Insider Notebook: Pacquiao-Cotto; Linares; Juanma; More

[MaYaN_SuN]

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/box...dan&id=4553218

Linares' case is a weird one. He got tagged right on the temple and was just gone the moment the punch landed. Now Cotto who fought pretty close to being drained at 140 for a good amount of time would sometimes get out muscled in brief moments, and even rocked on the regular. So Linares might have been feeling the effects of the weight. Plus Dan said that Linares struggled with Brandon Rios? It almost sounds believable. Rios isn't great, but he's a strong and hard fighter. I can imagine him EASILY bullying Linares around if Jorge wasn't at full strength, just cause that's the type of fighter Rios is.

But **** all that, lol I want to see what this Salgado kid is all about.

[Lacrimosa]

imho this fight is a lose-lose situation for cotto... he has nothing to gain but money. if he wins, he beat up a smaller dude, if he loses he got beat up by a smaller dude.

juanma should stay at 122 lbs and get a little more polish... he shouldn't be struggling against mtagwa. and he needs to beat caballero at 122 lbs.

vasquez could be rusty, but he could be shot... 3 wars w/ raf does that.

I thought Manny established himself as a Welterweight when he defeated Oscar, while being an underdog!

I think Juanma needs some easy fight at 122 before facing Caballero! The fight with Mtagwa was very tough for him, but he earned my (and many more) respect by surviving that last round!

Vasquez deserves all the credit in the world for being eager to fight! I wish him all the best, and to retire as healthy as possible!

[JakeNDaBox]

I thought Manny established himself as a Welterweight when he defeated Oscar, while being an underdog!

I think Juanma needs some easy fight at 122 before facing Caballero! The fight with Mtagwa was very tough for him, but he earned my (and many more) respect by surviving that last round!

Vasquez deserves all the credit in the world for being eager to fight! I wish him all the best, and to retire as healthy as possible!

MORE easy fights at 122? His entire title reign has been a string of easy defenses. Personally, JuanMa never struck me as the type who needs his ego stroked in order to maintain confidence. Soft touches don't do anything for his career, nor does he even seem particularly interested in anything other than big fights, at least based on past reactions to TR's matchmaking.

I'd rather see him go straight to Caballero, especially now that he's being underestimated.

[Pullcounter]

I thought Manny established himself as a Welterweight when he defeated Oscar, while being an underdog!

no he didn't... dlh came down from 154 lbs..

I think Juanma needs some easy fight at 122 before facing Caballero! The fight with Mtagwa was very tough for him, but he earned my (and many more) respect by surviving that last round!

sure, but he better fight caballero at 122 lbs

Vasquez deserves all the credit in the world for being eager to fight! I wish him all the best, and to retire as healthy as possible!

he needs to cash out big and get out.

[Osirus022]

oh yeah... arum said cotto only fights good when he's agressive....

:flame:

NO, really? did you just figure out because he said that? wOw

[Pullcounter]

NO, really? did you just figure out because he said that? wOw

bwahahahahahah... just point it out in case anyone missed it.

[Osirus022]

bwahahahahahah... just point it out in case anyone missed it.

Oh, i thought you were serious when you read that lol... i mean im a Cotto fan but of course its way too obvious even for a blind guy that hears only, that Cotto is better when he is the aggressor, thats what ive seen so far.

[swizz]

juanma might be done at 122

[Bushidō]

Wow I missed that part about him being knocked out cold in sparring

[big_james10]

Without expressing any bias, the success of this fight will depend on how many PPV buys result from it. If these two guys are as exciting as Arum and a lot of people on this site think and are as popular as Arum and the people on this site think, then the PPV numbers should be significantly higher than Mayweather/Marquez. In addition to that, it SHOULD be sold out on the night of the fight. As of now, it is not unless there has been some news that I missed.

If this fight does not do AT LEAST 1 million PPV, then it proves that Pac and Cotto are not as popular as people think or that Mayweather is more popular than people think. There can be no excuses after the numbers are reported. If this fight does not sell big, you can't blame it on the recession or a lack of promotion or the lack of a quality opponent. Everyone will have to acknowledge and accept the facts that result from it.