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
Monday, June 22, 2009
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when will be the tickets available?
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