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By Tony Montgomery
So you are a Manny Pacquiao fan and you are 100% certain he is not just going to beat Miguel Cotto, but he is going to absolutely crush him! Well, Manny Pacquiao fans, I've got news for you. You are not just wrong, you are dead wrong! I realize that Manny Pacquiao is one of the most popular fighters on the planet, but after having spoken with plenty of his fans, I have realized that so many of you are Manny Pacquiao fans, but not fans of boxing. You only watch one fighter and only know what you read and believe what you want to believe.
However, before I start getting to the point of why I believe Cotto will win this fight let me give you a small run down of the Pacman's career. He was already a star in the Philippines before he ever stepped on U.S. soil, and when he came to America to challenge for Lehlonolo Ledwabas' IBF super bantamweight title, he was unknown to most North American fight fans.
Pacquiao took the fight on two weeks notice and surprised nearly everyone in attendance when he stopped Ledwaba in the 6th round. The only faces that did not seem surprised or shocked were those of Manny Pacquiao and his trainer, Freddie Roach.
After the Ledwaba fight, everything just seemed to fall in place for Pacquiao, including an 11th round destruction of Marco Antonio Barrera. If people were not paying attention before the Barrera fight, they certainly were now. After the fight with Barrera, Pacquiao hit a small road bump in Juan Manuel Marquez. Well, I guess you could call it more than a small road bump. Pacquiao looked unbeatable in the first round, flooring Marquez three times, leading most to believe the fight would be over before it even started. Well, to fight fans delight, the fight had indeed started and Marquez took control of many of the rounds. He took so much control that despite the three knockdowns in the first round, the fight was ruled a draw. To this day many still believe Marquez should have been awarded the decision.
After the draw with Marquez, Pacquiao went back home to the Philippines and fought Fahsan 3K Battery. A fight back home seemed to be just what Pacquiao needed, and he didn't disappoint his fans, scoring a 4th round TKO. Pacquiao was Sates bound again, this time to fight Erik Morales. The fight itself was exciting, with both men giving and taking from the other, but Morales gave a lot more and took a lot less en route to a unanimous decision victory. The loss to Morales seemed to have been a huge turning point in Pacquiao's career. After the defeat to Morales, he came back in vengeance mode, stopping Morales twice and scoring decision victories over Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez. But what really got the fans excited were his victories over Oscar de la Hoya and Ricky Hatton. “The Golden Boy” quit on his stool and The “Hitman” was made into a target.
I understand why people back Manny Pacquiao. He is one of the best fighters in the world today, and while he always entertains the fans, the truth of the matter is that "entertaining the fans" is not always enough. Miguel Cotto has also been considered one of the best and like Pacquiao he too has fought the best. The difference in the competition, however, is huge. While Pacquiao was racking up wins against the likes of Morales and Barrera, Cotto was winning against good fighters and bigger fighters. Let's not forget Miguel Cotto is the bigger man who has been fighting bigger men. Cotto has wins over Shane Mosley, Zab Judah and Paul Malignaggi. Cotto's only loss came to the potentially loaded hands of Antonio Margarito, in a fight where Cotto took extensive damage, and a fight that many believe might have taken a big part of Miguel Cotto.
I am not buying into the, "I believe Cotto will once again rise to the top of boxing when he steps into the ring with Manny Pacquiao on November 14th." Another note to the Manny Pacquiao fans, please stop comparing Miguel Cotto to Ricky Hatton, they are nothing alike and you will witness that soon enough, when you see Cotto **** Pacquiao's body and head like a drum. Cotto can take a punch, he proved that against Margarito, and I'm willing to bet he can take whatever Manny Pacquiao is going to dish out and unlike Ricky Hatton, Cotto will be dishing it right back.
My prediction for the fight goes as follows: Miguel Cotto will simply be too much for Manny Pacquiao. His size and strength advantage alone will give Pacman fits and what is going to happen when Pacquiao lands flush shots on Cotto and nothing happens? Jumping up in weight classes will finally catch up with Manny Pacquiao on November 14th and when the fight is over and it's Miguel Cotto's hand that is raised in victory, please don't make excuses, just remember I told you so.
Bye, bye.....
So you are a Manny Pacquiao fan and you are 100% certain he is not just going to beat Miguel Cotto, but he is going to absolutely crush him! Well, Manny Pacquiao fans, I've got news for you. You are not just wrong, you are dead wrong! I realize that Manny Pacquiao is one of the most popular fighters on the planet, but after having spoken with plenty of his fans, I have realized that so many of you are Manny Pacquiao fans, but not fans of boxing. You only watch one fighter and only know what you read and believe what you want to believe.
However, before I start getting to the point of why I believe Cotto will win this fight let me give you a small run down of the Pacman's career. He was already a star in the Philippines before he ever stepped on U.S. soil, and when he came to America to challenge for Lehlonolo Ledwabas' IBF super bantamweight title, he was unknown to most North American fight fans.
Pacquiao took the fight on two weeks notice and surprised nearly everyone in attendance when he stopped Ledwaba in the 6th round. The only faces that did not seem surprised or shocked were those of Manny Pacquiao and his trainer, Freddie Roach.
After the Ledwaba fight, everything just seemed to fall in place for Pacquiao, including an 11th round destruction of Marco Antonio Barrera. If people were not paying attention before the Barrera fight, they certainly were now. After the fight with Barrera, Pacquiao hit a small road bump in Juan Manuel Marquez. Well, I guess you could call it more than a small road bump. Pacquiao looked unbeatable in the first round, flooring Marquez three times, leading most to believe the fight would be over before it even started. Well, to fight fans delight, the fight had indeed started and Marquez took control of many of the rounds. He took so much control that despite the three knockdowns in the first round, the fight was ruled a draw. To this day many still believe Marquez should have been awarded the decision.
After the draw with Marquez, Pacquiao went back home to the Philippines and fought Fahsan 3K Battery. A fight back home seemed to be just what Pacquiao needed, and he didn't disappoint his fans, scoring a 4th round TKO. Pacquiao was Sates bound again, this time to fight Erik Morales. The fight itself was exciting, with both men giving and taking from the other, but Morales gave a lot more and took a lot less en route to a unanimous decision victory. The loss to Morales seemed to have been a huge turning point in Pacquiao's career. After the defeat to Morales, he came back in vengeance mode, stopping Morales twice and scoring decision victories over Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez. But what really got the fans excited were his victories over Oscar de la Hoya and Ricky Hatton. “The Golden Boy” quit on his stool and The “Hitman” was made into a target.
I understand why people back Manny Pacquiao. He is one of the best fighters in the world today, and while he always entertains the fans, the truth of the matter is that "entertaining the fans" is not always enough. Miguel Cotto has also been considered one of the best and like Pacquiao he too has fought the best. The difference in the competition, however, is huge. While Pacquiao was racking up wins against the likes of Morales and Barrera, Cotto was winning against good fighters and bigger fighters. Let's not forget Miguel Cotto is the bigger man who has been fighting bigger men. Cotto has wins over Shane Mosley, Zab Judah and Paul Malignaggi. Cotto's only loss came to the potentially loaded hands of Antonio Margarito, in a fight where Cotto took extensive damage, and a fight that many believe might have taken a big part of Miguel Cotto.
I am not buying into the, "I believe Cotto will once again rise to the top of boxing when he steps into the ring with Manny Pacquiao on November 14th." Another note to the Manny Pacquiao fans, please stop comparing Miguel Cotto to Ricky Hatton, they are nothing alike and you will witness that soon enough, when you see Cotto **** Pacquiao's body and head like a drum. Cotto can take a punch, he proved that against Margarito, and I'm willing to bet he can take whatever Manny Pacquiao is going to dish out and unlike Ricky Hatton, Cotto will be dishing it right back.
My prediction for the fight goes as follows: Miguel Cotto will simply be too much for Manny Pacquiao. His size and strength advantage alone will give Pacman fits and what is going to happen when Pacquiao lands flush shots on Cotto and nothing happens? Jumping up in weight classes will finally catch up with Manny Pacquiao on November 14th and when the fight is over and it's Miguel Cotto's hand that is raised in victory, please don't make excuses, just remember I told you so.
Bye, bye.....
Eye on the prize
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