PunchSports Blog

Cotto vs. Pacquiao: Manny Will be fighting a war with a popgun

2009-10-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

By Manuel Perez: It’s always interesting to me to see a fighter that has gone soft from having faced mediocre opposition. They get this smug look on their face as if they’re invincible and walk around like their royalty or something. And it’s especially fun to watch them finally get put in with a good opponent and end up getting drilled, beaten up and taken out in a brutal fashion.

And that’s why I see Manny Pacquiao getting the living daylights beaten out of him on November 14th by WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in their fight at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas. What we have here is a good old fashioned case of overreach on the part of Pacquiao. He’s faced an old, weight drained and badly shot Oscar De La Hoya and beaten him, and then Pacquiao has beaten Ricky Hatton, who looked as played out as an old dried up oil well at the time that Pacquiao fought him.

The wins, great money makers both of them for Pacquiao, give the impression that Pacquiao is nearly unbeatable. Yes, unbeatable alright, unbeatable against fighters that don’t have what it takes anymore. Okay, so Pacquiao is facing Cotto instead of a shot fighter.

Now we get to see Pacquiao in with a fighter that is still at the top of his game and not shot. Well, Cotto is a little diminished from his beating at the hands of the tough Mexican Antonio Margarito last year, but he’s still fighting at around 80% of what he was in the past. That should be enough for Cotto to easily get by Pacquiao. What we have here is a case of fools gold, with Pacquiao looking better than he actually is because of his wins over Hatton and De La Hoya.

Boxing fans needlessly are gushing over Pacquiao right now, praising how fast he is and this and that. He’s fast but he’s no power at welterweight. Pacquiao is only strong at the smaller weights. De La Hoya said himself that Pacquiao doesn’t punch hard. I have to believe an old champion like De La Hoya. He’s a great warrior and he’s telling it like it is. Pacquiao is fast, De La Hoya says, but he doesn’t hit hard.

So all Cotto has to worry about is landing his own big shots and don’t waste time worrying about getting hit by Pacquiao. He’s not the knockout threat that all these people are proclaiming him to be and fans will see that next month when he gets handled. Cotto is going to take Pacquiao to the wood shed and give him a terrible beating.

Pacquiao is going to be physical wreck by the time Cotto’s gets through with him. You ever seen someone that was in a bad car wreck? You know, with the bloody face, sideways nose, lips all busted up and teeth littering the car. This is how I see Pacquiao ending up by the time that Cotto gets through with him next month. Oh, it will be sad to see Pacquiao beaten so badly, but it will be good for boxing. I think it will make smaller fighters like Pacquiao think twice before moving up in weight.

Cotto-Pacquiao with perspective

2009-10-19T00:32:00.000-07:00

By Sam Singh: There’s no doubt Filipino sensation Manny Pacquiao is a great fighter, but he is being seriously overrated from his wins over Oscar De La Hoya & Ricky Hatton. Somehow, I don’t think Stevie Forbes would’ve been as hyped up as Pacquiao if he had beaten De La Hoya in their fight.

Even though I expected Oscar to KO Manny, you can’t ignore the fact that the last time Oscar fought at 147lbs was in 2001 against the late Arturo Gatti. Making the weight at the end of his career clearly diminished him and I had no idea that he would enter the ring at a dead weight.

The same goes for the win over Hatton. I give Pacquiao credit for the win but I always saw Hatton there for the taking. Apart from beating a faded Tszyu who never fought again, Hatton had a major scare at 147lbs & was on the verge of being taken out by a feather-fisted fighter in Collazo. Likewise, Mayweather who isn’t a noted puncher, also knocked Hatton out – badly. Not to mention the fact that Juan Lazcano had Ricky Hatton hurt.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Pacquiao is a great boxer and I rate him highly. But he’s there to be out-boxed and I feel Juan Manuel out-boxed him in both of their fights.

Cotto, on the other hand, is a guy who has been in with the top 147 pounders in Mosley, Margarito, Clottey, Quintana & Judah. And none of those guys were able to really hurt Cotto. With the exception of confirmed-cheater Margarito, Cotto was able to beat much bigger, stronger guys.

Look at the Mosley fight. Shane Mosley is a bigger and stronger version of Manny Pacquiao. The only difference is that Pacquiao is a southpaw who can box more on his feet. But Mosley was still unable to hurt Cotto. So I can’t see why so many feel Pacquiao will stop or KO Cotto.

Sure, Cotto looked vulnerable in his last fight but he had a very serious cut for 9 rounds. And it was against Clottey, a guy who would do very well against the likes of Mosley, Berto and Williams. In fact, Bob Arum recently said that people don’t actually realize how good Joshua Clottey is.

But at the end of the day I guess people like to talk. They say Cotto is damaged goods. They say the tattoos are a sign of mental weakness. They say the Margarito fight destroyed him. I say this: Cotto is not damaged goods. The tattoos are a sign of weakness? Cotto had his body covered in tattoos well before his recent ones. And as for Margarito, I think it’s Hands of Plaster who will never be the same again! Margarito looked shot against Mosley and took another series of hard shots. I think all of those shots from Cotto have actually caught up Margarito.

So if Cotto does beat Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto seals his greatness by beating the pound-for-pound number one who is in his prime. And for me, Cotto has a great chance. Cotto is too big, too strong, and most importantly, very smart.

So the question is this: will Manny Pacquiao be able to absorb Miguel Cotto’s lethal left-hooks to the body and head? Hall-of-fame trainer Emanuel Steward reckons Cotto has one of the best left-hooks in the history of boxing. And Arum recently said that this will be the story of the fight as to whether or not Pacquiao can take Cotto’s signature left-hook to body and head.

CBS Saturday Night Fights: Meet Fedor Emelianenko

2009-10-19T00:28:00.001-07:00

Pacquiao knocks down a sparring partner, but then gets plastered

2009-10-19T00:26:00.000-07:00

By Manuel Perez: It looks as if World Boxing Organization welterweight contender Manny Pacquiao has knocked down another one of his sparring partners, this one Shawn Porter, according to abs-cbn NEWS. But before you get all excited about it, Porter got up and tagged Pacquiao with a huge hook to the head, says trainer Freddie Roach. “Yes, Shawn [Porter] went down twice but he came back very well and caught Manny with a good hook. He came back very well,” Roach said.

That’s not good news that a sparring partner, who has only a pitiful 10 fights under his belt is able to take Pacquiao’s shots, get up off the deck and belt the Filipino with a hard hook to the head. That tells me that Pacquiao lacks finishing power at welterweight, and even if he can knock Cotto down, which I don’t see happening, Cotto will get up and ruin his world by hurting Pacquiao in return.

I think Pacquiao can dish it out but he can’t take it. That’s the thing. You got to be able to take a punch when you’re facing a slugger like Cotto. It doesn’t matter if Pacquiao lands a ton of shots and looks good for a round or two, if he can’t take Cotto’s power. This isn’t Ricky Hatton or Oscar De La Hoya that Pacquiao is fighting. He’s fighting a fighter who is still in his prime, not an easy mark made to order for Pacquiao.

That’s where Pacquiao is going to fall apart. He’s so used to fighting scrubs and fighters that are over the hill, he’s going to be in shock next month on November 14th. And I frankly don’t care if he keeps beating up his over-matched, under qualified sparring partners until he’s blue in the face, he’s still going to get stretched by Cotto next month.

Beating up Porter or Jose Luis Castillo doesn’t equate to beating a top tier fighter like Cotto. Does anyone think that Castillo or Porter are top tier fighters at this point? They are sparring partners and would be mowed down just as easy by Cotto if they were sparring with him.

Roach seems to think that Pacquiao is ready for Cotto, saying “It only means that he’s ready for the fight and that he’s doing very well,” Roach told The Philippine Star’s Abac Cordero. I kind of doubt it. This looks like Roach isn’t mentally acknowledging who Pacquiao is sparring with. Sure, he’s beating up on his sparring partners a little bit, but one of them is regularly giving Pacquiao problems.

Rumor has it, that Porter dropped Pacquiao last week in sparring. Roach said that it’s not true, but I wonder. Could it be that Roach is trying to keep information from leaking out about that? I know if I was the trainer I wouldn’t want Cotto to fight out that Pacquiao is getting dropped left and right like a bad habit by Porter. It wouldn’t look good and it would make Cotto train even harder.

But let’s pretend that Pacquiao is battering Porter around the ring. So what? He’s beating up on a sparring partner. Cotto is going to beat the stuffing out of Pacquiao and show that he’s no sparring partner. If they wanted to have Pacquiao spar with a fighter with power and skills that are similar to Cotto, Roach should have had Alfredo Angulo come spar with Pacquiao during the camp. That would be hilarious. Roach would probably need a stretcher on hand to pick Pacquiao up off the canvas for every sparring session that takes place with Angulo.

I’d love to be a fly on the wall for sparring sessions like that. Pacquiao would come forward and Angulo would quickly knock him down. Pacquiao gets up and is immediately knocked down again. The stretcher would then be brought in to take Pacquiao out of the ring. At that point, Roach would likely give Angulo the bad news by telling him that he can’t spar with Pacquiao anymore.

WATCH SUPER SIX LIVE STREAMING

2009-10-16T20:10:00.001-07:00

[CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE TO DOWNLOAD THE TOOLBAR AND GET ACCESS TO THE EVENT'S EXCLUSIVE LINK]

One of the many charms of the Super Six World Boxing Classic is that no matter how you match the six tournament entrants, you end up with a fascinating and potentially exciting bout. Evidence of that are the two fights that will kick things off on Saturday, Oct. 17. Two former middleweight champs square off in Berlin, Germany, when American Jermain Taylor travels across the pond to take on Germany's Arthur Abraham. Then, in Nottinghham, England, hometown hero Carl Froch defends his WBC title against young American Andre Dirrell. Read More

The 29-year-old Abraham provides Taylor with some difficult challenges. Abraham's defense has been almost impossible to penetrate and when he is hit, Abraham has shown an iron chin and amazing resiliency. Edison Miranda broke Abraham's jaw in the early rounds of a 2006 match, but Abraham fought the full 12 rounds to win a decision. Then there is Abraham's power. His record of 30-0 with 24 knockouts includes stoppages against seven of his last eight opponents.

If there is an Achilles heel for Abraham, it might be his difficulty in dealing with good all-around boxers... Enter Jermain Taylor. With superb skills this 31-year-old is the consummate boxer-puncher. With two wins over ring legend Bernard Hopkins and four defenses of his middleweight title, Taylor has strong credentials, but recent events have cast him in the underdog role for this tournament. He has lost three of his last four fights, but all three were within his grasp. On April 25 he and another Super Six contestant, Carl Froch, engaged in one of the best fights of the year. Taylor put Froch down in the second and boxed superbly for most of the first 9 rounds, then, characteristically started to tire. Froch rallied and put Taylor down in the 12th, but even with that, had Taylor stayed on his feet he would have won the fight. Instead, with just seconds left on the clock, Froch stopped him--a heartbreaking loss for Jermain.

There are a number of intangibles that provide intrigue in this match. One is the fact that both of these men have had most of their fights at 160 pounds. Taylor is 1-1-1 as a 168 pounder. All three have been good efforts, a close decision loss to Kelly Pavlik, a win over Jeff Lacy and the Froch fight that barely eluded him. Abraham is 1-0, a TKO win over Miranda in their rematch.

The styles of these two fighters sets up what could be a dramatic ebb and flow to the fight. Abraham is often a slow starter who stays in his shell-like defense for a number of rounds and often loses those rounds. Those are the rounds that Taylor often wins in fights--when he is fresh. Then in the middle rounds Abraham starts to come out of his cocoon and land big power shots. Those are the rounds in which traditionally Taylor has suffered from stamina problems. Can Abraham deal with the boxing skill set of Taylor? And can Taylor avoid tiring as the fight wears on, and avoid he power punches of Abraham? The answers will come on Oct. 17.

On the same night over in the U.K., you can expect a ravenous crowd of Carl Froch supporters to fill every seat in the Nottingham arena for his bout against Andre Dirrell. Carl will be defending his title for the first time at home, after making his first defense in America against Taylor. The 32 year old Brit has used his unorthodox style, granite chin and power punching to fashion a 25-0 record, 20 of those coming by knockout. His comeback win over Taylor won him a legion of new fans at home and around the world.

Into this charged atmosphere comes 27-year-old American Andre Dirrell. This former Olympian might be the most gifted athlete in the Super Six tournament, and he too is undefeated at 18-0. He has speed in both hands and feet and can throw dazzling combinations. Dirrell, however, is untested against this level of opposition.

The match-up offers some good plotlines. For Carl Froch, defense is an afterthought at best and Dirrell is a quick puncher. But Dirrell can have lapses in concentration during fights and Froch tends to seize on those opportunities.

On Oct. 17, four fighters head into uncharted territory in a tournament format that has never before been seen in boxing. This doubleheader will provide us with some early clues on who will be a force to be reckoned with in the Super Six World Boxing Classic. I'll see you there!

~Al Bernstein

BAUTISTA VS MARBUN FIGHT

2009-10-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

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BURGER KING VS SMART GILAS 10-16-09

2009-10-16T20:08:00.002-07:00

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TALK N' TEXT VS RAIN OR SHINE 10-16-09

2009-10-16T20:08:00.001-07:00

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COCA-COLA VS STA. LUCIA 10-16-09

2009-10-16T20:07:00.002-07:00

SSC-R VS JRU 10-16-09

2009-10-16T20:07:00.001-07:00

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SAN BEDA VS LETRAN 10-16-09

2009-10-16T20:06:00.001-07:00

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Roach want automatic DQ for low blows from Cotto!

2009-10-14T21:09:00.000-07:00

By Liam Santiago: Legendary boxing trainer, Freddie Roach claims he will insist that any low blows Manny Pacquiao might receive from Miguel Cotto, accidental or not, will result in automatic disqualification. Roach is due to attend a ‘rules meeting’, where he is adamant the rule will be enforced whether Cotto likes it or not. Roach also has some complaints about the choice of referees for the bout.

I hate to break it to Roach, but this is not a tickling contest. Sometimes in the boxing ring, unfortunately, things can get ugly. Automatic disqualification is not a common practice. Are the Pacquiao camp really hoping to steal a victory through DQ? Is that the best they can come up with? The normal reaction to a low blow, from a referee, is to issue a warning. And then another. One of Roberto Duran’s trademark shots was a knee to the crown jewels. Ricky Hatton and Kostya Tyszu traded countless hooks to the groin area in their famous meeting. The reason the referee allowed it to go on was because millions of fans were watching, who wanted to see a good fight.

When Pacquiao meets the Puerto Rican warrior on November 14th, millions of people will be watching. This is the biggest fight of the year. The build up has been staggering, and even slightly drawn out. So, are we really going to see a DQ result. I might not even bother tuning in, considering I have to pay a good whack to watch it. In a massive money fight such as this, you don’t look for a DQ win.

It seems to me that the Pac-Man camp are regretting agreeing to fight Cotto. Firstly, they demand the Puerto Rican puts his title on the line, even though Pacquiao’s weight demands mean Cotto can not weigh in at his usual weight. At that time, Roach said that if Cotto would not put his belt on the line, they ”don’t need this fight”. Now they are looking to claim victory by Cotto being DQ’d for a low blow.

I just hope that if Cotto is winning the fight that the referee doesn’t shockingly DQ him for the slightest of shots that might of been low. It sounds like a great get out plan.

Trailer And Sneak Peek At TUF 10 Episode 5

2009-10-14T21:07:00.000-07:00

Brandon Vera Preparing For Randy Couture

2009-10-14T21:06:00.000-07:00

Brock Lesnar Training For UFC 106 Bout w/ Shane Carwin

2009-10-14T21:05:00.000-07:00

Vince McMahon Says WWE More Sophisticated Than MMA

2009-10-14T21:03:00.000-07:00

Vince McMahon, the man who made pro wrestling huge, talks to Mercury News about the comparisons between MMA and Pro Wrestling:

During the peak of what the company refers to as its "attitude era" a decade ago, the WWE's audience was dominated by young men. While its popularity has waned, the fan base has simultaneously grown older and younger with new constituencies, according to audience research. A little more than a third of its audience is female. The audience is ethnically more diverse that most shows: 62 percent of audience is white; 20 percent of the viewership is black and 23 percent is Hispanic - Hispanics were counted as both white and Hispanic. It's the most-watched English-language show on cable among Hispanics, the company said.

With the Ultimate Fighting Championship and mixed martial arts becoming more popular as competitors, it made little sense for the WWE to ramp up the attitude with violence and sexuality, McMahon said.

"You really can't compete with that," he said. "Why not deliver a more sophisticated product and not go to those extremes? If the audience wants those extremes, they know where to go and how to get it."

Going PG has helped the company draw advertisers who might have looked away before. Pepsi, 7-Eleven stores, Mattel toys and the Army National Guard are among the sponsors that have signed up since the shift, the company said.

Ben Rothwell Vs. Cain Velasquez Preview For UFC 104

2009-10-14T21:01:00.001-07:00

Pacquiao vs. Cotto: Miguel Will Send Manny Into Retirement

2009-10-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

By Manuel Perez: Manny Pacquiao is thinking he’s going to be fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr. sometime next year, but I think World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Miguel Cotto is going to have a lot to say about that and I’m counting on Cotto beating Pacquiao bad and sending him into retirement rather than into mega fight with Mayweather. Cotto, 28, will be facing Pacquiao on November 14th at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pacquiao and Cotto will be fighting with Miguel’s WBO welterweight title on the line at a 145 pound catch weight.

I still think it’s absurd to fight with the title on the line if there’s a limit that requires the champion Cotto from fighting at the normal weight for the belt. That is so wrong. It won’t matter, though, because Cotto is still going to beat the stuffing out of Pacquiao and will do badly enough where Pacquiao will have to retire rather than continue on. That’s my prediction!

Pacquiao has been beating up weight drained fighter like Oscar De La Hoya and nearly defenseless ones like Ricky Hatton. Now Pacquiao is facing a real threat and he’s going to have a real mess on his hands on November 14th, and I can’t wait to see Pacquiao getting beaten up.

It’s going to give me a lot of pleasure to see Pacquiao’s face getting rearranged by Cotto. I can’t express how much satisfaction I’m going to get watching Pacquiao get knocked down a peg. I just hope that Cotto does it slowly and methodically because I want the beating to last as long as possible.

If Cotto ends things too quickly, Pacquiao won’t suffer all that much and will likely still move ahead and take the fight with Mayweather in 2010. That rightfully be Cotto’s fight, but I know that Mayweather will probably still fight Pacquiao anyway, leaving Cotto, the victor, to have to scrape up whatever he can put together as far big money fights go.

Okay, so back to the beating. I want Cotto to focus on working over Pacquiao’s midsection, but he has to be careful that he doesn’t hit Pacquiao too hard because I don’t want Pacquiao flopping around on the canvas like a fish out of water, gasping for breath after Cotto lands a big body shot. Cotto needs to throw to the sides to make sure he doesn’t knock the air out of Pacquiao’s tiny body.

You can’t have the fight ending early from a body shot. I can just see the excuses that will role in on that one. ‘Ah, I was blinded by flash from a camera and, ah, didn’t see Cotto throwing to my stomach area.’ Next, after working over Pacquiao’s midsection, Cotto needs to go for the face. He’s got to hit him but no too hard. I want the eyes to puff, the lips to bleed and the nose to get flattened, but Cotto mustn’t try to brain Pacquiao with anything too hard because that will be letting him off the hook.

GINEBRA VS SAN MIGUEL 10-14-09

2009-10-14T07:39:00.000-07:00

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Alaska Aces vs Barako Bull 10-14-09

2009-10-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

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Philippine Patriots vs SatriaMuda Britama

2009-10-14T06:54:00.000-07:00

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San Beda vs San Sebastian 10-14-09

2009-10-14T06:46:00.000-07:00

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Japeth returns to Smart Gilas

2009-10-12T20:53:00.000-07:00

Source: philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines - After playing just one game with Burger King, top PBA draftee Japeth Aguilar is returning to the Smart Gilas team.

Burger King top official Lito Alvarez announced the new development to the Whoppers in a huddle after the team took an 80-93 defeat to the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants in the kickoff game of the 2009-2010 KFC PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum last Sunday.

“Mr. Alvarez thanked Japeth for becoming a part of the team then announced what’s apparently a prior arrangement. I don’t know the details but I think Japeth is going back to Smart Gilas,” BK coach Yeng Guiao told The STAR.

“I was asked by our boss of my opinion and I said it’s up to them to make the decision. This may really be the best solution to the problem. Now it’s closed and the distraction is over,” Guiao said.

“For sure, our boss will not give away Japeth without getting anything in return. In the end, everybody’s happy. It’s better than Japeth playing for us but he’s not happy,” said Guiao.

Alvarez had earlier said his main concern was to keep integrity of the PBA draft system.

There was no official statement from Alvarez despite repeated calls from The STAR. It was Alvarez who pursued the top amateur draft pick to honor his commitment to the team and at one time raised the threat of lifetime ban on Aguilar.

Alvarez apparently made an arrangement with the Smart-PLDT group, getting Aguilar to play one game with the Whoppers then immediately dealing him back to the Gilas team.

Since Gilas is not a PBA member ballclub, Burger King is taking the Talk n Text route to send Aguilar back to Gilas.

And since Burger King and Talk n Text are considered sister teams under the Manny V. Pangilinan group, Barako Bull will reportedly be used as the conduit in the BK-TNT trade transaction.

BK is getting future draft picks with monetary consideration likely to be part of the deal.

“We’ll be okay without Japeth. We’ve made preparations for the season without him,” said Guiao.

Aguilar is expected to show up with the Gilas team as it plays its first game as guest team in the all-Filipino tourney versus the Whoppers themselves on Friday, also at the Big Dome.

With only one practice with the Whoppers, Aguilar struggled in his pro debut, humbled by Purefoods new recruit Rafi Reavis.

He made 10 points on 2-of-7 field-goal shooting and 6-of-10 free throws.

“I don’t know what their plan with Japeth is. But Peter (Japeth’s US-based father) made it clear, Japeth’s playing for Smart Gilas,” said veteran newsman Ronnie Nathanielzs, the agent-manager of the controversial player.

Meanwhile, Coke has acquired Wesley Gonzales from the free agent pool to boost its roster.

Brock Lesnar Training For UFC 106 Bout w/ Shane Carwin

2009-10-12T05:50:00.000-07:00

Carwin On Lesnar: Hes A Draw, I Am A Fighter

2009-10-12T05:49:00.000-07:00

Shane Carwin gives his thoughts to Fiveouncesofpain.com about UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar and how he see their UFC 106 match up going:

“I feel like I have paid my dues and so have a lot of fighters waiting for their shot. Brock is what they call a ‘Draw,’ he sells tickets, I am what they call a ‘Fighter,’ I fight who I am told to fight the way my coaches train me too. We are different people and we treat people different. To me this sport is as much about respect and honor as it is paychecks sound bites.”