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In front of a packed house at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV, Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2 with 38 Kos) worked over Miguel Cotto (34-2 with 27 KOs) over twelve brutally exciting rounds to pick up a welterweight belt and further cement his status as the sport’s best fighter. The bout was billed as “Firepower” and on this night Pacquaio’s arsenal was by far superior. Both men entered the raucous arena to thundering cheers and applause. Pacquiao, looking like a kid about to go outside and play, grinned all the way to the ring to the tune of “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor. Cotto came in to some Puerto Rican rap and looked stoic as ever. By the end of the night, he would be hoping to be a survivor.
The action started slowly with Cotto pressing the attack to start and looking to work behind a hard jab and dig to the body. Pacquiao looked tentative, gauging the power and speed of Cotto while picking his spots. Cotto dictated the pace and got off well with his jab and hook to the body but his power didn’t seem to bother Pacquiao at all.
‘I tried to taste his power early,” said Pacquiao afterwards. “I controlled the fight and made him pressure me.”
In the second, Cotto came forward yet again and seemed to be boxing well. Pacquiao got off his right hook and jab as well the left lead hand. Cotto seemed to take the shots flush but well. Pacquiao got off a one-two but Cotto came right back with a flurry of his own. Two lead lefts by Pacquiao got through followed by a left and a huge uppercut that rocked Cotto. Cotto came back with two body shots but landed a low blow and was warned for the first time by referee Kenny Bayless. Two lefts by Pacquaio go through and now the fight was heating up as Cotto came right back with hard body shots. They started to trade in the center of the ring with each man giving and taking down the stretch of an excellent round that was fight’s most competitive.
In the third, Pacquiao would separate himself. He started out jabbing and moving well to the side of Cotto in an attempt to walk him into shots. Pacman seemed to be warmed up now and it showed as he unleashed left leads, right hooks and uppercuts. Cotto seemed game but a hard jab, left, and right hook from Pacquiao caught him flush and dropped Cotto to the canvas. He rose quickly and began to move forward in
order to stem the rising tide of the Filipino warrior. Pacquiao seemed perfectly fien with having Cotto come forward and countered the counter punching Cotto as he came forward.
“we knew he was going to counter,” said Pacquiao. “We worked [taking that away.”
Pacquiao would do it again in the next round but this time to greater effect. This time, he caught Miguel Cotto with a left uppercut during an exchange that the Puerto Rican didn’t see coming. Rising on shaky legs, it was clear that this knockdown hurt him badly. From here on out, Pacquaio turned up the heat in controlled, measured bursts while Cotto tried to adjust as best he could to no avail.
Round after round, Pacquiao would wade in, flurry hard and rip shots from all angles. Cotto would land his as well but as each moment passed his punches lost more steam and his face swelled more and more.
It was mop up duty down the stretch as Cotto, bloody but brave, moved forward, landed to the body and head of Pacquiao but with less and less effect. Pacquiao only grew more brave as he let loose with more and more of his arsenal. Lead lefts, uppercuts and right hooks were the order of the day as the much improved boxing skills of Pacquiao were on display as rarely before.
By the tenth round, Cotto’s corner was asking him if he wanted to continue to which he replied yes. But it was getting to be that time with his face busted up, his power failing him, and Pacqauio looking like he was just getting started. Round and round in wide circles Cotto moved around the ring avoiding the patient Pacquiao and pecking at him with the jab.
He was looking for a knockout shot,” said Pacquiao. “That’s why I didn’t throw a lot of punches. I was timing him.”
The time was near as they entered the twelfth and final round. Cotto asked his corner if there was another round and bravely went out to fight it. Pacquiao was looking for that exclamation point to a brilliant performance. As they moved around the ring with Pacquiao getting in one or two hard shots on the moving target Cotto, there was a sense that the fight could end at any moment. Cotto seemed to wobble or wince whenever he got hit flush and as he did for the final time along the ropes by a left hand, ref Bayless wisely called a halt at :55 of the final round.
The crowd erupted as Pacman put his hands in the air and almost immediately chants of ‘WE WANT FLOYD!!!” filled the air. A reference to Floyd Mayweather, jr. who everyone in the sport wants as Pacquaio’s next opponent. Being the biggest fight that can be made in the sport, it only made sense to ask Pacqauio if that is what he wanted next.
But Pacquiao again showed improved defense (this time outside the ring) and his ever present humility.
“My job is to fight. I will leave that to my promoter. Right now I want to spend time with my family, go on vacation and have fun. This was a tough fight.”
THE UNDERCARD
For every action there is an opposite reaction and tonight it was the undercard counterbalancing the stellar main event. In the main uneventfuls we saw a snoozefest where Yuri Foreman (28-0 with 8 KOS) took a unanimous decision over Daniel Santos (32-4-1 with 23 KOs) to take a portion of the junior middleweight title. Julio Caesar Chavez, Jr (41-1 with 30 KOs) took a ten round unanimous decision over Troy Rowland (25-3 with 7 KOs) to maybe set up a mega
In a spirited affair, Alfonso Gomez (21-4-2 with 10 KOs) took a 6 round technical unanimous decision over Jesus Soto-Karass (24-4-3 with 16 KOs). The figt was stopped due to an accidental headbutt that had Gomez bleeding profusely but still he boxed smart and was en route to a route.
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