Firepower: Pacquiao v. Cotto Prediction (results)

Update : Pacquiao wins in the 12th round. Ref Stoppage. It wasnt even close. Too damn fast! Pacquiao destroyed Cotto for 11 rounds. Bring on Pretty Boy Floyd!

On November 14th, two of the greatest boxers will square off under the bright lights of Las Vegas, Nevada to determine who the will be the WBO Welterweight Champion of the world.  The challenger: Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, aiming to make history by winning a 7th title in as many weight divisions and further cementing his legacy as the greatest pound-for-pound boxer today.  The champion: Miguel “I’m No Angel” Cotto, looking to silence the critics who believe he’s a “shot” fighter and restoring his name as the best welterweight fighter in the world.  Billed as firepower, this will be the most anticipated fight of the year and probably the last decade.  Pacquiao is no stranger to the world, as he built is legacy as one of the fastest fighters today stopping Mexican legends Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, David Diaz, Juan Manuel Marquez and the Golden Boy Oscar Dela Hoya.  Cotto solidified his reputation as a strong fighter with a vicious left hook stopping fighters like Zab Judah and Carlos Quintana while outpointing Joshua Clottey and Sugar Shane Mosley.  Let’s break down the fight:

Speed

Anyone that’s seen Pacquiao fight knows he’s fast.  Not just in his hands, but his footwork is phenomenal.  Pacquiao, once known as a brawler who relied heavily on his speed alone to win has improved with each fight leading to the November 14th showdown.  Cotto on the other hand, looks like a turtle when compared to Pacquiao.  He may not have the blistering hand speed and footwork of Pacquiao but he certainly makes up for it in different departments.  Advantage: Pacquiao

Power

It’s no question that on paper, Cotto holds the distinct advantage in terms of physical power.  Being a natural welterweight, Cotto has dealt with fighters his size that are equally as strong if not stronger for most of his career.  His opponent on the other hand, is coming up in weight having fought as low as 106 pounds.  That’s a 40-pound difference!  But, Pacquiao has shown he can carry power while moving up in weight as evident by his 37 KO’s.  The biggest question in this department is how will Pacquiao deal with Cotto’s power as he’s never faced a prime welterweight. Advantage: Cotto by a slim margin

Team & Cornermen

If you’ve heard of Pacquiao, you’ve certainly heard of his coach Freddie Roach.  Roach is a three time trainer of the year having coached the who’s who of combat sports and celebrities like Mike Tyson, Dela Hoya, James Toney, Bernard Hopkins, Mickey Rourke and several MMA fighters.  Cotto, on the other hand, has a new coach in Joe Santiago who has never fought as an amateur or pro and is only 33 years old.  Santiago was promoted from nutritionist to head trainer after Cotto had a fallout and fistight with then-trainer and uncle Evangelista.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know who has the advantage here, a former boxer and veteran trainer versus a nutritionist?  Advantage: Pacquiao by a huge margin

While there are certainly more technical aspects of boxing that should be covered, I won’t go there because I’m not an expert and simply judging the fight based on my fan knowledge.  This is certainly a fight to look out for as it has the makings of a classic.  Speed v. power just like Ali v. Frazier.  Cotto, despite being the champion is the underdog while Manny is a 3-1 favorite in Vegas.  How will the fight play out?  It’s hard to say.  When the fight was officially announced, I’ll be honest I was scared for Pacquiao.  Being a Filipino myself, I was enjoying Pacquiao’s string of victories and immense rise in popularity but I knew Cotto is no joke and certainly not a pushover like Pacquiao’s two previous opponents, (Old) Dela Hoya and Ricky Hatton.  But as time went by, and the more and more I watched Cotto’s past fights (especially against Judah and Mosley) I started to realize that Pacquiao can win this fight in devastating fashion.  While most critics and members from Cotto’s team nullify the idea that Cotto can’t handle speed, I concur only to a certain extent.  Cotto can handle hand speed, but he’s never faced someone who has foot speed like Pacquiao.  In my honest opinion, Cotto is practically tailor made for Pacquiao and won’t last long in this bout if he allows Pacquiao to dictate the pace of the fight.  While I may sound biased, the following are the keys to victory for both fighters.

Pacquiao:

Stay in the middle of the ring and avoid the ropes and corners at all costs.  Set the pace of the fight and don’t allow Cotto to breathe.  Attack relentlessly but cautiously.  Be the bully and show that size does not matter.  Do not get into a brawl.

Cotto:

Be the bully and do not become a counter-puncher.  Throw punches in higher volume.  Tighten your defense, that triangle guard will not hold up against Pacquiao who sets up his combinations with his straight left which you are very susceptible to.  Pray.

Prediction: Manny Pacquiao by KO in round 6

Polls are now open! Lock in your votes!

Firepower: Pacquiao vs. Cotto Predictions

• Pacquiao wins by KO (86%, 49 Votes)
• Pacquiao wins by Decision (11%, 6 Votes)
• Cotto wins by KO (5%, 3 Votes)
• Cotto wins by Decision (-2%, 2 Votes)

Total Voters: 57

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