Pacquiao’s Choice Should Be a Real "Welterweight" Fight

[savorduhflavor]

The big $$$ fights and legacy fights are at 147. I kind of understand the catchweight thing. Manny's small, but if he wants to fight the big dogs, fight them at their best.

Manny vs. Cotto at 145-147: Pac at his best vs. Cotto at his best
Manny vs. Cotto at 144 or below: Pac at his best vs. Cotto probably not at his best.

There is a difference and I don't know why people would want to see the latter...

[csko-2k1]

yes absolutely manny should rise to 147' instead of having these guys dehydrate them selves for an advantage....on manny part...we will see something like de la hoya's fight...........something.

[gingeralbino]

Yet, on the other side of the argument a blown up fighter at a weight that he has never fought at is just as bad (no one fight in particular but it is almost the same thing- using weight to gain an advantage)

I see your point but Manny doesnt have to be blown up to make the weight. He can weigh in anywhere between 140-147 so he doesnt have to add weight to put him at a disadvantage. There's no reason why Manny cant weigh in at 144 and Cotto 146-147. If he does that and wins, WOW!! He's already a ATG, but if he did that then he'd be talked about forever.

If he loses, then so what, go back to 140 and say u just weren't big enough to mix it with the best WWs. No shame in that. He's already lost early in his career so he deosnt have an 0 to protect.

Go for it Manny, history awaits u!

[-Hyperion-]

agreed, pac should just step up to welter, i have a feeling he will.....clottey's explosiveness gave cotto fits, im sure pac thinks he can do it better....

[Uturn]

Cotto shouldn't go below 147 lbs against Pac unless he wants to disadvantage himself already. If Pac wants to go up and try living with WW's then go ahead but dont bring them down to skeletons before the fight which leaves them dehydrated and beaten before the fight even starts!

[sandyvahra]

If it's not going to change the outcome of the fight then Pac should have no need to ask for a bull**** catchweight. From a legacy point of view it's obviously massively in Pac's interests for the fight to be at 147. The only possible reason for Pac to ask for a catchweight is because he thinks it will change the outcome of the fight. There is no other possible reason.

Fair enough. I think it's fair for a guy who fought at jr. lightweight a year ago to ask for a couple pounds. I personally dont think 2 lbs will change the outcome I think Cotto KOs him either way, & lets be honest if we rewind a year we would be crazy to think pac would even fight cotto in a year to begin with.

[sandyvahra]

u still dont get it! Or u just dont care to.

Nah I get it, going for immortality isn't based just on this 1 fight. He's 30 years old & in his absolute prime. This whole catchweight thing it getting blown out of proportion. 144-145 it's fair game. If pac was going to retire after this fight I could understand, but with mosley/mayweather out there your telling me those fights won't have as much if not more to do with potential immortality? Those fights are bigger imo.

[Dave Rado]

But why are these conditions taking place? Because YOU the fans want to see these bouts. Manny never was a true welterweight in his body frame. Sure he can weigh 147lbs no problem, but his actual frame isn't welterweight size. Now that he fought once at 147lbs against Oscar only to get his name out there, everyone thinks he can fight every opponent at 147lbs. So pushing him to fight these guys in a weight class he shouldn't be in, maybe that's why they ask for handicaps if you want to call it that. If he stayed in the division he belonged(140lbs), he'd have no problem facing fighters at "their" actual weight, but it looks like he cleared out one of the only guys worth paying to see fight at jr. welterweight in Hatton.

He's got plenty of great fights he can make at 140. They might not sell as well but they would be much better fights and much better for his legacy than asking a bigger fighter to come in weight drained, and he's already a multi-millionaire.

[Dave Rado]

Why should pacquiao go up so much? why shouldn't these people come down a little? i think a catch weight between the two weights seems fair and would be most competitive

Why not ask Cotto to fight with one arm tied behind his back? That would be fair and competitive too. It wouldn't be boxing though. It wouldn't be sport. It wouldn't prove a damn thing. He wouldn't have proved that he can beat the real 100% Cotto, only a handicapped version. It would be a circus act, nothing more. It would harm his legacy instead of improving it. And exactly the same applies to handicapping him with a catchweight. Pac doesn't need to fight Welters. He can fight the Bradley-Campbell winner, or Marquez. But if he wants to fight Welters, he should fight them at their own weight, like Henry Armstrong did.

[MegatronCEN*CAL]

Of course Manny is going to look great fighting these guys at a catch weight. They have to drain themselves to make the weight.