacquiao can be dangerous."
Source: boxingscene.com
Beristain says Cotto has not looked the same since last July's knockout loss to Antonio Margarito. He said Cotto was not himself in the recent fight with Joshua Clottey, where Cotto won a close split decision.
"Cotto remained a little deteriorated after the fight that he had with Antonio Margarito and to be up against Manny Pacquiao, with all due respect - since I respect and I admire Puerto Rican boxing, but I believe that Pacquiao should put him on the canvas in five or six rounds," Beristain told Primera Hora.
He said Cotto may have made too many changes, and combined with the beating from Margarito, could be a dangerous combination for the fight ahead.
"In the fight against Clottey, you could see some of the aftermath of what happened with Margarito. Clotty is not a top-level fighter and nevertheless, in some moments Cotto was put in predicaments and the punches were affecting him," Beristain said.
"Before he was a fighter with good technique, fast and well cared for, but he doesn't seem like himself. He changed his coach, changed some of his habits and catches more punches. I do not believe that it would very advisable to take a fight like this after changing his main trainer. A fight with Pacquiao is serious thing. You have to be well prepared. The fight with Pacquiao can be dangerous."
Source: boxingscene.com
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Cotto Vs. Pacquiao..What Will Happen?
Big Apple Boxing Thoughts
When Manny Pacquiao knocked Ricky Hatton out cold last month, it looked to have set him up with the fight of all fights. With a Floyd Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez fight on the horizon, Manny was all set to face the winner for a big money PPV showdown in December. However, a series of events has caused those plans to change.
Mayweather pulls out of his July fight with Juan Manuel Marquez with an injured rib, meaning those two greats will have to wait a while - possibly until September - before finally getting it on.
It has become no secret that promoter Bob Arum had Miguel Cotto firmly on his list of potential next opponents for the pound-for-pound king - even before Cotto's big win over Joshua Clottey in one of the more exciting fights of the year. With the Cotto victory and the holder of a world title, Arum is determined to get the fight made a done deal. Right after Cotto’s win over Clottey, Arum declared that was the fight is he going with.
"Cotto-Pacquiao is the fight I want to make," said Arum. "It's the fight I really want to make."
Negotiations have already begun and the date of November 14 has been picked for the mega fight between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto. Reports have come out this week that Cotto’s camp is ready to go on board with it as they wait word on Pacquiao’s camp to agree. The hope for Manny and his camp is to get a 65/35 split of the purse which seems to be the only problem on the fight going forward.
Cotto, understandably, needs a vacation. But if the fight takes place on November 14th, some five months away as it is, Cotto could surely be ready for "Pac-Man" by then. There will be the not too small matter of the bout's weight to be agreed on. After the Cotto- Clottey fight, Arum said a catch-weight affair at somewhere around the 142 to 145-pound mark is what he'll shoot for. Cotto won’t go below 144 and Manny wants him a little below 147.
Source: bleacherreport.com
If its truly Pacquiao's last fight, only Mayweather or Marquez will do
With the talk of Manny Pacquiao running for Congress in 2010 and the possibility that his next fight may very well be his last, the way I view his proposed bout against Puerto Rico's Miguel Cotto take sa new spin.
I for one am a big advocate for Pacquiao vs. Cotto because I truly believe that fight will be a blockbuster and an action-packed affair. But with the talks of Pacquiao walking away from the game getting more and more serious, I'm starting to have mixed feelings regarding a bout with Cotto.
Cotto is a great fighter don't get me wrong but if this will truly be Pacquiao's last fight, to me there's really only two names he can choose from. Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez.
As good as Cotto is and the potential of this match-up to be one of the best in recent memory, the drama and storyline just doesn't seem right for Pacquiao to go against Cotto for his last fight. If it was his second to the last fight, that's fine, but careers like Pacquiao, especially the fact that he has the choice to do so, are meant to end with a bang.
Honestly, I don't believe this is truly his last bout but I don't know that for sure. So just to be on the safe side, I'm leaning away from my instinct and taking Pacquiao's words for what it's worth. In that sense, I just can't really picture Cotto to be Pacquiao's dance partner in the end. The excitement is just not there the way it would be if he went up against his old nemesis and the guy he took the throne from. What's Cotto's sell? A bigger and younger fighter from Puerto Rico? Not quite as enticing especially since Cotto's loss to Margarito still lingers on a lot of fight fans' memory.
Think about the recent NBA Finals. This past playoffs was arguably one of the best in history with epic battles such as the Bulls vs Celtics, Rockets vs. Lakers, Celtics vs Magic and out of worldly performances by LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. It however ended in somewhat an anti-climactic fashion when the Orlando Magic defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers and advanced against the Lakers. The Lakers dispatched the Magic in 5 games and won the NBA title but the match-up the world wanted to see was either LeBron vs. Kobe in the Finals or a rematch of last years classic match-up between the Celtics and the Lakers. The Celtics lost their best player Kevin Garnett to injury however which left LeBron's Cavs as the fan favorites. Last year's MVP against this year's MVP. The best team in the East during the regular season against the best team in the west. Granted, the Cavaliers weren't good enough in the playoffs to get past the Magic, but the difference in boxing is, if LeBron was a boxer, he didn't have to go through Dwight Howard, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen or Joe Johnson at all, the promoters have the power to cut to the chase and simply match-up LeBron against Kobe for the dream fight fans have been clamoring for. The Lakers' victory was great and the Magic deserved to be in the Finals but the real icing on the cake for this playoffs was seeng the Cavs against the Lakers in the end.
Cotto gives you the same feeling when you found out the Lakers will be facing Orlando. He's a good and worthy opponent but he just doesn't stir up the same excitement. Fans want LeBron and the Cavs against Kobe and the Lakers. Take your pick, Kobe can be Floyd and Pacquiao can be LeBron or vice versa. The battle between two kings. Or you can take a page from last years NBA Finals when the Lakers met their old nemesis Celtics in what was one of the most viewed NBA Finals series in history. Juan Manuel Marquez plays that perfect Celtics or Lakers rival to Pacquiao. Their battles have been legendary without a clear-cut answer as to who really is the better fighter.
I apologize to those of you who do not follow basketball or the NBA as you might be scratching your heads right now thinking "what the heck is he talking about". Every hero needs an arch-enemy. Batman has Joker the way Spiderman has Venom, Federer has Nadal and Lance Armstrong with cancer. Pacquiao actually has the privilege to choose between two to end his career with. That's not to say that finishing his career against Cotto would diminish what he has accomplished in the ring but fighting Floyd or Marquez would be a nice bonus. Truth be told Cotto in my opinion will be Pacquiao's biggest challenge to date. But Cotto just does not bring that same drama and extra motivation the way Floyd and JuanMa does. Cotto will be a great test of Pacquiao's greatness, but for his last bout, even the greatest test falls a tad short in capping one of the greatest careers in boxing history in the best possible way.
Source: examiner.com
Pacquiao vs. Cotto: Arum Wins, Arum Wins
It's not even first grade logic and is even more rudimentary than boxing promotion 101. The fact is Shane Mosley exposed the truth last week when he said, "He (Arum) gets all the money in a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto." And Mosley couldn't be more right. Why would Arum want to risk making a fight with Mosley who is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and get a lesser portion of the money while at the same time risk his star fighter being defeated?
Says Mosley: "He gets a little bit of Cotto's money, he can make money on Pacquiao's end and he can make money on the whole promotional end....Bob Arum, at this point, it's all about money for him."
Although Mosley's words ring true, they don't constitute Bob Arum being a bad guy, it only suggest he's a businessman looking out for his best interest, not boxing's. Nothing new there. In a Pacquiao-Cotto clash Arum is doing the same thing Don King mastered during the 1980's with the heavyweight contenders who challenged WBC champ Larry Holmes. That is put on a fight where he comes out on top regardless of who wins because he had both fighters tied up contractually. This scenario shouldn't be the case legally in boxing but often is at the championship level.
Arum knows that he has potential future Pacquiao opponents Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather over a barrel. Anyone denying or trying to refute that doesn't live in reality. He controls the fighter who is the lottery fight for his opponents. The longer a fight with Mosley or Mayweather takes to make, the more Shane's skills erode and Floyd's body starts shows signs of breaking down.
With only one fight left on Arum's deal with Miguel Cotto, the promoter wants to squeeze as much out of him from a financial vantage point as he possibly can. That's the business side of boxing pure and simple. Arum has witnessed Miguel absorb some taxing physical punishment over the last 11 months in two of his last three fights. I'm sure he surmises Cotto is on the decline and there may not be many more big fights for him down the road. So why not insert him as a participant in a major fight and make as much money as possible for both?
Luckily for Cotto he's in a pretty good position with Arum at this time for the following reason. It's his last fight contractually under him. Therefore Arum has to take care of Cotto. Because if he dismisses Cotto and assumes that Pacquiao will beat him in November and Cotto doesn't, he'll lose his hold on one of the fighters who will be half of an upcoming superfight. Can you imagine the ulcer Arum would develop seeing Cotto interviewed at center ring after beating Pacquiao saying that he wants Mayweather, and Arum not having the rights to Cotto?
Bob Arum is too smart to take a chance like that. He may feel confident inside that Manny can handle Miguel, but he's cognizant to the fact that it's definitely not a given. That's why he'll have to take care of Cotto if/before he fights Pacquiao. He'll try and make the fight with Pacquiao so Cotto gets taken care of financially, and since he can't risk Cotto winning it, he'll sign him to another multi fight contract. So he can't lose.
Boxing has become so much more of a business lately that it makes the days of when it was controlled by the mob look like the good old days. It's not about what's the best fight or who really are the best fighters. And that makes it just like the other major sports -- that being it's all about money. For instance, how bad did ABC and the NBA want to see the finals be contested between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers? Think of the wasted tape comparing a potential Kobe Bryant versus LeBron James showdown to the the Magic Johnson versus Larry Bird clashes in 1984, 1985 and 1987 that was never aired due to the Magic eliminating the Cavaliers. Like boxing, a Lakers-Cavaliers NBA final would've been about how much money the netwoork and league could have made.
The same thing applies to professional boxing at the championship level, the difference being that the television networks and promoters in boxing have much more pull and control than the league and networks do the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB. The NBA and ABC couldn't just match the Lakers and Cavaliers. Sure, via the officials they could have some influence as we saw the Cavaliers get the benefit of almost every call against the Orlando Magic, however they couldn't do anything about the Magic being better and winning the series. Had that been boxing the Cavaliers might not have played the Magic.
If boxing were about doing the right thing and seeking to find out who is the best fighter in one of the biggest fights that could be made, then Manny Pacquiao would challenge WBA welterweight champ Shane Mosley without Mosley having to weigh an ounce under 147. No doubt Pacquiao vs. Mayweather is the biggest money fight, but Mayweather hasn't fought in 17 months, doesn't hold any title and still wants a majority of the money. As for Cotto, his win over Mosley was close and a draw would've been a fair call. He was taken apart by Margarito and lost the title. Mosley took Margarito apart and the addition of Naazim Richardson looks to have given him that few percent that a top trainer can bring to a world championship caliber fighter. On top of that Mosley is the top welterweight in boxing. Pacquiao beating Mosley who weighs 147 would be huge historically. Even if Manny lost a close fight his stature as a great fighter would go up.
Pacquiao and Mosley have shown they fear no fighter and always seek the biggest challenge. Is there a morsel of a doubt that Mosley would fight Paul Williams above welterweight if he could make the same money fighting him as he would Pacquiao? Of course not. Just like Pacquiao wouldn't have a qualm about fighting Mosley at 147.
If Mosley and Pacquiao called the shots, they'd be facing each other for the WBA welterweight title in November. However, Freddie Roach knows the money involved and he wants to get his fighter every advantage he can. That's why he's insistent upon them meeting at a catch-weight of 143, something I'd be doing too if I were him. It's his job to get his fighter every advantage he can because there's so much money in it for them if they win. Just as I wouldn't, they don't care what writers and fans think or say. They could care less if it's written that Pacquiao's victory over Mosley is hollow if Shane has to weigh in at 143. All they know is they're fighting Cotto or Mayweather in six months for even more money than they got for fighting Mosley.
That said we're talking about boxing and it's hard not to believe that Arum and Roach aren't really playing Mayweather, putting pressure on him to deal or face Manny fighting Cotto. So unless Floyd Mayweather has an epiphany and settles for a smaller percentage of the money, Arum will do everything under the sun and the moon to make Pacquiao vs. Cotto because it's always about business first.
Arum wins, Arum wins!
Source: thesweetscience.com
Says Mosley: "He gets a little bit of Cotto's money, he can make money on Pacquiao's end and he can make money on the whole promotional end....Bob Arum, at this point, it's all about money for him."
Although Mosley's words ring true, they don't constitute Bob Arum being a bad guy, it only suggest he's a businessman looking out for his best interest, not boxing's. Nothing new there. In a Pacquiao-Cotto clash Arum is doing the same thing Don King mastered during the 1980's with the heavyweight contenders who challenged WBC champ Larry Holmes. That is put on a fight where he comes out on top regardless of who wins because he had both fighters tied up contractually. This scenario shouldn't be the case legally in boxing but often is at the championship level.
Arum knows that he has potential future Pacquiao opponents Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather over a barrel. Anyone denying or trying to refute that doesn't live in reality. He controls the fighter who is the lottery fight for his opponents. The longer a fight with Mosley or Mayweather takes to make, the more Shane's skills erode and Floyd's body starts shows signs of breaking down.
With only one fight left on Arum's deal with Miguel Cotto, the promoter wants to squeeze as much out of him from a financial vantage point as he possibly can. That's the business side of boxing pure and simple. Arum has witnessed Miguel absorb some taxing physical punishment over the last 11 months in two of his last three fights. I'm sure he surmises Cotto is on the decline and there may not be many more big fights for him down the road. So why not insert him as a participant in a major fight and make as much money as possible for both?
Luckily for Cotto he's in a pretty good position with Arum at this time for the following reason. It's his last fight contractually under him. Therefore Arum has to take care of Cotto. Because if he dismisses Cotto and assumes that Pacquiao will beat him in November and Cotto doesn't, he'll lose his hold on one of the fighters who will be half of an upcoming superfight. Can you imagine the ulcer Arum would develop seeing Cotto interviewed at center ring after beating Pacquiao saying that he wants Mayweather, and Arum not having the rights to Cotto?
Bob Arum is too smart to take a chance like that. He may feel confident inside that Manny can handle Miguel, but he's cognizant to the fact that it's definitely not a given. That's why he'll have to take care of Cotto if/before he fights Pacquiao. He'll try and make the fight with Pacquiao so Cotto gets taken care of financially, and since he can't risk Cotto winning it, he'll sign him to another multi fight contract. So he can't lose.
Boxing has become so much more of a business lately that it makes the days of when it was controlled by the mob look like the good old days. It's not about what's the best fight or who really are the best fighters. And that makes it just like the other major sports -- that being it's all about money. For instance, how bad did ABC and the NBA want to see the finals be contested between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers? Think of the wasted tape comparing a potential Kobe Bryant versus LeBron James showdown to the the Magic Johnson versus Larry Bird clashes in 1984, 1985 and 1987 that was never aired due to the Magic eliminating the Cavaliers. Like boxing, a Lakers-Cavaliers NBA final would've been about how much money the netwoork and league could have made.
The same thing applies to professional boxing at the championship level, the difference being that the television networks and promoters in boxing have much more pull and control than the league and networks do the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB. The NBA and ABC couldn't just match the Lakers and Cavaliers. Sure, via the officials they could have some influence as we saw the Cavaliers get the benefit of almost every call against the Orlando Magic, however they couldn't do anything about the Magic being better and winning the series. Had that been boxing the Cavaliers might not have played the Magic.
If boxing were about doing the right thing and seeking to find out who is the best fighter in one of the biggest fights that could be made, then Manny Pacquiao would challenge WBA welterweight champ Shane Mosley without Mosley having to weigh an ounce under 147. No doubt Pacquiao vs. Mayweather is the biggest money fight, but Mayweather hasn't fought in 17 months, doesn't hold any title and still wants a majority of the money. As for Cotto, his win over Mosley was close and a draw would've been a fair call. He was taken apart by Margarito and lost the title. Mosley took Margarito apart and the addition of Naazim Richardson looks to have given him that few percent that a top trainer can bring to a world championship caliber fighter. On top of that Mosley is the top welterweight in boxing. Pacquiao beating Mosley who weighs 147 would be huge historically. Even if Manny lost a close fight his stature as a great fighter would go up.
Pacquiao and Mosley have shown they fear no fighter and always seek the biggest challenge. Is there a morsel of a doubt that Mosley would fight Paul Williams above welterweight if he could make the same money fighting him as he would Pacquiao? Of course not. Just like Pacquiao wouldn't have a qualm about fighting Mosley at 147.
If Mosley and Pacquiao called the shots, they'd be facing each other for the WBA welterweight title in November. However, Freddie Roach knows the money involved and he wants to get his fighter every advantage he can. That's why he's insistent upon them meeting at a catch-weight of 143, something I'd be doing too if I were him. It's his job to get his fighter every advantage he can because there's so much money in it for them if they win. Just as I wouldn't, they don't care what writers and fans think or say. They could care less if it's written that Pacquiao's victory over Mosley is hollow if Shane has to weigh in at 143. All they know is they're fighting Cotto or Mayweather in six months for even more money than they got for fighting Mosley.
That said we're talking about boxing and it's hard not to believe that Arum and Roach aren't really playing Mayweather, putting pressure on him to deal or face Manny fighting Cotto. So unless Floyd Mayweather has an epiphany and settles for a smaller percentage of the money, Arum will do everything under the sun and the moon to make Pacquiao vs. Cotto because it's always about business first.
Arum wins, Arum wins!
Source: thesweetscience.com
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Cotto is not afraid
Manny Pacquiao doesn’t give Miguel Cotto the creeps.
Cotto, the Puerto Rican banger on the cusp of earning the biggest paycheck of his storied career, has a rather philosophical view of the planned November 14 mega match with Pacquiao.
Speaking to the Puerto Rican media, Cotto said he was not awed with the way Pacquiao destroyed David Diaz, mauled Oscar De La Hoya, and flattened Ricky Hatton.
“I am not impressed,” Cotto said in a story that was carried by Primera Hora. “He has two arms and so do I.”
Cotto is fresh from repulsing the bold challenge of Joshua Clottey almost two weeks ago and is currently on vacation mode but is raring to get back to the gym in preparation for the Pacquiao duel that should take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
While Cotto suffered a nasty wound on his left eyebrow against Clottey, he revealed that the cut is healing fast and that he might start working out in three weeks time.
“The wound is almost healed,” said Cotto, who declared that he can only drop to 145 lbs against Pacquiao.
Cotto claimed that they (him and Pacquiao) had both agreed that the catch weight will be 145 lbs. and is keenly awaiting for the confirmation of the scheduled 12-rounder that will put Cotto's World Boxing Organization welterweight crown on the line.
Cotto plans to set up training camp for the Pacquiao fight in Tampa, Florida.
Top Rank chief Bob Arum, who promotes both Cotto and Pacquiao, wants to finalize the deal by the end of the month.
While the catch weight has apparently been resolved, the revenue split has yet to be discussed although Cotto has left word that he doesn't mind getting the smaller piece of the pie.
Pacquiao's camp wants no less than a 65-35 edge in the revenue-sharing, while Pacquiao trainer Freddie
Roach wants a bigger bite – 70-30 – since the Filipino is the much bigger draw in terms of popularity and pay-per-view appeal.
Source: mb.com.ph
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Miguel Cotto is "Not Impressed By Manny Pacquiao"
WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto is not exactly impressed with the last couple of performances by Manny Pacquiao, regarded by many as the best fighter in the sport. The two fighters are being matched by Top Rank, with the fight taking place on November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Cotto plans to return to training camp in three weeks to begin the necessary work for the fight with Pacquiao. Cotto is not concerned about the catch-weight of 145-pounds.
"It doesn't matter if it takes place at 145 pounds. That was the weight we had said from the start. I will go up in weight by eight to ten pounds [by fight night]. We are waiting for confirmation that the fight [is done]. Nothing impresses me. He has two arms and so do I. Things in life happen when they have to happen," Cotto said to Primera Hora.
Cotto suffered a serious cut during his recent decision win against Joshua Clottey. He needed 21 stitches above his left eye. He says the cut is healing well and should not present a problem.
"The injury is already practically healed. We are resting and then we are going to train for a good fight. The people knows how Miguel Cotto works," Cotto said.
Source: boxingscene.com
"It doesn't matter if it takes place at 145 pounds. That was the weight we had said from the start. I will go up in weight by eight to ten pounds [by fight night]. We are waiting for confirmation that the fight [is done]. Nothing impresses me. He has two arms and so do I. Things in life happen when they have to happen," Cotto said to Primera Hora.
Cotto suffered a serious cut during his recent decision win against Joshua Clottey. He needed 21 stitches above his left eye. He says the cut is healing well and should not present a problem.
"The injury is already practically healed. We are resting and then we are going to train for a good fight. The people knows how Miguel Cotto works," Cotto said.
Source: boxingscene.com
Arum cites reasons on Pacquiao vs Cotto over Mosley
Top Rank Promotions chief Bob Arum thinks it’s much more practical for Manny Pacquiao to pick Miguel Cotto over Shane Mosley.
And here is why.
“Manny Pacquiao has saw for himself how immensely popular Miguel Cotto is,” said Arum in an interview over dzSR’s Sports Chat with Dennis Principe.
“Miguel has always done extremely well on pay per view… Cotto brings more to the table than Mosley,” he added.
Arum said that just like Filipinos, there are many Puerto Ricans in the US, all of whom will be rooting for their champion.
This, he said, is Cotto’s edge over Mosley.
“Miguel brings millions of Puerto Rican fans... those people will be coming for the fight and buy pay per view,” said Arum, who promoted some of boxing’s most historical matches.
Arum added that Cotto is more likely to agree to a smaller split compared to Mosley, who has offered a 40-60 revenue share favoring Pacquiao just to get the Filipino to fight him.
“Cotto has a smaller split than Mosley and Manny can just fight one fighter at a time. Down the road to next year there can always be a Mosley and [Floyd] Mayweather Jr.,” said the Top Rank chief.
Mosley earlier accused Arum of blocking his way to prevent Pacquiao from fighting him.
“Bob Arum is being the puppet master putting this together, but Manny will make more money fighting me,” said Mosley.
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
And here is why.
“Manny Pacquiao has saw for himself how immensely popular Miguel Cotto is,” said Arum in an interview over dzSR’s Sports Chat with Dennis Principe.
“Miguel has always done extremely well on pay per view… Cotto brings more to the table than Mosley,” he added.
Arum said that just like Filipinos, there are many Puerto Ricans in the US, all of whom will be rooting for their champion.
This, he said, is Cotto’s edge over Mosley.
“Miguel brings millions of Puerto Rican fans... those people will be coming for the fight and buy pay per view,” said Arum, who promoted some of boxing’s most historical matches.
Arum added that Cotto is more likely to agree to a smaller split compared to Mosley, who has offered a 40-60 revenue share favoring Pacquiao just to get the Filipino to fight him.
“Cotto has a smaller split than Mosley and Manny can just fight one fighter at a time. Down the road to next year there can always be a Mosley and [Floyd] Mayweather Jr.,” said the Top Rank chief.
Mosley earlier accused Arum of blocking his way to prevent Pacquiao from fighting him.
“Bob Arum is being the puppet master putting this together, but Manny will make more money fighting me,” said Mosley.
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
Promoter: Cotto on board for showdown, awaiting Pacquiao
Negotiations for a Nov. 14 megafight between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto remain on track, according to the promoter for both fighters who said the Puerto Rican's team is ready to proceed and make it official.
"We're pretty well there," says Bob Arum, chairman of Top Rank, Inc., who talked with Cotto's representatives Tuesday morning. "I'll get it done next week. That's my goal."
Arum met with a representative from Pacquiao's camp over the weekend to outline the deal. Pacquiao still has to review it.
"We decided we didn't want to call Manny to discuss it on the phone because Manny tends to be distracted (in the Philippines)," says Arum, who was able to get Pacquiao to agree via phone to set up his May 2 junior welterweight championship bout with Ricky Hatton. Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs) won by second-round knockout in the first major pay-per-view bout of the year in his first appearance at 140 pounds.
Although Cotto holds a major welterweight belt and is one of the division's top two fighters with a claim to the actual throne along with Shane Mosley, the fight will take place slightly below the 147-pound limit. Though initially it appeared to be a major stumbling block — Cotto (33-1, 27 KOs) had said he wouldn't come down in weight before his close decision win vs. Joshua Clottey on June 13 — it isn't any more.
Source: usatoday.com
"We're pretty well there," says Bob Arum, chairman of Top Rank, Inc., who talked with Cotto's representatives Tuesday morning. "I'll get it done next week. That's my goal."
Arum met with a representative from Pacquiao's camp over the weekend to outline the deal. Pacquiao still has to review it.
"We decided we didn't want to call Manny to discuss it on the phone because Manny tends to be distracted (in the Philippines)," says Arum, who was able to get Pacquiao to agree via phone to set up his May 2 junior welterweight championship bout with Ricky Hatton. Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs) won by second-round knockout in the first major pay-per-view bout of the year in his first appearance at 140 pounds.
Although Cotto holds a major welterweight belt and is one of the division's top two fighters with a claim to the actual throne along with Shane Mosley, the fight will take place slightly below the 147-pound limit. Though initially it appeared to be a major stumbling block — Cotto (33-1, 27 KOs) had said he wouldn't come down in weight before his close decision win vs. Joshua Clottey on June 13 — it isn't any more.
Source: usatoday.com
Roach Budges, Says "145" is Good For Pacquiao-Cotto
Freddie Roach, trainer of Manny Pacquiao, has budged on his demand of making Miguel Cotto drop down to 143-pounds for a fight with Manny Pacquiao on November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Several days ago, Roach told media members that 143 was the weight he wanted the fight to take place. Cotto's nutritionist told Top Rank's Bob Arum that Miguel could only get down, in safe fashion, to a weight of 144-145 at most.
Arum recently called Roach, the two spoke about the fight and 145 appears to be the target weight for the bout.
"Arum called me and I told that I have any problems with the fight being at 145 pounds. In fact I don't care if Cotto wants to weigh 200 pounds," Roach told Primera Hora. "I trust my fighter, so I very little about the weight issues. I have not talked to Manny, who will make the final decision. He is a big man who makes his own decisions. All I can do is give it my recommendation."
One recommendation is for Pacquiao to make more money than in his previous fight with Ricky Hatton in May. Pacquiao is said to have made around $12 million for that bout.
"Obviously we want to see Manny get paid higher than in the previous fight. There is no reason to step back in terms of money, so those details will be discussed," said Roach.
Gabriel Peñagarícano, the legal adviser to Cotto, told the paper that a lot of things need to be agreed upon before the deal is closed.
"I'm not surprised that [Roach] has accepted the weight of 145 pounds, but that is only one of several items that will be discussed and it's taken at least two weeks to complete. There are a list of issues are being discussed."
Source: boxingscene.com
Arum recently called Roach, the two spoke about the fight and 145 appears to be the target weight for the bout.
"Arum called me and I told that I have any problems with the fight being at 145 pounds. In fact I don't care if Cotto wants to weigh 200 pounds," Roach told Primera Hora. "I trust my fighter, so I very little about the weight issues. I have not talked to Manny, who will make the final decision. He is a big man who makes his own decisions. All I can do is give it my recommendation."
One recommendation is for Pacquiao to make more money than in his previous fight with Ricky Hatton in May. Pacquiao is said to have made around $12 million for that bout.
"Obviously we want to see Manny get paid higher than in the previous fight. There is no reason to step back in terms of money, so those details will be discussed," said Roach.
Gabriel Peñagarícano, the legal adviser to Cotto, told the paper that a lot of things need to be agreed upon before the deal is closed.
"I'm not surprised that [Roach] has accepted the weight of 145 pounds, but that is only one of several items that will be discussed and it's taken at least two weeks to complete. There are a list of issues are being discussed."
Source: boxingscene.com
Pacquiao seeks 65-35 purse split in proposed Cotto fight
MANILA, Philippines – The camp of Manny Pacquiao insisted on Monday night that the Filipino boxing superstar get the bigger share of the pie in his proposed fight with Miguel Cotto, while stressing the catch weight should be between 144 to 145 pounds.
“We’ll not accept the fight if it is not going to be a 65-35 split in our favor," said Pacquiao's lawyer Franklin Gacal, who was with the world’s pound-for-pound king during the ribbon-cutting rite for a downtown hotel and casino in Manila together with chief of staff Jake Joson and business manager Eric Pineda.
Trainer Freddie Roach has also been batting for a bigger share for Pacquiao, even raising the ante by declaring that the General Santos City native deserves a 70-30 purse split.
Gacal, meanwhile, said that a catch weight lower than 144-145, if possible, would even be better for them.
“Kung puwede pa ngang mag-142, e di pipigain pa namin yan," he said of the wishful thinking, well aware that Cotto is definitely not going down lower than 144 and has not fought below the welterweight limit of 147 since 2006.
Pacquiao kept his silent for most of the time, opting to take a look first at the proposal laid out by Top Rank Promotions’ Bob Arum to his Canadian adviser Michael Koncz.
Koncz had a meeting with Arum over the weekend at the promoter’s home in Las Vegas and has yet to present to Pacquiao the details of the proposal.
But Pacquiao apparently wants the fight to be held on October 17 and not November 14 as scheduled by Arum.
He intends to start training at the Wild Card gym by mid-August should Arum accede to his request for an earlier ring return.
Source: gmanews.tv
“We’ll not accept the fight if it is not going to be a 65-35 split in our favor," said Pacquiao's lawyer Franklin Gacal, who was with the world’s pound-for-pound king during the ribbon-cutting rite for a downtown hotel and casino in Manila together with chief of staff Jake Joson and business manager Eric Pineda.
Trainer Freddie Roach has also been batting for a bigger share for Pacquiao, even raising the ante by declaring that the General Santos City native deserves a 70-30 purse split.
Gacal, meanwhile, said that a catch weight lower than 144-145, if possible, would even be better for them.
“Kung puwede pa ngang mag-142, e di pipigain pa namin yan," he said of the wishful thinking, well aware that Cotto is definitely not going down lower than 144 and has not fought below the welterweight limit of 147 since 2006.
Pacquiao kept his silent for most of the time, opting to take a look first at the proposal laid out by Top Rank Promotions’ Bob Arum to his Canadian adviser Michael Koncz.
Koncz had a meeting with Arum over the weekend at the promoter’s home in Las Vegas and has yet to present to Pacquiao the details of the proposal.
But Pacquiao apparently wants the fight to be held on October 17 and not November 14 as scheduled by Arum.
He intends to start training at the Wild Card gym by mid-August should Arum accede to his request for an earlier ring return.
Source: gmanews.tv
Roach wants 70-30 split for Pacquiao
When Freddie Roach said his No.1 fighter Manny Pacquiao deserves the lion’s share of the money against Miguel Cotto, the distinguished trainer wasn’t talking about a mere 60-40 split in favor of the Filipino pound for pound king.
Roach wants much more than that.
“70-30,” Roach told the Bulletin over the phone from the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.
Roach noted that outside Puerto Rico, Cotto doesn’t have the same magnetism as some of the other fighters Pacquiao has fought and shamed on top of the ring the last few years.
Besides, Cotto, according to Roach, is not as big pay-per-view attraction as Floyd Mayweather.
Cotto posted 450,000 buys when he faced Antonio Margarito of Mexico in July last year, while Pacquiao has generated record-breaking numbers in his last two outings – 1.25 million buys against Oscar De La Hoya and close to a million versus Ricky Hatton.
Roach likewise pointed out that Pacquiao deserves a bigger guarantee against Cotto compared with the $12 million-plus Pacquiao got from the Hatton bout because “we’re not supposed to be going backwards.”
Roach said he is now amenable to a catch weight of 144-145 lbs for the Pacquiao-Cotto slugfest, confident that even at a higher weight, his ward would still prove superior.
“One pound wouldn’t make any difference.”
Top Rank chief Bob Arum is in the process of finalizing the details of the proposed Pacquiao-Cotto brawl at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Nov. 14, a date which is likely etched in stone.
“We’ve told Manny about fighting on that date, and not on Oct. 17, because of the World Series,” Arum said when contacted by this paper after the conversation with Roach.
“You can’t compete with free TV and baseball is big among Puerto Ricans,” stressed Arum, adding that to maximize the pay-per-view sales, the fight ought to be held in November.
“We’ll be charging $50 for them to watch us and we can’t compete with free television.”
In an interview with Pacquiao late Monday night in a downtown hotel in Manila, the 30-year-old southpaw told a handful of scribes that he intends to return to the ring in October and he plans to report for duty at the Wild Card in mid-August.
Pacquiao said he has yet to see the proposal of Arum since his Canadian adviser, Mike Koncz, has yet to return to Manila after meeting with the Hall of Fame promoter over the weekend in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao lawyer Franklin Gacal said they’ll not accept the fight if it is not 65-35 in their favor.
Source: mb.com.ph
Roach wants much more than that.
“70-30,” Roach told the Bulletin over the phone from the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.
Roach noted that outside Puerto Rico, Cotto doesn’t have the same magnetism as some of the other fighters Pacquiao has fought and shamed on top of the ring the last few years.
Besides, Cotto, according to Roach, is not as big pay-per-view attraction as Floyd Mayweather.
Cotto posted 450,000 buys when he faced Antonio Margarito of Mexico in July last year, while Pacquiao has generated record-breaking numbers in his last two outings – 1.25 million buys against Oscar De La Hoya and close to a million versus Ricky Hatton.
Roach likewise pointed out that Pacquiao deserves a bigger guarantee against Cotto compared with the $12 million-plus Pacquiao got from the Hatton bout because “we’re not supposed to be going backwards.”
Roach said he is now amenable to a catch weight of 144-145 lbs for the Pacquiao-Cotto slugfest, confident that even at a higher weight, his ward would still prove superior.
“One pound wouldn’t make any difference.”
Top Rank chief Bob Arum is in the process of finalizing the details of the proposed Pacquiao-Cotto brawl at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Nov. 14, a date which is likely etched in stone.
“We’ve told Manny about fighting on that date, and not on Oct. 17, because of the World Series,” Arum said when contacted by this paper after the conversation with Roach.
“You can’t compete with free TV and baseball is big among Puerto Ricans,” stressed Arum, adding that to maximize the pay-per-view sales, the fight ought to be held in November.
“We’ll be charging $50 for them to watch us and we can’t compete with free television.”
In an interview with Pacquiao late Monday night in a downtown hotel in Manila, the 30-year-old southpaw told a handful of scribes that he intends to return to the ring in October and he plans to report for duty at the Wild Card in mid-August.
Pacquiao said he has yet to see the proposal of Arum since his Canadian adviser, Mike Koncz, has yet to return to Manila after meeting with the Hall of Fame promoter over the weekend in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao lawyer Franklin Gacal said they’ll not accept the fight if it is not 65-35 in their favor.
Source: mb.com.ph
Pacquiao vs. Cotto: Weighty Issues
A fight with Manny Pacquiao has become Boxing’s version of the golden ticket. A guaranteed big payday, HBO 24/7, and ppv are in store for whoever Pacquiao chooses to fight next. Floyd Mayweather Jr, Shane Mosley, and Miguel Cotto have all been rumored as Pacquaio’s next opponent.
Mayweather would seem to be the best option of the three. A former pound for pound champion until he retired, “Money” Mayweather has unretired to face familiar Pacquiao foe Juan Manuel Marquez. A Mayweather rib injury has postponed that bout until September, effectively putting him out of the running for Pacquiao.
Shane Mosley is the next likely option, as he is a former pound for pound champion himself. He is also the current welterweight champion, after his one sided knockout of Antonio Margarito in January. A formidable foe for Pacquaio, he has taken to calling Pacquiao out. Mosley has stated he is willing to come down to 144 lbs. to make the fight happen. He has also personally spoken to Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, about the fight. Although Pacquaio would no doubt be willing to fight Mosley, it seems Bob Arum is not warm to the idea.
This leaves Miguel Cotto, the least likely option, as the frontrunner. Pacquiao was ringside as Cotto won a close split decision over Joshua Clottey. Cotto was cut early in the fight, and looked to survive in the later rounds. Clottey outfoxed Cotto during the middle rounds, but seemed to take his foot off the gas in the final frames. A first round knockdown and late rounds comeback propelled Cotto to victory.
Immediately following the fight, Bob Arum announced Cotto/Pacquiao would happen in October. The contracts have not been signed yet, but Arum is moving forward as if the fight will take place. Freddie Roach also seems pretty warm to the idea, but wants Cotto to come down to 144 or 143.
Here is where the main problem lies with this bout. Freddie Roach has been adamant that he wants Pacquiao to continue fighting no higher than 143 or 144. While Mosley has agreed verbally to fight at 144, it is debatable whether Cotto can make this weight safely. Cotto is rather large for a welterweight fighter, and routinely comes in well over 160 on fight night.
The problem with Cotto coming down to 144 or 143 is it may adversely affect his in ring performance. If Cotto struggles with the weight, it may cost him stamina, and may affect his ability to take punches from Pacquiao. Cotto struggled for years to make the 140 lb. limit, and it began affecting his performance then. He was hurt and dropped several times, most noticeable against Ricardo Torres who almost knocked him out. These performances were blamed on Cotto’s inability to make the weight safely.
If you need another example of what can happen to a weight drained fighter, look no further than Oscar De La Hoya. Against Pacquaio, De La Hoya weighed in at 145 but only put on two pounds by fight time. He was unable to rehydrate himself properly, and had to receive several IV’s. In the fight De La Hoya was slow, sluggish, and lethargic. He was dominated and stopped after eight one sided rounds.
If all parties agree and this fight is signed, it may be the weight that determines the outcome. If Roach has his way and Cotto has to boil himself down to 143, the fight may be won before fight night. Roach knows the further down in weight Cotto comes, the weaker he will be. Pacquaio looks to have the much quicker hands of the two, and may have more miles left in the gas tank. Cotto has been in several brutal wars over the last few years, and may be starting to show signs of wear and tear.
At 147, this fight would look to be an almost even match. At 144, Pacquaio would seem to be the favorite. At less than 144, it could become another lopsided Pacquaio blowout.
How low will Cotto go? Only time will tell.
Source: insidefights.com
Mayweather would seem to be the best option of the three. A former pound for pound champion until he retired, “Money” Mayweather has unretired to face familiar Pacquiao foe Juan Manuel Marquez. A Mayweather rib injury has postponed that bout until September, effectively putting him out of the running for Pacquiao.
Shane Mosley is the next likely option, as he is a former pound for pound champion himself. He is also the current welterweight champion, after his one sided knockout of Antonio Margarito in January. A formidable foe for Pacquaio, he has taken to calling Pacquiao out. Mosley has stated he is willing to come down to 144 lbs. to make the fight happen. He has also personally spoken to Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, about the fight. Although Pacquaio would no doubt be willing to fight Mosley, it seems Bob Arum is not warm to the idea.
This leaves Miguel Cotto, the least likely option, as the frontrunner. Pacquiao was ringside as Cotto won a close split decision over Joshua Clottey. Cotto was cut early in the fight, and looked to survive in the later rounds. Clottey outfoxed Cotto during the middle rounds, but seemed to take his foot off the gas in the final frames. A first round knockdown and late rounds comeback propelled Cotto to victory.
Immediately following the fight, Bob Arum announced Cotto/Pacquiao would happen in October. The contracts have not been signed yet, but Arum is moving forward as if the fight will take place. Freddie Roach also seems pretty warm to the idea, but wants Cotto to come down to 144 or 143.
Here is where the main problem lies with this bout. Freddie Roach has been adamant that he wants Pacquiao to continue fighting no higher than 143 or 144. While Mosley has agreed verbally to fight at 144, it is debatable whether Cotto can make this weight safely. Cotto is rather large for a welterweight fighter, and routinely comes in well over 160 on fight night.
The problem with Cotto coming down to 144 or 143 is it may adversely affect his in ring performance. If Cotto struggles with the weight, it may cost him stamina, and may affect his ability to take punches from Pacquiao. Cotto struggled for years to make the 140 lb. limit, and it began affecting his performance then. He was hurt and dropped several times, most noticeable against Ricardo Torres who almost knocked him out. These performances were blamed on Cotto’s inability to make the weight safely.
If you need another example of what can happen to a weight drained fighter, look no further than Oscar De La Hoya. Against Pacquaio, De La Hoya weighed in at 145 but only put on two pounds by fight time. He was unable to rehydrate himself properly, and had to receive several IV’s. In the fight De La Hoya was slow, sluggish, and lethargic. He was dominated and stopped after eight one sided rounds.
If all parties agree and this fight is signed, it may be the weight that determines the outcome. If Roach has his way and Cotto has to boil himself down to 143, the fight may be won before fight night. Roach knows the further down in weight Cotto comes, the weaker he will be. Pacquaio looks to have the much quicker hands of the two, and may have more miles left in the gas tank. Cotto has been in several brutal wars over the last few years, and may be starting to show signs of wear and tear.
At 147, this fight would look to be an almost even match. At 144, Pacquaio would seem to be the favorite. At less than 144, it could become another lopsided Pacquaio blowout.
How low will Cotto go? Only time will tell.
Source: insidefights.com
143 lbs for Cotto unrealistic – Arum
Top Rank head Bob Arum yesterday torpedoed trainer Freddie Roach’s proposal that Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto has to come down to 143 lbs to get a shot at Filipino pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao.
“That’s not realistic,” said Arum about Roach’s insistence that a catch weight of 143 lbs be imposed for the proposed Nov. 14 showdown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
After conferring with Cotto’s people, led by legal counsel Gabriel Penagaricano, the reigning World Boxing Organization welterweight champion said he is willing to meet Pacquiao halfway to make the fight happen.
“The catch weight will be 144 or 145 lbs,” said Arum, whose outfit has both fighters under his promotional banner.
Arum also revealed that Mike Koncz, Pacquiao’s Los Angeles-based adviser, has in his possession the proposal that he will present to the 30-year-old puncher later this week. Koncz, Arum noted, will travel back to the Philippines this weekend.
“I spent three to four hours with Mike today and he read the proposal and said he is very confident that Manny would approve it,” said Arum without revealing the details of the documents that Pacquiao and his lawyer Franklin Gacal would review.
“I think the proposal is very fair (to both camps),” added Arum.
Despite Cotto’s difficulties in his last outing against Joshua Clottey, Roach believes Cotto remains a very dangerous opponent for somebody like Pacquiao, who is not a natural welterweight.
Ringsiders have been very vocal about Pacquiao’s demand that a catch weight be set since the welter class has a limit of 147 lbs.
While Pacquiao has fought at welter — his ninth-round stoppage of Oscar De La Hoya last year being his landmark victory — the Filipino only weighed 142 lbs for that fight.
And when Pacquiao fought at the super-lightweight class of 140 lbs against Ricky Hatton last May, he only tipped the scales at 138 lbs. Cotto weighed in at 146 lbs against Clottey and Gacal believes he can still get rid of a few pounds.
Source: mb.com.ph
It’s About Legacy–Cotto or Mosley??
I often catch the black and white fights on ESPN Classic. Heck I set the DVR to record the Ringside episodes of Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Muhummad Ali. Or I just go on Youtube and watch old fights of the greats that I read about as a youngster. Every time I watch those films or glimpses. I realize that is what it is all about. It is isn’t about the money. Yes money is great, they and us could all use a little more. Some more then others. It is about that time when they were kids when they laced up the gloves for the first time in that musty smelling gym. It is about the time they fought their first amateur fight, it is about the first time they were declared world champion. Folks it is about legacy. In 2020 or 2030 when your kids, or mine pop in a fight tape. They will want to hear the stories about when Manny Pacquiao fought Juan Manuel Marquez in 2004, or when Sugar Shane Mosley fought Oscar De La Hoya at the Staples Center in 2000. Legacies and stories are the allure of the sport of boxing. It is what separates boxing from MMA and most other sports. So I wanted to examine what fight would leave the greatest legacy for the sport. Would Pacquiao-Mosley fight or a Pacquiao-Cotto fight be the best for boxing history. We all know both are deserving of fighting Pacman. But in the end which fight would leave the most memories.
Miguel Cotto
The Skinny: Tremendous offensive fighter. He can punch with either hand. Underrated boxing skills. Good jab, uses it with great timing to offset his lack of great speed. Left hook to the body is one of the most damaging punches in the Welterweight division. Excellent heart, willing to fight through cuts. Class act. Loyal following, sells out shows at Madison Square at the drop of a dime. Former WBO Jr. Welterweight Champion, WBA Welterweight Champion…Current WBO Welterweight Champion. 34-1-27 Knockouts
Drawbacks: Not popular with Mainstream sports fans. Questionable chin. He has been hurt in fights with Zab Judah, Mosley, Antonio Margarito, and Ricardo Torres. Tires at the end of fights, doesn’t close the show all the time. His last 3 fights that went 11 plus rounds he noticably tired. Knocked out 2 fights ago by Margarito.(TKO)
Shane Mosley
The Skinny: One of the fastest fighters of his generation. 2nd best lightweight since Roberto Duran. (Pernell Whitaker rates higher)Legendary offensive fighter, tremendous body puncher. Right hand and left hook both damaging and have knocked out fighters. Underrated power. Good defensive when he wants to be, but often times neglects it to go on the offensive. Closes the show, excellent heart, and Class Act. 1st ballot Hall of Famer. Former IBF Lightweight Champion, WBC/World Welterweight Champion, WBA/Ring/World/WBC Jr. Middleweight Champion. Current WBA/Cyberboxingzone lineal Welterweight Champion. 46-5 -39 Knockouts.
Drawbacks: Age, will be 38 this fall. Not a huge gate attraction. Troubled by fighters who execute and use the jab effectively. Is succeptiable to the right hand. Even though Shane is a great boxer, he can be outboxed at times. Lack of ability to change style when in trouble.(1st Forrest fight)
The Verdict:
I laid it out for you guys. If Manny Pacquiao beats Shane Mosley, people can say 2 things. You beat a legend, and you are now the Welterweight Champion. 7 titles in 7 divisions. Or they will say, you beat an old Shane who was weight drained.
If you beat Cotto you could say, you beat Miguel Cotto and now you are the WBO Welterweight Champion. You beat an excellent fighter who is closer to his prime. Or they could say, you beat Miguel Cotto, he was shot, he was knocked out by Margarito, and he almost lost to Joshua Clottey.
In the end it comes down to this, in my opinion. If Manny Pacquiao manages to beat Miguel Cotto, where will that sit in History? More questions will be asked, like how good was Cotto really? Or what has he ever done? A win over Miguel Cotto will say more about Miguel Cotto then it would be about Manny Pacquiao. I know what Pacquiao is, he is a legend. I know what Shane Mosley is, he is a legend too, a step below Pacquiao. But I don’t know what Miguel Cotto is. Excellent fighter, yes, but an all time great. That remains to be seen. If Manny beats Miguel Cotto, won’t we be talking about Miguel Cotto just like we did Fernando Vargas after Oscar De La Hoya beat him in 2002, or Jermain Taylor after he lost to Carl Froch this year. That is why I think Mosley is the best fight. It is the best fight for history. And it is the best fight for those ESPN Classics that we will be watching in 2030.
Not About the Money
Does Shane Mosley really want to fight Manny Pacquaio? Yeah he does badly. Is he begging? You could say that, but I like it when fighters really want to fight, do we want him to say, “no I don’t want to fight the best fighter in the world.” Is he doing it only for the money? No, and if you think that you are pretty foolish. I recently interviewed Sugar Shane Mosley, and the word that came up over and over again was, “Legacy.” It wasn’t money. Shane is one of the 10 highest paid fighters since 2000. He disclosed his net worth to me, and it is more then he will ever be able to spend in his lifetime.
Yes money is nice, I like it. I need more of it. But when guys like Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley talk about fighting. They are talking about those times as teenagers and young pros when they were fighting for scraps at small local club shows. They love what they do. I bet if they could, if nobody was watching, they would go to a local gym and duke it out it without much fanfare. They are fighters through and through. It is about the legacy that they leave behind. They are generational fighters that will hopefully get a chance to meet in the ring. As of today. it is around a 90% chance Manny fights Cotto. While that is a great fight and Cotto is more then deserving, I am pulling for the 10% chance that Manny changes his mind and goes after Mosley and history.
Source: boxing24.com
Miguel Cotto
The Skinny: Tremendous offensive fighter. He can punch with either hand. Underrated boxing skills. Good jab, uses it with great timing to offset his lack of great speed. Left hook to the body is one of the most damaging punches in the Welterweight division. Excellent heart, willing to fight through cuts. Class act. Loyal following, sells out shows at Madison Square at the drop of a dime. Former WBO Jr. Welterweight Champion, WBA Welterweight Champion…Current WBO Welterweight Champion. 34-1-27 Knockouts
Drawbacks: Not popular with Mainstream sports fans. Questionable chin. He has been hurt in fights with Zab Judah, Mosley, Antonio Margarito, and Ricardo Torres. Tires at the end of fights, doesn’t close the show all the time. His last 3 fights that went 11 plus rounds he noticably tired. Knocked out 2 fights ago by Margarito.(TKO)
Shane Mosley
The Skinny: One of the fastest fighters of his generation. 2nd best lightweight since Roberto Duran. (Pernell Whitaker rates higher)Legendary offensive fighter, tremendous body puncher. Right hand and left hook both damaging and have knocked out fighters. Underrated power. Good defensive when he wants to be, but often times neglects it to go on the offensive. Closes the show, excellent heart, and Class Act. 1st ballot Hall of Famer. Former IBF Lightweight Champion, WBC/World Welterweight Champion, WBA/Ring/World/WBC Jr. Middleweight Champion. Current WBA/Cyberboxingzone lineal Welterweight Champion. 46-5 -39 Knockouts.
Drawbacks: Age, will be 38 this fall. Not a huge gate attraction. Troubled by fighters who execute and use the jab effectively. Is succeptiable to the right hand. Even though Shane is a great boxer, he can be outboxed at times. Lack of ability to change style when in trouble.(1st Forrest fight)
The Verdict:
I laid it out for you guys. If Manny Pacquiao beats Shane Mosley, people can say 2 things. You beat a legend, and you are now the Welterweight Champion. 7 titles in 7 divisions. Or they will say, you beat an old Shane who was weight drained.
If you beat Cotto you could say, you beat Miguel Cotto and now you are the WBO Welterweight Champion. You beat an excellent fighter who is closer to his prime. Or they could say, you beat Miguel Cotto, he was shot, he was knocked out by Margarito, and he almost lost to Joshua Clottey.
In the end it comes down to this, in my opinion. If Manny Pacquiao manages to beat Miguel Cotto, where will that sit in History? More questions will be asked, like how good was Cotto really? Or what has he ever done? A win over Miguel Cotto will say more about Miguel Cotto then it would be about Manny Pacquiao. I know what Pacquiao is, he is a legend. I know what Shane Mosley is, he is a legend too, a step below Pacquiao. But I don’t know what Miguel Cotto is. Excellent fighter, yes, but an all time great. That remains to be seen. If Manny beats Miguel Cotto, won’t we be talking about Miguel Cotto just like we did Fernando Vargas after Oscar De La Hoya beat him in 2002, or Jermain Taylor after he lost to Carl Froch this year. That is why I think Mosley is the best fight. It is the best fight for history. And it is the best fight for those ESPN Classics that we will be watching in 2030.
Not About the Money
Does Shane Mosley really want to fight Manny Pacquaio? Yeah he does badly. Is he begging? You could say that, but I like it when fighters really want to fight, do we want him to say, “no I don’t want to fight the best fighter in the world.” Is he doing it only for the money? No, and if you think that you are pretty foolish. I recently interviewed Sugar Shane Mosley, and the word that came up over and over again was, “Legacy.” It wasn’t money. Shane is one of the 10 highest paid fighters since 2000. He disclosed his net worth to me, and it is more then he will ever be able to spend in his lifetime.
Yes money is nice, I like it. I need more of it. But when guys like Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley talk about fighting. They are talking about those times as teenagers and young pros when they were fighting for scraps at small local club shows. They love what they do. I bet if they could, if nobody was watching, they would go to a local gym and duke it out it without much fanfare. They are fighters through and through. It is about the legacy that they leave behind. They are generational fighters that will hopefully get a chance to meet in the ring. As of today. it is around a 90% chance Manny fights Cotto. While that is a great fight and Cotto is more then deserving, I am pulling for the 10% chance that Manny changes his mind and goes after Mosley and history.
Source: boxing24.com
The Showdown 06.23.09: Better Opponent for Pacquiao
It is time once again for another Showdown, the column dedicated to having two opponents slug it out for superiority. This week we have Miguel Cotto taking on Shane Mosley over who is the better opponent for Manny Pacquiao this fall. We'll weigh both the commercial and boxing aspects of the opponents and determine who is more beneficial for the career of the Filipino sensation.
So let's get into it…
Miguel Cotto
PROS: Undoubtedly, Miguel Cotto presents the most lucrative fight for Pacquiao. Pacquiao is no doubt the bigger star but Cotto brings his own group of fans to the table that is matched by few in the sport. Their's a reason Cotto/Margarito was televised on HBO PPV whereas Mosley/Margarito was televised on the cheaper alternative. It also brings up an interesting point of Pacquiao who has built up a decent fan base among Mexican fans due to his penchant for fighting many of Mexico's finest. Could the same thing happen for Pacquiao towards the Puerto Rican contingent if he beats their hero?
CONS: While Mosley is the current Welterweight champion, it's questionable whether he poses as big a risk to Pacquiao as Cotto does. This is not to say Mosley is some type of slouch but the fact is Pacquiao is in a league of his own right now and it seems the only thing that's going to bring him down is a naturally bigger power puncher. That could be Cotto. He's not as technically sound as Mosley but he's the heavier handed fighter and it seems his body attack is a much bigger threat to Manny than Mosley's gameplan.
Shane Mosley
PROS: As mentioned, Mosley represents a safer choice among the current Welterweight crop. Not to take away from his brilliant performance against Margarito but he's not nearly as fast as Pacquiao and it doesn't appear that his power represents a huge threat to Pacquiao as other Welterweight's would. He also brings the lineal championship with him and that only furthers Pacquiao's legacy if he can wrest it away from him. The idea that he could be the reigning champion in two different classes has to be appealing to his promotional team.
CONS: After two super fights with DLH and Hatton, does Mosley vs. Pacquiao carry the same appeal? While Pacquiao is a superstar who basically guarantees 500,000 plus buyrates at this point in his career does he really want to take a step back in fighting a fighter whose never fought on PPV without a bigger star attached to it? Mosley doesn't carry the same weight and it seems unlikely this fight could break 800,000 where a Cotto fighter has a far greater chance. If Pacquiao is serious about retiring in the foreseeable future, he will probably want his money as soon as possible and Cotto does that.
THE RESULT
As a boxing fan, I want to see Cotto vs. Pacquiao but let's be honest Mosley is less dangerous and carries the historical weight of bringing the championship to the table. Pacquiao is enough of a superstar that he will guarantee a hefty purse regardless of the opponent so why risk your status against a power puncher when you could fight a speed fighter who does not match your own speed?
Take the historical value and run with it. Mosley may be the bigger man but it doesn't appear likely he can really hurt Pacquiao. My advice, go for the history and take the Welterweight belt and then look for a bigger super fight in the spring when the economy is somewhat better and you could break a million buyrates.
Until then, see ya next week!
411mania.com
Monday, June 22, 2009
Pacman-Cotto fight at MGM Grand
MANILA, Philippines - Miguel Cotto is about to get uprooted from his comfort zone and thrust into a ring where Manny Pacquiao has scored his two biggest wins.
With the Pacquiao-Cotto fight nearly reaching finality, the venue of the Nov. 14 blockbuster is also shaping up—and it won’t be at the Madison Square Garden in New York, where a large Puerto Rican community is always ready to support Cotto.
Top Rank chair Bob Arum, who promotes both fighters, said MGM Grand is going to be the site of the fight. The hotel’s Garden Arena hosted Pacquiao’s last two great victories— against Oscar De La Hoya in December and against Ricky Hatton last May.
“I wanted to give everybody a shot,” Arum told the Las Vegas Review Journal, adding he also talked to Daren Libonati, director of the Thomas & Mack Center—where Pacquiao demolished Erik “El Terible” Morales in 2006.
“When I checked with the other casinos to see if they wanted it at the Thomas & Mack, they said it would be difficult for them,” Arum added. “So we’re going to the MGM.”
Cotto’s last fight—an unconvincing split decision over Joshua Clottey last June 13—was held at the fabled Madison Square Garden and coincided with the Puerto Rican Day parade.
Pacquiao himself has said before that he is interested in fighting at the Garden.
Meanwhile, Shane Mosley continued to appeal for a fight against Pacquiao, asking Fighthype.com to launch a poll as to who Filipinos would like to see battle Pacquiao.
“We have the biggest names by far,” Mosley said of Pacquiao and himself.
While the Fighthype.com poll results refused to load, Mosley may be right on the money based on the comments section.
At Mannypacquiao.ph, though, Mosley ranked third (13.3 percent) behind Floyd Mayweather Jr. (46.3) and Cotto (34) in a poll as to who Pacquiao should fight next.
Source: inquirer.net
With the Pacquiao-Cotto fight nearly reaching finality, the venue of the Nov. 14 blockbuster is also shaping up—and it won’t be at the Madison Square Garden in New York, where a large Puerto Rican community is always ready to support Cotto.
Top Rank chair Bob Arum, who promotes both fighters, said MGM Grand is going to be the site of the fight. The hotel’s Garden Arena hosted Pacquiao’s last two great victories— against Oscar De La Hoya in December and against Ricky Hatton last May.
“I wanted to give everybody a shot,” Arum told the Las Vegas Review Journal, adding he also talked to Daren Libonati, director of the Thomas & Mack Center—where Pacquiao demolished Erik “El Terible” Morales in 2006.
“When I checked with the other casinos to see if they wanted it at the Thomas & Mack, they said it would be difficult for them,” Arum added. “So we’re going to the MGM.”
Cotto’s last fight—an unconvincing split decision over Joshua Clottey last June 13—was held at the fabled Madison Square Garden and coincided with the Puerto Rican Day parade.
Pacquiao himself has said before that he is interested in fighting at the Garden.
Meanwhile, Shane Mosley continued to appeal for a fight against Pacquiao, asking Fighthype.com to launch a poll as to who Filipinos would like to see battle Pacquiao.
“We have the biggest names by far,” Mosley said of Pacquiao and himself.
While the Fighthype.com poll results refused to load, Mosley may be right on the money based on the comments section.
At Mannypacquiao.ph, though, Mosley ranked third (13.3 percent) behind Floyd Mayweather Jr. (46.3) and Cotto (34) in a poll as to who Pacquiao should fight next.
Source: inquirer.net
Roach sees problem for Manny vs Cotto
Freddie Roach sees something in Miguel Cotto that could pose huge problems for Manny Pacquiao.
“Cotto is a strong and big guy and I expect a long and hard fight for Manny,” Roach said speaking from the Wild Card Boxing Club over the weekend.
Not only is Cotto a tough nut to crack, according to Roach, he’s better than Ricky Hatton.
“Cotto is much better than Ricky Hatton. (Hatton’s) not in the same class (with Cotto),” said Roach, referring to the Englishman who Pacquiao destroyed in two rounds last May.
Cotto being the naturally bigger guy, and Pacquiao the smaller fellow, Roach wants to even up things by forcing Cotto to come down to as low as he possibly could.
Against Hatton, Pacquiao weighed just 138 lbs, two lbs under the limit and when he faced and stopped Oscar De La Hoya last December in a weight class that had a 147-lb limit, the Filipino weighed just 142, a testament to the fact that Pacquiao has found his comfort zone at 140 lbs, which is also known as super-lightweight, junior-welter or light-welter.
Roach has made it known to Top Rank head Bob Arum that he wants a catch weight of 143 lbs for the proposed Nov. 14 bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Arum said Cotto has agreed to come down to 145 but the Puerto Rican’s nutritionist reportedly told the Hall of Fame promoter that the lightest Cotto can drop his weight is 144 lbs.
Pacquiao’s lawyer Franklin Gacal noted that when Cotto fought Joshua Clottey in their welterweight war last June 13 in New York, the Puerto Rican weighed 146 lbs, indicating he can still drop a few more.
Even at an agreed catchweight, Roach insists Pacquiao is not going to walk through Cotto the way he did against De La Hoya and Hatton.
“I won’t be surprised if this fight goes the distance,” said Roach, who was right on the money in predicting that Pacquiao would get the Golden Boy in nine rounds and the Hitman inside three.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao continues to enjoy his free time.
Yesterday, Pacquiao was in Vigan and attended the birthday party of former Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson, who turned 68 years old.
Source: mb.com.ph
“Cotto is a strong and big guy and I expect a long and hard fight for Manny,” Roach said speaking from the Wild Card Boxing Club over the weekend.
Not only is Cotto a tough nut to crack, according to Roach, he’s better than Ricky Hatton.
“Cotto is much better than Ricky Hatton. (Hatton’s) not in the same class (with Cotto),” said Roach, referring to the Englishman who Pacquiao destroyed in two rounds last May.
Cotto being the naturally bigger guy, and Pacquiao the smaller fellow, Roach wants to even up things by forcing Cotto to come down to as low as he possibly could.
Against Hatton, Pacquiao weighed just 138 lbs, two lbs under the limit and when he faced and stopped Oscar De La Hoya last December in a weight class that had a 147-lb limit, the Filipino weighed just 142, a testament to the fact that Pacquiao has found his comfort zone at 140 lbs, which is also known as super-lightweight, junior-welter or light-welter.
Roach has made it known to Top Rank head Bob Arum that he wants a catch weight of 143 lbs for the proposed Nov. 14 bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Arum said Cotto has agreed to come down to 145 but the Puerto Rican’s nutritionist reportedly told the Hall of Fame promoter that the lightest Cotto can drop his weight is 144 lbs.
Pacquiao’s lawyer Franklin Gacal noted that when Cotto fought Joshua Clottey in their welterweight war last June 13 in New York, the Puerto Rican weighed 146 lbs, indicating he can still drop a few more.
Even at an agreed catchweight, Roach insists Pacquiao is not going to walk through Cotto the way he did against De La Hoya and Hatton.
“I won’t be surprised if this fight goes the distance,” said Roach, who was right on the money in predicting that Pacquiao would get the Golden Boy in nine rounds and the Hitman inside three.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao continues to enjoy his free time.
Yesterday, Pacquiao was in Vigan and attended the birthday party of former Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson, who turned 68 years old.
Source: mb.com.ph
Pacquiao/Cotto Negotiations in Full Force, Deal Expected
Promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank hopes to have signed contracts from Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto by the end of the week. Arum is trying to match his two fighters for November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Even before Cotto won a decision over Joshua Clottey last Saturday, Arum met with Cotto to discuss a Pacquiao encounter.
"When Miguel was training in Tampa, I met with Miguel Cotto, his father and [attorney] Gabriel Peñagarícano to discuss the possibility of a fight with Pacquiao. They asked me for a written proposal to be sent and they made some notations that we plan to discuss [this week]," Arum said to Primera Hora.
Pacquiao gave Arum the order to get the Cotto fight made. The two discussed the fight in New York during Pacquiao's recent trip to the East Coast. Pacquiao attended the Boxing Writers Awards Dinner last Friday and sat ringside the following night for Cotto's win over Clottey in Madison Square Garden. Arum sat down with Pacquiao at his hotel to discuss a Cotto encounter.
"[Manny] gave me the green light to try to reach an agreement with Miguel. So it's ideal that by the end of this week we could make all of the details. Both boxers are part of Top Rank and my interest is making money, "Arum said.
As far as Emanuel Steward coming on board in Cotto's corner, Arum was contatced by Steward but told the hall-of-fame trainer to contact Cotto directly.
"I told him to talk to Cotto, Miguel's father, and Peñagarícano on the matter. I do not want to intervene in this matter, since it's a decision for Cotto to make, " Arum said.
Source: boxingscene.com
"When Miguel was training in Tampa, I met with Miguel Cotto, his father and [attorney] Gabriel Peñagarícano to discuss the possibility of a fight with Pacquiao. They asked me for a written proposal to be sent and they made some notations that we plan to discuss [this week]," Arum said to Primera Hora.
Pacquiao gave Arum the order to get the Cotto fight made. The two discussed the fight in New York during Pacquiao's recent trip to the East Coast. Pacquiao attended the Boxing Writers Awards Dinner last Friday and sat ringside the following night for Cotto's win over Clottey in Madison Square Garden. Arum sat down with Pacquiao at his hotel to discuss a Cotto encounter.
"[Manny] gave me the green light to try to reach an agreement with Miguel. So it's ideal that by the end of this week we could make all of the details. Both boxers are part of Top Rank and my interest is making money, "Arum said.
As far as Emanuel Steward coming on board in Cotto's corner, Arum was contatced by Steward but told the hall-of-fame trainer to contact Cotto directly.
"I told him to talk to Cotto, Miguel's father, and Peñagarícano on the matter. I do not want to intervene in this matter, since it's a decision for Cotto to make, " Arum said.
Source: boxingscene.com
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Roach's Weight Demand Could Collapse Pacquiao-Cotto
If trainer Freddie Roach sticks to his demand, a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto could collapse. Roach wants Cotto to come down to a catch-weight of 143-pounds for a fight with Pacquiao. Cotto's nutritionist told Top Rank's Bob Arum, who promotes both fighters, that Miguel could only make a "safe" weight of 144 to 145-pounds at most. The Cotto camp would rather have it at 145. Roach wants to get Cotto down as low as possible.
"I spoke with Bob and I told him I want it at 143-pounds," Roach told the Manila Bulletin-Tempo . "The lower I can get him (Cotto), the better. Cotto is still a great fighter. Very strong, and very dangerous. He’s a champion. No way (he’s past his prime). (Manny’s going to have a) hard, hard fight."
Top Rank wants to make the fight for November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Arum held a phone conference with Cotto and his team on Wednesday. He plans to present a deal to Pacquiao's team on Sunday and hopes to get a tentative deal locked in by Monday.
Pacquiao is reported to have asked for a weight of 144 but Roach is a big influence on his fighter and may talk him into a demand of 143. Cotto can't get down to 143 without killing his body. When the fight was first presented to him, he balked at the idea of a catch-weight. Later on he said a weight of 145 was fair. He won't agree to 143.
Source: boxingscene.com
"I spoke with Bob and I told him I want it at 143-pounds," Roach told the Manila Bulletin-Tempo . "The lower I can get him (Cotto), the better. Cotto is still a great fighter. Very strong, and very dangerous. He’s a champion. No way (he’s past his prime). (Manny’s going to have a) hard, hard fight."
Top Rank wants to make the fight for November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Arum held a phone conference with Cotto and his team on Wednesday. He plans to present a deal to Pacquiao's team on Sunday and hopes to get a tentative deal locked in by Monday.
Pacquiao is reported to have asked for a weight of 144 but Roach is a big influence on his fighter and may talk him into a demand of 143. Cotto can't get down to 143 without killing his body. When the fight was first presented to him, he balked at the idea of a catch-weight. Later on he said a weight of 145 was fair. He won't agree to 143.
Source: boxingscene.com
Roach wants Cotto at 143 lb
Boxing coach Freddie Roach has told Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum that he wants a catch weight of 143 lb for the proposed Nov. 14 fight between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto.
“I spoke with Bob and I told him I want it at 143 lb,” Roach told the Manila Bulletin Saturday. “The lower I can get him (Cotto), the better.”
Roach’s desire to force Cotto to get down to as low as 143 is a sure sign the celebrated trainer is very wary of the Puerto Rican puncher, boxing experts said.
Despite Cotto’s struggle against Joshua Clottey last week in New York, Roach said he remains a believer that Cotto is not “over the hill.”
“Cotto is still a great fighter. Very strong, and very dangerous,” said the 48-year-old Roach.
Roach said those who predict that Pacquiao would bowl over Cotto with ease “are not so bright.”
“He’s a champion,” said Roach. “No way (he’s past his prime). (Manny’s going to have a) hard, hard fight.”
Reminded that Cotto seems to be not elusive and willing to take punches to land one of his own, Roach agreed but cautioned die-hard Pacquiao fans that “he gets back as hard.”
Roach added that once Pacquiao reports for training camp two months before the fight, help will come from conditioning coach Alex Ariza and the rest of Pacquiao’s all-Filipino training team.
So, where’s Michael Moorer, the former heavyweight champion who was part of Pacquiao’s training camp for Ricky Hatton last May?
“Michael’s on leave to attend to his kids in Florida,” replied Roach.
Arum, meanwhile, has been informed of what both camps want. Pacquiao is insisting that the catch weight should be 144 lbs, but Cotto wants it at 145.
Cotto’s World Boxing Organization welterweight (147 lb) crown will be on the line in the scheduled 12-rounder being penciled for the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Mike Koncz, Pacquiao’s Los Angeles-based Canadian adviser, is on his way to the US for a meeting with Arum on Sunday in Las Vegas.
Arum will make a presentation to Koncz, who would then return to the Philippines to make a presentation of his own to Pacquiao.
If everything goes well, Arum will likely have a deal this coming week, something that would make Pacquiao and Cotto happy.
Source: mb.com.ph
“I spoke with Bob and I told him I want it at 143 lb,” Roach told the Manila Bulletin Saturday. “The lower I can get him (Cotto), the better.”
Roach’s desire to force Cotto to get down to as low as 143 is a sure sign the celebrated trainer is very wary of the Puerto Rican puncher, boxing experts said.
Despite Cotto’s struggle against Joshua Clottey last week in New York, Roach said he remains a believer that Cotto is not “over the hill.”
“Cotto is still a great fighter. Very strong, and very dangerous,” said the 48-year-old Roach.
Roach said those who predict that Pacquiao would bowl over Cotto with ease “are not so bright.”
“He’s a champion,” said Roach. “No way (he’s past his prime). (Manny’s going to have a) hard, hard fight.”
Reminded that Cotto seems to be not elusive and willing to take punches to land one of his own, Roach agreed but cautioned die-hard Pacquiao fans that “he gets back as hard.”
Roach added that once Pacquiao reports for training camp two months before the fight, help will come from conditioning coach Alex Ariza and the rest of Pacquiao’s all-Filipino training team.
So, where’s Michael Moorer, the former heavyweight champion who was part of Pacquiao’s training camp for Ricky Hatton last May?
“Michael’s on leave to attend to his kids in Florida,” replied Roach.
Arum, meanwhile, has been informed of what both camps want. Pacquiao is insisting that the catch weight should be 144 lbs, but Cotto wants it at 145.
Cotto’s World Boxing Organization welterweight (147 lb) crown will be on the line in the scheduled 12-rounder being penciled for the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Mike Koncz, Pacquiao’s Los Angeles-based Canadian adviser, is on his way to the US for a meeting with Arum on Sunday in Las Vegas.
Arum will make a presentation to Koncz, who would then return to the Philippines to make a presentation of his own to Pacquiao.
If everything goes well, Arum will likely have a deal this coming week, something that would make Pacquiao and Cotto happy.
Source: mb.com.ph
Arum presenting fight proposal to Koncz
MANILA, Philippines—Looks like negotiators for the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto showdown on Nov. 14 are proceeding smoothly.
Top Rank big boss Bob Arum, who promotes both fighters, is meeting with Pacquiao adviser, Canadian Mike Koncz, on Sunday (Monday in Manila) in Las Vegas to discuss details of the bout expected to be at a catch weight of either 144 or 145 lbs.
Pacquiao, the world’s pound-for-pound king, wrested the World Boxing Organization junior welterweight (140 lbs) crown from Briton Ricky Hatton on May 2 while Cotto recently defended his WBO welterweight (147 lbs) title against Ghanaian Joshua Clottey last Saturday.
According to Arum, he’s negotiating with both Team Pacquiao and the Cotto camp as part of the usual process.
“We have a number of points we are talking through, but nothing that’s deal-breaking,” Arum told Dan Rafael of ESPN.com. “Everything looks great.”
Arum has been communicating with Cotto’s lawyer since the Puerto Rican earned a split decision victory over Clottey last Saturday at the New York’s Madison Square Garden, where halfway through the 12-round bout Pacquiao gave Arum the go-signal to arrange the fight.
Wasting no time, Arum has put in the salient details in the fight proposal he’s going to present to Koncz, who in turn will bring it back to the Philippines.
“I’m moving forward in an attempt to have this fight happen,” said Arum.
Apart from the purse and revenue breakdown, Arum is also looking at the pay-per-view coverage of the Pacquiao-Cotto fight, with HBO likely to get the rights for the prime coverage.
Source: inquirer.net
Top Rank big boss Bob Arum, who promotes both fighters, is meeting with Pacquiao adviser, Canadian Mike Koncz, on Sunday (Monday in Manila) in Las Vegas to discuss details of the bout expected to be at a catch weight of either 144 or 145 lbs.
Pacquiao, the world’s pound-for-pound king, wrested the World Boxing Organization junior welterweight (140 lbs) crown from Briton Ricky Hatton on May 2 while Cotto recently defended his WBO welterweight (147 lbs) title against Ghanaian Joshua Clottey last Saturday.
According to Arum, he’s negotiating with both Team Pacquiao and the Cotto camp as part of the usual process.
“We have a number of points we are talking through, but nothing that’s deal-breaking,” Arum told Dan Rafael of ESPN.com. “Everything looks great.”
Arum has been communicating with Cotto’s lawyer since the Puerto Rican earned a split decision victory over Clottey last Saturday at the New York’s Madison Square Garden, where halfway through the 12-round bout Pacquiao gave Arum the go-signal to arrange the fight.
Wasting no time, Arum has put in the salient details in the fight proposal he’s going to present to Koncz, who in turn will bring it back to the Philippines.
“I’m moving forward in an attempt to have this fight happen,” said Arum.
Apart from the purse and revenue breakdown, Arum is also looking at the pay-per-view coverage of the Pacquiao-Cotto fight, with HBO likely to get the rights for the prime coverage.
Source: inquirer.net
Mosley insists Cotto deal all about money
MANILA, Philippines - It all boils down to money, and nothing else, all these talk about Manny Pacquiao’s next fight on Nov. 14.
There’s Pacquiao and his master promoter, Bob Arum, on one side, and a pair of welterweight champions on the other.
In between them are millions and millions of dollars.
“There’s a ton of money involved,” said Arum who’s been pushing hard for a Pacquiao-(Miguel) Cotto fight, not only because he enjoys the rights over both boxers, but because he believes it’s going to be a “terrific fight.”
Shane Mosley, who’s with Golden Boy Promotions, begs to disagree.
“I’m frustrated by the situation, that Bob Arum’s just trying to put more money in his pocket,” Mosley told Lance Pugmire of The LA Times yesterday. “If he wants the fight that’s going to make the most money for Pacquiao, then that’s a fight against me.”
“Cotto doesn’t deserve that chance now, but Arum only has one more fight [in his promotional contract] with Cotto, and he needs to put him in a big fight to keep him. So he’s using Pacquiao for that – to throw Cotto a bone.
“Bob Arum makes out, he clears all the money and Cotto will get his $4 to $6 million. This is a fight for Bob Arum, not a fight for the fans or for Pacquiao,” said Mosley, who feels he can give Pacquiao a “better fight” and “more money.”
Negotiations are on, and Pacquiao has said he’s willing to face Cotto at 144 or 145 lb, and not at 142, which his trainer, Freddie Roach, had originally wanted, after watching the pride of Puerto Rico live in action last week.
Cotto looked so slow against Josh Clottey and won by the skin of his teeth. If he gets to fight Pacquiao, the 28-year-old, 5-foot-7 Cotto, might end up the way David Diaz did, a badly-beaten “statue with gloves.”
One of Pacquiao’s advisers, Wakee Salud, said Cotto won’t last seven rounds against Pacquiao, and another said the Filipino light-welterweight champion should win even if the fight is held at 147 lb.
“My point is, let’s make the best fights. What would make more money than Pacquiao and I? Cotto has a Puerto Rican audience in New York, that’s where it stops. I’m big everywhere. A fight with Pacquiao and I would be crazy,” added Mosley.
The pride of Pomona, California is also willing to face Pacquiao at a catch weight of under 147 lb, and said he’d be happy to get 40 percent of everything. Or even less perhaps.
“The fight does not make any sense to me. A fight with me will make more money. I know there have been numbers going on out there like Cotto making five or six million and Manny making 10, 11 or 12. But in a fight with me, he will make more money. Bob Arum is being the puppet master putting this together, but Manny will make more money fighting me,” Mosley said in a separate interview.
“It is the best fight for Bob Arum. Even if you look at Cotto’s gash, do you think it will heal in time? It might just open up again if he fights Pacquiao. The fans need to know that the best and biggest fight in boxing right now is with me,” he added.
Anything can happen in the next few days.
As the old saying goes, money talks in boxing, and Mosley, the WBA champion at 147 lb, won’t stop talking until the Pacquiao-Cotto fight contract is sealed, signed and delivered.
Source: philstar.com
There’s Pacquiao and his master promoter, Bob Arum, on one side, and a pair of welterweight champions on the other.
In between them are millions and millions of dollars.
“There’s a ton of money involved,” said Arum who’s been pushing hard for a Pacquiao-(Miguel) Cotto fight, not only because he enjoys the rights over both boxers, but because he believes it’s going to be a “terrific fight.”
Shane Mosley, who’s with Golden Boy Promotions, begs to disagree.
“I’m frustrated by the situation, that Bob Arum’s just trying to put more money in his pocket,” Mosley told Lance Pugmire of The LA Times yesterday. “If he wants the fight that’s going to make the most money for Pacquiao, then that’s a fight against me.”
“Cotto doesn’t deserve that chance now, but Arum only has one more fight [in his promotional contract] with Cotto, and he needs to put him in a big fight to keep him. So he’s using Pacquiao for that – to throw Cotto a bone.
“Bob Arum makes out, he clears all the money and Cotto will get his $4 to $6 million. This is a fight for Bob Arum, not a fight for the fans or for Pacquiao,” said Mosley, who feels he can give Pacquiao a “better fight” and “more money.”
Negotiations are on, and Pacquiao has said he’s willing to face Cotto at 144 or 145 lb, and not at 142, which his trainer, Freddie Roach, had originally wanted, after watching the pride of Puerto Rico live in action last week.
Cotto looked so slow against Josh Clottey and won by the skin of his teeth. If he gets to fight Pacquiao, the 28-year-old, 5-foot-7 Cotto, might end up the way David Diaz did, a badly-beaten “statue with gloves.”
One of Pacquiao’s advisers, Wakee Salud, said Cotto won’t last seven rounds against Pacquiao, and another said the Filipino light-welterweight champion should win even if the fight is held at 147 lb.
“My point is, let’s make the best fights. What would make more money than Pacquiao and I? Cotto has a Puerto Rican audience in New York, that’s where it stops. I’m big everywhere. A fight with Pacquiao and I would be crazy,” added Mosley.
The pride of Pomona, California is also willing to face Pacquiao at a catch weight of under 147 lb, and said he’d be happy to get 40 percent of everything. Or even less perhaps.
“The fight does not make any sense to me. A fight with me will make more money. I know there have been numbers going on out there like Cotto making five or six million and Manny making 10, 11 or 12. But in a fight with me, he will make more money. Bob Arum is being the puppet master putting this together, but Manny will make more money fighting me,” Mosley said in a separate interview.
“It is the best fight for Bob Arum. Even if you look at Cotto’s gash, do you think it will heal in time? It might just open up again if he fights Pacquiao. The fans need to know that the best and biggest fight in boxing right now is with me,” he added.
Anything can happen in the next few days.
As the old saying goes, money talks in boxing, and Mosley, the WBA champion at 147 lb, won’t stop talking until the Pacquiao-Cotto fight contract is sealed, signed and delivered.
Source: philstar.com
SHANE MOSLEY: "LET THE PHILIPPINE FANS VOTE"
I just want to tell Pacquiao to do the right thing for boxing. I think you guys should put a poll up and let the Philippine fans vote which one they think would be a bigger fight and who they want to see Pacquiao fight next, Shane Mosley or Miguel Cotto! Let's see who the Philippine fans want Pacquiao to fight next," stated WBA welterweight champion Shane Mosley as he expressed his desire to find out once and for all who the fans really want to see Manny Pacquiao face next.
"I just want to tell Pacquiao to do the right thing for boxing. I think you guys should put a poll up and let the Philippine fans vote which one they think would be a bigger fight and who they want to see Pacquiao fight next, Shane Mosley or Miguel Cotto! Let's see who the Philippine fans want Pacquiao to fight next," stated WBA welterweight champion Shane Mosley as he expressed his desire to find out once and for all who the fans really want to see Manny Pacquiao face next.
Mosley continued, "The only person that';s stopping the fight is Bob Arum. Bob Arum has his own investments into the fight as far as him wanting to re-sign Cotto and get him a big fight. Then he has Pacquiao. He will give Cotto a little money to keep him happy because he really doesn't deserve any of it. And then he will throw Pacquiao something out there, but the bigger fight is me and Pacquiao. We have the biggest names by far and Pacquiao's legacy wouldn't be damaged losing to me. I don't understand…well, I do understand what Bob Arum wants to do, but I wouldn't understand why Pacquiao wouldn't take the fight."
So who should Pacquiao fight next? Shane Mosley or Miguel Cotto? Although it's unlikely to change Bob Arum's opinion, if the fans would rather see a clash between Mosley and Pacquiao, perhaps they can make a difference when it comes to Manny's next opponent.
Source: fighthype.com
"I just want to tell Pacquiao to do the right thing for boxing. I think you guys should put a poll up and let the Philippine fans vote which one they think would be a bigger fight and who they want to see Pacquiao fight next, Shane Mosley or Miguel Cotto! Let's see who the Philippine fans want Pacquiao to fight next," stated WBA welterweight champion Shane Mosley as he expressed his desire to find out once and for all who the fans really want to see Manny Pacquiao face next.
Mosley continued, "The only person that';s stopping the fight is Bob Arum. Bob Arum has his own investments into the fight as far as him wanting to re-sign Cotto and get him a big fight. Then he has Pacquiao. He will give Cotto a little money to keep him happy because he really doesn't deserve any of it. And then he will throw Pacquiao something out there, but the bigger fight is me and Pacquiao. We have the biggest names by far and Pacquiao's legacy wouldn't be damaged losing to me. I don't understand…well, I do understand what Bob Arum wants to do, but I wouldn't understand why Pacquiao wouldn't take the fight."
So who should Pacquiao fight next? Shane Mosley or Miguel Cotto? Although it's unlikely to change Bob Arum's opinion, if the fans would rather see a clash between Mosley and Pacquiao, perhaps they can make a difference when it comes to Manny's next opponent.
Source: fighthype.com
Friday, June 19, 2009
'Pacquiao too fast, strong for Cotto'
MANILA, Philippines – Even at 147 lb, the welterweight limit, Manny Pacquiao should have the upperhand against Miguel Cotto.
“Masyado mabagal (Too slow),” said a Team Pacquiao insider of the champion from Puerto Rico who has agreed to face Pacquiao on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas at a catchweight of 144 to 145 lb.
“Kahit sa 147 mahihirapan siya. Masyado mabilis si Manny. Tatamaan (Even at 147 he will find it difficult. Manny is too fast. He’ll get hit),” added the insider, referring to Cotto, the WBO champion.
Pacquiao agreed to fight Oscar dela Hoya at 147 lb last December, but weighed in at only 142 against Dela Hoya’s 145. On fight night, Pacquiao was 148 1/2, and the latter, 147.
It could happen again against Cotto – whether the fight is held at 144, 145 and yes, even 147. Pacquiao will simply use the same formula, weigh in at around 142 and climb the ring around 148.
At 148, Pacquiao will be as fast and as strong, or faster and stronger perhaps, than he was against Dela Hoya (out in eight rounds) or Ricky Hatton (out inside two rounds of the 140 lb contest).
Cotto has never weighed in lower than 146 lb in his last five fights. The last time he tipped the scales at 145 lb was for Zab Judah in June 2007, and he scored an 11th round technical knockout.
Cotto defended his 147 lb crown with a narrow and bloody split decision against Ghana’s Josh Clottey in New York last Sunday, and Pacquiao watched from ringside with his promoter, Bob Arum.
After the fight, Pacquiao asked Arum to set him up against Cotto, who looked so slow with his hands and feet. The only thing he proved that night was his ability to go on despite a nasty cut over his left eye.
Arum has opened his doors to the Cotto people regarding the fight. Negotiations are on and based on reports, both camps are close to striking a deal. It’s no longer the weight, but money matters, that’s keeping the fight unofficial.
“I was on the phone with Cotto’s people yesterday and I outlined to them the terms and points of the deal. I expect their response by the end of the week,” Arum told the Los Angeles Times.
Pacquiao’s Canadian adviser, Mike Koncz, flew to the US and is scheduled to sit down with Arum this Sunday. They will discuss the fight details, and what should be best for both fighters.
“Koncz will take that information to Manny next week, we’ll have further conversations then, and then likely put this thing to bed,” Arum was quoted as saying.
The ageless promoter said weight is no longer an issue.
“Cotto is a welterweight and the (his) nutritionist is saying the lowest he can go is 144. Manny will be fine with that. He doesn’t want a guy to get in there and injure himself by fighting at an unrealistically low weight,” Arum said.
Initially, Pacquiao and his trainer, Freddie Roach, wanted Cotto to go down to 142 lb for the fight to push through. But it’s a different story now, after what they saw at the Madison Square Garden last Sunday.
Source: philstar.com
Cotto whips adversity for shot at Pacquiao, then revenge
Adversity, Miguel Cotto's stubborn foe for the past year, never had a chance. He looked it in the eye, stared it down and countered with poise in the face of lingering questions about his lone loss to Antonio Margarito, a nasty split with his ex-trainer and a bloody night that ended in a tough decision over Joshua Clottey on June 13.
Is a Cotto vs. Margarito rematch coming? (Getty Images) Cotto has overcome, although I'm not sure he can all over again in a pound-for-pound showdown, possibly on Nov. 14, with Manny Pacquiao. There were moments in the split decision over Clottey when adversity's toll -- wear and tear and Sugar Shane Mosley -- began to display some inevitable symptoms on Cotto's bloodied-and-beaten face. He might be a step beyond his prime. We'll see soon enough. But I won't bet against him, simply because of his evident courage and versatile ability to think through a very tough fight.
However, plans for the second fight in the post-Clottey stage of Cotto's career makes me stop and pause. His Top Rank promoter, Bob Arum, wants a rematch with Margarito, when and if Margarito can get a new license after it was taken from him by California for trying to turn his gloves into a loaded weapon before a January loss to Mosley in Los Angeles.
Yes, Cotto said after his narrow victory over Clottey at New York's Madison Square Garden, Margarito is "a possibility."
For Arum, it is a financial windfall or two more than just that.
"Huge," said Arum, who also promotes Margarito.
The marketing angle is undeniable. Revenge sells. Cotto has repeatedly said he doesn't know whether Margarito's gloves were altered a year ago in Las Vegas. But the public suspicion, right or wrong, is that they were.
After what I saw in Cotto against Clottey, I'm more convinced now than ever that Margarito's gloves were loaded with fatal potential. With blood streaming into one eye after a head butt in the third round, Cotto fought on against Clottey. From the fourth through the 12th rounds, there was never any sign of surrender. Cotto is no quitter, yet he quit in the 11th against Margarito. It was out of character. It makes sense only when placed within the context of what was later discovered before opening bell in Margarito's loss to Mosley.
A rematch would be Cotto's chance at some payback. On the flip side, it is a way for Margarito to prove his upset was no fluke or felony.
My problem is this: It doesn't matter whether you believe Margarito when he says he didn't know what was being applied to his hands. The questions are there and always will be. In a rematch with Cotto, he would be rewarded for suspicions that sell. Arum has backed off his earlier plans to have Margarito fight in Mexico.
Instead, he said he would go through the California process, which includes an appeal. That's good news. If Arum had tried to sidestep California regulators with a Margarito bout in Mexico, suspicions would only have deepened.
But it's safe to say that there will plenty of controversial headwinds in Margarito's attempt to regain a license in California or any other state subject to regulation. There will be more than a few rival promoters and fighters -– you know who they are -– bound to object.
But in an eye-for-eye, mano-a-mano culture, that kind of controversy sells, too. There's a chance to get filthy rich, which all too often is the only thing that matters.
Source: cbssports.com
Is a Cotto vs. Margarito rematch coming? (Getty Images) Cotto has overcome, although I'm not sure he can all over again in a pound-for-pound showdown, possibly on Nov. 14, with Manny Pacquiao. There were moments in the split decision over Clottey when adversity's toll -- wear and tear and Sugar Shane Mosley -- began to display some inevitable symptoms on Cotto's bloodied-and-beaten face. He might be a step beyond his prime. We'll see soon enough. But I won't bet against him, simply because of his evident courage and versatile ability to think through a very tough fight.
However, plans for the second fight in the post-Clottey stage of Cotto's career makes me stop and pause. His Top Rank promoter, Bob Arum, wants a rematch with Margarito, when and if Margarito can get a new license after it was taken from him by California for trying to turn his gloves into a loaded weapon before a January loss to Mosley in Los Angeles.
Yes, Cotto said after his narrow victory over Clottey at New York's Madison Square Garden, Margarito is "a possibility."
For Arum, it is a financial windfall or two more than just that.
"Huge," said Arum, who also promotes Margarito.
The marketing angle is undeniable. Revenge sells. Cotto has repeatedly said he doesn't know whether Margarito's gloves were altered a year ago in Las Vegas. But the public suspicion, right or wrong, is that they were.
After what I saw in Cotto against Clottey, I'm more convinced now than ever that Margarito's gloves were loaded with fatal potential. With blood streaming into one eye after a head butt in the third round, Cotto fought on against Clottey. From the fourth through the 12th rounds, there was never any sign of surrender. Cotto is no quitter, yet he quit in the 11th against Margarito. It was out of character. It makes sense only when placed within the context of what was later discovered before opening bell in Margarito's loss to Mosley.
A rematch would be Cotto's chance at some payback. On the flip side, it is a way for Margarito to prove his upset was no fluke or felony.
My problem is this: It doesn't matter whether you believe Margarito when he says he didn't know what was being applied to his hands. The questions are there and always will be. In a rematch with Cotto, he would be rewarded for suspicions that sell. Arum has backed off his earlier plans to have Margarito fight in Mexico.
Instead, he said he would go through the California process, which includes an appeal. That's good news. If Arum had tried to sidestep California regulators with a Margarito bout in Mexico, suspicions would only have deepened.
But it's safe to say that there will plenty of controversial headwinds in Margarito's attempt to regain a license in California or any other state subject to regulation. There will be more than a few rival promoters and fighters -– you know who they are -– bound to object.
But in an eye-for-eye, mano-a-mano culture, that kind of controversy sells, too. There's a chance to get filthy rich, which all too often is the only thing that matters.
Source: cbssports.com
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