Pacquiao's Catchweight Criticism

[JustinFloyd]

Personally, I think the catchweight with Cotto has been overblown but you're not going to get a good answer to your question--especially not from a guy who is an irrational hater/stan.

rational fan? a guy like you who even admitted quitting watching boxing coz your lover floyd retired? lol!

[B.U.R.N.E.R]

I wish alt busters were still around because its clear this "Junior Gong" guy was a former spamming troll who tried to come back as a serious poster. You're not fooling anyone.

[IMDAZED]

Don't get me wrong its overblown it didn't really make or break the fight. Cotto was 146 in a fight before that. But I specifically remember Cotto not wanting a catchweight and they wanted lower than 145 when negotiations first started.

Why did Pacquiao insist on a catch weight after he saw Cotto clearly didnt want his belt on the line if he had a CW.

I remember they wanted Mosley at 143.

Yeah the Mosley debacle was horrible. Anyway, I just don't think it would have mattered if Cotto weighed 146 or 147. Not saying it's right. But I think the more telling issues were that 1. He didn't have a trainer for that fight and 2. His was all sorts of ****ed up mentally.

[B.U.R.N.E.R]

I agree, but the reasons are pretty simple for the guy you're quoting: make the guy think about the extra pounds and limit the amount of weight Cotto can put on after the weigh-in.

Exactly Cliff.

It was a strategic move to help them gain an advantage whether mental or physical.

[crold1]

Yeah the Mosley debacle was horrible. Anyway, I just don't think it would have mattered if Cotto weighed 146 or 147. Not saying it's right. But I think the more telling issues were that 1. He didn't have a trainer for that fight and 2. His was all sorts of ****ed up mentally.

He was also just all wrong for Cotto. Cotto has always been vulnerable. Corley had him in a bad way. The Torres fight was epic. Pac just hit him with stuff he never saw and can crack.

Team Pac clearly relished being a dick in negotiations when they got the drivers seat. NO doubt about that.

[IMDAZED]

I agree, but the reasons are pretty simple for the guy you're quoting: make the guy think about the extra pounds and limit the amount of weight Cotto can put on after the weigh-in. Ultimately it was one pound less than his previous fight with a day and change to rehydrate. Catchweights are much less dangerous in this era than in fights where they went in the ring the same day. I criticized Manny for doing it against Cotto because I thought he might have a shot at a real Armstrong-esque close to his career. He was already a Hall of Famer before 2008-09. They (he and his team) took their foot off the pedal just enough to stop him short from trying (not saying he succeeds).

That said, even Armstrong was carefully matched as Welterweight champ. He fought Garcia and Montanez but he also brought Arizmendi back to finish a rivalry started at Feather and didn't defend against natural Welter top contenders of high skill like Cocoa Kid, Williams, and Burley. Not much market demand for those fights obviously a factor as well.

The Oscar thing was all Oscar. Oscar was trying to take a big money fight that was seen as lower risk. Roach and Manny took what turned out to be a sucker bet. That fight is critic proof to me in the taking.

In general, the catchweight thing is way overblown in general. He didn't force one on a Clottey who had arguably just beat Clottey. Margarito...didn't appear to affect the outcome but considering how rocked he was to the body in the fifth one can see why they wanted it. He GAVE pounds to Marquez for their third. Of his five best wins, one was a catch fight (Cotto). DLH would be in his top ten because of the magnitude in making him a megastar. Relative to how many catchweight fights we've seen historically, it's a hollow critique.

The Margarito fight...Good Lord. I don't like to use the word cherry pick but...man, it suits that fight so perfectly. A fighter coming off a mediocre performance, preceded by a year long suspension which came after a complete ass whipping defeat. At a catchweight for a made up title. How people defended that fight was beyond me.

Anyway, I still give Manny credit for the Cotto win. Hella impressive. But you're right, he had a chance to do more but ended up doing squat afterward.

[Russian Crushin]

Manny Pacquiao without catchweights:

[crold1]

Exactly Cliff.

It was a strategic move to help them gain an advantage.

Yup. But since almost no one seemed to think it changed the fight outcome, it makes it a sort of hollow point.

So Pac liked to play head games with opponents.

It's not a favorable trait but it's nothing unusual from guys who have the stroke to do it.

[IMDAZED]

I wish alt busters were still around because its clear this "Junior Gong" guy was a former spamming troll who tried to come back as a serious poster. You're not fooling anyone.

He's already outed himself. Couldn't keep it together for too long. Can't pretend to be a serious poster when you don't know how to be one in the first place.

[B.U.R.N.E.R]

Yup. But since almost no one seemed to think it changed the fight outcome, it makes it a sort of hollow point.

So Pac liked to play head games with opponents.

It's not a favorable trait but it's nothing unusual from guys who have the stroke to do it.

He wouldve most likely won either way but he asked for the CW for a reason. Thats all I tell people.