By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Excitement is quickly building up over the showdown between pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto scheduled for the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on November 14.
Filipino fight fans and Pacquiao supporters all across Asia where the Thais have bestowed the unofficial title of “Hero of Asia” on Pacquiao are eagerly looking forward to the Filipino boxing icon winning his sixth recognized world crown and his seventh belt counting the Ring Magazine featherweight championship when Pacquiao demolished Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera in November 2003
NBA superstar and champion Los Angeles Lakers Finals MVP Kobe Bryant who was in Manila Tuesday on the first stop of an Asian swing praised Pacquiao at a news conference. Bryant who did a Nike endorsement recently with Pacquiao said “I love Manny. I enjoy being around people who are just as competitive, who have the same passion and work ethic” He promised to watch the Cotto fight if the Lakers don’t have a game that night.
New York Yankees baseball superstar Derek Jeter is already looking for tickets for the fight while one of Cotto’s fans, Carlos Beltran of the New York Mets has been to most of Cotto’s fights and is certain to watch the showdown with Pacquiao. Although tickets will go on sale next month Arum said he’s been getting “so many calls from sports and entertainment personalities” that the fight itself is “going to be a premier sports event.”
To astute Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, a possible fight against WBA champion Shane Mosley who was begging to take on Pacquiao and said he was willing to make all sports of concessions from coming down to 140 pounds and giving Pacquiao a 60-40 share of revenues, can wait till after the Cotto fight.
To Arum, Cotto who is also handled by Top Rank fits into Pacquiao’s desire to fight the best, saying “there are a lot of easier guys he could fight but he doesn’t want that. He wants the best- and that’s Miguel (Cotto).”
Arum told The Sun newspaper in London “with Manny you don’t tell him who to fight. He tells you who he wants to fight and he’s not afraid of anything.”
Arum told BoxingScene.com, insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports that after Pacquiao watched Cotto win a close fight against Ghana ’s Joshua Clottey he said “get me Cotto. I want that fight.”
Even as he predicted a “war” between the pride of Puerto Rico and an authentic Filipino hero, Arum pointed out “there’s no messing about with either of these guys, that’s what’s so exciting.”
Arum told The Sun “this is an unbelievable fight with two guys who really love to fight and don’t dance around.”
Arum warned that it would be dangerous for Pacquiao “to look beyond this fight” noting that whichever way it goes “its going to be a classic because of the way these guys fight. There will be a lot of engagement. Manny and Miguel are gutty guys. If you want blood and action and excitement, this is the fight.”
