Sunday, November 15, 2009
Manny Pacquiao TKOD Miguel Cotto in 12th Round
1st round showed Cotto's effective jabs but on the 3nd round Pacquiao dropped him for the first time and another in the 4th round. Cotto is a bloody mess through out the fight and resorted to backpedaling in the last few rounds.
On the 12th round referee Kenny Bayless decided that enough is enough for Cotto and stepped in stopping the punishment the Puerto Rican fighter is receiving from Pacquiao.
I watched the fight live live courtesy of Caloocan City Mayor Recom Echiverri in the aptly named Victory Central Mall and Manny Pacquiao is indeed victorious in his quest for his never been achieved 7th title.
Miguel Cotto always a gentleman inside and outside the ring congratulated Manny Pacquiao for his well deserved victory.
I posted earlier US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's prediction on the Pacquiao Cotto fight and the prediction of Manuel Perez of boxing24.com. Guess who predicted in correctly?
Also Manny Pacquiao promoted his just finished movie Wapakman and invited us all to see the film. Being a Pacquiao fan, I'll watch it. I even bought 10 copies of Asian edition of Time magazine wherein Manny Pacquiao is in the cover.
Raul Romilla
Boxing Fanatico
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Watch Manny Pacquiao Miguel Cotto Fight Free Online
Do you want to watch Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto fight free online? Check out the sites below.
Download Sopcast Client
So those who don't have PPV channels, try the links above. I watched Pacquiao vs Dela Hoya on Justin TV and Mayweather vs. Marquez on Sopcast and its great watching it live.
With Justin TV, you can also join the chat while watching the bout.
Tomorrow, I get to watch the fight live on a big screen in a mall aptly named Victory Central Mall. Hopefully, Manny Pacquiao ends up victorious in that bout. Let us all enjoy this historic and possibly record breaking fight.
Raul B. Romilla
Boxing Fanatico
Friday, November 13, 2009
Weight battle over: Pacquiao, Cotto now brace for war

Before a raucous crowd of 7,000 fans, the 30-year-old Pacquiao easily checked in at 144 lbs. while natural 147-pounder Cotto, who reportedly had trouble sliding in weight, tipped the scales at exactly the stipulated catch weight of 145 lbs.
The Pacman’s 144 lb was his heaviest ever weight, according to the Associated Press. He fought at welterweight only once before, last year against the legendary Oscar de la Hoya, but he weighed in at only 142 lbs for that “Dream Match" that ended with “Golden Boy" quitting on his stool at the start of the ninth. The last time Pacquiao climbed the ring against erstwhile light-welterweight supreme Ricky Hatton, he was 138 lbs.
With no worries whatsoever about cutting down on food before the weigh-in, Pacquiao came to the well-attended activity relaxed and in good mood, even engaging in a colorful banter with the event’s host, actor Jeremy Piven.
Piven asked Pacquiao if it is his strategy to become abstinent during training for a fight and the Pacman, according to the Las Vegas Sun, replied: “This is like the Jimmy Kimmel show... Once I start my training I have to focus on my fight so there is no more, I mean, there is no more night time."
For the 29-year-old Cotto, the 145 lb mark was his lightest since weighing the same two years ago in his winning bout with Zab Judah.
The Boricuan bomber virtually admitted having exerted extra effort to cut down his weight but maintained that he’s in the best of shape for Saturday’s fight (Sunday in Manila).
“I think everybody is unhappy when they can’t eat," Cotto was quoted as saying by the Las Vegas Sun. “But I’m pretty healthy. I ate well for this fight. My strength will be too much tomorrow night."
As if to demonstrate the electricity generated by the fight, celebrities turned up for the official weigh-in. The Las Vegas Sun reported the likes of New York Giants’ running back Brandon Jacobs; retired boxer Roberto Duran; Puerto Rican champ Juan Manuel Lopez; and Filipino WBA interim super flyweight boss Nonito “The Filipino" Flash" Donaire, Jr.
Roach, Santiago ‘showdown’
While the two protagonists maintained a cordial demeanor towards each other, their respective trainers did add some “tension" to the affair.
We believe we have an advantage in speed and in power, too. My speed is still there and if you have speed you can create power, 
Pacquiao’s guru, Freddie Roach, and Cotto’s trainer Joe Santiago, got into a heated argument, apparently over Cotto’s weight, the Las Vegas Sun reported. But Top Rank boss Bob Arum stood in the way and stopped it cold.
Engaging the opponent’s trainer is nothing new to Roach as the three-time Trainer of the Year awardee exchanged barbs with Floyd Mayweather, Sr., who handled latest Pacquiao KO victim Hatton last May. It is said to be part of Roach’s psy-war strategies.
The two protagonists, though, were leaving it up to their trainers to get into each other’s skin, preferring to settle the issue inside the ring.
"We believe we have an advantage in speed and in power, too. My speed is still there and if you have speed you can create power," Pacquiao said in an Associated Press report.
Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs), who reportedly plans to enter the ring on fight night at around 149 lbs., will be gunning for a historic major title in a seventh weight division, after earlier conquests at the flyweight, super bantamweight, featherweight, super featherweight, lightweight, and light welterweight classes.
Additionally, at stake for the “Firepower" showdown is the first-ever World Boxing Council Diamond Belt, an honorary championship for elite boxers like Pacquiao and Cotto. This belt is handcrafted by an artisan in Mexico City and features 18 carat gold fusion with about 800 diamonds, emeralds and rubies, as well as 150 Swarovsky semiprecious stones.
Underdog Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs), who is expected to climb the ring a lot heavier than Pacquiao, is poised to keep his WBO belt and prevent the reigning pound-for-pound king from reaching another career milestone at his expense. Observers, however, noted that the diet regimen that Cotto underwent during training might be a factor come fight night.
“If he (Pacquiao) thinks he is going to win seven titles in seven weight divisions now, he has picked the wrong moment, the wrong fighter and the wrong opponent. If he thinks he is going to win the seventh title against Miguel Cotto, he is very wrong," Cotto said.
But the Pacquiao camp will be ready for everything that the 29-year-old from Caguas, Puerto Rico will bring into the ring.
“I truly think Cotto’s going to run around us a little bit because he’s going to try to be more of a counter-puncher in this fight," Roach said.
“I’m not exactly sure if he’s going to try and use his strength early or use his boxing ability early. We’re just prepared for whatever he brings," he added.
And that means even to the point of going toe-to-toe against the bigger and stronger champion.
“One hundred percent. We will trade with him if he wants to, yes," Roach said. - GMANews.TV
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Let's get ready to watch the fight of the year or possibly the best fight of the decade. All is set and only a few hours left for fight night WBO Welterweight Championship Firepower: Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto. Both camps have prepared their strategies and their secret weapons will be revealed tomorrow and let us see who will bring the most efficient and powerful artillery. Ricky Hatton's scud missile of a punch although I can say is considered a powerful weapon in his arsenal never really hit Pacquiao and the Filipino fighter's bombs got him first which landed spot on and with the effectiveness of the US military's MOAB "Daisy Cutter" bomb.
Hopefully, Manny Pacquiao kept his arsenal intact, with his blazing hand speed, quickness in lateral movement and the mighty power of his fists. He'll need it when facing the mysterious strong and tough guy Miguel Cotto. We'll never know what is in store for Pacquiao.
So this coming exchange of blows by two gentlemen of this violent sport of boxing, will reveal the real deal between the two. One who will automatically face the former pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Raul B. Romilla
Boxing Fanatico
No doubt, Pacquiao will beat Cotto, says Clinton
“Of course, the Pacman is going to win...Is there any doubt?" said US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton when asked by Kapuso and basketball star Chris Tiu during a forum at the University of Sto. Tomas in Manila on Friday.

“Pacman" is Pacquiao’s nickname.
The 67th US Secretary of State’s response drew loud applause in the town hall meeting, attended mostly by students.
Tiu asked Clinton whether she thought Pacquiao would be able to snatch the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight crown from Miguel Cotto in their highly anticipated Las Vegas match, dubbed “Firepower", on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
The most popular Filipino will be back in the boxing ring in Las Vegas on Saturday to take on Cotto of Puerto Rico in a 145-pound (66-kilogram) fight that will be closely watched back home.
Clinton’s prediction is similar to that of the majority of respondents to a Yahoo! Sports poll, which posted the question, “How will Saturday night’s fight end?"
A big chunk of the 36,338 who had voted so far or about 64 percent believe the Filipino boxing idol is going to win by either knockout or technical knockout.
On the other hand, 17 percent is going for a KO/TKO win for Cotto.
In the event the 12-round title fight goes the distance, Pacquiao still gets a double-digit batting average with 13 percent foreseeing a Pacman-via-decision outcome, and only seven percent favoring a Cotto win by the judges’ cards.
Upon arriving in the so-called “Entertainment Capital of the World", Pacquiao has been established as a 3-1 favorite to win over Cotto in their anticipated “Firepower" showdown on Saturday at the MGM Grand (Sunday in Manila).

The 30-year-old Pacquiao is targeting a historic seventh world title in a seventh weight division, a career milestone that champ Cotto is deadset to foil.
Clinton said she’s aware that boxing and basketball are “pretty big" in the Philippines. Every time Pacquiao steps into the ring, he brings his native Philippines to a virtual standstill.
A Chicago native, Clinton also confessed that the Chicago Bulls were her favorites — until she moved to New York and started backing the Knicks, something she said was “kind of discouraging."
“Now the Knicks are trying maybe to get LeBron James, now that would make it very exciting in New York. So I will watch that. I am not sure exactly what will happen," Clinton said. – With reports from AP
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Confidence level is high for the WBO welterweight challenger and P4P King Manny Pacquiao and even the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is confident of a Pacquiao victory on his fight with WBO Welterweight Champion Miguel Cotto. So it's up to Pacquiao to confirm his status as the best boxing fighter the Philippines have ever produced and the best in boxing history even besting the record of the now retired Oscar Dela Hoya.
Boxing fans love surprises and Manny Pacquiao never failed to surprise us boxing fanatics and I hope we will be happily surprised again with the result of this boxing fight. I'm sure Miguel Cotto has prepared something under his sleeve but I hope Pacquiao's ammunitions would do more damage to the other. As the saying goes, "It's better to give than to receive." especially in this sport and hopefully Manny Pacquiao's generosity remains with him inside the boxing ring.
Raul B. Romilla
Boxing Fanatico
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Pacquiao Cotto Face to Face in Vegas, Pacquiao flashes his trademark grin




You may notice how focused and serious WBO Welterweight Champ Miguel Cotto is in this face to face pictorial with six time world champion Manny Pacquiao. Unlike the P4P king which flashes his trademark grin on ninety percent of the occasion, which could be a computer geek term of a default setting. We might say the Cotto is dead serious on this fight with the Philippine pride and he doesn't want to show anything which says otherwise. That's right, boxing is a very serious and dangerous profession and staying focused is one vital part of the preparation to make ones campaign successful and keeping ones health in tip top shape before and after the bout. Hats off to Cotto for he intends to keep his title and he wants to prove a point to his detractors that what they believe is wrong, he is the top guy in the welterweight division and the best man to face Floyd Mayweather Jr.
I have read an article once of a boxing writer who even measured Pacquiao's toughness by judging his looks and attitude in front of his opponent. He even thinks that by showing the famous Pac grin to the other boxer especially face to face during photo ops means a show of weakness and fear. And he thinks that Ricky Hatton, the would be opponent that time is so strong that he is hoping that Pacquiao must show some sort of opposition when the fight starts to make the bout interesting. Well we all know what happened when Pacquiao clashed with Hatton inside the ring. And the boxing writer now says that Hatton is not the top dog in that division. The boxing writer's name? Manuel Perez. Mr. Perez says he will quit his writing career if Cotto fails to defeat Manny Pacquiao. Although when Ricky Hatton lost Pacquiao, he argued that Hatton didn't followed his trainer's instructions so he does not consider the best man winning the fight, according to his article. So, expect hallelujahs on top of his lungs if Cotto wins but read next to infinite excuses if otherwise.
You may see Pacman smile a lot, dance on few occasions of his training and keeps that wide grin of his on photo ops even in front of his opponent. Yes, you may add a few guesting on TV shows, making and even promoting his movie, but when it comes to his attitude on training, he really means business and damn dead serious on keeping his winning streak and form. He is competitive in training and during the bouts but unlike other boxers, he enjoys and savors every moment of his successful boxing career. Pacquiao is already living the dream and all he does is thank everyone who have been a party to his success like his boxing fans.
Raul B. Romilla
Boxing Fanatico
Photos by Chris Farina/Top Rank
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Pacquiao Cotto Preview: Shooting Down the "Cotto Is Shot" Theory
Published: Nov 08 2009 by: Scott Levinson
Miguel Cotto Should not be Written Off Before the Pacquiao-Cotto fight
The common perception among boxing observers is that Miguel Cotto is past his best. They say he’s an old 28, feeling the affects of a long career before he’d prefer to. Like his countrymen Wilfred Benitez and Felix Trinidad, his chronological age was surpassed by his actual ring age. A tough run at 140 followed by a world-class schedule at 147 have left him worn out. The Margarito beating robbed him of his confidence, chin, and edge. The Clottey fight nudged him a little further down the hill. This is Cotto in decline.
You see a battering like the one he absorbed from Margarito, and you can’t help but think it took a ton out of him. We get caught up in the inertia of the thought until we don’t question it anymore. But has this shot version of Cotto really manifested itself or is all this speculation a misnomer? I don’t see a lot of shot fighters beating top guys like Joshua Clottey, they usually fold under what Clottey brought to the table that night. Shot fighters don’t look as good as Cotto looked during portions of that fight. Sure there’s some evidence suggesting he could be a spent force, but is it possible that he is not? Haven’t the experts been wrong before?
Examples Where the Experts Were Wrong
I think back to Holyfield-Tyson I. Holyfield had lost two of his last four, both losses heavily indicative of a fighter on the slide. The Michael Moorer loss and the rubber-match stoppage to Riddick Bowe saw an almost decrepit-looking Evander struggling to show flashes of his prior form. The perception that he was shopworn was much stronger than whatever we may be thinking about Cotto. Some insiders were fearful about what might happen to Evander against an apparently resurgent Tyson. Were the experts correct? More like: What were they thinking?
Then you think of Shane Mosley, presumably well past his prime, putting on a clinic against Margarito, and it should make us hesitant to give fighters this tag the next time around. Remember what most observers were saying about Mosley before that fight? Does what we saw in the ring have any connection to those opinions?
What were people saying about Bernard Hopkins, age 44, a loser in three of his last five, before he fought Kelly Pavlik? Now take that image and juxtapose it against what we saw in the ring that night. Did Pavlik win any 15-second portion of that fight? Not only were the experts wrong, they were as colossally off-the-mark as one can be.
As a young follower of the sport, I remember watching Roberto Duran, the King of reversing form prove the doubters wrong multiple times. Written off after his early-80’s slump, he came back with another successful title run. Then against Iran Barkley years later, he did the same thing, proving that you can’t handicap human beings like horses. Sure a fighter might have a run of troubling performances, but we often jump the gun in writing a guy off. We don’t account for the human spirit, a force that can lift a man to do things his circumstances shouldn’t allow.
Final Thoughts and Looking to Pacquiao vs. Cotto
So we see it’s not an anomaly when a presumably faded fighter is somehow able to hit the “RESET” button for at least one more night. It’s happened before, and it will happen again. Will it happen with Cotto? This writer tends to think there is some truth to the belief that Cotto is damaged goods. But I urge those who share that thought to consider some of these examples, and realize that if we are wrong, it wouldn’t be that big of a shock.
Photo Credit: Ricardo Ricky Romero / Creative Commons 3.0 License
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Indeed Miguel Cotto is a dangerous fighter for Manny Pacquiao and he can't be too complacent come game time. But I'm sure he will follow the fight plan his fighting guru Freddie Roach prepared for this coming fight and being the obedient and diligent student, success is not far from Pacquiao's grasp. Skill is an important factor in every boxing bout but discipline makes one boxer exponentially adept and dangerous inside the ring.
Raul B. Romilla
Before Pacquiao Cotto: How Many of Manny's Championships are Legitimate
Published: Nov 09 2009 by: Scott Levinson
Manny Pacquiao has claims to six world championships, but how many are legit?
Manny Pacquiao has won titles in six different weight classes (some incorrectly say five), but which ones are legitimate? Who can really sort through the muddled alphabet-soup mess? Well actually, even in the murky confusion, we can often determine a real championship from a spurious title. We must try to establish the differences in quality among the alphabet straps, or even when a fighter is “World Champion” despite being unrecognized as such by the sanctioning bodies. And we must do this “as we go” since the landscape is always changing.
Now with the influx of interim, regular, and super champions, I defy anyone to keep track of it all. A casual fan feels lost and referring to these organizations for clarity will only make it worse. Boxing insiders must rise above it, and develop a consensus and reality that might sometimes exclude the sanctioning bodies.
We cannot withhold World Championship status to a fighter in lieu of title unification, given the impossible obligations that would now entail, the absurd practice of having multiple divisional titlists even within one organization, the politics, and the unwillingness of these groups to work together. We collectively must find a new way, an essence of clarity and truth, and shun those who try to cloud it while supporting those who champion it.
Let’s look at Pacquiao’s championships and see if we can’t determine which ones were legit and which ones were not.
WBC Flyweight Champion (1998-1999)
In December of ’98, Manny knocked out Thai Chatchai Sasakul in eight rounds to win the WBC Flyweight Title. Sasakul, 33-1, was in his third defense after winning the title from Yuri Arbachakov, a prodigious talent, and perhaps the top flyweight of the 90’s. At the time Sasakul relieved him of his belt, Yuri was the recognized #1 guy, undefeated and in his 11th defense. By “beating the guy that beat the guy,” Pacquiao became “the guy.” His claim as former Flyweight Champion cannot really be challenged on the grounds of merit.
Verdict: Legitimate

IBF Super Bantamweight Champion (2001-03)
After losing his flyweight title, he immediately leapfrogged the 115 and 118 lb. classes to fight at 122. After a “reign” as WBC International Super Bantamweight Champion, he knocked out Lehlo Ledwaba to become IBF Super Bantamweight Champion. Ledwaba, 33-1-1 and in his sixth defense, was a splendid fighter, a classy and talented practitioner with an almost-irrefutable claim as being the #1 guy at junior featherweight. By the time this fight happened, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales had left the division. Their alphabet soup replacements were simply not on Ledwaba’s level.
Verdict: Legitimate
Ring Magazine/Universally Recognized Featherweight Champion (2003-05)
Here we have a situation where we are forced to virtually ignore the sanctioning bodies. In November of ’03, Pacquiao stopped Barrera in 11 rounds. No official title was at stake, but Barrera was the Ring Magazine Featherweight Champion at the time. He first cemented his status by beating #1 Naseem Hamed. Barrera further locked in his position as World Featherweight Champion by exacting revenge against WBC Champion Erik Morales, but he refused the belt. Good enough? I would say so.
We don’t need nor should we require the sanctioning bodies to cosign on what we already know to be true. If they want to get on board, fine, but if not, we must defer to a higher order of reasoning. There is virtually no way one could coherently debate Barrera’s (and therefore Pacquiao’s) championship legitimacy at this weight.
Verdict: Legitimate
WBC Super Featherweight Champion (2008)
Again, we have an alarming gap in reality as we know it compared to the often times Bizarro World of the sanctioning bodies. Why did it take until 2008 before Manny was crowned at junior lightweight by a major sanctioning body? His run at 130 began with his last loss, to Erik Morales in March of ‘05. By the end of ’06, however, he had stopped Morales twice in rematches and was the clear-cut #1 guy. Who else was there? Barrera? Well, he had already lost to Pacquiao before. Marquez? He was still at 126. Manny went on to beat Barrera again at 130, but still had to beat Marquez before getting a major belt. Whatever. He was the best junior lightweight in the world from ’06-’08, hands down.
Verdict: Legitimate
WBC Lightweight Champion (2008)
Nowadays we often hear the term “strap-holder,” which indicates a fighter who holds a belt from a major sanctioning body, but whose claim as World Champion is shaky at best. David Diaz, outclassed by Manny is nine rounds, was a strap-holder. He won the “interim WBC title” when he beat Jose Armando Santa Cruz, and later was named the organization’s champion when “regular” champion Joel Casamayor was stripped. Not exactly spine-tingling stuff.
Pacquiao needed to beat Casamayor to have become the real lightweight champion .You could almost make a case for unified titlist, Nate Campbell, but nobody thought of Diaz as the real lightweight champion. You can argue Casamayor benefited from a robbery against Santa Cruz, who Diaz stopped or that Casamayor was about to lose to Marquez, who Pacquiao beat, therefore Manny was the legitimate champion. You could argue that. And you would lose that argument.
Verdict: Illegitimate
World Junior Welterweight Champion (2009)
In today’s age, it doesn’t get more clear-cut than this. What the alphabet organizations have to say about it is almost irrelevant. I don’t know, nor do I care. Ricky Hatton was the Undisputed Junior Welterweight Champion, a distinction he had enjoyed since deposing Kostya Tszyu. By beating Hatton, Pacquiao became, and is still the recognized champion at 140. If his first bout after Cotto does not get made at 140, however, he would rightfully lose that recognition.
Verdict: Legitimate
Let’s Add It All Up! (The Final Verdict)
As of this writing, Manny has won titles in six different weight classes, five of which are legitimate championships. It’s nothing short of ridiculous to deny him his due at featherweight based on sanctioning body technicalities and maneuverings, a fact overlooked by many in the media when summarizing Pacquiao’s accomplishments.
Nevertheless, what Manny has accomplished is a staggering feat, only achievable by fighting the best, which Manny has done in almost every division he has been in. On Saturday, he goes for an unheard-of title in his seventh weight class. Would it be his sixth legitimate championship if he wins? Well, the catch-weight component, as well as the divisional presence of Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather makes that highly debatable. But it would be a good start.
Be sure to keep checking in with ProBoxing-Fans.com for continued coverage on everything related to Pacquiao vs. Cotto. You can take a look at our Pacquiao vs. Cotto preview and prediction and then on the night of the fight check in for Pacquiao Cotto results.
Photo Credit: Mike Gonzalez / Creative Commons 3.0 License
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I posted this article from ProBoxing-fan.com for the benefit of those anti-Pacquiao factions who blindingly question Manny Pacquiao's achievements in boxing. All they can mention is Juan Manuel Marquez won both fights with Pacquiao. I hope this article by Scott Levinson would be an eye opener to those who doubts the P4P king's skills and mastery over his opponents.
Raul B. Romilla

